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Tag: South Africa
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Vuvuzelas originate in the United States
You’re either a fan of vuvuzelas, the plastic horns that sounds like bees during Confederations Cup games, or you’re not. (Here‘s a qualified defense) Players have complained about the monotonous drone of the vuvuzelas. South Africa has made the horns a part of its 2010 marketing campaign and even invented a history for the cheap horns. The horns can apparently be traced back to the kudu horn “… blown to summon African villagers to meetings.”
This is all nonsense.
The tall defender Matthew Booth is the only white player in South Africa’s national side. The crowds at South Africa’s matches are overwhelmingly black. Booth, who plays for local club Mamelodi Sundowns, is back in the national team after a long absence. When Booth touches the ball, you can hear sounds of “Boooooootttt.” Booth, who plays for local club Mamelodi Sundowns, is back in the national team after a long absence.
But as Mark Gleeson (probably the most knowledgeable reporter on African football) writes on the Reuters Soccer Blog, some foreign reporters (and visitors) think the crowds are booing Booth:
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Who robbed the Egyptian players?
First, The Mail & Guardian, a weekly newspaper in South Africa reported that some members of the Egyptian football team–who play the United States this afternoon in their final match of the first round of the Confederations Cup–had about $2,400 stolen by thieves from their Johannesburg hotel rooms.
This was bad news for the local organizers who were already facing questions about how it would keep players and fans safe during next year’s World Cup in a country with a high crime and murder rate.
The details were vague and a team representative blamed the players: “We are disappointed, but it’s their own fault. There are safes, but they left the money outside. It’s over now. This can happen anywhere. This will not spoil our experience. We are focusing on the tournament and the South Africans are supporting us as though we are their national team.”
Today a Johannesburg tabloid newspaper, Sunday World, reported that police had a different theory: “… some of the Egyptian players brought hookers to their hotel to celebrate their historic win against world champions Italy on Thursday night.”
What really happened here.
Hosts South Africa has to win or draw against Spain in their final group match of the Confederations Cup tomorrow to go through to the semi-final round. Red Star Belgrade (of Bulgaria) striker Bernard Parker has been central to his team’s fortunes thus far:
First, bizarrely preventing his own team from scoring in their first group game against Iraq (watch for yourself) and then scoring twice against the very weak New Zealand team (see the video above).
If Parker plays well tomorrow (and even better, scores) in a tournament which is certainly the last competitive games South Africa will play before the World Cup, he will certainly improve his chances to be the permanent replacement for the out of favor, and off-form, Benni McCarthy.