By Fred Kaweesi
in Johannesbourg
THEY said a World Cup in Africa was impossible. They said if Africa ever hosted the biggest sporting event, it would turn out to be a major flop.
They said fans would get mugged and murdered. That mayhem and disaster would be the order of the day.
The truth is all critics have had to eat their words. Virtually all have had to confess and admit that the 2010 World Cup, whose curtains closed with a glamorous ceremony at Soccer City yesterday was nothing but a resounding success.
What a build-up to the final it was. What a way to bid farewell to the last two of the 31 nations that graced Africa’s first spectacle in history.
At the Soccer City yesterday, it was so gratifying, if not emotional, to be able to say I was there.
For the millions of fans, spectators, and even doubting Thomases that attended the closing ceremony yesterday, it was indeed a big moment. The Spanish fans were led into the final festival by Queen Sofia while the Dutch were backed by outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, among an array of VIPs.
Thousands of Dutch fans dressed in orange and Spaniards in red competed to see who can sing the loudest and wear the craziest of outfits, with South Africans joining the party, bursting with pride at hosting a successful tournament.
I was at the calabash as early as 11am, to avoid the traffic and at that time, there was less activity.
Soccer city was nowhere near-full at the start of the opening ceremony as thousands of fans were stuck in traffic on the roads leading to the stadium. Those who didn’t make it to the stadium crowded into fan parks in all nine host cities.
The excitement however sprung with every passing hour and as usual black market ticket sales preceded all. These guys are smart. They loiter around not far from the stadium entrance. Fans short of tickets could find them. I didn’t need one as I had one and better still just next to the VIP section.
Black market ticket prices rose to as much US$7000 (sh14m) for the ordinary seat.
Inside the Calabash, I felt proud to be African. I and the 85,000 crowd saw history being made – history that will be told for many years.
The glitz and high-tech lighting that welcomed Shakira on stage and our own Ugandan artist Jose Chameleon perform among others was an experience I won’t trade for anything.
We danced, we sang, we screamed, and we bloody blew that vuvuzela.
Worthy celebration
It was a worthy climax of the month-long tournament that simply had it all.
With not a single case of hooliganism during the entire tournament, international observers have voted the 2010 World Cup as the friendliest ever.
Compared to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the spectre of hooliganism remained ever-present as a number of fan groups brawled with each other and the police.
In South Africa, the experience has been one of reconciliation and joyful celebrations throughout.
Never before in World Cup history did the host nation’s fans bring even the remotest suburbs to a standstill.
Right from the eve of the tournament’s opening fixture between the hosts and Mexico, the euphoria was there and we lived it.
I remember the wave of emotions that swept Soccer City when Siphiwe Tshabalala struck the first goal of the tournament on June 11. That goal and all the drama and adventures that came after the game set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
As we left Soccer City yesterday, we were all proud as Africans that we had pulled off the best tournament the World has ever seen.
We felt it, we were there.