South Africans celebrate World Cup’s arrival, although death of Mandela relative casts shadow

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This article was published 11/06/2010 (5657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JOHANNESBURG – Mexico’s late equalizer didn’t dampen South African celebrations as the hosts opened the World Cup with a 1-1 draw on Friday that overshadowed the tragic death of Nelson Mandela’s great granddaughter in a car accident on the eve of the tournament.

Vuvuzela horns blared in Soccer City and across the nation and people danced in the streets, even before Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stunning goal in the 55th minute gave South Africa the lead over Mexico. Rafael Marquez’s equalizer in the 79th only briefly silenced the 84,490-strong crowd in the main stadium.

The crowd erupted when Katlego Mphela hit the near post in the 90th minute after getting clear of two markers, giving the game the climax it warranted: South Africa was only millimetres from victory in the first World Cup match on African soil, but Mexico earned a deserved draw.

“I believe the ice has been broken … and I believe in the next match we will be even more confident,” South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. “We could easily have won the game. All in all at the end a draw is a fair result.

“We are still in the competition. This group is very tough.”

At the end of the day, all four teams in Group A have one point.

There was plenty of hype around France’s first Group A match against Uruguay, but the scoreless draw between the two former champions in Cape Town didn’t deliver much in the way of excitement.

France winger Franck Ribery and Uruguay striker Diego Forlan showed flashes of their potential, but the fear of losing the opening game stifled offensive tactics for much of the match.

An early goalmouth miss from France forward Sidney Govou and excellent save from Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera left Group A as wide open as possible.

There’s three matches scheduled for Saturday starting with South Korea against Greece at Port Elizabeth and followed by Argentina vs. Nigeria at Ellis Park in Group B. England plays the United States in a night match at Rustenburg. Some of the Americans had unusual travel delays on the way to the hotel or training Friday when elephants twice blocked the road.

“Everybody had their cellphones out, pictures were being taken,” coach Bob Bradley said. “It was all part of the experience.”

While the loud, constant horn blowing has been a feature of South African football revelry, Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was among the few who thought it wasn’t quite enough.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t blow a lot of vuvuzelas, but let’s hopes in the next game we’ll blow more,” Khune said. “There were not enough. It was more like a Mexico home game.

“Our advantage should have been the 12th player — the supporters blowing those vuvuzelas,” Khune said. “Let’s hope in the next game there will be more vuvuzelas.”

He must have slept through the first horns sounding at dawn in downtown Johannesburg, where the celebrating and the traffic jam started.

Heavy security was evident in Johannesburg and in Soweto. Armoured personnel carriers were seen on the streets, with troops watching traffic and stopping cars.

The mood early in the day was tempered by the death of anti-apartheid leader Mandela’s great-granddaughter in an auto accident on the way home from a World Cup concert in Soweto on Thursday night, where tens of thousands of people had sung and danced with headline music stars Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and Canada’s K’naan.

The 91-year-old Mandela, who had campaigned to bring the World Cup to his nation despite skepticism it could be pulled off, mourned with his family and opted not to attend the match or the colourful opening ceremony that preceded it.

Mandela and his family “are torn up by the passing away of the child,” Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesman Sello Hatang said. Mandela would be at the ceremony in spirit, he added.

The former president’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and her two daughters, were at Soccer City. She was treated in hospital for shock hours earlier after being told of the death of Zenani.

Other dignitaries attending the opening ceremony included U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Desmond Tutu.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter wrote to Mandela, describing the girl’s death as “unspeakably tragic.” Mandela will “be with us in spirit for which we are incredibly grateful,” Blatter said, calling him a “most precious friend.”

The male driver involved in the one-car crash was charged with drunk driving, Johannesburg police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said. The man could also face homicide charges, she said.

Police “found that he was drunk,” Mamonyane said. “He lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a barricade.”