Four years after being among South Africa’s most bitter rivals for the chance of hosting the 2006 soccer World Cup, England is now among this country’s keenest backers for the 2010 bid.
Just one vote eventually gave Germany the right to host the 2006 tournament but it took some time before the acrimony died down. Perceptions that the European nations had banded together to exclude developing countries led indirectly to world governing body Fifa’s decision to rotate the World Cup among the continents, with 2010 being Africa’s turn.
As part of the reconciliation process, two past giants of the English game are in South Africa to hold coaching clinics on behalf of the English Football Association (FA) leading up to next Thursday’s (May 22) friendly international between Bafana Bafana and England in Durban.
”Lots of bridges were knocked down during the 2006 bid,” said former Tottenham Hotspur defender Gary Mabbutt at the Nghungunwane High School in Soweto on Tuesday morning, where he and fellow former England international Viv Anderson were putting about 150 schoolboys through their paces.
”We’re here to show our support for the South African bid. England doesn’t have a vote on the Fifa 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 he 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 have 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. Now some of the lads have better boots than I have. 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 Nghungunwane.
Kim Fisher from the FA’s International Division said the British High Commission would do everything possible to grant the England players’ wish to meet Nelson Mandela.
Captain David Beckham and mananger Sven-Goran Eriksson have expressed a desire to meet their idol. ”We’ll charter a plane to bring the players to Johannesburg from Durban if we can arrange to get some of Mr Mandela’s time,” said Fisher.
The seriousness with which England is trying to mend fences was underlined by the arrival at midmorning of British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on a two-day visit to South Africa. He was accompanied by South African Minister of Sports and Recreation Ngconde Balfour as they handed out mementoes to the boys involved in the development clinic.
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.