The Picture Every World Cup Fan Wants to See: Nelson Mandela Smiling

THIS is the picture the world has been waiting for, and what a joy it is. Released in Johannesburg today by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and snapped by Debbie Yazbek, it shows Madiba, the beloved father of the Rainbow Nation, smiling with the World Cup as it arrives in South Africa for a nationwide pre-tournament journey.

For weeks, months, Mandela has been quiet. There were those who said the first democratic president of South Africa at 91 was too frail to talk when fascist leader Eugene Terreblanche was killed on his farm in Ventersdorp a month ago.

There were those who said Mandela couldn't be trusted to verbally spank ANC youth leader Julius Malema when he was winding up the white minority, singing songs about "killing the boer".

But with one image, Mandela is back. Smiling. And in the space of a toothy grin, the World Cup is on track. Though President Jacob Zuma has dealt well with pre-tournament problems - he spoke with authority on the sodomy-tainted death ofTerreblanche and slapped down the mischievous Malema with some aplomb - it is the voice of Mandela which is trusted here by black, white, brown and blue.

The man whose release stirred the world, the superhero who emerged from 27 years of imprisonment to guide the country through their first democratic elections in 1994, the father of freedom who inspired Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated Invictus is BACK.

I was told some months ago that FIFA have a contingency plan in place in the event of Rolihlahla Mandela's death before the start of the World Cup on June 11. It involves him lying in state in Pretoria, like a latter day pharoah, ready for eternal adoration.

We feared for his faculties, but we all knew it was Mandela who persuaded SeppBlatter, FIFA and the football-speaking world to bring the World Cup to Africa for the first time this year.

How tragic would it be if he had gone just weeks before the big kick-off? As JeromeValcke, the FIFA secretary general said today: "For us there was no way that the trophy would arrive in the country and not being brought first to Mandela. Nelson Mandela was one of the architects of this FIFA World Cup."

To Mandela's left in the picture above is Danny Jordaan, an anti-Apartheid activist who has risen to the top in sporting politics. He flanked the former president and Nobel prize winner as he admired the gold-and-malachite trophy that has been on a 134,014-kilometre (83,272-mile) world tour that stopped in every African country ahead of the June 11 kick-off of the continent's first World Cup.

Now the trophy will go on a crusade to 38 South African cities, with Khayelitsah near Cape Town the first stop.

Though we have no record of Mandela's fragile thoughts, Jordaan said: "It was so wonderful seeingMadiba (Mandela's clan name) in Zurich on the day South Africa won the right to host the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup, so happy with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. It is an emotional and joyful moment to be back bringing the trophy to him."

And in Johannesburg, where I wandered the streets today in a suit with thousands of pounds worth of electrical gadgets in my bag, there is no sign of the crime and danger the British press are predicting for this World Cup. Just smiles and very helpful locals showing me the way to get around. All in the spirit of Madibe.

And as I walked through Nelson Mandela square in Sandton, where a four metre golden statue of Africa's greatest statesman smiles down on the world, I said a little prayer for Madiba. Stick with us through this one, Mr Mandela. The Rainbow Nation is about to reach the pot of gold.

Barmy Army fury as 'Jimmy Saville' takes a hit... England remove stubborn Steyn and get off to a good start

BELOW is a picture of Jimmy Saville's right arm. Bruised and swollen from yesterday's unprovoked attack at the hands of a drunken South African "cricket fan" during yesterday's Boxing Day action at Kingsmead during the second Test.

Barmy Army general Jimmy, real name Vic Flowers, insists: "Today I will show you bouncebackability. I don't want to make too much of yesterday's incident. But I was pretty shocked when the lad attacked me. I don't really know what happened. All I know is one minute I was singing, the next I was on the floor. Then another one of them was hitting me with a flag or something.

"The old arm's a bit bruised (see picture) today but I'll be okay. I got straight back up and sang a song when it happened just after tea. And then we took three quick wickets!

"I'll be up and singing again today when the wickets start to fall."

While Jimmy (pictured above, with me, there's nothing of him, he estimates his age at 59) was fairly sanguine about the incident, which is the talk of the Durban hotels this morning, the platoons of Barmy Army fans around their cheerleader-in-chief are far from happy.

A blonde female supporter behind us said: "They were two very drunk fans. The one who knocked Jimmy over was about 25, not that big. The second one, who was hitting him with the flag, was a big lad, about thirty.

"Security should have reacted more quickly. At first they did nothing. Then the other South African fans got hold of them and persuaded security to throw them out. It was a nasty incident. It started a huge argument between drunk South African fans and sober ones."

Another fan behind us pointed out: "If this had been at The Oval, 12 very large men would have dealt with it and those idiots would have spent the night in a police cell.

"I hate to think what will happen if South Africans behave like this when our football fans are over for the World Cup next year. But these weren't cricket fans, they were just here for the beer. And it's not very good beer."

Security admit they apprehended a man and ejected him but are unsure whether he has entered the ground again today.

Thoroughly subdued by the incident, the 300-strong Barmy Army - and a sparse sprinkling of around 3,000 local fans - hardly reacted to the wicket of Mark Boucher in the middle.

England's first victim of the controversial umpire review system fell lbw to Graeme Swann for 39, leaving South Africa 238-6 after a partnership of 69 with AB De Villiers.

They began to recover their voices when De Villiers, having just reached his 50, got an edge to Stuart Broad and Matt Prior took the catch. Spinner Paul Harris didn't trouble the scorers for long, he went for two, also lbw off Swann.

South Africa went to lunch at 284-8 off 95 largely hum-drum overs. They appear to be using their desperately pedestrian run-rate as a way of avoiding crowd trouble. Who'd turn up to watch this and be knocked about by drunken louts?

Swann took his tally to four wickets in the innings when he caught Morne Morkel in front for 23 but then Dale Steyn, the world's No1 Test bowler, showed his batsmen how to take the attack to England. With Makhaya Ntini (6 off 30 balls) holding up he other end, Steyn took the score from 285-9 to 343 all out with a remarkable knock of 47 off 58 balls featuring three sixes before he was caught behind by Prior off Anderson.

Andrew Strauss then took the battle to the South Africans, scoring a quickfire 50 off 49 balls to guide England to 59-0 at tea while Alastair Cook had scored just eight. Strauss survived being given out lbw by umpire Aleem Dar when he opted for a review, but with England on 71 after a short shower at tea, he got an inside edge to a straight one and was bowled for 54 off 67 balls by Morne Morkel.

That brought Jonathan Trott to the crease. And after his usual protracted preparation, with the crowd shake out of their lethargy, he survived his first ball. England had moved to 103-1 by the time the umpires took the players off for bad light at around 4.34pm local time. The floodlights, on since the early hours this morning, were apparently not good enough. With Trott on 17 off 26 and Cook a cautious 31 off 66, there was nearly time to get back to watch the second half of the Arsenal game.

Looking at the Australians in Melbourne on Boxing Day (Pakistan are 109-4 in reply to their 454-5 declared), this is a damp squib... though not as bad as India versus Sri Lanka in Kotla, which was called off after 23.3 overs because of a "dangerous pitch"!