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Confederations Cup Comment: The Football Was Good, The Fans Were Great
With the Confederations Cup well and truly over, Goal.com looks at how the fans contributed to its success...
30-Jun-2009 2:58:34 PM
In the end, as well as some thrilling games, it will be the fans that linger in the memory as the 2009 Confederations Cup enters football history.
The World Cup will see supporters from all over the planet descend on South Africa, but for the past two weeks or so, the vast majority of the fans were locals.
It was always going to be hard to follow Germany 2006, with its weather, organisation, location in the middle of Europe and the much-vaunted German infrastructure, but one aspect in which South Africa can set new standards is in the passion, the warmth, the colour and, as this is Africa it has to be said, the sheer rhythm of the fans.
The last thing Brazilian coach Dunga said in the post-match press conference after the final match of the Confederations Cup summed it up: “The 2010 World Cup may not be the most precise World Cup but because of the people, it will be the most human.”
There are certain themes that ran throughout the tournament:
The Vuvezela Debate
Goal.com was the first to discuss the issue in detail after some of our readers complained about the sounds that the air horn makes when blown by thousands of fans at the stadium. This metre-long instrument has provided the soundtrack to the tournament and will most likely do so next year too.
Calls for a ban, mainly made by those watching it on television overseas, were rejected by Sepp Blatter, although Goal.com reporters found that it was subsequently much harder to buy them around the stadiums.
The manufacturers say, "You only hate them if you haven’t got one." That is debatable, but if you come to South Africa, where everyone seems to have one, you won’t hate them. And what did the city of Johannesburg give each journalist as the competition ended? You guessed it…
Ticket Sales
We were also quick to talk about the empty seats on display in the opening days as Spain played New Zealand in Rustenburg and Brazil and Egypt played out a seven-goal thriller.
We talked to local journalists who gave the low-down. We also talked to fans who complained about FIFA’s ticketing policy. With even the cheap seats expensive by the standards of the local football fan and no culture at all in regard to buying tickets online well ahead of matchday, the ticketing policy seems ill considered.
The Atmosphere
Despite number 2, and because of/despite number 1, the atmosphere in the stadiums was generally very good.
The fans in Bloemfontein were especially great to be around. They practice their dances on a regular basis as they turn out to watch local club Bloemfontein Celtic. They turned around, shook their backsides and wiggled around again to watch the action on the pitch.
When the action on the pitch wasn’t exciting, as when Spain played Iraq, they whipped the rest of the crowd into a near-frenzy and the second half of that match was played amid an atmosphere that would rival any in Europe’s big leagues and surpass most.
The Passion
Not so much in Johannesburg, where everyone moves around by car, but certainly elsewhere, any passer-by that spotted a media badge would either ask for tickets or demand a conversation about football, either at the Confed Cup or in Europe.
I remember being trapped at a Bloemfontein hotel breakfast with a bunch of South Africans from Durban, Joburg and Pretoria and the football debate was as delightful as it was fierce.
The Warmth
Despite the cold and despite some park-and-ride fiascos, especially at the two ‘burgs’ - Jo and Rusten - fans were full of good humour.
The Appreciation
Whether it was cheering on the United States and Egypt in their efforts against Brazil, or blowing a vuvuzela at a piece of magic from Kaka or Torres, the locals were fair and just wanted to see some good football.
Just wait until next year!
John Duerden
Johannesburg, South Africa
john.duerden@goal.com
The World Cup will see supporters from all over the planet descend on South Africa, but for the past two weeks or so, the vast majority of the fans were locals.
It was always going to be hard to follow Germany 2006, with its weather, organisation, location in the middle of Europe and the much-vaunted German infrastructure, but one aspect in which South Africa can set new standards is in the passion, the warmth, the colour and, as this is Africa it has to be said, the sheer rhythm of the fans.
The last thing Brazilian coach Dunga said in the post-match press conference after the final match of the Confederations Cup summed it up: “The 2010 World Cup may not be the most precise World Cup but because of the people, it will be the most human.”
There are certain themes that ran throughout the tournament:
The Vuvezela Debate
Goal.com was the first to discuss the issue in detail after some of our readers complained about the sounds that the air horn makes when blown by thousands of fans at the stadium. This metre-long instrument has provided the soundtrack to the tournament and will most likely do so next year too.
Calls for a ban, mainly made by those watching it on television overseas, were rejected by Sepp Blatter, although Goal.com reporters found that it was subsequently much harder to buy them around the stadiums.
The manufacturers say, "You only hate them if you haven’t got one." That is debatable, but if you come to South Africa, where everyone seems to have one, you won’t hate them. And what did the city of Johannesburg give each journalist as the competition ended? You guessed it…
Ticket Sales
We were also quick to talk about the empty seats on display in the opening days as Spain played New Zealand in Rustenburg and Brazil and Egypt played out a seven-goal thriller.
We talked to local journalists who gave the low-down. We also talked to fans who complained about FIFA’s ticketing policy. With even the cheap seats expensive by the standards of the local football fan and no culture at all in regard to buying tickets online well ahead of matchday, the ticketing policy seems ill considered.
The Atmosphere
Despite number 2, and because of/despite number 1, the atmosphere in the stadiums was generally very good.
The fans in Bloemfontein were especially great to be around. They practice their dances on a regular basis as they turn out to watch local club Bloemfontein Celtic. They turned around, shook their backsides and wiggled around again to watch the action on the pitch.
When the action on the pitch wasn’t exciting, as when Spain played Iraq, they whipped the rest of the crowd into a near-frenzy and the second half of that match was played amid an atmosphere that would rival any in Europe’s big leagues and surpass most.
The Passion
Not so much in Johannesburg, where everyone moves around by car, but certainly elsewhere, any passer-by that spotted a media badge would either ask for tickets or demand a conversation about football, either at the Confed Cup or in Europe.
I remember being trapped at a Bloemfontein hotel breakfast with a bunch of South Africans from Durban, Joburg and Pretoria and the football debate was as delightful as it was fierce.
The Warmth
Despite the cold and despite some park-and-ride fiascos, especially at the two ‘burgs’ - Jo and Rusten - fans were full of good humour.
The Appreciation
Whether it was cheering on the United States and Egypt in their efforts against Brazil, or blowing a vuvuzela at a piece of magic from Kaka or Torres, the locals were fair and just wanted to see some good football.
Just wait until next year!
John Duerden
Johannesburg, South Africa
john.duerden@goal.com
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