Let's not rain on Chelsea's parade... pieces of eight and a Golden Boot for Didier Drogba

THERE are those who would rain on Chelsea's parade. As they swept to the Premier League title in style yesterday, some would suggest they live in cloud cuckoo land, where the golden eggs are owned by a Russian high-flier called Roman Abramovich.

But until Chelsea's sweetest of sugar daddies decides to fly the nest at Stamford Bridge, we can do nothing but applaud the millionaires of west London.

Their barely credible 8-0 triumph left Manchester United fans - who desperately needed a slip-up against wallopees Wigan - whistling loudly in defiance of their foreign owners, the Glazers as they swept to a 4-0 win over Stoke.

There was no sign of a "green and gold until the club is sold" protest at Stamford Bridge, where Abramovich's debt builds in the background, not in the bright red mortgage department.

Italian Carlo Ancelotti, a champion in his first season, said: "The most important thing is that we enjoyed it. The worst moment was losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League but we had a good reaction.

"Jose Mourinho did fantastic work here, two titles conscutive, but I hope to do the same thing. Now we must win the FA Cup, the double. I hope my players recover quickly!"

John Terry, carrying the trophy and a jubilant Solomon Kalou, said: "It's been a hard three years watching Manchester United lift this. It's been an up-and-down year. We went to Wigan and got beat quite comfortably."

He refused to be drawn on the affair which cost him the England captaincy, and grinned: "Carlo Ancelotti leaves it to us to play our own game. Amazing. This is what it's all about. Forget everything else. We deserved this."

While the nation struggles to comes to terms with a political power struggle after last week's inconclusive general election, the party in Blue grasped leadership emphatically on the last day of League action this winter.

And of course, they've got the FA Cup final against rock-bottom, bankrupt Portsmouth to come at Wembley next week. Aaron Mokoena and crew must be dreading that one after seeing another goal fest at the Bridge. Chelsea's first domestic double is on.

After an unseemly spat over who would take the first penalty - Frank Lampard instructed Didier Drogba it was his job until the title was sealed (above) - the Ivory Coast star struck a second half hat-trick to confirm his status as the Golden Boot wearer, taking his tally to 29. That left him three head of Wayne Rooney, who was substituted, goalless, at Old Trafford in a 4-0 win over Stoke City.

Chelsea started the day on 95 goals for the season, two behind United's Premier League record of 97. As they cruised past the century to a new high of 103, Arsenal were securing third place with a 4-0 win over Fulham, who were probably contemplating their Europa League final against Atletic Madrid at Hamburg.

Spurs, still celebrating their first ever Champions League qualification, had already sealed fourth despite relinquishing a 2-0 lead to go down 4-2 against relegated Burnley. What a shame, blotting manager of the season Harry Redknapp's revival.

For Liverpool, there was to be no reputation-salving end-of-season performance against doomed Hull, just another gormless 0-0 draw against inferior opposition.

West Ham, who finished just above the relegation zone, held crest-fallen Manchester City to a 1-1 draw, Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 at Blackburn, Bolton edged Birmingham 2-1, Wolves saw off Sunderland 2-1 and Everton handed Portsmouth a 1-0 defeat before their Wembley finale.

And so it ends, a season of controversy and conflict, with the nation lifted by the presence of injured England stars like Ashley Cole - who scored Chelsea's eighth - Aaron Lennon and Rooney before the World Cup next month.

But let me leave you with this thought. If the economic collapse which destroyed Greece is really about to sweep through Europe and the big money leaks out of the game, who will be left standing?

With Liverpool seeking new owners, Manchester United seeking to get rid of the Glazers and Chelsea relying on the charity of a Russian while Spurs spend way beyond their means, perhaps the side in third place deserve a final mention.

Arsenal, lowest nett spenders in the top five by a considerable margin since the Premier League began in 1992, may be the last club standing. They live within their means and the stubborn Arsene Wenger will hear nothing of profligacy.

By this time next season, Arsenal might be the only top club to evade the fate Portsmouth suffered this season. But that, I guess, would be raining on Chelsea's parade. And I wouldn't dream of doing that.

Magnificent King Shaka and the dreaded Vuvuzela... today's offerings from the World Cup's energetic forerunner, Indaba 201

DURBAN. Land of sugar cane and sweet surf. Where KwaZulu, India and Europe merge into a heady mixture, often featuring curry, biltong and beer. And you never have to wear a jacket.

Here, mad Englishmen can swim in the mid-winter sun. It's like Bournemouth in a heatwave today, and we're deep into autumn in the southern hemisphere. Soon, in their glorious new Moses Mabhida Stadium, Germany will play Australia, Nigeria face Korea, Holland take on Japan and, in the pick of the qualifying games, Portugal face Brazil on June 25.

They have a quarter-final and a semi-final lined up at the magnificent arched arena. But for now you can take a sky-cab on the arch over the 70,000-seat stadium, or bungy jump off it. Alternatively, you can wander down the walkway to Battery Beach.

I'm just off to watch the local rugby side, the Sharks, take on the powerful Stormers from Cape Town at Kings Park with former Springbok captain Bobby Skinstad. Expect curry, biltong and beer in a city of many cultures which would make an ideal Olympic Venue.

In one square mile, they offer a 65,000-seat rugby stadium slap bang next to the brand new football facility, a Test match cricket ground at Kingsmead, a velodrome and an Olympic pool and athletics track. The Indian Ocean isn't bad for the boat-bound events either.

But I digress. This morning, I expected to be flown in to their shabby old airport south of the city just beyond industrial Umbilo. But no. Overnight on May 1, with impeccable pre-World Cup timing, the £73m King Shaka airport opened to traffic.

And what a difference it is, arriving in Durban amid the sugar cane fields, entering the city from the green north rather than the smoggy south.

The place is elegant, huge... and was opened by President Jacob Zuma an hour after I flew in. By then, I was at the Exhibition Centre in Durban. I've stayed next to it at the Hilton Hotel on numerous cricket tours but never really been in.

Today, we're waiting for the President to pop in from his airport duties and open Indaba 2010, a massive pre-World Cup conference. Then it's off to the rugby.

For those who don't think South Africa will be ready, have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT7OwMksGa4 (I'm hoping somebody will turn that into a video link!) and have a squint... listen to the views of the local populace too. They love their football around these parts... but sadly Amazulu, the local team, never quite comes up with the goods, despite the fictional account in my novel A GAME APART!

Today was going so well until I was ambushed by South Africa's secret World Cup weapon at Indaba 2010. The dreaded Vuvuzela wielded by several rather large ladies in football kit. It sounds like an elephant and doesn't float like a bee, this Vuvuzela.

A music professor in Cape Town called Pedro Espi-Sanchis reckons the great plastic horn, on sale everywhere here, could fit into an orchestra as easily as a flute, violin or cello.

Espi-Sanchis says the Vuvuzela is a "proudly South African instrument" with roots deep in local traditional music. Apparently it's related to the Kudu horn, the curly-wurly antlers of one of the largest local antelope. He was introduced to it over 30 years ago by "renowned South African ethnomusicologist Andrew Tracey".

Something of a football fan, Espi-Sanchis insists: "I heard the Vuvuzelas at soccer games and the sound was not musical at all. Vuvuzelas need to play rhythms together to really show their power."

Clearly the man is mad. These aren't instruments they are cheap party tricks. They should have a ribbon on the end which blows when you puff. Look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i2w0QPVTBE. Enough said. Around the world, televisions will explode to the noise of the Vuvuzela on June 11. Mark my words. Watch the video. Don't try this at home. You have been warned.

Exclusive: Behind The Scenes at American and Italian World Cup Camps

THE countdown on FIFA.com is down to 36 days. They've removed their day-by-day rundown from the official site, so let's continue it here, with a sneak look at two of the World Cup bases.

In South Africa, where I'm based in the Highveld at Centurion between Johannesburg and Pretoria, we're into autumn. That means clear skies, the rains are receding... and the days are glorious.

Perhaps that's why the two local World Cup camps looked so bloody perfect today. The USA camp at Irene Country Lodge, about an hour from Oliver Tambo international airport, was first up.

A beautiful hotel with man-made lake - see the exclusive video athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OtSyTVjDOc, the place is ready, willing and waiting for the Americans to arrive. A low-slung, double-storey five-star complex, Irene boasts a posh al la carte restaurant inside and an outdoor eaterie with unbelievable African buffet.

Outside the rooms where Landon Donovan and company will stay, there's plenty of grass for a morning warm-up before you get to the lake, teeming with jumping carp and barbel, with an island 200 yards out complete with a faux African ruin.

But as in all South Africa venues, the staff are the stand-out feature. Wonderful, warm waiters, waitresses and receptionists clamour around and are more than willing to talk about the imminent arrival of "their" Americans.

Irene hosted the Italians during the Confederations Cup last year and the staff learned a few words of Italian but now the English-speaking Americans face a real African welcome. Amos, the head waiter, says: "The USA have a good chance of going far but Spain and Brazil are the favourites. England can never win it!"

About two miles up the road, Southdown College offers the training facilities - and according to one member of staff, the Italians have nabbed the two green, perfect pitches, leaving the Americans to use nearby Swartkop Hoer Skool's rugby pitch, where the Italians trained last year.

The Italians are based barely three miles away at Leriba Lodge. Again, this is a tranquil oasis of greenery amid suburban sprawl - Centurion has grown out of all recognition since I went to school there when it was called Verwoerdburg in the 1980s.

Leriba has a spa and wonderful gardens will lolloping rabbits. I tracked down a couple of staff, but they were sticking to the company line: "I think Italy have a good chance!" they grinned when asked about their World Cup favourites.

I have just uploaded a second video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spzCX3CXdYA of Leriba and their charming Hemingways Restaurant, complete with small, private dining rooms for the team and staff.

Though the traffic around the grounds has grown considerably in recent years, both Italy and the USA can be happy with the choice of their officials. They will be living in the lap of luxury, undisturbed by the general hustle and bustle of African life.

But neither of these grounds can compare with England's state-of-the-art facility at the Royal Marang Hotel. Fabio Capello's men have umpteen football pitches and artificial surfaces on offer, right on their doorstep.

And crucially, they are barely 5km from the Bafokeng Sports Palace stadium where they open Group A against the USA on June 11. The Americans will have to travel 60 miles to get there - and it's no doddle.

Advantage England then. But it's a very slight one.

I've been inundated with emails, facebook messages and twitters since my appearance with David O'Sullivan at 702 radio yesterday... also been on SABC Radio 2000 talking politics twice and Cape Talk reviewing the Americans.

It's hectic. Tomorrow I'm off to Indaba 2010 where I will also take in the vital Sharks v Stormers Super 15 rugby match at Kings Park.

Keep up with me on Twitter (nealcol) and www.nealcollins.co.uk.

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.

Today Marks The Start Of My Great World Cup Adventure. Don't miss it

ASSUMING the volcanic dust-cloud which has closed airports in Ireland doesn't scupper my flight, I leave Heathrow for South Africa tonight, for a pre-World Cup conference called Indaba 2010 in Durban.

Today marks the start of one of the most momentous periods in the sporting and social history of South Africa. As Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena said yesterday, the Rainbow Nation has hosted rugby and cricket World Cups and plenty of Lions rugby tours on a grand scale since democracy replaced Apartheid in 1994.

But there is nothing quite like a nation basking in the glow of a World Cup - apart from an Olympics, which is also in the pipeline, with Durban and Cape Town both eminently capable of hosting that four-yearly event too.

It's hard for me - above, unshaven, overlooking Cape Town's brand new Green Point stadium during the New Year cricket tour - to explain why all this is so important to South Africa. To all of it's people - of all races - and to me. But here goes.

I was nine when my father whisked us off from leafy Hampshire to the dry heat of Pretoria. Even then, I was an Arsenal supporter, though Dad extolled Portsmouth's twin title triumphs of 1949/50. We arrived in a country where rugby union was a religion and football a game for the "others". The nation stopped in 1974 for the Lions tour - undertaken despite the worldwide sporting sanctions in place at the time - and I was regularly beaten up and abused for being British as Willie-John McBride's side took the Springboks apart at all altitudes.

Heady days. South Africa was, for a young white boy, an incredible place to grow up. Wide open spaces, a swimming pool built in the garden, a house three times bigger than our bungalow in Lee-on-Solent. Ah, the innocence of youth. Problem was, I'd grown up with Ghanaian neighbours in Lee, and I had no idea you weren't supposed to speak to black people.

Within a couple of years, my gardener and I were sneaking down to the rough piece of veld at the bottom of our suburb in Eldoraigne - on an area now occupied by the local high school - to play soccer. I was the only white boy amid talented - and far larger - black men who worked locally. It would be nice to say, at this point, that I was one of the better players. But that's just fantasy. These lads, who grew up with a tennis ball attached to their toes, were simply incredible on an uneven surface with sticks lashed together for goalposts.

I went off to play for Berea Park, the local professional side in Pretoria, where I was coached by, amongst others, a chap called Roy Hodgson. Yes, that's pronounced Woy, now in charge of Fulham in the Premier League. I remember at Under 14 level, a lad called Arthur came to play for us. Brilliant he was. But a little on the dark side. Some of the members - Berea was an old railways club - complained. Arthur, a coloured lad from Elardus Park, soon disappeared.

Much later, playing for Lyttelton Manor High School, I played in the nationwide Coca Cola Cup tournament at Vaal. A team from Cape Town had reached the finals with us as the regional champions gathered to decide the national title. They had a couple of fairly dark lads in their team, which was much commented upon. Some wanted to check their identity documents to see if they were, dread the thought, "coloured". Luckily, we had Noel Cousins, who went on to play for Moroka Swallows. He scored the goals, we got to the final and lost.

It was only at Rhodes University I actually got to play football, officially, with "people of other national groups". Lads of my age with varying skin tones. All those years of kicking about with the gardeners in Eldoraigne and the waiters at nearby Zwartkop Country Club had prepared me better than most for "normal" football. But it was a meaningful moment and Ray de Allende, the "coloured" guy in our side, nearly sparked a boycott when we played the University of Port Elizabeth in the traditional Intervarsity clash. It was all over the papers.

Then came my first job and my first real adult club - Durban City. Again, I'd like to say I played some part in their NFL championship triumphs under Butch Webster and Clive Barker in 1982 and 1983. I didn't. I played for their reserves and wrote their match reports for the Natal Mercury. Then Clive decamped to Bush Bucks, the Umlazi-based township team, and went on to win the League in 1985. He also led South Africa to the Nations Cup in 1995. I tagged along happily, taking long throw-ins and winning headers for the reserves... and loving every minute as a young journalist in the townships. My dad wasn't so keen.

By now, colour was beginning to drain out of the game. Almost without realising it, we had been playing in leagues and clubs, school and playgrounds, with colour bars firmly in place. It was only when I started travelling regularly to the townships to cover games that I realised the price people were paying for that separation.

Every week there was teargas, riots, trouble in the streets of KwaMashu, Umlazi... and when we travelled inland, Soweto and Atteridgeville. I remember writing for the Rand Daily Mail when Peter "Terror" Mathebula won a flyweight world title out of the blue. We went to show him a video of the fight and found he didn't have electricity. We had to rent a generator for the day.

And the realisation dawned. This was no ordinary life. This was Apartheid. When the hand-written call to National Service came, I scarpered. I couldn't fight for a government intent on subjugation. But I wonder now if I should have stayed.

To witness football and boxing at the forefront of the struggle against the National Party's policies. They really were. Sport - and perhaps the odd jazz club in Yeoville, Johannesburg - provided the only natural way for black and white South Africans to get together. I'll never forget my first interview with Mlungisi "Professor" Ngubane in Umlazi. The Daily News splashed on it. Their first major feature on a black sportsman... circa 1984. I've still got the cuttings somewhere.

The cinemas and restaurants were a nightmare - as I found out when I dated an "Asian" woman in Durban - and normality seemed a universe away. It was only when I got to London in 1985 I realised how bizarre my lifestyle had been.

But change came - remarkable, miraculous, bloodless change. Nelson Mandela - the man we weren't even allowed to mention or see a picture of at university - was released and democracy dawned in 1994.

This history lesson has a point. Within a year, South Africa had hosted - and won - a Rugby World Cup with Jonah Lomu the dominant force. A couple of years earlier the giant Polynesian would have had to enter the All Blacks' hotel through the Bantu entrance. Players of colour were being fast-tracked into the Proteas cricket team. Suddenly a South African accent in London was acceptable, you no longer felt like a Nazi in the pub when you opened your mouth.

And here we are, barely 16 years after the momentous first democratic elections, on the verge of seeing South Africa host the continent's first World Cup.

People like Didier Drogba and Michael Essien won't have to worry about which beach they're on, which bench they sit on, what toilet they use. Fans from all over the world will be welcomed in the true Rainbow spirit. Fantastic.

But the knockers won't celebrate this miracle. In Britain, the tabloid papers warn of dark dangers. The Sun ran a spread on "Cape Fear" warning of gangs and murders in the Fair City. The Daily Star reacted to the death of fascist leader Eugene Terreblanche with headlines like "World Cup fans face panga massacre". The red-tops even suggested an earthquake may derail the tournament, and all the papers are getting stuck in over ticket sales, crime, preparations and the like.

How South Africans must feel to have their nation constantly derided, I can only guess. For me, it's wrong, it's ignorant. To simply gloss over the horrors of Apartheid and have a go at non-existent or barely perceived threats to the World Cup stinks.

So the battle goes on. Is South Africa 2010 going to be a miracle or a misery? John Barnes, the former England legend, told me a couple of weeks ago: "South Africa is like Jamaica, a beautiful country with a bad reputation. But they will hold the most passionate and colourful World Cup ever."

But for every Barnesie, there are a dozen anonymous emailers and facebookers, twitterers and bloggers suggesting the end of the World Cup is nigh. They harp on about everything from gangs to poverty. Twisting arguments, spinning the truth, forgetting that English fans - not to mention those from Italy and Holland - bring a few threats of their own too, which is why England have been neatly drawn and quartered in remote Phokeng outside Rustenburg, amid the Platinum mines. Our fans can't do too much damage there. Ask the Germans about Stuttgart four years ago, or the French about Marseille in 1998. Makes you ashamed to wear the Three Lions.

To be frank, I'm tired of hearing the remorseless knockers. Yesterday I wrote a piece about the footballing problems England's rivals are facing. Last week I quoted Aaron Mokoena as being instructed by President Jacob Zuma to win the World Cup. Then there's Matthew Booth, the Bafana Bafana centre-back, being dubbed the "unexpected face of the World Cup" as he heads in to the tournament, flanked by his model wife Sonia from Soweto.

Google it, and you'll find both those stories have been picked up and beamed around the world. Good, positive perspectives on what promises to be a great tournament.

As far as I'm concerned, these are the only stories, the salient facts we need to know. I hope to encourage fans from all over the world to read my book, to gain some understanding of the miracle of modern South Africa. Apartheid could never have survived, the government had to fall, crime rates had to rise, inequality chooses various roots to level itself out.

For those who long for the old South Africa, for those who question the Rainbow Nation while Mandela grows too frail to preside over it, I say: Think again. South Africa is a far, far better country than it ever was under HF Verwoerd, BJ Voster or PW Botha, those crusty old racists who were as corrupt as any statesmen in history.

And remember the crimes committed then. In the name of Apartheid. Bulldozing homes, stealing land, exiling people to homelands they'd never heard of. I was there and stood idly by, watching the majority of South Africans condemned to the role of unwanted immigrant in their own land. It makes me sick to think of it.

But hey. This is 2010. South Africa WILL host a fabulous World Cup. I have no doubt about that. The knockers are wasting their breath. Now it's just a question of who will shine on the pitch. Me? I've put my money on Holland at 12-1. Others choose Germany at 14-1. Aging defending champions Italy may struggle, Argentina have to thrive despite Diego Maradona, South Africa have to overcome a world ranking of 88, the lowest ever for a host nation. England pray for Wayne Rooney, Brazil for Kaka, Portugal for Cristiano Ronaldo. And Spain, the Euro 2008 champions, just smile, benignly. They are rightly favourites.

But it matters not. I'm off to Indaba 2010 and the "Global Media Face-off" in Durban on Sunday. Let's start talking football. And a fabulous World Cup to come.

Who the hell is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter)? Have a squint at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqck5JuZtuc

Forget The Axe, consider the facts, Aaron and Co deserve your support!

HERE’S the problem I have with South Africans. I’ve been to the big city stadia, seen the work, seen the effort, the enthusiasm, the beautiful hotels, the game parks. Brilliant.

But when I write a glowing piece about their captain Aaron Mokoena (the Johannesburg Star picked up the same piece I wrote here last weekhttp://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=4&art_id=vn20100430071505260C491079), all I get is abuse. All the replies to the article were deeply negative, verging on the nasty. Their captain and youngest-ever player? Rubbish! It came on email, Facebook and Twitter, not to mention on the Star website. South Africans may get behind England, Spain, Italy or Germany, but they appear to stubbornly resist all calls to support their own team.

What rot. Didn’t they watch “The Axe” scythe down all-comers in the FA Cup semi-final upset against Spurs a couple of weeks ago at Wembley (above)? Don’t they hear the words of their skipper? See the work he’s doing on and off the pitch with education, gun crime, poverty?

Anyway, fortunately, Carlos Alberto Parreira is in charge, not the mob. And he’s named Mokoena, Steven Pienaar of Everton and, on no evidence at all, West Ham’s Benni McCarthy in his provisional squad of 29. Just 10 of those players are foreign based.

And there was Aaron this morning on Sky in Britain, with Uruguay’s Gus Poyet and Nigeria’s John Utaka, a real ambassador for his nation.

He said: “Every South African fan is up for the World Cup, it’s brilliant. Sport can change people’s lives as we saw in the film Invictus about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Rugby was mainly a white people’s sport - soccer is the No1 sport in South Africa but 1995 was a moment when Nelson Mandela had to unify people. Rugby was the only way. We won it and it worked.

“I always say to people, realise South Africa has hosted rugby and cricket World Cups, Lions tours and the Confederations Cup, no problem. That’s enough.

“South Africa is a really beautiful country. But which country doesn’t have crime? People are trying to blow things out of proportion. Yes, we have crime in South Africa, but that crime will not jeopardise the World Cup. The President, Jacob Zuma, says the number one thing is the safety of the people.”

As for their chances in Group A against Mexico, Uruguay and France, Mokoena said: “The Vuvuzelas (African football horns) are our secret weapon! I think we have to do well. It’s a tough group. We’ve been drawn against teams that have been in the World Cup before. But we have to get into the quarter-finals, every group is hard to be fair.

“Steven Pienaar has done well at Everton, incredible. Steve went to Ajax from South Africa, one of the best, they have an incredible development structure - I came through there too.”

And on the inclusion of McCarthy, he argues: “I always say Benni has been one of the best strikers we have produced in South Africa. He won the Chmapions League with Porto. Knowing Benni, he’s a quality striker, no doubt about him, when he’s really happy, he can get you goals.

“Unfortunately at the moment it’s not working that well for him at West Ham. To be fair with Benni, if he’s not playing, it happens to everyone, he easily puts weight on. It’s happening at the moment with him.”

Parreira himself, after tours to Brazil and Germany with his home-based players, says: "This is going to be difficult. We don't know what condition the foreign players will arrive in - physically and technically.

"Some of them have played too many games - like Steven Pienaar who has played 27 games since November, some have played half of what Pienaar played while others started in one or two.

"So they will come here in different fitness levels, which will give our physical trainer a lot of headaches to put them in good shape for the competition.”

Parreira should chill a little. With Mokoena and Pienaar as his spine, he has every chance of proving his side are better than their current lowly ranking of 90^th in the world.

Neal leaves for the World Cup on Tuesday, where he attends the pre-tournament Indaba 2010 in Durban. He'll be available for any questions from Bleacher Reporters through his website www.nealcollins.co.uk

Chelsea All But Claim Title As Liverpool Let Manchester Utd Down. Badly

THEY think it's all over. Barring a miracle, it is now. Chelsea have won the Premier League title, ripping the trophy from Manchester United with an all-too-easy 2-0 win over limp Liverpool at Anfield. So much for Sir Alex Ferguson's great psychological attempt to win up the Reds this week.

Next Sunday, Wigan head to Stamford Bridge as extras in Carlo Ancelotti's coronation. Of course, if the lowly Latics were to get a result, the race would open up again. But that's about as likely as the world's No1 snooker player being filmed taking money in the Ukraine to lose frames.

Which is exactly what happened this morning, according to the New of the World. But I digress. It isn't going to happen.

Manchester United go to their old captain Steve Bruce's Sunderland later today, where another comfortable win is expected. They've got Stoke in their final game next Sunday, but even a second easy win will do them no good.

The days when lowly sides with nowt to play for grabbed unexpected points at this crucial stage of the season appear to be behind us. Back in 1995, Liverpool beat Blackburn on the final day in front of a silent Anfield. That opened things up for hated rivals United, but they failed to take advantage against an equally determined West Ham.

Sir Alex, striving to rouse the Reds after their Europa Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid last Thursday, talked about "the proud traditions of Liverpool." And told Rafa Benitez is was his job "to rouse the players for one last effort". Benitez appears to have other matters on his mind. Like his next job.

Sadly, Liverpool's proud tradition now appears to be merely to annoy United rather than take them on at their own game. The Champions League and fourth place is now beyond them. Rafa is apparently off to Juventus, post-operative Fernando Torres watched what could be his last Liverpool game from the sidelines, and Steve Gerrard - also rumoured to want-away - blundered with an horrendous back pass for Didier Drogba's opening goal.

Sad, sad times for Liverpool, great days for Chelsea, who can now do more than contemplate their first ever domestic double... with Portsmouth to come in the FA Cup final on 15 May, they can taste it.

As a contest, Liverpool v Chelsea disappointed on all fronts. It wasn't as if Chelsea started like Champions-elect. While the Championship's final games were being played around the nation, with Crystal Palace condemning Sheffield Wednesday to relegation amid frightening scenes, this was a damp squib. Liverpool did exactly what their "Anything But United" fans wanted.

Vaguely competitive for the first half-hour, it was two minutes past three when Gerrard, under huge pressure off the field, made his wonder blunder. Reminiscent of his backpass to Thierry Henry when England played France a few years ago, he simply picked out Drogba and the damage was done.

Referee Alan Wiley turned down to huge Chelsea penalty appeals - the second one, listless Lucas bringing down Salomon Kalou - really got the Blue blood pumping.

But all that meant nothing when Frank Lampard scored his 21st League goal of the season in the second half, sliding in on Nicolas Anelka's cross ten minutes into the second half.

Chelsea will be flying home while United play Sunderland, so they won't know if they've won the title until they land in London. Drogba said afterwards: "We've waited for this moment for a long time, but we will probably have to win our last game.

"Gerrard made a big mistake, but he didn't do it on purpose. It was a big win for us."

Gerrard's close friend Jamie Carragher, analysing for Sky, said: "He's done it a few times in his career. It's lazy play from Gerrard. I know what the conspiracy theorists will be saying. But I just don't think this Liverpool team is good enough.

"Rafa looks like a manager who doesn't want to be there anymore. You live and die by your signings and he hasn't made quite enough good signings in his five years. To not even finish fourth is a big thing.

"The two crown jewels, Torres and Gerrard, will be looking at this. I don't know if they'll be there at the end of the summer. That would be a disaster, Liverpool fans deserve better than that."

Lampard, voted Man of the Match, said: "I won't say we've got one hand on the trophy, but this was a huge win for us. We couldn't drop points or United would have taken advantage.

"The Liverpool fans got behind their team, but it was nice when they clapped us off at the end, that could be about United."

Boss Ancelotti. headed for the title in his first season, said: "Fantastic result, we are very happy. But we may have to wait until the last game. We have to think about the last game.

"This was a difficult step against Liverpool at Anfield, but we did tactically very well. We are waiting, we are in a very good situation."

Pulled back by assistant Ray Wilkins after the big penalty decision, he said: "I lost my control, but after that it was good. I kept good control of my emotions.

"To win the Premier League in my first season would make me very happy. We have worked for 10 months, my players always maintain a good atmosphere in training. But we always said this Premier League will be decided in the last game and I think that will be so."

Sir Alex, talking before the Sunderland game, said: "It's hard to expect them to win against Chelsea. It's not the result we wanted. But there's nothing we can do about it.

"My players will get the vibes from the Sunderland fans. You can't always win everything. But if we win today, we can take it to the final game. But that was an opportunity. Going to Anfield is usually a hard game. But not today."