World Cup organizers promise a high-tech closing ceremony featuring pop star Shakira

JOHANNESBURG World Cup organizers promise a high-tech closing ceremony featuring pop star Shakira, compared to the more traditionally African ceremony which opened the tournament.Organizing committee spokesman Jermaine Craig says Sunday’s show at Soccer City will be “more youthful and a bit more technologically advanced” than the June 11 opening ceremony.

Craig says the nighttime event has “nice lighting effects and special effects planned.”The closing ceremony is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. local time, two hours before the final match kicks off.Colombian star Shakira will perform the official tournament anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Shakira also performed the song at a June 10 World Cup concert in Soweto.(AP)

Mexico enter the cooking pot for Cup start

The once-improbable dream of a World Cup in Africa kicks off on Friday when Mexico face the home team in the deafening cauldron of Johannesburg’s 90,000-seat Soccer City stadium.The Mexicans will have to contend not only an army of jiving supporters in a frenzy of patriotic fervor but an ear-splitting blast from the biggest array yet of vuvuzela trumpets, the loudest fan instrument on the globe, which severely curtails communication between players and coach.The stadium, biggest in Africa, has been shaped like a calabash or cooking pot and the Mexicans may feel they have been put on the fire when they meet Bafana Bafana, South Africa’s much improved national team.

Once mocked by even their compatriots as hopeless under-achievers, and still one of the lowest-rated World Cup hosts, at 83rd in the rankings, South Africa come off a run of 12 unbeaten matches and are new national heroes.Their performance has added to an unprecedented rush of nationalistic excitement in South Africa, which was tormented for years by negative and even domestic pessimism that the world’s most watched sporting event was too big for Africa to handle.

That pessimism has been transformed in recent weeks, encouraged by FIFA’s belated decision to sell tickets for cash, and South Africans of all races can scarcely contain their excitement and pride at being in the world spotlight.Successfully hosting this tournament for the first time in Africa will mean much more for the hosts than just sport.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION

Racial reconciliation, the affirmation of an often troubled post-apartheid nation, future investment and millions of tourist dollars are at stake.African leaders believe this tournament, a massive logistical undertaking, will enable the continent to overturn stereotypes of disaster, conflict and failure and prove it is a vibrant can-do region ripe for investment and development.

A string of comparatively minor crimes against journalists and three Greek players in recent days have been reminders that security in one of the globe’s most violent countries outside a war zone is one of the tournament’s biggest concerns.And six people were injured in a crowd crush at Cape Town’s main World Cup fan zone on Thursday when thousands of people tried to get in.But none of this will dent South African euphoria.

The weight of expectation and the joyful street parades of the last few days could however undermine South Africa’s concentration.Their Brazilian manager, Carlo Alberto Parreira, said on Thursday they had expected calmness and focus but he could understand the distracting party on the streets.

“I don’t want my players to be affected by all of that. Now we have a World Cup game…we want to make this country proud.”If they can hold their nerve in the midst of the noise and atmosphere — Soccer City’s bowl design is likely to boost the sound levels — Mexico do not intend to be a pushover.

Manager Javier Aguirre told reporters they would love to spoil the giant party. “My team has come here to play football, not make friends and do some sightseeing,” he said.

But the history book favors South Africa. Mexico have a poor record in opening games, while the two previous starting matches featuring African teams resulted in shock triumphs for Cameroon over Argentina in 1990 and Senegal over France in 2002.

CONFIDENCE BOOST

Mexico’s confidence has been boosted by a win over defending champions Italy in Belgium last week and good performances against England and the Netherlands in other recent friendlies.The opening match, starting at 1400 GMT (10 a.m. EDT), is likely to see both teams going forward to end a tradition of cautious and dull starts to the tournament.

In Friday’s other game, France are likely to make a nervous start against Uruguay in Cape Town after a series of unimpressive warm up games which ended with a worrying 1-0 defeat by China. They look a far cry from the dominant team that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European trophy two years later.Uruguay on the other hand, though one of the tournament underdogs, have had an impressive warm-up with wins against Switzerland and Israel.(Reuters)

South African split on Mandela's attendance at opening

JOHANNESBURG South African soccer fans are split whether Nelson Mandela should attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.Mandela, who emerged from 27 years in prison under the former government’s oppressive apartheid system to eventually become president, is expected to make an appearance at Soccer City on Friday ahead of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

“It is important for our country (that he attend) as he is the one that united our nation, especially through his attendance of the 1995 Rugby World Cup,” said Lardus Bosman, a 21-year-old university student in Pretoria. “And as he might be reaching the end of his life, it is important that he should attend this historical South African event.”Mandela took over as president in 1994, four years after being released from jail, and will be remembered for his role in changing the fate of many South Africans by fostering democracy in the country.

His attendance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, when South Africa surprisingly beat New Zealand following years of exile from international sport, was seen by many as the moment when South Africans were truly united – partly because “Madiba” congratulated former captain Francois Pienaar while wearing a green Springboks shirt.But some people are more concerned about the 91-year-old Mandela’s health, and believe he should not travel to Soccer City if he is too frail.

“The Bafana team should rather visit him at his house before the opening match so that he can wish them good luck,” said An-Li Pretorius, a 23-year-old professional cyclist.Rebecka Lesedi, a 49-year-old domestic worker, agreed that Mandela should stay indoors and watch the ceremony at home.

“He’s too old,” Lesedi said.Hanco Kaggelhoffer, another professional cyclist, suggested that Mandela should appear at the ceremony via satellite. And Mmathapelo Zondo, an 18-year-old university student, agreed that a video message would be OK if the former president can’t make it on his own.

“If his health is not good, he should not be pushed to attend the ceremony, and a live message from him to the South African team should rather be broadcasted,” Zondo said.FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday he did not know if Mandela would be at the ceremony, but if not, “his spirit will be present.”

Mandela has a reputation for inspiring teams to victory with his presence, known as the “Madiba magic.” A year after the Rugby World Cup, he wore a Bafana Bafana shirt before their triumph in the 1996 African Cup of Nations – still South Africa’s only major soccer title.

But Mandela, who stepped down as South Africa’s first black president in 1999, has rarely appeared in public since 2004. He did, however, make a surprise appearance last year at an ANC rally before the national election, and was photographed with the World Cup trophy last month.

The World Cup is being in held in Africa for the first time, and Mandela was a key factor in South Africa’s winning bid. But Johannes Segeri, a 25-year-old waiter, said the raucous African atmosphere that is sure to mark the festive occasion could cause problems for Mandela.”The loud vuvuzelas and the excitement of the crowd will be too much for him to handle,” Segeri said.(AP)