Mandela attends World Cup final
Reuters - Sunday 11 July 2010, 17:30
JOHANNESBURG
- Nelson Mandela briefly
visited the stadium just before the World Cup final between
Spain and the Netherlands on Sunday, capping South Africa's joy
over a successful tournament.
The much loved former leader, 91,
who is in frail health,
briefly toured the pitch in a golf cart surrounded by bodyguards
before the match.
He was
greeted ecstatically by the crowd in the huge
flagship Soccer City stadium who chanted his clan name Madiba
and blew vuvuzela trumpets.
Mandela was unable to attend the opening ceremony on June 11
because of the death of his great grand-daughter in a car
accident the night before.
But his grandson Mandla said earlier he wanted to greet the
fans after a tournament that has boosted national pride and
defied predictions of chaos and disaster.
Throughout the day ahead of the
evening match, as excitement
built, hordes of orange and red clad Dutch and Spanish fans
tried to out-do each other with songs and the most outlandish
outfits as locals gleefully joined the party, painting their
faces and wearing the flag of their favourites.
Before Mandela's appearance,
Colombian singer Shakira led a
glitzy closing ceremony, singing the official World Cup song
"Waka Waka" with local group Freshly Ground.
Spotlights, fireworks and lasers
lit up the night sky, and
giant puppet elephants paraded around the pitch.
The best World Cup games often
come in the semi-finals but
Spain and the Netherlands are seen as the pick of the bunch here
technically, tactically and temperamentally.
It is a final of firsts in
addition to the location. Neither
side has won the World Cup despite their undoubted quality, and
Europe will win its first trophy on another continent.
Huge crowds will watch the match
at open air venues in their
home countries with up to 100,000 expected in central Amsterdam,
which is bedecked in orange flags and banners.
TELEVISION AUDIENCE
A worldwide television audience of
more than 700 million is
expected to watch, FIFA said.
Sunday's final is a first for Spain and a third for the
Dutch, who were runners up in 1974 and 1978.
The final has raised spirits in
two countries that badly
needed cheering up.
The Dutch went through polarising elections
in June that failed to produce a clear winner and Spain is torn
by bitter political infighting over how to address Europe's
highest unemployment and crippling debt.
The Spanish and the Dutch
perfectly illustrate this World
Cup's biggest lesson - that the teams who play as units are
superior to those that revolved around fallen pre-tournament
favourites like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
The successful tournament is
triumph for South Africa which
has confounded years of foreign reports that it would be a
failure, ruined by violent crime, chaos and unfinished stadiums.
President Jacob Zuma thanked the
nation, saying they were
stars and champions for hosting a successful tournament and
"opening up your country and your hearts to the world."
Despite being the first host
nation eliminated at the group
stage, locals have remained enthusiastic spectators, helping
this World Cup to be the third best attended ever, with 3
million seats sold, behind the United States in 1994 and Germany
in 2006.
Chief local
organiser Danny Jordaan said the tournament had
brought the races together and enabled South Africans to walk
tall after being told for years they were inferior.
"The nation
has crossed a huge psychological barrier," he told reporters.
SLOW STARTERS
European champions Spain are the
popular choice of many
South Africans because of their stylish game, and easily topped
an online international press poll.
But the Netherlands will be tough
to beat, with a powerful
trio of Dirk Kuyt, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben to combat
Xavi and Andres Iniesta leading Spain's masterful midfield.
Spain have tormented opponents
with their talent for holding
the ball and precise passing even under pressure, but have
lacked killer instinct in front of the net with only seven goals
from six matches.
The Dutch
have been more prolific with 12 goals, but have
also seemed to lack the killer instinct at crucial moments.
Spain's fans will be led at the
final by Queen Sofia while
the Dutch are backed by outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter
Balkenende, among an array of VIPs.
Analysts say the tournament has
rebranded South Africa and
the whole continent and new business and capital is already
flowing in on the back of the tournament.
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