English soccer captain David Beckham’s dream came true on Wednesday when he met former South African president Nelson Mandela.
”It’s great to be here today. It an amazing honour for all of us,” said the English captain.
Madiba, as charismatic as ever, met the players of the English and South African soccer teams in Johannesburg.
The two sides are set to go head-to-head in a friendly match in Durban on Thursday.
Mandela told Beckham that South Africa hoped the English team would support its bid to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
”We are bidding for 2010… so that we can have the tournament here. We hope you will support our bid. It is necessary in countries where democracy is [new] for us to have that.”
”If you, the British, support us, many other countries will do that. I’m sure you will,” Mandela said to the laughter of reporters and invited fans, including some of his grandchildren.
Beckham, who has already said he would like to see the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then gave Madiba an English soccer shirt with his surname on the back and the number three.
Mandela’s words of wisdom to the South African players were for them to walk tall.
”When you are playing one of the best teams — the English team are of course our friends — you can make us walk tall, you have done so already.
”We know in our hearts… we don’t have to express it, who the best team is. We have complete confidence you will make a good display.”
”Of course in sports you have good and bad days, we hope this is a good day. I am holding thumbs in the interest of sport; we hope the best team will win,” he said.
Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe then gave a black shirt and cap sporting South Africa’s 2010 bid logos to Mandela.
Irvin Khoza, vice president of the South African Football Association, jokingly told the English players that Mandela did not originally want to meet them.
He said Mandela was too inspiring and was worried he would inspire the English team to beat the South Africans.
”But as a great statesman, he wanted to meet the English team.”
Khoza then thanked the English for honouring an agreement in 1997 that they would play a match in South Africa.
This is the first time in 100 years that the English soccer team will play a match on the African continent.
Radebe said after the meeting that he believed South Africa would do well at Thursday’s match.
”We have got a score to settle. We will be playing one of the best teams and have got nothing to lose.
”It’s time to prove that South African football has come of age,” he said.
Asked what South Africa’s chances were of winning the bid for the cup, South African bid chief executive Danny Jordaan said he believed the country chances were ”very good”.
”We came close in 2006, the Fifa [International Federation of Football Association] technical committee ranked us equal to Germany. I am quite confident we have a strong case,” he said.
South Africa lost the 2006 bid by a narrow one vote defeat to Germany.
He said the country needed to concentrate on a number of issues to make its chances stronger. They included security and a greater commercialisation of the game.
And what does Mandela think of Beckham’s new braided hairstyle?
”I’m too old to express an opinion on this development,” he said.
Part of the proceeds of Thursday’s friendly will go to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. – Sapa