South Africa - Out of the tournament.
Nigeria - Bottom of their group, winless, out of the tournament.
Algeria - Bottom of their group, winless, out of the tournament.
Cameroon - Bottom of their group, pointless, out of the tournament.
Ivory Coast - Winless with a huge gap in goal difference, going out of the tournament.
The first World Cup to be held in Africa certainly hasn’t gone to plan for the locals. Of all the African teams participating in the tournament, only Ghana has made the knockout stages. Even then, there was a time there when all six African nations could have still made an acrimonious first-round exit.
For South Africa, a first round exit would have been especially disappointing. After all the investment in the country’s sporting infrastructure, the pre-tournament hype, and the long preparation period - including the Confederations Cup last year - the country would have been riding a wave of expectation and excitement. Unfortunately, the heavy 3-0 loss to Uruguay cancelled out the 2-1 win over a self-mutilating French side and they found themselves exiting the tournament at the first port of call. Still, at least they got a win on the board and ensured they didn’t finish bottom - which isn’t too bad considering they were in a tricky group.
Vuvuzelameter Rating: 6/10 (Slightly Irritating)
You’d forgive Nigeria for losing 1-0 to the might of Messi and Tevez’ Argentina. Indeed, it might seem a good result on paper. However, the true indication of the Super Eagles’ tournament was the ridiculous red card earned by Sani Kaita. With the ball already out of play on the sideline, Kaita lashed out at his Greek opponent - who responded with theatrics befitting a Eurovision boy band rather than a Spartan warrior. This straight red ensured that an undermanned Nigeria went on to lose the match, and any hope of progressing in the tournament. A meaningless 2-2 draw with the hard-working South Korea only added to the misery, ensuring that this once-proud team went home without a win.
Vuvuzelameter: 3/10 (Blown Raspberry)
Algeria also finished bottom of their group, but then again they’ve hardly the same kind of track record as Nigeria. The Super Eagles have made the round of sixteen twice before, back in the 90s - but the Algerians have only ever made the group stages. Therefore, it was a plucky effort from the Desert Foxes to draw with England and only just lose to the USA in the dying moments of their match. They tried their hearts out - but in the end, they just didn’t have the quality to get out of Group C. Strange how the initial match against Slovenia was supposed to be their closest in the group, yet it was England that they gave the most torrid time to.
Vuvuzelameter: 5/10 (Minor Buzz)
Cameroon, like Nigeria, have been especially underwhelming. They went out of the World Cup without earning a point and hardly lived up to the ‘Indomitable Lions’ name. Indeed, ‘Whipped Pussies’ would be more appropriate. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Japan all came, saw, and conquered the red, green, and gold without too much trouble. Cameroon never got started; Eto’o scored twice and threatened more - but like the team, never delivered the killer blow. Scoring first against Denmark, only to let the game slip away in the second half, put the final stamp on a disappointing campaign.
Vuvuzelameter: 2/10 (Flying Spittle)
Drogba. Kalou. Toure. Eboue. Cote d’Ivoire have a fair assortment of riches, yet they’re pretty much destined to finish third in their group. After Portugal’s demolition job on North Korea, ‘The Elephants’ have three points and a whopping nine goals to make up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s men. You would imagine they’d score a few against the DPR, but this will all be to no avail if Portugal win or draw against Brazil. An underwhelming end then to a team many punters (including yours truly) fancied to make an impact on the tournament.
Vuvuzelameter: 4/10 (The sound of a fly stuck on the inside of your windshield)
On the other side of the ledger, Ghana did a pretty good job of what turned out to be a tight group. They’ve been solid, if not spectacular. In each game they’ve played, they’ve only conceded a maximum of one goal - and that includes their top-of-the-table clash against the more fancied Germans. That said, they’ve only managed to score a maximum of one goal each game as well. Many may point to a fortuitous red card against the Aussies, and Germany’s prior smashing of the boys in green and gold. Without these, Australia may have scraped through in second place instead. But if Serbia hadn’t scored a shock win over Germany, perhaps the Ghanians would have had an easier ride in their last group game? There are simply too many ‘what ifs’ and, at the end of the day, it was the Black Stars who got through, not the Socceroos. In doing so, they become the only African team to emerge from the group stages of the first World Cup held on that continent.
Vuvuzelameter: 8/10 (Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....)
So, a second round matchup with the USA awaits the Ghanians (They're currently winning 1-0 as this blog is being approved - KA), while the rest of Africa watches from the sidelines. Some World Cup matches (the ones not involving South Africa) have involved the disappointing sight of more than a few empty seats. With the host nation out, FIFA must be hoping the tickets allocated to locals are still used; though this may prove to be false hope if recent BBC broadcasts are anything to go by.
The BBC live bus has been travelling to townships and cities of South Africa to get the stories of the people who live there, and their opinions on the World Cup. On more than one occasion, they’ve been greeted with the sight of FIFA Live Sites bereft of locals - or anyone at all for that matter. Some have blamed the cold weather, some the indifference of people who have been suffering poverty or disease in many parts of the country - but there’s an underlying fear that many South Africans simply won’t care now their team is out of the competition.
I’m somewhat more optimistic - but the fact remains that a poor showing from local countries certainly won’t help to grab Africa’s attention for the remainder of the competition.
