Bafana fans to Africa fans
Craig Urquhart
27 June 2008
Bafana Bafana's 2010 dream appears to be in tatters following its latest hit-and-miss affair - a goalless draw against Sierra Leone.
The result is likely to see the 2010 World Cup hosts starting the tournament without having qualified for the African Cup of Nations in Angola. The team needs to win both its remaining matches against Nigeria and Guinea to stand a chance of reaching the next round of the continental showpiece.
Former national coach Carlos Queiroz, who outlined an eight-year plan aimed towards the World Cup back in 2002, says it is tragic to see how the squad has floundered: "I hope passionately that a miracle materialises in 2010 and Bafana are somehow able to come out of the World Cup with their heads held high."
Although there are serious concerns that South Africa could become the first World Cup host nation that fails to proceed beyond the first round, there is hope for the country's long-suffering football fans.
Since the 1990 World Cup, when Cameroon served notice that something was stirring in the soul of African football, other African teams have held their own with the heavyweights of Europe and South America on the world stage.
2010 Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan says players like Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien could steer an African team to the World Cup final in 2010.
And former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Gary Bailey says one solution to the Bafana problem would be for local fans to throw their support behind other African teams in the event that Bafana's campaign fizzles out.
Certainly, the 2010 World Cup presents Africa with its best chance so far of winning the tournament - and for the host nation to live up to its promise of making the tournament a truly African celebration.
Urquhart is a former Fifa World Cup media officer and the current editor of Project 2010
