Tuesday 29th June 2010



I had extra tickets for this match. I tried to resell the ticket to FIFA to no avail. They were only prepared to accept tickets three days ahead of any scheduled game. There was no demand for this game. FIFA had adequate numbers of tickets for the game. In the end, the costly extra seat served two purposes. It provided more seating space for me given the rather narrow seats at Loftus Versefeld stadium and secondly, we could put our bags onto the seats.

Loftus Stadium is rather disappointing. It has a very old and faded look to it.  My impression is that television glorifies the view of Loftus. What one gets when arriving there is a real disappointment. The stadium also looks smaller than it appears to be on television. It is time for the Bulls rugby team to make the Orlando stadium their home base!

The trip to the stadium was anything but disappointing. The Tshwane Pretoria city outdid itself to make the trip to and back from the stadium a very memorable one. The park and ride plan that they had in place would put to shame the plans of the bigger cities like Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Parking facilities were arranged at two of the Pretoria universities.  Hundreds of minibus taxis were used to convey the fans to and from the stadium. The disciplined manner in which the minibus taxis proceeded to and from the stadium was an eye opener to those who have experienced the usual driving antics of these drivers. The taxis were escorted to and from the stadium in convoy. As far as the transport arrangements were concerned, Pretoria Tshwane outdid itself.

The fan walk to the stadium was made pleasant by the colourful gear worn by the fans and their revelry during their walk. My seat was taken by somebody else who seemed to have the attitude that he and everyone else should sit where they wanted to. I was not in the mood to give up the seats that had been purchased by me and reserved for me. I had the person firmly removed from my seat.

The match ended without any score after normal and extra time. My impression is that Japan played the better and more entertaining game of the two teams. Japan unfortunately lost in the penalty shootout. The Japanese fans were magnanimous in their loss. Japan has really advanced in the game since they co-hosted the World Cup with South Korea. Their exit saddened us as well. I am moved to say well played Japan. The Japanese supporters were distinctive in their vivid costumes and apparels.

The other big game tonight is the clash between Portugal and the Netherlands in Cape Town. Both teams are potential winners this year. The plaudits however went to the Dutch this time round with Portugal returning home at this stage.

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