South Africa ready to have a ball

IT WON’T be easy at first, it won’t be painless; but when South Africa and Mexico kick off the 2010 World Cup Finals at Soccer City here in Johannesburg today, you can still be sure that the colour, vibrancy and sheer excitement of Africa’s first ever finals will sweep all the way to Dublin.

Yes, Ireland should be there. And, no, Thierry Henry should not. But the joys of watching the World Cup as a neutral, free from rose-tinted glasses and jingoistic headlines, can provide tangible consolation because already there are signs that this tournament could prove to be one of the most memorable of all.

Just landing at O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg is an experience that jolts supporters out of their humdrum lives back home and into the glamour, drama and fantasy world of Africa’s first-ever world Cup.