World Cup opens with fanfare, noise
Source: Agencies |
June 12, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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THE first World Cup held in Africa opened in Johannesburg yesterday in a dazzling burst of joy, color and noise and just a tinge of sadness.
Before a jubilant, horn-blowing crowd at Soccer City, the stadium between Johannesburg and Soweto, hundreds of African dancers in vivid greens, reds and yellows paraded onto the field for the opening ceremony of the month-long tournament.
Most of the fans were in the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country's team. There were a few pockets of green -- fans of Mexico, South Africa's opponent in the opening match.
The elation was tempered by news that Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.
South African President Jacob Zuma, a scarf in national colors around his neck, told the crowd just before kickoff that he had a message from Mandela: "The game must start. You must enjoy the game."
Zuma was joined at midfield by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who depicted this World Cup as a triumph for Africa, and said: "The spirit of Mandela is in Soccer City."
The crowd then rose for the Mexican and South African national anthems -- the latter a fusion of the main hymn of the anti-apartheid movement and the anthem of the former white-minority government.
Then it was time for kickoff -- and the horns sounded louder than ever, like a swarm of bees amplified to near-deafening levels.
Several icons of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa were on hand, including Mandela's former wife, Winnie, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who at one point was dancing to the music.
Former South Africa President F.W. De Klerk, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela for negotiating an end to white-minority rule, was also present.
Other VIPs included the presidents of South Africa and Mexico -- Jacob Zuma and Felipe Calderon -- and United States Vice President Joe Biden.
It was not an occasion for those who dislike noise.
Many fans came equipped with vuvuzelas -- the plastic horns which emit a loud and distinctive blare. Incredibly, the din from the horns was briefly drowned out by the overflight of military jets just before the ceremony started.
The public address announcer pleaded with the crowd to ease up on the horns so the global TV audience could hear the music. The plea was largely unsuccessful.
An all-star cast of musicians, including South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer R. Kelly, performed.
Cast members brought out large placards with the flags of the 32 nations competing in the tournament, holding them high as a final burst of fireworks ended the show.
Soccer City, which seats more than 90,000, wasn't full at the start of the ceremony.
Thousands of fans were stuck in traffic jams on roads leading to the stadium -- regaled along the way by groups of dancing, chanting young people in Bafana shirts and by vendors selling South African flags.
Before a jubilant, horn-blowing crowd at Soccer City, the stadium between Johannesburg and Soweto, hundreds of African dancers in vivid greens, reds and yellows paraded onto the field for the opening ceremony of the month-long tournament.
Most of the fans were in the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country's team. There were a few pockets of green -- fans of Mexico, South Africa's opponent in the opening match.
The elation was tempered by news that Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.
South African President Jacob Zuma, a scarf in national colors around his neck, told the crowd just before kickoff that he had a message from Mandela: "The game must start. You must enjoy the game."
Zuma was joined at midfield by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who depicted this World Cup as a triumph for Africa, and said: "The spirit of Mandela is in Soccer City."
The crowd then rose for the Mexican and South African national anthems -- the latter a fusion of the main hymn of the anti-apartheid movement and the anthem of the former white-minority government.
Then it was time for kickoff -- and the horns sounded louder than ever, like a swarm of bees amplified to near-deafening levels.
Several icons of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa were on hand, including Mandela's former wife, Winnie, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who at one point was dancing to the music.
Former South Africa President F.W. De Klerk, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela for negotiating an end to white-minority rule, was also present.
Other VIPs included the presidents of South Africa and Mexico -- Jacob Zuma and Felipe Calderon -- and United States Vice President Joe Biden.
It was not an occasion for those who dislike noise.
Many fans came equipped with vuvuzelas -- the plastic horns which emit a loud and distinctive blare. Incredibly, the din from the horns was briefly drowned out by the overflight of military jets just before the ceremony started.
The public address announcer pleaded with the crowd to ease up on the horns so the global TV audience could hear the music. The plea was largely unsuccessful.
An all-star cast of musicians, including South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer R. Kelly, performed.
Cast members brought out large placards with the flags of the 32 nations competing in the tournament, holding them high as a final burst of fireworks ended the show.
Soccer City, which seats more than 90,000, wasn't full at the start of the ceremony.
Thousands of fans were stuck in traffic jams on roads leading to the stadium -- regaled along the way by groups of dancing, chanting young people in Bafana shirts and by vendors selling South African flags.
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