It was supposed to be a trial run for the opening ceremony on June 11th: a match featuring home team South Africa, fondly dubbed Bafana Bafana by locals, against a formidable foe in front of an excited home crowd. But this is South Africa, and things work out differently here, if at all.
The sports value of a friendly between the world's #92 and #34 teams was zero. The match dragged on without much skill, imagination and technique; consequently all three goals were the results of pre-arranged penalty kicks, allowing the SA side to edge Colombia 2-1.
Crowd control in the stadium, with 73,000 in attendance, was mediocre. Many of the fans reached their seats well into playing time, and were stuck by slow moving queues up to three hours after the game. Even worse, at halftime electricity failed, plunging parts of Soccer (how ironic!) City Stadium into darkness. It also ended the nation-wide TV coverage for the whole second half.
Around the stadium three killings and about 200 robberies have been reported by police by this morning. Among the victims were the Colombian football players, robbed of money and personal items in their hotel room. With strikes looming by Eskom (the energy provider), Cosatu (transport and trade) and police in the month of June, it is easy to foresee the anarchy awaiting sports enthusiasts next month.
Current Music (Spotify linked): Marcy Playground – Comin' Up From Behind (Soundtrack Version)
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