Soccer Advice Tips

After months of negativity, it was incredibly refreshing to hear some positive attitudes towards the World Cup this week - as over half the coaches for June's finals trekked to Sun City for a pre-tournament Fifa workshop.

Perhaps it was fitting that in South Africa's most famous casino resort, once a den of in iniquity nicknamed Sin City due its controversial past, the chat turned to the rarely-spoken enthusiasm for Africa's first World Cup rather than the regular doom-laden diet.

The latter is largely fuelled by both South Africa's terrible crime levels, with an average of 50 murders per day, and the ubiquitous 'Will they be ready?' stories that precede every major championship in a not-quite-as-developed-as-we'd-like location.

But is South Africa really that foreign a destination?

England boss Fabio Capello arrives at a workshop for coaches in South Africa

When I asked the Australian delegation if they had any security concerns, they almost laughed in my face. Thankfully, they politely grinned instead while explaining how their sports stars have been coming here for years without any problems.

Indeed, their cricketers came over for last year's IPL and Champions Trophy and there was great irony in both tournaments' relocation to South Africa after security concerns in their original host nations - India and Pakistan ( and wasn't it strange how South Africa's crime issues were ignored when the IPL changed venue?).

"I don't have any feeling of negativity about the World Cup," says Australia's Dutch coach Pim Verbeek. "This is my eighth time here and I've always enjoyed coming as a tourist. I don't think security will be a problem because if everybody does as they should, and stays away from certain places, it will be a special World Cup - no doubt about it."

Since such pleasantries are normally delivered to the local media, they are often dismissed as mere lip service, but this was a private conversation - and Verbeek is not alone in banging Africa's drum.

"I'm expecting a great tournament, in fantastic stadiums, with perfect security," says Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, who was here for last year's Confederations Cup. "I'm not expecting anything negative."

Perhaps revealingly, my question - which enquired about global pessimism - was translated by the interpreter as 'English media negativity' (although the German media run us close). And it was interesting to see the storm close-up as Fabio Capello rubbished tabloid concerns over the Bafokeng Sports Complex, which is now confirmed as England's base.

"I'm very happy," the Italian said. "They've improved a lot since the last time: the pitches are good and will be better by June, the hotel is really nice and the gym and medical centre will be ready in two months. The facilities are fantastic."

While English-led questions about Bafokeng dominated Fifa's news conference on Tuesday, it was interesting that not one Brazilian journalist, and there were a few there, asked about the five-time champions' hotel - whose completion date is as late as England's. In fact, the endless focus on Bafokeng drove Fifa's urbane General Secretary spare.

"If the question is 'could we host the World Cup tomorrow?', the answer is 'no'," Jerome Valcke snapped. "Soccer City isn't ready [and] we have 700,000 tickets still to sell, but we will be ready."

Behind the scenes, Fifa is frantically striving to ensure South Africa 2010 takes off. But by and large, the concerns are being dismissed one-by-one, as the magnificent arenas in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (and the fun of Nelspruit) are already showing, not to mention the refurbishments of several airports.

Soccer City in Johannesburg will host the 2010 World Cup final

So instead of the constant negativity, shouldn't there be a celebration of the fact that a once-pariah state is now excitedly preparing for a global invasion? And that football fans who were unable to watch their national team until 1992 (Fifa barred South Africa for nearly three decades because of apartheid) will be cheering on Bafana Bafana in stadiums bedecked with all the colours of the Rainbow Nation?

Germany coach Joachim Low certainly thinks so.

"I see the happiness in the locals' eyes and their sense of excitement," he said. "They can't wait for the World Cup and South Africa will do everything for this World Cup - that's what I am feeling."

As former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey will tell you : "If you measure the World Cup by its time-keeping, you're going to be disappointed ."But visiting fans will have a great time as long as they a) use some common sense and b) don't expect South Africa 2010 to run as smoothly as Germany 2006.

For South Africa's organisational abilities were recently shown up when Bafana Bafana's training venue had to change due to a lack of refurbishment, meaning the first 'qualified' nation for the finals may be the last to select their venue - despite their five-year head start. "This should not be happening," said South Africa's distinctly-unimpressed coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

And though there will be problems - most notably with transport, administration and logistics - Africa's unique flavour, colour and characteristics will outshine the negatives (which I was reminded of this week as, in a personal broadcasting first, a zebra came to check me out while filing a report just outside Sun City).

What is more, many locals fully expect the World Cup to change their country in a similar fashion to Nelson Mandela's release, the first democratic elections in 1994 and the unifying rugby World Cup victory a year later - and that's ignoring the football fans' excitement at seeing Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney in action.

"It's a gift from God to have the World Cup," one fan told me with heartfelt emotion this week. Like many, he's bought his Bafana Bafana jersey - despite his low salary - so that he can wear it on 'Football Friday', a day when the nation unites by wearing the national strip (while fans are also learning the tournament's official 'Diski' dance).

After 80 years of the World Cup, Africa - whether some Europeans like it or not - deserves its chance to host the finals: and had you decided against coming here because of the horror stories (rather than financial restrictions), when the media changes its tune from negativity to fawning praise as the World Cup begins, where would you rather be?