South Africa

I've read and heard a lot of complaining about the quality of football and lack of goals the last couple of days and I've even read and heard that people are not going to watch any more matches on TV if they have to hear the vuvuzela.

Are these people football fans? You don't watch football for the sound and if the vuvuzela annoys you that much - lower the volume or mute the TV. You watch football for the football and you support your country because it is your country - not because they are playing without the vuvuzela.

On chances, 1-1 is a fair result, but I so wanted South Africa to win and I know that it is probably wrong of me to write that, at the very beginning, but it is true. South Africa would have come alive tonight had Bafana Bafana won but in the real world, this is probably the best result for them.

And when I say it is a fair result, chances are you will find a South Africa or two later, somewhere, claiming they should have won and you know what, they could have, they were that close.

It's a big day South African captain Aaron Mokoena knows all about it. He is prepared for the match and is prepared. In just under six hours South Africa play Mexico in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup and I think I am nervous than the players.

"We are looking forward to the game," said Mokoena. "We've been through the feelings of how it's going to be.

South Africa have looked good recently and this is the match that will determine the mood of South Africa for the rest of the month. If South Africa win today, it will breath optimism throughout an entire country, that something miraculous is possible. If they are beaten, the mood of a country will change, but only for a day or two.

A win for South Africa today isn't life or death - but I promise you, if South Africa win, it will be something special. But they face a Mexico side that have looked very good recently. Having lost to England and beaten Italy, they have surprised a few on their way to South Africa, but we suspect, not themselves.

Nerves are good. You need nerves before a football game if you are to do well, because without nerves, the butterfly feeling in the stomach, you don't truly know what is at stake. Some of the South African players have admitted to feeling nervous today and it's not a bad thing.

In fact, it's a good thing, because having these nerves also means they believe they can achieve something special and you know what, they can.

Nine days to go until South Africa kick off the World Cup against Mexico and on deadline day, they release their final 23 man squad.

The not really big surprise but the headline that you will read most about today is that Benni McCarthy hasn't made the cut but not even the player can have really thought he was going to.

There is a huge advantage to playing at home and South African supporters might be getting a little excited as a 2-1 victory over Colombia last night saw them go 10 games unbeaten, right before they kick off the most important month in South African football history. Could the fairy tale World Cup really have a fairy tale ending?

One thing is for sure; anything is possible in football and the unexpected usually happens. Look at the likes of Birmingham City surviving in the Premier League or Liverpool finishing 7th - nobody predicted these things could happen, but they did.

South Africa might have only drawn with Bulgaria last night but the football was crisp and the performance has surprised a few in football. Could it be that South Africa are now ready for the World Cup?

The World Cup hosts opened the scoring in the 20th minute but Bulgaria levelled things eleven minutes later. To quote Football365.co.za; "South Africa looked slick in possession and an improvement in their passing could once again be noted."

South Africa have submitted a 29 man provisional squad for the World Cup which is unchanged from the list made available by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira in April.

The list includes West Ham striker Benni McCarthy, Aaron Mokoena from Pompey, Steven Pienaar from Everton and Kagisho Dikgacoi from Fulham.