Thunderous applause, whistling and ululating filled the grounds of a Soweto school on Tuesday as more than 200 students welcomed British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to the township.
Straw, who arrived in South Africa on Monday on a two-day official tour, visited Nghungunyani High School to inspect a football-coaching clinic organised by England’s football association.
Accompanied by Sport and Recreation Minister Ngconde Balfour, Straw watched former England soccer stars Viv Anderson and Gary Mabbutt coaching young players participating in the clinic. About 150 pupils took part in the exercise.
The visit to the clinic formed part of the build-up to the Bafana-Bafana – England soccer game to be played in Durban on May 22.
The two countries have held a bitter rivalry over the hosting of the 2006 soccer World Cup, but England is now among this country’s keenest backers for the 2010 bid. The match and the coaching clinics a part of a determined reconciliation process.
”Lots of bridges were knocked down during the 2006 bid,” said former Tottenham Hotspur defender Gary Mabbutt at the Nghungunyani High School in Soweto on Tuesday morning.
”We’re here to show our support for the South African bid. England doesn’t have a vote on the Fifa (International Federation of Football Association) committee [Scotland has the ‘British’ vote], but we think South Africa would host a memorable World Cup.”
Mabbutt is a regular visitor to these shores as he’s married to a South African and is also involved in the Uefa‒Caf Meridian Project, a partnership between the governing bodies of European and African football that sees former European players assisting development in Malawi, Lesotho and Botswana.
His ties to South Africa are so strong that his is considering a request from 2010 bid boss Danny Jordaan to become an ambassador for South Africa’s campaign.
Nottingham Forest legend Anderson is not such a regular visitor — he was last in South Africa 15 years ago.
”There’ve been vast changes since I was last here doing development clinics [for Mobil],” he said.
”The kids didn’t have any kit; there were no balls, no organised coaching. Some of the lads have better boots than I have now. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the pitches,” he said, with a rueful nod towards the freshly marked patch of dirt that is used for training and matches at Nghungunyani.
Straw’s visit underlined the seriousness with which England is trying to mend bridges.
The UK minister, a staunch Blackburn Rovers fan, took the opportunity to have a friendly dig at Mabbutt. He thanked the White Hart Lane legend for getting Blackburn into Europe — their 4-0 thumping of Spurs on the final day of the English season having clinched them a Uefa Cup place. – Sapa