TO many football fans the days seem longer as we approach kick-off day on June 11 2010. Three weeks ago I visited Gauteng and the Pretoria, Midrand and Johannesburg areas were sealed in one hive of construction activities.

Roads were endlessly blocked and detours were the order of the day. Almost every tenth person you met on the street in downtown Johannesburg was carrying a vuvuzela.

Yes, the 'Greatest Show on Earth' is scheduled to start on June 11 at Soccer City at 16h00 when South Africa will play Mexico, to be followed by Uruguay and France in Cape Town about four hours later. This will be a great day for South Africans, to watch Bafana play a world cup game at home, and much as many are likely to be guardedly optimistic about Bafana's chances of advancing in the competition much further that the opening match, this is an exciting prospect. When I visited South Africa I drove through Botswana and at the border with SA I engaged a South African immigration official about the mood towards the World Cup. We exchanged a few thoughts and as he warmed up I asked him about Bafana's chances and when he was non-committal I said to him: "But Bafana did so well during the African Cup of Nations that you hosted years back, what makes you so pessimistic?"

He looked above my head and said somewhat humorously: "My Brother! This is the World Cup, not the African Cup of Nations, and the Bafana of that time is yet to be equalled we shall have a good time and the country will make a lot of money. In fact many people will be surprised if we reach the quarter finals."

In South Africa there was indeed excitement with people expressing different concerns. Some were worried that the schedule for construction was too short and South Africa may have tendered themselves too tightly.

Some felt that the South African social complexion was too unpredictable for comfort and somebody may just spark something to upset the planning; while others could not wait for the games to start. Still there were concerns about whether the tickets would be available to all and availed in time for everyone to have a chance to obtain one.

Statistics have it that, three million tickets have been printed to cater for 64 matches and a total of 32 teams, with about 450 000 internationals expected to descend on South Africa during the duration of the World Cup. Reviews also estimate that about 26 billion persons will view the World Cup through the network of television outlets the world over with about 48 million of these being South Africans.

Upon reflection on the African teams and judging from their performance during the just concluded African Cup of Nations, one can only be hopeful and little else. But yes, as the South African Organising Committee's CEO said, we cannot organise the World Cup only to lose it to some other continent. Maybe this is the time for Africa to show its mettle. As some of the leading advertisements for the competition go, we have followed it all over the world, and now it is our time to stake our claim on this internationally acclaimed competition and coveted Cup of Nations. And, perhaps this is the last chance in our lifetime. Please allow me to be a non-patriotic though, to say that my money has been and still remains on Brazil Stars.