Goalkeeper: South African fans didn’t show up
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Friday, Jun 11, 2010
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo
JOHANNESBURG – The rest of the world heard the call of the vuvuzela as the World Cup kicked off Friday – but not one South African player.
Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune insisted the South African public should shoulder some of the blame for the team’s 1-1 draw with Mexico at Soccer City for failing to provide enough noise and atmosphere to give Bafana Bafana a homefield advantage.
“We couldn’t hear the vuvuzelas,” said Khune, referring to the droning traditional horns that are set to provide a constant accompaniment to this tournament. “We expected to hear them and to be lifted by the people and the noise and the atmosphere.
“It was a letdown.”
Khune grew up in poverty, often having to sleep outside near the mine his father worked at outside Johannesburg, as he didn’t have enough money for a bus fare home after soccer training. He has repeatedly called for the home nation to throw its backing behind the team by snapping up as many tickets as possible for matches.
However, there was a strong and noisy Mexican contingent at Soccer City on Friday, much to Khune’s disgust.
South Africa’s new national stadium for soccer seats 94,000. The official attendance of Friday’s opener was 84,490.
“It was very disappointing for us,” Khune said. “It was very surprising. We thought there were going to be a lot more South African fans there.
“The atmosphere was not that good. It was not what we expected. There were a lot of Mexican fans there. It was like a Mexico home game. It was a Mexican advantage.”
South Africa, the lowest-ranked of all 32 teams in the tournament, looked set to make a perfect start when Siphiwe Tshabalala fired them ahead with a spectacular left-footed strike after 55 minutes.
However, the South Africans had to settle for a single point to start Group A as Rafael Marquez equalized for Mexico with just 11 minutes to go.
Needing to finish in the top two in the group to qualify for the knockout stages, South Africa must now hope for strong performances against Uruguay on Wednesday and France on June 22.
“We have to hope that more of them come out when we play Uruguay,” Khune said of the home fans. “We need it. We need their support. When a team plays at home in a World Cup it should have an advantage. You expect that. But we didn’t have it and it is because the South African people didn’t buy tickets.
“It does make a difference. It lifts the team when you need it. When it is a very close game there are many times when you need a lift. It could have helped us today.”
South African fans have come out in full force for events related to the World Cup, with more than 100,000 flooding the streets for an inspirational national team pep rally in the suburb of Sandton on Wednesday. The country effectively shut down on Friday, with most businesses closing their doors so that workers could watch Bafana Bafana play. Also, schools and universities have been closed for the entire month of the tournament.
Several South African reporters quizzed by Yahoo! Sports were surprised by Khune’s remarks, insisting the atmosphere in the stadium was at least as loud and positive as expected.
“It is great that the country is behind us,” Khune said. “But they have to come and see us play so that we can hear it and feel it.”