2010 Soccer World Cup

[alliesmeister]

As for the tickets, theres only 1 game available in JHB. To view the available games, go to http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisati ... index.html and click Start Your Application. R140 to see the World Cup...I mean come on.

As for the the vuvuzela's, it's part of the atmosphere. I dont mind it, but ima buy ear plugs just in case. Soccer City may be crazy.

I'm with you on the vuvuzelas!

But wow it was really difficult getting tickets for Green Point... Since it's like the only stadium down here in Cape Town and the closest stadium is PE. I got 1 match in the first phase(having applied for 5), then I got nothing in the second phase(having applied for 4), got 2 matches in the 3rd phase(having applied for 6), and I got 1 match in the 4th phase(having applied for 1 - it was the only available game and I applied at 1:06PM. The applications only opened at 1PM)

Oh yeah and 2 of those matches are Category 3 since I really struggled to get Category 4 tickets in phases 1 and 2.

Btw, what games are you attending Cyclic?

[cYcLIc]

I got:

Brasil vs Cote d'Ivoire - Cat 3 (Phase 3)
Spain vs Honduras Cat 3 (Phase 4)
Argentina vs Korea - Cat 3 (Phase 4)

I found Phase 4 the easiest. I applied on Friday and got notice yesterday. Phase 3 was a total nightmare. First they said unsuccessful then they said successful, but downgraded to Cat 3 like 4 days later, but Im not complaining. Just wanna be at the stadiums to experience the atmosphere of a world cup. After Confed Cup, I cant wait for June.

[Prime]

I can't wait for fifa to leave us alone. I am sick of the hype, the politicians using it to try and inflate their insignificance, and fifa trying to tell us how to run our country.

So, no, I have zero interest In the whole affair.

[Stuart]

Argentina vs Korea - Cat 3 (Phase 4)

Wouldn't mind seeing that ... if it weren't for the dreaded Vs.

[ryanrich]

Atmosphere? Vuvuzela's are a freakin' joke. Listen to the nice chanting and singing of a Premier League game and then switch to an SA game and listen to that terrible noise. It's not even blown in unison or anything, it's just a plain disorganised noise. And when things don't go their way in a game, the vuvuzela's are turned into projectiles and thrown at players and/or the ref. This is of course after seats are ripped out and thrown on the pitch, as was the case during a game here in Cape Town not too long ago by some Kaizer Chiefs supporters...

Looking forward to watching some games on TV at home though, where I can mute the volume should it become too unbearable.

[ADV4NCED]

Atmosphere? Vuvuzela's are a freakin' joke. Listen to the nice chanting and singing of a Premier League game and then switch to an SA game and listen to that terrible noise. It's not even blown in unison or anything, it's just a plain disorganised noise

So true though, it's sad as football lovers that due to irritations like that and other, we wont be watching live matches at the stadiums

South Africa always has to spoil things - one way or the other

[cYcLIc]

Atmosphere? Vuvuzela's are a freakin' joke. Listen to the nice chanting and singing of a Premier League game and then switch to an SA game and listen to that terrible noise. It's not even blown in unison or anything, it's just a plain disorganised noise. And when things don't go their way in a game, the vuvuzela's are turned into projectiles and thrown at players and/or the ref. This is of course after seats are ripped out and thrown on the pitch, as was the case during a game here in Cape Town not too long ago by some Kaizer Chiefs supporters...

Looking forward to watching some games on TV at home though, where I can mute the volume should it become too unbearable.

Dude, please. You've probably never attended a live soccer game in your life. There is chanting and singing. They do also sometimes blow in unison. Dont comment if you havent experienced a game. And fyi, I attend soccer games regularly and Ive never seen a vuvuzela being thrown onto a field or seats being ripped out. Just cos we've had 1 or 2 isolated incidents, doesnt mean it happens all the time. None of that happened at the Confed Cup. What does that tell you? And its been said that if 1 vuvuzela ends up on the field, theyll be banned for the remainder of the tournament. And whoever threw it will probably not make it out of the stadium alive so I doubt anyone will even try it.

Atmosphere? Vuvuzela's are a freakin' joke. Listen to the nice chanting and singing of a Premier League game and then switch to an SA game and listen to that terrible noise. It's not even blown in unison or anything, it's just a plain disorganised noise

So true though, it's sad as football lovers that due to irritations like that and other, we wont be watching live matches at the stadiums

South Africa always has to spoil things - one way or the other

I disagree. Real soccer fans will attend and are attending judging by the ticket sales.

[rustypup]

whoever threw it will probably not make it out of the stadium alive so I doubt anyone will even try it.

i've always said sport fandom was retarded.... statements like this do nothing to ameliorate my views...

[Sojourn]

...its been said that if one vuvuzela ends up on the field, they'll be banned for the remainder of the tournament. And whoever threw it will probably not make it out of the stadium alive ...

Anyone willing to take one for the team please ?

[GreyWolf]

South Africa always has to spoil things - one way or the other

Did you by any chance watch the series on discovery about football hooligans around the world? Maybe you should re-think your statement.

[Sojourn]

whoever threw it will probably not make it out of the stadium alive so I doubt anyone will even try it.

i've always said sport fandom was retarded.... statements like this do nothing to ameliorate my views...

ameliorate? seriously... ameliorate?
If you cannot post in the sport section using sidelines language, don't bother.

As for your "views"? .../care
You are making that statement as if sport supporters are supposed to be queuing up to convince you otherwise.

[alliesmeister]

South Africa always has to spoil things - one way or the other

Did you by any chance watch the series on discovery about football hooligans around the world? Maybe you should re-think your statement.

+1

People often prefer to see the grass on the other side as greener when it is in fact not.

Serie A - Continous racial abuse of black Italian players such as Mario Balotelli
Premier League - Abuse of players who are reportedly homosexual + some fans like to throw coins at both opposition players and the officials.

The seats being ripped out in a Kaizer game is akin to the clash Millwall fans had with police recently with regards to it being a isolated event.

By the way in that occurence:

One man was stabbed outside the ground and there were several pitch invasions as West Ham played London rivals Millwall in the Carling Cup. Amateur footage obtained by Channel 4 News shows how supporters clashed with police prior to the game as officers tried to keep West Ham and Millwall fans apart. Some Millwall supporters were held in an underground station as West Ham fans were kept behind police barricades outside.

Source: http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/u ... sh/3321602

[hamin_aus]

My 5 cents:

Local yokels who are complaining about vuvuzelas should stick to watching bowls on DSTV. Fark the lot of them.

It's a South African tradition. The majority of us are boisterous and enjoy having a good, loud, time. If you find it annoying and barbaric, stay at home drinking tea and complaining about the bad impression people must be getting of the country during the world cup.

Foreign tourists don't come here to see you. They come here to see the real Africa, and get the African experience: Loud noises, crowds, weird smells - all the stuff most of us try to avoid.
The vuvuzela is part of the authentic SA soccer experience and these tourists should not be denied that.
Sitting behind some guys blowing vuvuzelas is not going to deafen you - you would need to be exposed to that noise for much longer than a few hours for permanent damage.
If you want to sit quietly and give the odd few rounds of applause when something happens on the field, buy tickets to the 5th day of a test match.

I hope everyone complaining in this thread does not get tickets to the WC. We don't need wet blankets spoiling it for everyone else. Stay home - you'll not be missed.

[Sojourn]

Jamin, have you sat just a row or two directly in front of a vuvu-blower, persisting to blare merrily every 5 minutes? I have. It is NOT fun.
As far as loud and boisterous go, I am a front runner. I actually want to watch the game... I do not jump off my seat and cheer indiscriminately for no reason. Vuvu blowers are making noise without any cause for it at the expense of the people around them that is actually trying to watch the game.

Foreign tourists don't come here to see you. Yes, they come to see the games, not be harassed in the process.
They come here to see the real Africa, and get the African experience: Loud noises, crowds, weird smells - all the stuff most of us try to avoid. I call BS on this... for that they visit tourist attractions. When they are in the stadiums, they want to watch the game, not be harassed.
The vuvuzela is part of the authentic SA soccer experience and these tourists should not be denied that. Sadly this point is true, but their experience of this will loose its fancy after 5 minutes of persistent blaring.

Jamin, you need to see the European comments about the vuvuzela's in the Confed time. They were NOT amused with this "tradition". They themselves commented on the lack of singing... only the blaaa blaaa blaaaa the whole time, even people watching on TV overseas were complaining as they could not hear the commentators. Don't pretend to know what tourists "need" or "want".

[ryanrich]

You've probably never attended a live soccer game in your life.

I've been to about 18 live soccer games in SA in my life. Not as many as I would have liked to but still. My team in the PSL is Mamelodi Sundowns as I used to live in Pretoria East. I think it's a terrible noise. That is my OPINION, and there are many other soccer fans that agree with me, including my black friends, so get YOUR facts straight...

South African tradition? What a load of crud...

If you want to sit quietly and give the odd few rounds of applause when something happens on the field, buy tickets to the 5th day of a test match.

Who said they want to do that? Go watch a game at the Emirates, Stamford Bridge, Anfield, Old Trafford during a derby match and see what real atmosphere is.

Come to think of it, jumping around and making a noise like a drunkard does seem to be a big part of SA culture. Toyi-Toyi protester, soccer fan, same difference really...

VIVA VUVUZELA VIVA! AMANDLA!

[hamin_aus]

Well Sojourn, since you and European soccer fans share the same ancestry, it would make sense that there would be some people who did not like Vuvuzelas in that crowd - and that they would choose to express their butthurt on the internet. You cant please everybody.

The last soccer match I went to was the Manchester City vs Kaizer Cheifs match at the Absa Stadium here in Durbs.

I sat behind a large, very noisy group of cheifs supporters in full dress - and there were more vuvzelas around me than I could count. As it happens, I was also sitting next to a couple of Poms who were there supporting Man City.

Initially they were quite overcome by the noise and activity in the stands. but as soon as they realised the "natives" (one of them actually called them that) were not going to murder them, they became quite enchanted with the whole spectacle. They even tried blowing a vuvuzela themselves. The cameras were on them for a bit - you might have seen them on TV - 4 middle aged white guys in light blue shirts in the middle of a group of Chiefs supporters having a grand old time...

Tell me again about what tourists want?

[Sojourn]

South African tradition? What a load of crud...

++1

Braaivleis, koeksisters and lobola the south african way is tradition and unique for decades.
Don't liken vuvu's, in use maybe erm... 15 years(?) to that, sorry.

[hamin_aus]

Braaivleis

Shenanigans!

I like how South Africans like to think we invented cooking meat over a fire...

Every country braai's. They might not call it that, but that is what it is. They just have sense enough not to treat something that people have been doing for over 100 000 years like it was invented by them.

[ryanrich]

but as soon as they realised the "natives" (one of them actually called them that) were not going to murder them, they became quite enchanted with the whole spectacle.

I would have seriously burst something internally had I heard that...

Reminds me about when I heard an old tannie talking about the "bantus" recently, and all in a posh Sandton sounding accent. Like WTF...

[Sojourn]

Braaivleis

Shenanigans!

I like how South Africans like to think we invented cooking meat over a fire...

Every country braai's. They might not call it that, but that is what it is. They just have sense enough not to treat something that people have been doing for over 100 000 years like it was invented by them.

you conveniently chose to ignore "the SA way".

[hamin_aus]

There is an "SA way" to cook meat over a fire? What is that? Add Aeromat to the meat? Pour beer over it?
We are not unique in this...

but as soon as they realised the "natives" (one of them actually called them that) were not going to murder them, they became quite enchanted with the whole spectacle.

I would have seriously burst something internally had I heard that...

Reminds me about when I heard an old tannie talking about the "bantus" recently, and all in a posh Sandton sounding accent. Like WTF...

I was also like WTF at first...
But they were actually really nice guys, not racist at all. You don't take a vuvzela that some black guy has been blowing the contents of his throat and lungs into for an hour and put it to your lips if are racist

[Sojourn]

Okay, jamin will leave this alone ... I won't. No need to get all personal over a trumpet.

[hamin_aus]

Wait, what... did Sojourn throw a tantrum?

Why did you edit it before I had a chance to look, Sturat.
I'm going to get your mod rights revoked. Lancelot has my back on this!!!

Sojourn, please repost your no-doubt scintillating retort for me...

[Stuart]

Wait, what... did Sojourn throw a tantrum?

Why did you edit it before I had a chance to look, Sturat.
I'm going to get your mod rights revoked. Lancelot has my back on this!!!

Sojourn, please repost your no-doubt scintillating retort for me...

He called you an "ignorant sluice gate" and proceeded with his trumpeting hissy fit. Cos, you know, most sluice gates are highly evolved, intelligent creatures.

[hamin_aus]

Ignorant sluice gate.... why I oughta....



I don't know why he's so mad, he probably only got tickets to a Bafana match. I'd be mad too!

Anyway, considering burning meat over a fire to be a national heritage basically says we are cave men. And everyone knows they are only one step ahead of sluice gates on the evolutionary ladder.
We might as well also celebrate wearing clothes, speaking a language and not being eaten by animals.