Ngcobo, 29, won mobile phone operator MTN's 'Last Fan Standing' competition to attend 38 live matches in the tournament in South Africa.

Due to the logistics involved in having to travel more than 17,000 kilometres by air or road he has not been able to take in the full 90 minutes at every game.

However, after being flown by helicopter from North Korea v Ivory Coast in Nelspruit this afternoon to Chile v Spain in Pretoria tonight he was expecting to have beaten the previous record of 20.

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Australia'sTim Cahill felt he deserved more than the usual prize of an African drum for his man-of-the-match performance against Serbia.

The Everton star decided after his post-match press conference that he was going to take with him the table's gleaming centrepiece - an adidas Jabulani ball.

Cahill swiped the ball as he left the room but with coaches Pim Verbeek and Radomir Antic still to face the cameras, FIFA's media officer was alarmed.

She chased the 30-year-old back to the dressing room and just about managed to retrieve the ball and replace it on the desk before Verbeek answered his first question.

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A New Zealand government minister had his proposal for a public holiday to coincide with the All Whites' last group game against Paraguay scuppered.

Trevor Mallard, of the Labour Party, wanted to put through a bill to give the public a day off after yesterday's game.

With the match scheduled for the middle of the night in New Zealand, Mallard's idea was bound to be popular but government members dismissed it immediately.

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More text messages were sent on the day of England's crucial clash with Slovenia than during the new year celebrations, according to a report.

Billmonitor.com revealed: "England football fans, starved of a good performance before Wednesday's victory over Slovenia, sent more text messages on the day of the game than were sent to celebrate the new year.

"Mobile networks slowed down as nearly 260million text messages were sent on Wednesday, compared with 253million on new year.

"In the two hours following the England game kick-off, a staggering 46million messages were sent, compared with just 20million for the first two England fixtures."

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A warning to Russia, Slovakia, Macedonia, Armenia and Andorra - do not mess with the Republic of Ireland.

The quintet will join Giovanni Trapattoni's men in Group B of the qualification campaign for Euro 2012, which gets under way later this year.

They may all be well advised not to risk upsetting the Irish again.

Yes, they might be a hospitable people who will welcome you to their country and happily join you in a pint, but woe betide anyone who gets in the way of their football team.

Do you remember the World Cup qualifiers? Ireland finished second to reigning champions Italy, who trailed 2-1 at Croke Park before a last-gasp equaliser sent the Irish into a two legged play-off with France - and we all know what happened there, don't we Monsieur Henry?

A few months on, France have left South Africa in disgrace, Italy have followed them. You have been warned.

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Port Elizabeth did not know quite what had hit it.

The invasion of England fans heading for the decisive Group C clash with Slovenia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday left the city's bar, restaurant and cafe workers run off their feet.

Even dress rehearsals with Germany and Chile supporters had not, it appeared, prepared them for the English contingent, who turned up in their thousands and besieged the city.

As life returned to somewhere nearer normal, one cafe worker said: "It was a little bit crazy."

It will be crazier still in Bloemfontein if Fabio Capello's men can see off Germany of Sunday.