DAY 4 WORLD CUP
This is Monday 14th June 2010. I awoke to a very noticeable nip in the Johannesburg air. I stepped out to be greeted by a blast of icy cold air. The news coverage indicated that the whole of South Africa was experiencing very cold winter weather conditions. As the day progressed, the icy cold conditions in Johannesburg worsened. Attendance at the match in Soccer City would require very warm clothing.
I set off for Soccer City at approximately 09h30. I stopped for breakfast at the Rosebank Mall that is utterly chaotic at present as a result of the construction works going on there as well as to the roads outside the shopping centre. True to the Murphy’s Law principle, serving of breakfast at one of the restaurants was inordinately delayed. I only managed to set off to my Soccer City destination at 11h30. As anticipated, the traffic on the Johannesburg highways had slowed down to a crawl.
The Wits University campus park and ride to Soccer City was well subscribed. I noticed throngs of people lining up to board the buses to Soweto. I was driven slowly but steadily through the traffic jam onto the area close to Soccer City demarcated as a park and walk venue. We arrived at the parking area at approximately 12h45 and set off for the stadium thinking that we had sufficient time on our hands. We were badly mistaken.
The stadium was not visible at all, for the treason as became apparent later that the stadium is built in a depressed level of the land. The walk to the stadium was made more arduous by the sheer distance from the park and walk facility and the presence of large areas of sandy ground. The wind had started up and the whole area resembled a dust bowl. I predicted that by the end of this day, we would all be covered in fine dust.
We walked towards the large mine dump in the distance. Thousands of spectators walked along the path and many more began running as the time marched on. Forty five minutes later, we had come to the outskirts of the stadium. We could see the stadium, the rainbow coloured roof of the Nasrec station and the large orange painted water tower. We could also see the skyline of Johannesburg city in the distance. We or more specifically our group were late together with thousands of other spectators. The loud sounds of the vuvuzelas greeted our ears and they grew louder as we got nearer to the stadium.
We finally reached our seats at approximately 13h50, twenty minutes into the match between Denmark and the Netherlands. The stadium was huge and awe inspiring. The Netherlands spectators were the more visible of the two participating teams. What became immediately apparent were the empty blocks of seats in the middle tiers of the stadium. I presume that these areas were reserved for dignitaries and those who had purchased hospitality tickets. The issue of empty seating at the stadiums had become an issue. I regret that these seats were not timeously allocated to deserving South African fans.
The match was exciting and was won 2-0 by the Netherlands. The walk back to the car was less distressing than the walk to the stadium, although it took just over an hour to get back. The stadium as well as the areas outside Soccer City was awash with the colour orange, the colour of the Dutch fans who were celebrating their win.
I ended the day at Nelson Mandela Square, where the atmosphere was just as rowdy as the day before, largely due to the schedule for Tuesday which included a game involving the Brazilians. In Bloemfontein, Japan had surprisingly beaten Cameroon and Italy and Paraguay had drawn at the Cape Town stadium.
Tomorrow promises more fun and excitement at the World Cup.
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