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After a month-long
football fiesta in which there was excitement, drama, intrigue and
controversy, we said good bye to Zakumi the mascot, the Jabulani ball
and the Vuvuzela. Love it or hate it, the blowing horn became
synonymous with the first African World Cup. This World Cup also saw
the failure of many well known players and the rise of exciting new
talent, like Germany’s Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil.

Germany ought to
have been in the final but fell short when it mattered the most; there
was the French team mutiny and an encouraging display from Ghana as a
sole African representative in the quarterfinals; then there was the
15-card final that saw a deserving Spanish side emerge as world
champions. They showed that teamwork, hard work and technique are key
ingredients of success. Ultimately, it was a victory for football.

With an estimated
700 million television audience, there’s no doubting the worldwide
appeal of the Mundial. We must congratulate South Africa on this
all-out success – splendid scenery and stadia and I am told, a warm
atmosphere. The World Cup was a truly unifying event. The FIFA
presidentSepp Blatter, commended the hosts and is willing to back a
possible bid by Durban to host the 2020 summer Olympics. This has shown
that with the right attitude and adequate preparation, other African
countries can succeed at hosting major tournaments.

With such a large
number of football players on show, it’s always tempting to try to
choose the best side from a diverse group. In my entirely subjective
World XI, I would opt for a 4-3-3 formation with Iker Casillas in goal.
In support: Portugal’s Fábio Coentrão on the left, and Sergio Ramos,
Carles Puyol and Lucio completing the back quartet. In midfield would
be Javier Mascherano (holding), Bastian Schweinsteiger (marauding) and
Xavi as playmaker. Thomas Müeller, Wesley Sneijder and Andrés Iniesta
are also more than capable but as an armchair manager, I am allowed to
choose. As a strike force, I’d have Diego Forlan on the right, David
Villa on the left with Miroslav Klose in the middle. On the bench,
Fernando Muslera, the Uruguayan goalkeeper, Philipp Lahm, Gerard Piqué,
Sami Khedira, Arjen Robben, Lukas Podolski and the villainous Luis
Suarez. Honourable mentions go to Vincent Enyeama, Kalu Uche, John
Pantsil, Asamoah Gyan, Kevin Prince Boateng, Fabregas, Van der Wiel and
van Bommel, Alonso, Maicon, Cardoso, Alonso and Higuain. Coaches
Vicente Del Bosque and Joachim Loew will jointly manage my world-class
team. My goal of the tournament goes to Giovanni van Bronckhorst for
his rocket against Uruguay.

For the sheer
delight I felt at the time, I’ll add Sulley Muntari’s 40-yard strike
against Uruguay. As there were good moments, so there were ugly/bad
ones; and the Suarez handball that denied Ghana a goal opportunity was
one of those. Nigel de Jong’s karate chop on Alonso was another. So
also was Domenech’s refusal to shake Parreira’s hand after France’s
exit in the first round; and Bert van Marwijk’s removal of the
second-placed medal in a show of bad sportsmanship. Despite those, it
was a thoroughly enjoyable month and it’ll be hard to adjust to
watching less football (there are 30 days until the start of the
Premier League season, but who’s counting?) Here’s wishing Paul the
Octopus a happy retirement. Should he want one last job, he might come
to the waters of Nigeria and help us out with the 2011 elections.

Who said Africa can’t host a World Cup? So long, South Africa.