(And GEES, I hope you make it into the Oxford Dictionary as a GREAT new word!).
I was so skeptical about us hosting the FIFA football world cup, the biggest sports event in the world. Even though we hosted an amazing rugby world cup in '95, so soon after "THE" elections (which I have to add I wasn't here for - I voted in Toronto!), we did the cricket world cup in 2003 and we pulled off one of the most amazing feats in sports history - the IPL only last year in 2009 - with only 3 weeks notice.
So SA, I need to apologise, what an AWESOME place we live in. I never thought we could pull it off, yet we've got one of the most amazing FIFA world cups to EVER take place.
As for the VUVUZELA, well that's a post for another time!!!
The crowds on the way into the stadium were pretty hectic, but I was AMAZED by the way the SAPS (South African Police Services) handled it all. It took us less than 5 minutes from hitting the mass of people to getting through into the "restricted area". What was great about the security is that the entire area around the stadium is restricted to ticket holders only. So once you are through that, getting into the stadium and to your seats is easy. It was also really easy to look around the various sponsor areas.
I LOVE these "hats"... They are being sold all over SA. They are basic construction hard hats, adapted to become memorabilia for each country. You can buy different ones for every country competing in the world cup. The best part is that they are being made by impoverished men and women - and they are making money from them. How fantastic that our country is benefiting from this amazing event, not just our government and FIFA.
This photo really does not show the true extent of the police presence at each world cup match, but does show the first wonderful men and women from the SAPS, checking tickets at the entry point into the stadium restricted area. I didn't know we had as many police in the whole of Cape Town, as I saw at the soccer! They were incredible and SUCH a credit to our wonderful country. While we were sitting watching the match, a man in front of us lit up a cigarette. Within 10 seconds a police officer appeared and the cigarette was extinguished.
Roland and I were the UBER tourists, taking photos at every point! But then again, you HAVE to, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity! And to truly remember that "WE WERE THERE" we have to have a picture of us with tickets in hand!
And just in case you STILL don't think we actually made it... Standing outside the stadium on a very cold, wet and miserable Cape Town winter evening. The amazing thing about the match (pics and story to follow) is that although we were only FOUR ROWS from the field, we only felt a couple drops of rain!
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