FINALLY, SPAIN WINS THE WORLD CUP

And so it was that for one month, the whole world stopped for the love of football.

After thirty one days of football, 145 goals, and 3, 178, 856 spectators at 64 matches in ten stadiums across South Africa, the 2010 FIFA World Cup ended on July 11 with Spain being crowned as champions for the first time in their history. Spain needed an Andres Iniesta 116^th minute extra time goal to clinch a 1-0 victory against Holland in the final played at Soccer City in Soweto.

Before the final between Spain Holland, a crazy fan tried to get his hands on the FIFA World Cup trophy in Soccer City. He was intercepted by security guards before hereached it. But the deed had been done, the fan can now bask in his worldwide popularity with the picture of that moment circulated all over the world.

Although it pitted two teams that were weaned on the concept of total football, the 2010 FIFA World Cup final will not exactly be remembered as a classic. With a record fourteen yellow cards, English referee Howard Webb also entered the history books, surpassing the six yellows collected by Argentina and West Germany in the 1986 final. Eight Dutch players and five Spaniards were shown yellows, while Dutch defender, John Heitinga was also sent off in the match, which some analysts have described as one between ‘beauty and the beast’. 

For others, it was poetic justice. Spain, having suffered the unfortunate tag of under-achievers before their sole Euro 2008 triumph, finally got their hands on the most coveted prize in world football to justify their current rating as the best team on the planet. “They deserve the title. Spain was clearly the best team in this World Cup. Only Germany came close to them and they beat them in the semi finals,” said one fan after the match. Although, they scored only eight goals en route to winning the title, the fewest ever scored by World Cup winners, the Spaniards were consistent in their display of beautiful football.

It was also double celebration for Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who became the third goalkeeper to captain a team winning the World Cup after Italians Combi and Dino Zoff in 1934 and 1982 respectively. Also, a Youtube video showing an emotional Casillas kissing his reporter girlfriend, Sara Carbonero, during a live television interview after the Spanish triumph, will remaining an enduring image in the minds of thousands of fans across the world.

Spanish supporters also did not have enough time to savour their teams’ victory inside the Soccer City stadium as freezing temperatures drove them back to celebrate in the comfort of their hotel rooms or the bars around the city. But they were not to be denied the bliss of celebrating at home with their football heroes in the sweltering forty degrees Celsius temperature in Madrid the day after. An estimated one million people lined up the five-mile route in the Spanish capital when the team paraded the city in an open-top bus. The players also met Spain’s royal family and Jose Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish Prime Minister.

For the Dutch team, it was third time unlucky after being losing finalists in the 1974 and 1978 editions. “If you play a World Cup final, you need a world-class referee. I don’t know if today was a world-class performance from the referee,” fumed Arjen Robben after the match. But Webb would certainly not be blamed for his two fatal misses which would have swung the match in favour of Holland before Iniesta’s late strike. The 1978 edition was the last time an extra-time goal was needed to decide the World Cup final. Coincidentally, the Dutch suffered it when Argentina scored the second of two extra-time goals to seal a 3-1 win. Holland are the only team to have played three World Cup finals without winning a title. Many Dutch fans were also left ruing the role of Paul the Octopus, who predicted a Spanish win in the final. 

BAGHANA BAGHANA: THE TRIUMPHANT EXIT AND ENTRY OF THE BLACK STARS

Although they did not make it to the semi final of the 2010 World Cup, thanks to a Luis Suarez hand ball and Asamoah Gyan unfortunate penalty miss, the Black Stars of Ghana were given a welcome befitting of only World Cup champions on Sunday, July 4 at Soweto’s Melrose Arch. The Black Stars players and coaching staff were treated to a victory parade worthy of World Cup champions all the way from their Protea Hotel base through the streets of Soweto and then to Melrose Arch. There, many more fans had been patiently waiting for their arrival. Ghana is the third African team, after Cameroon and Senegal, to reach the quarter final stages of the FIFA senior World Cup.

Fondly called BaGhana BaGhana after being ‘adopted’ by their teeming South African fans, the Rainbow nation showed them how proud they were of the West African team’s quarter final placing as thousands of fans turned out on the streets of Soweto all the way to Melrose Arch, where the team finally alighted to a rousing welcome by more fans, mostly youths. They had been waiting for hours just to see their darling African team of the 2010 World Cup.

The hours’ long ceremony was a victory paraded of sorts as the Black Stars convoy had full South Africa Police escort, with thousands of fans lined up the highway, just to catch a glimpse of their newest African heroes. It was a spectacular sight to behold as the players and coaching staff were treated to a reception befitting of royalty. With many screaming the names of Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew, Kevin Prince-Boateng and others, you would think Ghana had just won the 2010 World Cup trophy. “Prince! Prince! Prince!” some of the female fans screamed trying to get the attention of Black Stars defender, Kevin Prince Boateng. A couple of them were unrelenting until Boateng finally waved at them. You would think it was a musical concert featuring the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce or Alicia Keys. Occasional screams of the different Black Stars players rented the air as the excited crowd cheered when Kwesi Nyantakyi, president of Ghana Football Association, introduced the team and coaching staff on the podium. Although the likes of Sulley Muntari, who scored the only goal in the quarter final loss, and Stephen Appiah were absent for unexplained reasons. While Gyan danced to the delight of the fans when he was introduced to the crowd. Interesting, that looks like he had gotten over the penalty miss. Good for him. Andre Ayew, Black Stars midfielder and son of the legendary Abedi Pele, said that despite the penalty miss, they were fully behind Gyan. “It is part of the game. He is a top striker and we want him to be a top striker, and one of the biggest African strikers. We have confidence in him because he does a lot of work for us. The least we can do for him is to help him express himself in scoring more goals,” said Ayew.

Popular Ghanaian high life musicians like C.K. Mann, and Natbrew also dished out scintillating performances at the occasion. “Thank you, South Africa, thank you, Africa!” exclaimed Akua Sena Dansua, Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, obviously delighted at the show of appreciation from the teeming crowd. “I would also like to use this opportunity to thank his Excellency, the Mandiba, Nelson Mandela, and Winnie Mandela...the people of South Africa will always be on our minds. We love you. We thank you very much,” she said. For Ayew, it was an unforgettable moment to see the amazing show of appreciation from South African people. “I was in the stands because I was suspended against Uruguay. And I saw how the supporters, the whole South Africa were behind us and we cannot thank them enough. We can only tell them that we are disappointed that we couldn’t make it. But then, we are happy for reaching the next stage. We are happy that we gave our best. It’s because we gave our best, that’s why they have supported us like this. We just have to thank them hugely,” Ayew told me the next day, on their way back to Accra, where another rousing reception awaited them.

For their impressive quarter final showing, the Ghanaian government later announced that members of the team, the coach and assistant, were to receive $20,000 each and national honours as reward for their performance in South Africa. For many of their teeming fans across Africa, it is a reward well deserved.  Go BaGhana BaGhana! Africa is proud of your performance in South Africa 2010 (Super Eagles, shay una dey hear?).