The Lost Legacy Fund: Fifa Still Owe South Africa R550m After Record World Cup

One year after the World Cup’s big kick-off at Soccer City, South Africans are still waiting for any sign of the £50million (R550million) promised by FIFA’s 2010 Legacy Programme.

While recently re-elected president Sepp Blatter glides serenely into a fourth term in charge boasting of FIFA’s record £1.24bn (R12billion) profit from a superb 2010 tournament in the Rainbow Nation, the money he promised as a legacy after Africa’s first World Cup – which FIFA said would benefit grass roots football as well as education, health and social projects – remains unpaid.

Fund spokesman Greg Fredericks confirmed: "None of the £50million has been spent - not one cent. The money is still in Zurich. The delay is simply down to the amount of time it takes to establish legally recognised bodies for handling this amount of money."

Blatter, 75, unveiled his much-hyped fund in December 2010, insisting: "We always said the first World Cup on African soil should leave a lasting legacy. We trusted South Africa and that trust was well founded.

“Fifa are not a circus where we pitch our tent and remove them when the event is over. Fifa will leave a lasting legacy for the youth of South Africa thanks to this successful World Cup.

"This fund is also a reward for South Africans for having been such great hosts. We always said that the first World Cup on African soil should leave a lasting sports and social legacy. This trust is yet another concrete achievement in this area."

Although the £60m fund, administered by accountants Ernst and Young, is reserved for a wide range of public benefit initiatives, Blatter confirmed that only £10m had been actually been used - to build the extravagant South Africa Football Association (SAFA) building next to the Soccer City, where Spain beat Holland to lift their first World Cup last July.

South African president, Jacob Zuma said at the time: "We wanted a World Cup that would contribute to social cohesion and national pride that would enhance African solidarity and improve the country's global reputation. Our expectations were exceeded.

"Now remains the difficult but most important task of ensuring a lasting legacy and to build world-class national teams both at youth and senior level. This legacy trust is an important contribution towards that goal."

With FIFA still reeling over bribery claims surrounding Blatter’s unopposed re-election and the decision to give Qatar the 2022 World Cup, Britain’s best selling tabloid The Sun quotes shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Ivan Lewis as saying: "This is another example of poor leadership. South Africa faces many challenges and FIFA should release the money as a matter of urgency."

Labour MP Michael Dugher added: "FIFA is a shameful shambles. It made a vast sum from South Africa and has a duty to plough that money back as soon as possible."

The High Court has to rubber-stamp the setting up of a trust to decide how to distribute the remaining cash. Best estimates predict a further five-month wait for any pay-out from the Legacy fund – while the cash remains in FIFA’s Swiss bank accounts gaining interest.

The Sun also quotes lawyer Richard Spoor - representing locals in Matsafeni, where the 41,000-seater Mbombela Stadium was built on land belonging to the local people – as saying: "Even now there's no adequate water supply and the living conditions are totally unsanitary.

"The roads are unpaved and there's no proper sewage system. The conditions are unhealthy and frankly quite deplorable."

Who on earth is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter)? See www.nealcollins.co.uk.

A Year on from WC2010, Has the Rainbow Nation Lost It's Pot of Gold?

We’re nearly a year on from the World Cup in South Africa. Africa’s finest. Africa’s first. On Saturday it will be the first anniversary of Spain’s first ever global conquest at Soccer City over the Dutch cloggers.

Widely recognised as a success on footballing fronts, the only question left to be asked is this: Just how much did it benefit South Africans financially?

This week we have heard Johannesburg’s metro council claiming they made R7 from every rand spent on the World Cup, then the luxury hotels built for the tournament complained they were lying empty.

The FNB Stadium, formerly known as the 90,000-capacity Soccer City, claim they are going from strength to strength, while those other white elephant stadia in Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Polokwane lie largely idle.

A man who runs bike tours in Soweto says he’s been fully booked ever since launching his concept during WC2010 but I’ve just heard a mother claim her talented young lad can’t find a junior football club to play for in the Pretoria area.

For every South Africa claiming it was the best thing to happen to the Rainbow Nation, we hear another on the radio phone-ins claiming the nation has been ripped off. Who’s right? Can we ever be sure?

The single dominant fact, as far as one can glean from the limited information available, is that FIFA made a record $4.3billion from the event, though as we shall see, that figure varies and may just be for public consumption.

Let’s switch to pounds sterling for a simple profit-loss analysis. And it makes uncomfortable reading. According to London’s Daily Telegraph, South Africa recouped just £323m on the £3bn it spent on the event. FIFA may be laughing. South Africans should be sobbing. Bitterly.

While the World Cup unquestionably helped to boost the image of South Africa and the so-called Dark Continent in general, the Telegraph insists: “Financially it turned out to be a major disappointment”. Construction costs for venues and infrastructure amounted to £3 billion (€3.6 billion), and the government expected increased tourism would help to offset these costs to the amount of £570 million (€680 million). However, only £323 million (€385 million) were actually taken in as just over 309,000 foreign fans came to South Africa, well below the expected 450,000.

Even the little men, the local vendors around the stadium, had to disappear for six weeks – or cough up a registration fee of R60,000 (approximately to $7,888).

Michael Defteros, managing director of Headline Leisure Management who ran stadium concessions for FIFA, admits: "We didn’t make what we’d budgeted for, or hoped for. But it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And thankfully, we didn’t lose any money."

Optimists (particularly a report in the respected Economist magazine) suggest South Africa recouped a projected total in “direct economic value for GDP” of approximately $21.3 billion.

But given the Telegraph’s figures, published last December, unless FIFA make a monumental u-turn (perhaps the opera singer and new FIFA monitor Placido Domingo can recommend this to his president Sepptic Blatter) and offer President Jacob Zuma a share of the revenue, South Africa will make a huge loss on the deal. Can that be right?

A tournament which ran with barely a glitch, which avoided comfortably the expected pitfalls of crime, poisonous snakes, earthquakes, traffic jams and politics trumpeted by the European (and largely British) press, began and finished with glorious ceremony and gave Spain their first ever World Cup.

Okay, not everyone liked the plastic vuvuzela trumpets unique to South Africa football, but hey, nobody’s perfect. And they sold like hot-cakes.

Some might say a positive judgement was confirmed by the events of March 3, 2011, when FIFA announced they had earned $4,189 billion dollars in the financial period from 2007 to 2010.

President Blatter, re-elected for a fourth successive term without opposition last week, told worldsoccer.com: "I am the happiest man to announce that the World Cup in South Africa was a huge, huge financial success for everybody, for Africa for South Africa, for FIFA.

"For the first time in FIFA's four-year accounts we are over four billion dollars."

When Blatter took over the running of the global football body in 1998, they were in less secure financial straits. But FIFA, a non-profit association under Swiss law, has blossomed since Blatter, now 75 and set to preside until 2015, took over the reins from Brazilian Joao Havelange in 1998.

According to their deputy secretary general and financial director Markus Kattner, they now have a surplus of $631 million.

And he says 87 percent of FIFA’s revenue, that’s $3.655 billion dollars, were earned from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The World Cup doesn’t just earn from ticket sales and franchise rights around the stadia. The bulk of the money comes from global broadcasting rights and and marketing or sponsorship contracts. Adidas, Visa, Emirates Airlines and Coca-Cola, all critical of the current state of FIFA before Blatter’s one-man election last week, are among the major players.

Kattner added: "The sale of television and marketing rights was more successful than expected.”

Four months after awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and, controversially, the 2022 event to tiny Qatar – but two months before suspending Qatar’s Mohamed Bin Hammam for corruption – Blatter told us: "We are very proud we delivered the World Cup to Africa. For the first time our turnover in one year has been more than one billion dollars.

"The market trusted South Africa.”

But should South Africa have trusted FIFA? Jerome Valcke, the FIFA secretary general who forged a strong personal relationship with South Africa’s Danny Jordaan from what I saw of the pair of them last year, admits FIFA did even better in 2010 than they did in highly-developed Germany four years before.

He said: "Commercially it has been a success, we have increased our income by 50 percent since 2006 in Germany to 2010 in South Africa."

But Valcke insists the profits would be invested in African football. He said 80 percent of countries in Africa "would not have football" were it not for Fifa's funding. "If we don't have money, it means football will collapse."

He said, with more justification, FIFA received a lot of criticism for "taking over South Africa", including allegations that the World Cup was "just about money". Valcke’s verdict: "It is to protect football."

Yes, that smooth Frenchman Valcke. The man who said in that infamous “private” email last month: “Qatar cannot buy the FIFA presidency like they bought the World Cup.”

The Economist magazine offers this perspective. They reckon the World Cup alone grew the South African economy by an “astonishing” extra 0.5%, quoting Grant Thornton, a firm of accountants, who predicted overall 2010 growth of 3 percent.

Those slightly less than expected thousands of World Cup fans came, saw and enjoyed, staying on average for 18 days, attending five matches and spending R30,200 (around $4,000) each.

They say the total effect on South Africa’s economy was around R93 billion ($12.4 billion).

But hold on, FIFA is responsible only for the prize money paid to the teams along with the cost of their travel and preparation, which amounted to just $279m in Germany, where the tournament last took place, in 2006. Four years on, while raising the prize money 60 percent to $420 million, FIFA said it would contribute an extra $100m to ensure that all the facilities are ready in time.

And that’s it. Cash from television and marketing rights all go to FIFA, so does the money from ticket sales and franchise profits. South Africa had no way of checking exactly how much was leaving the country.

Potential World Cup hosts have to agree, when bidding for a World Cup, to give FIFA the right to ship foreign currency around the country untouched, untaxed, uncounted. Great when FIFA is based in Switzerland and the president is a Swiss national with access to those desperately confidential Swiss bankers.

Citi, the research arm of Citibank, said FIFA’s profit in Germany came to a far lower $1.8 billion, equivalent to 0.7 percent of South Africa’s GDP. FIFA say they will recycle much of that money into football development worldwide. But nothing goes to South Africa, despite spending an estimated at $5.29bn on stadiums, airports, motorways, accommodation, infrastructure and security.

Those profit and loss guys at Grant Thornton say South Africa spent R33.6bn, plus another R20bn on the Gautrain. They add: “Has it put us in insurmountable debt? No. Should we do it again? It’s clever to go for the Commonwealth Games next. They are a bit smaller than the Olympics, and a good test and preparation for a possible Olympics at less cost.”

More than 3.1 million people attended the 64 games, the third highest figure behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006.

Some six million people watched the games in public viewing areas around the world.

FIFA said the average television audience in Spain for the final was a record 15.6 million.

Jordaan, the local force behind the World Cup, said the tournament "was an incredible moment, a dream has come true...we are very, very happy and very proud to be Africans and South Africans."

Jordaan did a great job. He deserves a crack at the CAF presidency, perhaps even the FIFA job once Blatter eventually fades in 2015, if UEFA’s Michel Platini opts out.

But how proud should South Africans be of a tournament which may have cost the Rainbow Nation their fabled pot of gold?

In a fascinating paper called World Cup Economics: What Americans Need to Know about a US World Cup Bid, Dennis Coates, PhD, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland Baltimore Count reckons: “A study of the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States found substantial lost output, with the final result showing that the pre-World Cup predictions were up to $13 billion off-target. Hopefully, this report will get politicians, economists, sports fans and all Americans demanding answers.

“The existing evidence of negative economic impact from other World Cups, combined with the self-interested motivation of the Bid Committee members and the lack of disclosure of the economic impact study all point to the conclusion that the US taxpayers are better off saying no to an expensive and secretive World Cup bid.”

There it is, neatly summed up in a couple of paragraphs. The only people who profit from a World Cup? FIFA and their “self interested” executives.

We may have to wait ages for a real profit and loss account of the 2010 World Cup. We may never really know how much it really helped the country, FIFA’s Swiss bank accounts are hardly open to public scrutiny.

But a year on from Soccer City’s finale, we have to ask: Apart from Bafana Bafana rising from No90 to No38 in the world and leading their African Nations qualifying group with Egypt a continent adrift, has the 2010 World Cup really profited the Rainbow Nation?

And will Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 benefit the world game... or just FIFA? I guess you know what I think.

Webb looks back on toughest two hours of his career... as Capello reveals England's new sponsors

Under-fire World Cup final referee Howard Webb admits Soccer City on Sunday night was “the most difficult two hours of my career.”

England’s top referee, who has been refereeing top class football for five years, handed out a record 14 cards and sent off Johnny Heitinga as Holland were accused of trying to kick the triumphant Spaniards off the park.

Webb, 38, said: “It left me physically and emotionally drained but FIFA have been very supportive - not just about the final but our performances throughout the whole tournament."

Webb was confronted by an Orange grove of furious Dutchmen after the final whistle – and was also blasted by the Spaniards for not sending off Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong for a first-half kick into the chest of Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso.

Many feel FIFA chief Sepp Blatter was less than fully supportive. He said: “We have to live with the errors of players and referees. I can only say it was a very hard task the officials had. It was not easy, really not easy. The side that played football won.”

But Keith Hackett, in charge of Premier League referees in England, backed his man. He said: " Out of all the referees at the World Cup, Howard was the ideal appointment. Had a referee with lesser experience been in charge, it could well have deteriorated into mass confrontation.

"You expect players to respond to a referee - and cautions normally serve to calm players down. But in this game, yellow cards had little effect on some players who continued to test his authority.

"It is unfair that Howard is being criticised because, overall, he had a superb game technically.”

Sorry about the doctored picture. Couldn't resist it. Twittered by SuperSports' Clinton van der Berg. And we all know what former police sergeant Webb looks like!

Neal Collins (nealcol) has almost finished promoting his World Cup novel A GAME APART in South Africa. See www.nealcollins.co.uk for more information... and the soon-to-be-written sequel!

Brazil nuts and Dutch oranges. Plenty to nibble on before Friday's quarter-final

So Brazilian nuts or Dutch oranges. Plenty to nibble at before Port Elizabeth on Friday. In theory, South Africa 2010’s first quarter-final will be about Dutch “total football” versus Brazil’s “beautiful game”.

But hold on a minute. Both sides are under pressure from the critics at home to stick to their traditional flowing style. The touch of pragmatism that Bert van Marwijk and Dunga have brought to their sides has been a vital part of getting to the last eight.

Van Marwijk says: "We are here for one reason. To win the big prize. We have to believe it. Against Brazil, perhaps we might be the underdogs for the first time in South Africa.

“People laughed at us when we said we were capable of winning the World Cup. But you have to show a real mentality, a constant focus. I think we are showing that."

Lively Lambertus, 58, knows the Dutch have never won “the big prize”, though they reached the final in Germany 74 and Argentina 74. The Brazilians have won five global crowns on four continents – Asia, North America, Europe and at home – and appear destined to win Africa’s first World Cup.

Officially, Holland are the fourth best side in the world. Brazil, in case you’ve been camping in the Antarctic, are the best side in the world.

Head-to-head, it’s surprisingly close. Holland have won two, Brazil three and they’ve fought out four draws in nine games, with the Dutch scoring 13 and Brazil 14.

This is no flowery Brazil side. In rock-hard centre-back Lucio and goal-scoring full-back Maicon, they offer to of the best defenders in the world. Up front we all know about Kaka, Robinho and the rest.

But Holland boast Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and a fit-again Arjen Robben, three of Europe’s form players.

Robben made his first start in the last 16 clash win over Slovakia and scored after 18 minutes. He said: "It was a great feeling to start this game. I think it was also good to feel important for this team. I am not yet at my top level but I was pretty confident."

But despite their fourth consecutive triumph at this World Cup and a record-breaking run of 23 unbeaten games, Dutch experts decried their lack of style and panache. Robben growled: "It was a difficult match. We didn't play our best game but, at the end of the day, it's all about winning.

"I hope we will save our best match for our next game. We want to improve. We know what people have said in the past, that we play well but we don't get to the end. Against Slovakia we were efficient."

Months ago, when I booked my tickets for this tournament, I was lucky enough to get a posh seat for game 57, the quarter-final at the brand new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, before I head off to talk at the National Arts Festival in nearby Grahamstown. I can hardly wait.

With all four quarter-finals featuring clashes against Latin American opposition, the final word from Dunga, the man who has added grit to the Brazilian flair. He says: "We have already said we are trying to play the open football which everyone wants to see. The players did well and we got forward a lot in our 3-0 win over Chile.

“We know the Netherlands are a very difficult team to beat and they are very able technically, they play their football like South Americans.”

At this World Cup, with Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina also through to the last eight, that might be the only way to play.

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, mourn England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

To see him talk at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go to http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625

The eternal neighbours: Spain v Portugal, Ronaldo v Torres, Cape Town, Tuesday. Their first ever World Cup showdown

Spain and Portugal. Eternal neighbours. They share 754 miles of Iberian border and still squabble over the area between the Caia and Cuncos rivers, an argument going back to 1801. And that was before anybody had heard of Eusebio.

Statistically, Spain – a nation of 45,555,716 people and 194,883 square miles - are the big brother. Portugal offer a population 10,622,413 with an area of 35,500 square miles. But on Tuesday at 8.30pm local time, it comes down to 11 men each fighting it out on an area of less than two acres bordered entirely by the brand new Green Point Stadium, boasting an expected population of 66,000.

We can reduce it still further. Cape Town, as always in a World Cup showdown of this calibre, will be focused on the goalden couple. Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive man in world football when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid last summer, and Fernando Torres, who used to have the nicest hair in world football before his current cadet crop.

Ronaldo, emerging unscathed from a shin-shuddering clash with Brazil captain Lucio in Durban last Friday, has been voted Man of the Match three times in three games at South Africa 2010 – but managed just one of Portugal’s seven Group G goals. He admits: “Three or four players have deserved those awards more than me. I do not enjoy playing as a lone striker up front, but the coach knows what he’s doing.

“The most important thing about the draw with Brazil is that we have qualified for the next stage. We would like to have topped the group but a draw was a fair result, that’s about it.

“We don’t fear anybody. The team has full confidence of performing well. Spain are a great side but if we perform well then we can knock them out of the World Cup.

“I am confident of providing more to this team and we will try to win against whoever comes. It has been our dream to win the World Cup and right now we are on the right path.”

Spain appear less confident. Torres, allegedly unsettled at Liverpool and still recovering from a knee operation, has been playing second fiddle to David Villa and Andres Iniesta so far. He says: “Personally speaking, I am very happy to have played but we need to practice a bit more with this (ultra-light) Jabulani because we are having a bit of bother with it.

"We have managed to turn things around after the opening defeat against Switzerland. If we go down we will do so remaining true to our ideas. We mustn't go crazy and start changing things, but retain our confidence in our qualities.

"We're not going to start playing a long ball game or being cagey and staying back. That is not the Spanish way."

Incredibly, the Iberians have never met in the World Cup finals before. And neither of these great footballing nations has ever won the beautiful game’s greatest prize.

Spain, the reigning European champions, have reached the quarter-finals five times – in 1934, at home in 1982, 1986, 1994 and 2002, when they went out controversially to hosts South Korea on penalties.

Portuguese people of around my age believe they should have won it in 1966 when they offered Eusébio – born in South Africa’s neighbour Mocambique - José Torres, Mário Coluna and António Simões. Again, they were stopped by the hosts, England, in the semi-final at Wembley when a balding lad called Bobby Charlton scored both goals.

Since then? Seven times they’ve failed to qualify, twice they failed to emerge from their group – but in Germany four years ago they finished fourth with winking Ronaldo inspiring that epic quarter-final win over England.

Something has to give. Spain are ranked second by FIFA coming into this World Cup, and they edged out Chile to top Group H with six points despite a nervous opening defeat against Sepp Blatter’s Switzerland. Portugal, ranked third, also suffered a nervous opening – 0-0 against the Ivory Coast – but bounced back with a 7-0 hammering of North Korea before that awful Friday night stale-mate against Brazil in Durban.

Ronaldo, the former darling of the Stretford End before his £80m move to the Bernebeu, is backed by household names like Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Bruno Alves and Pepe. Portugal also have an ex-pat South African population of over a million behind them here.

Liverpool’s former Atletico Madrid star Torres can rely on an even stronger playing cast, Xavi, David Villa, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Iker Casillas – plus a growing following of locals.

All we can hope for is that the Iberian neighbours don’t reproduce Friday night’s fare, ridiculously described as “a feast of football” by Portgual coach Carlos Queiroz, who used to manage Bafana Bafana. No wonder they parted company.

This is knock-out football, where 0-0 is not an option. Though history suggests otherwise – no side has ever won the World Cup after losing their opening game – Torres issues the final word: “We know how to can pick ourselves up and we can still win the tournament.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to promote his World Cup novel A GAME APART, currently No24 on Amazon's African best-sellers list. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

To see Neal speak at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown next week, go to: http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625

Uruguay first into the last eight with a 2-1 win over South Korea... Suarez extends the South American dominance

Uruguay clinically disposed of plucky South Korea in Port Elizabeth, their 2-1 win secured by the consummate finishing of Ajax striker Luis Suarez.

Cracking game to start the knock-out phase, but no surprise. By my calculations, South American teams have played 16 games at South Africa 2010, coming away with 11 wins, four draws and a single, meaningless 2-1 defeat by ten-man Chile at the hands of Spain in the last game of the group phase.

To give them their full name, the República Oriental del Uruguay (the Eastern Republic of Uruguay) survived the rain, a late equaliser, a dismal crowd and an appalling surface to continue the CONMEBOL dominance of this World Cup – and reach the last eight for the first time since 1970.

With a population of just 3.5million Uruguay are hardly a huge nation. On land-size alone, they are the second-smallest country in Latin American (after tiny Surinam) but become the first side from SouthAmerica - apart from big guns Argentina and Brazil - to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since Peru in 1978.

It was hardly a classic, but it was pretty absorbing, unlike the surface at the brand new Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, which was cutting up badly.

Uruguay took an early lead after just eight minutes when former Manchester United striker Diego Forlansaw his cross slip past an embarrassed Jung Sung-Ryong, leaving Suarez to slot into an empty net. Predictably the Group A winners – who left France and South Africa in their wake – shut up shop for a while after that.

South Korea, representing Asian dreams, had it all to do and when a 68th minute free-kick floated into the Uruguay box it looked like we were headed for extra-time and even penalties. Maurico Victorino could only flick on and Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong headed past Fernando Muslera for the equaliser amid incredibly soggy scenes.

But ten minutes from time, Suarez produced the champagne moment to clinch it. A Uruguay corner from the right ended up with Nicolas Lodeiro. He offered the ball to Suarez, who had nowhere to go. So he eased past a defender and send a wonderful winner curling in off the far post. Cue hysteria.

Suarez will now be linked with all the big money clubs in Europe. He's 23 but is a bit too dramatic for my liking. But he scored 35 goals in 33 games for Ajax last season. And in three Ere Divisie seasons, he's got 74 in 94 games.

With Forlan pulling the strings in front of a defence that has conceded just one goal in the tournament so far, who will bet against “South America's Switzerland” beating the winners of the Ghana v USA game at Soccer City on July 2 – and reaching a semi-final against Brazil in Cape Town? They've won it twice before, the last triumph was in Brazil 60 years ago. Even Uruguayans can dream.

Soweto, the ultimate World Cup destination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mUVdUk0GMQ. Includes fantastic dancing lady and the ultimate World Cup companion!

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, pray for England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

This isn't just a World Cup, it's a war: England must beat Germany, the US grab the glory and Japan are lurking... as France and Italy surrender

Never on the field of human conflict has so much football been played by so few for so many. Isn’t that what England’s veteran central defender Winston Churchill said 70 years ago? It’s been a curious global conflagration this.

Without wishing to irk the historians, France surrendered early and a new regime will take over the wreckage. Italy changed ends a few times and then threw up their hands too. Brave England, weary and dispirited, bravely trudged on. And then the high-spirited Americans appeared at the last minute to grab the glory.

I hope there’s no confusion. It’s the absorbing, unpredictable World Cup we’re talking about. Right here in South Africa where the disenfranchised majority desperately volunteer to back England, the Limeys are under siege and the Afrikaners may be quietly backing the Germans.

Now we await the big England showdown against the old foe, a long way from Tipperary. And the Japanese are lurking dangerously. The Swiss are in neutral for the time being, the Spanish are recovering from their earlier conflict and the South Americans appear largely unaffected by it all.

Poor old Africa appears to have been utterly let down by years of colonial dominance. European superpowers have drained their resources. Ghana are the first nation to claim freedom – and the last. But I’m going too far. Don’t mention the war, as the striking John Cleese once said.

Lest we forget, France really did surrender here. They laid down their arms and left with one solitary point from a boring display against the Uruguayans in Cape Town. A massive government inquiry is ongoing, Laurent Blanc now takes over the reins while Raymond Domenech falls on his sword, assisted by the hands-some major figure, Thierry Henry.

Four years ago Les Bleus reached the final. Twelve years ago they ruled the world. But in South Africa the French Resistance was about as laughable as the British comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo.

The Italians fared little better. They conquered the globe four years ago and forgot to conscript youngsters to replace those war-weary veterans. Generally, Marcello Lippi may have to resign his commission. When the big guns of Slovakia were turned on them, the Azzuri submitted 3-2 despite a few late shots. Like France, they finished bottom of their group and retreat in disgrace.

England, after a terrible start – that 0-0 draw against Algeria might have been our Dunkirk, we were all at sea – showed the Blitz spirit to see off mighty Slovenia 1-0 with the shout of “who goes there friend or Defoe?”

And just when it looked like those brave troops had Group C at their mercy, along comes Landon Donovan with that late goal against Algeria in Pretoria to put the United States on top. Yankee dandies doodled but they triumphed in the end with an ex-President urging them on.

Which of course leaves Her Majesty’s finest to take on the Germans. Alone. In Bloemfontein. On Sunday. Now I remember the capital of the Free State being a bit of a no-man’s land on the Sabbath. No drinking, no sport, just church. Perhaps things have changed. I doubt it. If there’s a corner of a foreign field that isn’t forever England, it’s Bloem.

The USA have the easy option, what with all their resources and plentiful rations of good fortune. They play sole African survivors Ghana in Phokeng, just down the road from England’s Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus base. The FA’s World Cup Final Solution – formulated long before the World Cup draw on December 4 - has gone awry.

And all the while the South Americans are progressing on several fronts. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile sit proudly atop their groups and look capable of changing the course of global events. They haven’t endured a long, hard winter like the Europeans. They’re fresh, few casualties... and they’re taking no prisoners. All five of the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

Mexico have sneaked in too, but they’re not really in the same category. Portugal should join them, they’re the neutral choice. But only if they drive the Brazilians nuts in Durban.

And the sly Dutch appear to be lurking with intent. Three games, nine points after last night’s meaningless 2-1 victory over doomed Cameroon in Cape Town. Arsenal’s Robin van Persie dropped the bombshell just before half-time after an explosive interchange with Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt.

Then Rafael van der Vaart put his hands up – to block Geremi's free-kick. Samuel Eto'o stuck away the penalty to equalise.

Then we had the standing ovation for the arrival of Bayern Munich’s Aarjen Robben, back after a hamstring injury. Almost immediately he hit a post, and Milan’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar followed up to score the winner. Orange juice all round. But nobody’s really talking about the lowlanders. We are otherwise occupied.

With Japan for instance. They’re supposed to be a distant Asian power. Like South Korea. They play a different game; quick, neat but ineffective. Yet here they are, on the brink of threatening the traditional European powers. We may have under-estimated the Orientals (which is not to suggest an allegiance with Leyton Orient, no way). The Americans may be left to deal with this particular threat.

Their 3-1 triumph at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace last night would please any Emperor. Keisuke Honda produced the first genuine free-kick strike with the ballooning Jabulani ball to put Denmark on the back foot from 30 yards after 27 minutes. Yasuhito Endo did much the same 13 minutes later and by half-time it was 2-0.

Denmark hit the bar in the second half as they finally realised they were on their way out, but by then they were bacon. Well done. An 83^rd minute penalty – scored on the rebound by former Newcastle veteran Jon Dahl Tomasson, his first goal in 13 games – gave the Danes hope but it was a phoney war; up popped Shinji Okazaki to produce coup de grace in the dying moments.

Australia? New Zealand? They fought so hard, sacrificed so much... but went home without recognition. Like a couple of the unpredictable Balkan states, Greece, Serbia and Slovenia. Cannon fodder. Slovakia alone have defied the odds, but they should be kept in Czech.

It’s all fitting in to an historical pattern this World Cup. And the good news? History suggests England will rise up after those torrid opening skirmishes to conquer those efficient Germans.

Could we call that VE day? Oh, what a lovely war!

Neal Collins is not a war historian. He is a sports journalist touring South Africa to promote his first novel, A GAME APART, currently No 67 on Amazon’s African best-sellers list, just ahead of “Truth and Lies: Stories from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa”. For more information, see www.nealcollins.co.uk. Or ask your local book shop to order one.

To see Neal talk at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown on July 4, go tohttp://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625.

South Africa beat France 2-1, Uruguay win 1-0 to top Group A... and Mexico slip through on goal difference

THIS is your minute-by-minute report from the second half as Group A came to a climax. At half-time it was all to play for as South Africa led 2-0 against France and Uruguay were 1-0 up against Mexico. All we needed was a two-goal swing...

It didn't happen but Carlos Alberto Parreira said: "It happens, it happens. I'm so proud for the boys. Look at France, the quality of the players they have.

"We were better. We won the game. If Mphela had scored his chance it would have been 3-0... but I am so proud of my boys."

Blow by blow: Suddenly it was all up in the air as Group A reaches an hysterical climax. Uruguay have scored against Mexico, South Africa 2-0 up against France. Halftime in Bloemfontein and Phokeng.

The phones are buzzing, I've just been on on to 702, the big Johannesburg radio station and they're going bonkers.

Situation is this: South Africa need to score two more goals and Uruguay have to maintain that lead for the hosts to get through.

Bongani Khumalo, who has been brilliant next to captain Aaron Mokoena at the heart of the Bafana Bafana defence, scored with a superb header after 21 minutes to start the pulses racing. Siphiwe Tshabalala's corner deserves a mention. Spot on, and there haven't been many of those in this tournament with the Jabulani ball.

Five minutes later, France were down to ten men. Yoan Gourcuff was sent off for a challenge on Macbeth Sibaya. Colombian ref Oscar Ruiz adds to the French problems at this World Cup and Raymond Domenech looks hard done by. Rightly so.

After 37 minutes Katlego Mphela made it 2-0 to South Africa and a couple of minutes later in came the news from the Royal Bafokeng Stadium... Luiz Suarez had headed Uruguay in front.

The situation at half-time, at the risk of repeating myself: South Africa need to score two more and hope Uruguay maintain their lead over Mexico. That way, South Africa and Mexico will both end with four points and a plus-one goal difference... but the hosts will get through by dint of more goals scored (five to four).

It's the narrowest of margins, the slightest of chances... but South Africans are starting to believe... now for the longest 45 minutes of football they have ever witnessed.

50 minutes: Mphela hits the angle after a wonderful ball from Tshabalala who is playing well after a letting it all go to his head in the 3-0 defeat against Uruguay.

52 minutes: In Phokeng, Uruguay force to great saves and Mexico are struggling to find the form they showed in their 2-0 win over France last time out. It all comes from a free-kick from Diego Forlan, the former Manchester United striker who has blossomed at Atletico Madrid.

If those two goals - one for South Africa, one for Uruguay - had gone in, the hosts would be through.

54 minutes: Thierry Henry comes on for his 123rd French cap, equalling Fabien Barthez World Cup finals record of 17 appearances. Djibril Cisse, after nearing pulling one back for France, goes off.

57 minutes: Mamelodi Sundowns striker Mphela nearly does it at sundown... well saved. South Africa pushing hard. Steven Pienaar's follow up effort blocked. Domenech looks very, very old.

59 minutes: South Africa corner. Too strong. In Phokeng, Mexico pushing for the single point they need which would put both sides through regardless of South Africa's margin.

61 minutes: France hoofing it anywhere. Don't they realise their World Cup is done? Bernard Parker cuts in but his near-post effort is saved as he sails past Gael Clichy. South Africa playing with two up front in this one, and it shows.

64 minutes: Mexico go close to that conclusive equaliser. Francisco Rodriguez puts his diving header just wide. Henry has grabbed the captain's armband for France. It was taken away from his old Arsenal team-mate William Gallas before the game. France all over the place.

65 minutes: Was that a Henry handball? Our Irish friends may have noticed another Hand of Frog moment. South Africa turn to Siyabonga Nomvete, their veteran striker. What a chance to grab glory.

67 minutes: Parker off, Nomvete on. Wonder if they regret dropping the slightly unfit Benni McCarthy from their squad now? He's South Africa's record goalscorer. Eight years ago Nomvete scored in Bafana's only World Cup finals victory, a 1-0 win over Slovenia.

68 minutes: DISASTER for South Africa. Florent Malouda scores for France, lovely ball from Franck Ribery across the face under pressure.

70 minutes: Ribery suddenly looks interested. France starting to play but 2-1 down. Mexico making changes but still 1-0 down to Uruguay. They'll go through if it stays like this.

Jan Molby, Liverpool's now-elderly Great Dane, reckons Henry's arrival has galvanised the French, who will still be going home to rotten fruit. Three goal swing needed for South Africa, it's getting late.

79 minutes: Teko Modise on for South Africa... Tshabalala puts an ambitious shot high. Bloody Jabulani balloon! Nine on target for South Africa, four for France. Uruguay still lead 1-0. Looks like Mexico are going to creep through with four points and a superior goal difference.

82 minutes: Sidney Govou on for France. Need goals now. Three of them for Uruguay or South Africa. In eight minutes. Ain't going to happen.

South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira clutches his chest. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994. Not going to happen here.

86 minutes: Uruguay have an effort saved. Mexico are going to go through on goal difference ahead of South Africa... they'll play Argentina in the round of 16.

90 minutes: Uruguay balloon a shot over the bar. But in Bloemfontein it's France pushing forward. Group A is just about over. Uruguay go through as winners to play the Group B runners-up (could be South Korea, Greece or Nigeria)

Injury time: Uruguay have a late corner. Tshabalala has a late effort denied. Whistle's gone in Phokeng, 1-0 to Uruguay.

It's over. France, the 1998 champions and finalists four years ago, end bottom of Group A with one point. South Africa, 2-1 winners, lose out on goal difference to Mexico. Gutted. Uruguay win the group. This World Cup needed the hosts to go through. There was real hope after half-time, but the miracle was not to be.

John Terry's extraordinary u-turn puts England back on course before Slovenia showdown

John Terry has made a remarkable u-turn after Sunday’s shocking press conference which threatened to blow the England camp wide open.

Terry, who spoke of being denied a beer after his side’s appalling 0-0 draw against Algeria on Friday, has come under pressure from colleagues and fans for what he calls his “attempt at honesty”.

Stripped of the captaincy over a relationship with former team-mate Wayne Bridge’s partner just three months ago, Terry attempted to raise his concerns over selection and morale at Sunday night’s emergency team meeting.

But on finding he had little support from his fellow senior professionals, yesterday he saw fit to confide in the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton in a last-ditch effort to defuse tension before tomorrow’s win-or-bust clash against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth.

Terry insists: “It was never my intention to upset the manager or the players. If I did, I apologise. I just wanted to be honest. I was asked a question about Joe Cole and I went too far.”

Like many others, Terry believes his Chelsea team-mate Cole should start on the left of midfield. But after telling the world only Wayne Rooney and Cole were capable of cutting open defences, Capello blasted his former captain yesterday for speaking out.

Terry added: “I have told the manager he has my total support and I would like to stress that I don’t believe I have been a disruptive influence in the camp.

“I would now like to put this episode behind me and concentrate on trying to win what is a massive game for England. All I was trying to do was to say how important it is to me to try to win the World Cup.”

Terry’s volte face is remarkable. On Sunday it appeared he was ready to lead a France-style player revolt, along the lines of the Bobby Robson mutiny at Italia 90. But yesterday he told Lawton: “I just hope people at least appreciate that I have taken the time to call you and have asked you to report what I have to say in response.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to complain about England's performance and promote his first novel A GAME APART. See www.nealcollins.co.uk.

To see Neal at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go to http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625.

FIFA's profits soar into the blue and the Rainbow Nation is in the pink: Why the coldest World Cup could be the coolest

Just over a week after the big kick-off, FIFA and South Africa are basking in the glow of success – and vastly increased profits.

Though the World Cup’s first Vuvuzela-related injury has blighted one fan’s fun – Yvonne Meyer, 29, from Cape Town “ruptured her throat by blowing too hard” – the figures pouring forth from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke suggest Africa’s first effort is set to surpass any previous global sporting event.

Valcke, perhaps the smoothest of FIFA’s many executives in the build-up to an event some thought would collapse before June 11, reckons his organisation will enjoy an increase of 50 percent on profits from the record-breaking mark set by Germany 2006.

Nicolas Maingot, the money man for FIFA, is expecting a “provisional income” of around over £2bn (R24 billion) from ticket sales and broadcast rights. Though most of that will go to Sepp Blatter’s organisation, dire predictions that South Africa would be bankrupted appear to be unfounded.

According to Danny Jordaan, the heroic local committee chief who has fought long and hard for the locals, an unprecedented 456,000 foreign visitors arrived in South Africa between June 1 and June 13. He expects “a second wave” of tourists next week and further increases as the tournament hits the knock-out stages.

While the local South Africa FA will earn £20m (R1,5bn) to help local football, that is peanuts compared to national income from foreign visitors, estimated to spend a minimum £1,000 per person. Audit advisors Grant Thornton gave a “conservative estimate” of £10m (R120m) being pumped into the economy.

President Jacob Zuma, urging South Africans to support the tournament even if their beloved Bafana Bafana exit prematurely on Tuesday, said: “As a country and as a continent we have already won. The success of the World Cup is our success. Let us keep up the momentum and keep the vuvuzelas blowing.”

Though the aforementionedVuvuzela victim Ms Meyer has been advised not to eat or speak for two days, she is on the mend and managed to gasp: “I’ve been told it will heal by itself. I was starving by the time I could eat some soup and yoghurt.”

Vuvuzelas aside, this World Cup has seen 98 percent of tickets sold with a million spectators attending the first 20 games. Matches so far have attracted a global television audience of over 500million. Eleven of the matches baosted attendances of over 97 percent though some ticket holders failed to attend.

Ticket sales are expected to surpass Germany 2006 as the final group games approach. With France sending their top striker Nicolas Anelka home yesterday for calling coach Raymond Domenech “the son of a whore” according to L’Equipe (the Chelsea striker denies it and refused to apologise), opposition leader Helen Zille told the his country: “Now we need to focus on the 90 minutes against France in Bloemfontein. If you do that, and if the whole country is behind Bafana Bafana, we can do it. But whatever happens on Tuesday, we can be proud of the role the team has play in united our nation.”

The Rainbow Nation is already out of the red. A win against the 1998 World Cup winners might just send the whole country into the pink.

Neal Collins is in South Africa to complain about England's form and promote his first noval A GAME APART. See www.nealcollins.co.uk. To see Neal at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go tohttp://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625.

Serbia 1, Germany 0. A World Cup classic... and Group D is blown wide open!

Now that WAS a World Cup classic. The enmity between Serbia and Germany goes back 70 years, check your history books. But in 90 minutes yesterday, the partisan Serbians unravelled Joachim’s Loew’s masterplan in a dramatic 1-0 win.

What did we witness in Port Elizabeth? Just about everything. Germany’s first group match defeat at a World Cup finals since 1986. An early red card. The first penalty save of the 2010 World Cup. The first spot kick Germany have missed since 1974 against Poland. Nine yellow cards. Ridiculous handballs, big misses, angry men all over the place.

Oh, the drama. After their 4-0 opening win over Australia in Durban, the Germans were everybody’s fancied side after round one. But the second group games are throwing up all kinds of conundrums as the real stuff starts.

After just 13 minutes, Miroslav Klose, a scorer against Australia, found himself in Spanish referee Alberto Undiano’s little black book for a challenge on Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. Twenty minutes in, we’d had four bookings. Undiano was getting writer’s cramp. Worse was to follow.

After 32 minutes, Bayern Munich’s Klose, who has had such a troubled season, put in an apparently innocuous tackle on Dejan Stankovic and he was off. Shock rumbled around the stadium – and multiplied when, a minute later, Milos Krasic crossed, the World Cup’s tallest man Nikola Zigic nods it into the path of Milan Jovanovic and it’s 1-0.

Sami Khedira slammed a shot against the bar before half-time as the ten-man Germans attempted a spirited recovery. But at half-time it was 1-0 and the press box was slumped in exhaustion. Five yellow cards, one red, one big upset on the way.

Germany battled away one short... and finally the big moment. Over comes the cross and Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic, so reliable in the Premier League, puts out a hand. Ridiculous, unbelievable handball. What a relief for Germany. Penalty and the eighth yellow card of the day.

But then up steps Lukas Podolski and low spot-kick is weak and easily denied by Vladimir Stojkovic. Incredible. Germany’s first miss from the spot apart from shoot-outs since Uli Hoeness in 1974 against Poland.

As the yellow cards continued to fly, Podolski continued to miss. Another off-form Bayern Munich striker who spent much of last season as a spectator, his 86^th minute shank was his sixth off-target “shot” of the afternoon. At the other end, Serbia hit the woodwork twice through Jovanovic and Nikola Zigic as the game opened up.

And then the whistle. After the euphoria following the hammering of Australia, the headlines in Bilt blaring “We’ll blow you all away”... this. From the side that lost their opening game to Ghana. Suddenly Group D is blown wide open – with the Black Stars playing the Socceroos in Rustenburg tomorrow. Now I must go for a little lie down.