World Cup Diary June 27

From Sukhdev in South Africa....

On Friday I undertook the long journey by car from Port Elizabeth to Bloemfontain, which amounted to 700 kms. The scenery was amazing, going through lush greenery and driving through winding mountain roads. Every now and then I would see troops of monkeys crossing the roads, and breathtaking mountain views.

In Bloemfontain I met up with a number of mates, so now I am travelling with friends, which is nice though it was easy to meet people in South Africa. Both locals and other football fans have been very approachable.

The people in Bloemfontain were incredibly friendly, but the place was extremely cold. Unfortunately, the Switzerland vs Honduras game was a anticlimax to the day and the drive was the highlight. The ground was decidedly fuller in the second half than the first. I suspect the organisers allowed people in as the ground looked half empty. This had a knock on effect on the atmosphere. Apart from a small pocket of Hondurans cheering sporadically, the ground was fairly quiet. Even vuvuzelas sounds were dampened.

In contrast, the bars were a sea of red and loud singing and bell ringing could be heard from far outside the Waterfront mall.

On Saturday, we had another long drive, about 550 kms to Rustenburg. The scenery was a lot less impressive, but still interesting. After a few hundred kilometres I must admit, I was tired of driving.

Rustenburg is probably the worst organised place I have been to in South Africa. It was frustrating trying to navigate the different park 'n' rides, but it's still hard to get annoyed with the freindly staff, though they provided very little useful information.

The game, Ghana vs USA, unlike the day before, was a great highlight in the day. From the time we stepped onto the bus with Ghana and US fans trading chanting very loudly, to being in the ground right between Ghanian and US fans and a great game, the whole experience made all the frustrations worthwhile.

Today, Sunday, we drove to Johannesburg. I had my first experience in a fan park. The crowd was good, but most of the fans were people from various countries supporting the two teams playing, so the atmosphere was a little artificial. The place lacked the passion that real fans for a team provides.

But maybe I am biased, as the game I watched was England vs Germany. After that game and the later game also, how can FIFA continue to rule out TV replays for key game changing decisions. Saying that, the Germans looked too good for the English and probably deserved to go through. I can only hope we now let Capello go and get in a manager who understands our players, and doesn't insist on playing his own style.

I attended the second game, Argentina vs Mexico. Soccer City Stadium must be one of the best stadiums I have been to. It is steeply banked and sounds reverberate around. At times I couldn't hear my friends shouting at me right into my ear for the vuvuzelas.

The Argentines turned out in force. At the end the Argentines attacked in the first half, Argentine flags waved and fans jumped and chanted relentlessly. The passion was obvious. Just like in the England, there was a controversial decision on a goal. Argentina's first goal was clearly offside. The whole crowd saw it, and after texting a number of friends who were watching on TV, it was confirmed. Even the linesman seemed to have seen it, but the ref 'bottled it'.

So a few more teams are going home. So are England. However, I intend to keep enjoying the World Cup, though it may now feel like being at someone else's party.