The host nation will come to a standstill today as South Africa take on Uruguay in their second match of the tournament in Pretoria.
The host nation will come to a standstill today as South Africau00a0 take on Uruguay in their second match of the tournament in Pretoria.
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| South African players celebrate their World Cup opening strike by Siphiwe Tshabalala against Mexico at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg recently. pic/Getty Images |
The match venue is Lotus Versfeld, home to the Bulls, undisputed champions in world rugby's toughest club competition Super 14 for the last three years running.
The Bulls have made Lotus a fortress and locals are hoping that will rub off on the soccer side.
Former French captain Patrick Vieira feels South Africa could be the surprise package of this Cup, just like his team was when they hosted the tournament in 1998.
"Bafana Bafana have a chance. They are lucky ot have a World Cup-winning coach in Carlos Alberto Parreira. He has the much needed experience," said Vieira.
Meanwhile, rooting for the home team are plenty of neutrals. Diryon Wasom, a twelve-year-old lad from New Delhi, is in South Africa for the World Cup and the team he adores is Bafana Bafana.
"South Africa is my team. I love it here. This is a place of unity," said Diryon. "They are my favourites for the World Cup."
Sponsors defend WC ballWorld Cup ball maker Adidas has fired back at critics of the controversialu00a0 Jabulani being used in South Africa.
Adidas claims countries such as England who are criticising the Jabulani are themselves to blame for not practising enough with it.
"There are players who play in leagues with other balls, there are players who have not played in the Africa Cup of Nations, and players from other federations who have not practised with the ball," Adidas spokesman Thomas Schaikvan said. "These are the players who take the most amount of time to get used to it."
Schaikvan said Adidas had supplied all the federations with the ball last February, and it was up to them to get their national team players familiar with it in the lead-up to the World Cup.
He said the Jabulani been used extensively in Germany's Bundesliga as well as by France and Argentina ufffd who are sponsored by Adidas ufffd and other leagues around the world.
Interestingly, the English Premier League is tied commercially to rival sports firm Nike, which is why England's players would have not have got live match experience with the new ball.
Schaikvan said there had been no complaints from the testers, but admitted that altitude in South Africa could have a bit of influence on the ball.
Omen of AfricaThe Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, one of the unfashionable Cup venues up north, could be the stage for upsets if legend is to be believed.
The baobab tree, renowned for its healing properties, is the inspiration behind this World Cup stadium's design.
The tree, famed for its lifesaving properties, may symbolise a lifeline for African teams, locals say. But, it may not spell good news for Argentina and France who are slated to play there in the coming days.
