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The eyes of the world will focus on a highly-tendered plot of grass at Johannesburg’s Soccer City when the Netherlands meet Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final™. To ensure the grand finale of world football’s greatest event takes place on the best possible playing surface, a hard-toiling and dedicated team have been working around the clock over recent months.

Thanks to the efforts of head groundsman Juane Klingbiel and his colleagues, the pitch is in immaculate condition and the players will have little cause for complaint about their working conditions when they take the field in front of a massive global television audience. With the stadium inaugurated only in May, the pitch is still very much in its infancy with the Final the eighth match of the tournament held at the 84,490-capacity venue – the largest stadium on the continent when operating at full capacity.

So how has the most utilised venue at South Africa 2010 held up over the last month? “Brilliant,” says Klingbiel unequivocally. “I think it is one of the best pitches I have ever seen. Ball roll, firmness and everything is excellent and I’m very happy. It’s even better than (I could have hoped for the Final). The feedback from all the teams has been brilliant and I’m going to sleep each night with a smile.”

Built on the site of the previous national stadium, which was built in the mid-1980s, the venue in its previous incarnation was widely regarded as the heartbeat of South African football having hosted many important matches, most notably Bafana Bafana‘s landmark CAF Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 1996. With the construction funded through the football fraternity’s coffers, the venue also hosted the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990. Soccer City is also set to host concerts, Rugby internationals and of course, matches featuring iconic Johannesburg clubs Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

To see the pitch develop and the stadium develop has been an amazing trip. I’m very proud

Juane Klingbiel, Soccer City head groundsman

The distinctive new stadium is undoubtedly among the elite venues in world sport and its completion and successful opening is an achievement of which all South Africans are rightly proud. Located in the football heartland of Soweto, the stadium is designed in the form of a calabash or African pot. Otherwise known as the ‘melting pot of cultures’, the colourful design is suggestive of a pot being fired, hence it is also named the ’pit of fire’.

“We started doing the pitch construction while the construction of the stadium took place. To see the pitch develop and the stadium develop has been an amazing trip. I’m very proud (of the stadium). The guys have outdone themselves putting this together. I haven’t seen anything like this ever. Just to be saying this is South Africa 2010, and I’m the guy working on the pitch… what an experience, it’s amazing.

“The atmosphere and the whole vibe the World Cup has created has been great. It has been a great influence on South Africa, and I think people have enjoyed the event and we have passed all the tests so I think everyone is very happy. Seeing the Final ending will be a highlight just to get through everything OK. Also at the first game, with the opening ceremony, I thought to myself, ‘South Africa is really going to pull this off’ and that was a particular highlight for me.

“I’m chuffed at myself and with my team, and without these guys we wouldn’t have done it. Every match when we see the players run out, the people are happy, the vuvuzelas are playing and everyone is going mad. We can give ourselves a quiet pat on the back and say we have done a good job.”

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Germany’s largely young 2010 FIFA World Cup™ squad can get over their 1-0 semi-final defeat by European champions Spain and emulate their success in the future, captain Philipp Lahm said on Thursday.

The 26-year-old, who has been an inspirational captain in the absence of the injured Michael Ballack, added that one day he expected he would be holding a trophy aloft and assuaging the pain of being part of teams that had lost two successive World Cup semi-finals and the Euro 2008 final – 1-0 to Spain.

“I am a little surprised by the margins of victory against England (4-1) and Argentina (4-0),” said the 71-times capped Bayern Munich fullback. “But I have been training with these guys for a long time, and I knew what they were capable of. We were able to believe in our future. Spain proved that there is always room for improvement. Three to four weeks ago, they had the same players, and then they gained in confidence. We too can do similar things.”

One day, I am convinced that we will be up there with the best. And then also to lose a semi-final is not a mark of dishonour, that doesn’t happen every day either.

Lahm on the semi-final defeat

Lahm, who repeated that he would not voluntarily hand back the captaincy to 33-year-old Ballack and would do so only if the coach instructed him to, admitted the defeat had been tough - he was reduced to floods of tears at the final whistle - but the Germans had still achieved more than other European heavyweights.

“I am 26 and therefore I have some years of football at this level in front of me,” said Lahm. “There will be other semi-finals. But it is true, it will never be easy to think back on [the defeat]. But thereagain look, Italy and France were knocked out really quickly. One day, I am convinced that we will be up there with the best. And then also to lose a semi-final is not a mark of dishonour, that doesn’t happen every day either.”

He also revealed that the Germans had declined an offer of a ‘victory’ parade back in Berlin when they return unlike those that happened after the 2006 semi-final loss at home and the Euro 2008 final defeat. Lahm, who says he has changed his mind and would play in the third place match with Uruguay in Port Elizabeth on Saturday if he has recovered from a knock, said he saw Wednesday’s victors Spain adding the world title to their European crown. “I see Spain winning it,” he said. “But if not I will be happy to see my clubmates [Mark van Bommel and Arjen Robben] return to Bayern with the trophy. The trophy would give us a ‘boost’ at Bayern.”

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“This is the most important match in our history,” said Iker Casillas in reference to Spain’s South Africa 2010 semi-final against Germany on Wednesday. Though the Germans are in irresistible form, the European champions know what it takes to beat them, having overcome the same opposition in the final of UEFA EURO 2008.

Two of the men who will have a big part to play in the Durban duel are Spain coach Vicente del Bosque and midfield dynamo Andres Iniesta, both of whom shared their views with FIFA on what promises to be a fascinating game.

The Barcelona wizard was on duty on that famous night in Vienna and remembers the game as if it were yesterday. “Spain were the better side apart from the first ten minutes, when they came out strongly and created a couple of chances. We settled down after that and started to play well, and when we went ahead we took control of the match. All that was lacking was a second goal and when you’re playing Germany in a final you really need to try and kill the game off.”

As far as is his coach is concerned, that Germany side bears little relation to the current one. “Half of the team that played at the European Championships has gone,” said Del Bosque. “This is a side that combines Germany’s traditional values with good football, quality and young talent. If you ask me, Germany, ourselves and the Netherlands sum up perfectly what European football is all about.

“The Germans are always there or thereabouts, and that’s been the case since I was a boy,” continued the former Real Madrid boss, who has the utmost respect for his side’s next rivals. “When you think about Germany you think about a solid, top-quality side with a big reputation and a huge will to win.”

Iniesta concurred with his coach’s appraisal, saying: “Teams like Germany are exciting to watch because they play good football, they make chances and they like to get down the flanks. That’s what we like to do too, which should make for a nice game.”

I’m convinced we’ll make it through to the Final. I’m absolutely confident of that.

Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta

A central part of Spain’s gameplan, Iniesta has shaken off his recent injury problems, a source of understandable relief for Del Bosque, who said: “Andres is feeling a lot stronger now and he’s getting better with every game. He’s one of our most important players.”

Another of Spain’s key men is David Villa, the scorer of five of their six goals in South Africa. Now his team-mate for both club and country, Iniesta has nothing but praise for the tournament’s top marksman. ”He’s in superb form right now. He’s scoring goals for fun and that’s so important for the team. We have a good understanding on the pitch, which is only natural when you train together every day and you know what he’s asking for and how he moves. When you have a striker like David it makes everything very easy for us midfielders.”

Easy is not a word that can be used to describe Spain’s progress so far, with the massed defences assembled by Switzerland, Honduras and Paraguay posing them plenty of problems. Does Iniesta believe space will be easier to come by against the more enterprising Germans? “If they attack more, there will be more space, but they’ll also be creating more chances in front of goal,” came the reply. “I don’t know how the game will pan out because every match is different. We both like to get forward a lot and we like to have possession, but the circumstances surrounding the game will have an influence too.”

Not known for making big predictions, the normally reserved midfielder broke with the habit of a lifetime when asked how he thinks the semi will go. “I’m convinced we’ll make it through to the Final. I’m absolutely confident of that.” If Spain can show that kind of self-belief on the pitch, they might just fulfil Iniesta’s forecast.

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South Africa saw different waves of European colonisation hit its shores over the centuries, from Portugal and Britain in particular, but none had a greater impact than that of the Dutch. In 2010, propelled by a tide of orange, the Netherlands football team are preparing themselves for a different type of conquest – securing their first-ever FIFA World Cup™ trophy.

Today, the numerous statues present in South African cities as well as the language used by many inhabitants are both evidence of the influence of Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck, founder of Cape Town, and his countrymen. For example, among the eleven official languages of South Africa, Afrikaans, a variant of Dutch, is spoken by 13% of the population.

And the Oranje fans’ arrival in the mother continent has not been without its benefits for local Afrikaners: “Unlike the French and Italian fans, I can understand them because Dutch and Afrikaans are very similar and that makes my sales pitch easier,” explained street-seller Steven Arendse in the aftermath of the Netherlands’ final group match with Cameroon in Cape Town.

Good Hope for the Dutch
Pieter Cronje, Cape Town 2010 spokesperson, also underlined the importance of the Dutch “invasion”: “Many of the countries who’ve played in Cape Town have had some link with the city in the past and today it was the turn of the Dutch who have such an interesting history with the city.”

The Netherlands’ colourful band of supporters will descend on Cape Town once again on Tuesday when Bert van Marwijk’s men face Uruguay in the semi-final of the showpiece event. Back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the city’s status as a strategic way-station for ships on their way to the Dutch East Indies saw it become one the most important Dutch settlements of that period. Van Riebeeck founded the first South African colony there in 1652.

The Castle of Good Hope, built by the Dutch East India Company a quarter of a century later, is also a symbol of the strong bond between the Rainbow Nation and its former coloniser. The Voortrekker monument in Pretoria, constructed to honour Boer pioneers, is yet another example.

The Dutch footballers were also keen to recognise the special relationship enjoyed by the two countries. While most sides were training hard ahead of crucial group matches, the squad took a morning off to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned.

The taking of Cape Town
Given the historical and cultural links between the host nation and the Netherlands, what would a Dutch victory in FIFA’s flagship tournament mean to everyday South Africans? In an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, Catherine Snel, curator of the Afrikaans Language Monument (Afrikaanse Taalmonument), in Paarl, Western Cape Province, confirmed that the Oranje should be able to count on the support of South Africans: “At this stage of the competition, a Dutch win will be welcome because many South Africans are acknowledging the historical relation between South Africa and the Netherlands.”

“I believe South Africans somehow still feel connected to the Netherlands,” added Snel’s colleague Paul Faku.

This extra backing aside, it is in the interest of the Dutch to make sure that Cape Town does indeed belong to them again on Tuesday night. “I have heard people using the term ‘Die Kaap is Hollands’,” continued Snel, who explained that while the literal meaning of the expression – prevalent on many banners at the Netherlands-Cameroon match – is that Cape Town has come under Dutch control once more, it has added significance. “It means ‘All is well again’ – a very well known Afrikaans phrase.”

If one thing is certain, it is that Wesley Sneijder and Co will be hoping that all is well again with Dutch football come the end of the FIFA World Cup. Defeating Uruguay on 6 July would be a step in the right direction.

Though the signs had pointed to Fernando Llorente losing out on a place in Spain’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in favour of Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, it was the Athletic Bilbao target man who got the nod from coach Vicente del Bosque in the end.

Unused by the former Real Madrid boss until the Round of 16, with David Villa and Fernando Torres the forwards of choice, the rangy 25-year-old made an immediate impact when joining the fray against neighbours Portugal. “I’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. I’m really happy to have made my World Cup debut and helped the team win the game,” Llorente told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview shortly after winning his eighth senior cap for La Roja.

“It was an incredible moment to come on because everybody was so tense, particularly on the bench. But once you get on the field everything happens really fast, you try to do your best and you don’t feel as nervous,” said the 6ft 4in striker, whose touch, physical presence and link-up play after replacing Liverpool striker Torres in the 58th minute helped Spain move up a gear and unsettle the Portugal backline. “I was ready to go out there and add some more intensity to the mix. We’d had more chances than them and shown more attacking intent. I just tried to keep their centre-backs busy and hold the ball up when it came to me,” added Llorente, who was denied by Portugal’s outstanding custodian Eduardo moments after coming on.

After we lost our first game I said it would make us a lot stronger. It was like a slap in the face and a real wake-up call.

Fernando Llorente, Spain striker

“I came so close to getting a goal. I had a few chances but their keeper played really well. Thankfully David managed to find the net, at the second attempt,” he said, the relief on his face clear, when describing Villa’s 63rd-minute winner. “It was incredibly exciting but I missed out on the celebrations because I had to give a doping sample. But I’m still really happy to have made my [FIFA World Cup] debut in the last 16 against a big side like Portugal and played a part in our win,” added Llorente, who first rose to global prominence with five goals in four games at the Netherlands 2005 edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Looking ahead
Spain must now put the narrow win over Portugal behind them and focus on a potentially awkward quarter-final test against Paraguay. “There are no easy games here. You only need to look at our opening group match. It looked straightforward but Switzerland gave us a big fright. Sometimes things look easy but turn out not to be,” said the Athletic front man. Does Llorente think that the Swiss reverse was a blessing in disguise, given that Spain recovered to top their group and then beat Portugal, who finished fourth at Germany 2006? “After we lost our first game I said it would make us a lot stronger. It was like a slap in the face and a real wake-up call. I’m glad it happened then rather than in the Round of 16.

“Other teams know how we play and so they keep things very tight at the back,” continued Llorente, on opponents’ efforts to stifle the Spaniards’ flowing, possession football. “That tactic makes our opponents very dangerous because if they grab a goal on the counter-attack it makes life very difficult.” And having failed to totally convince in the 2-0 and 2-1 Group H wins over Honduras and Chile respectively, La Selección appeared to recover their lustre against their Iberian rivals. “It was our best performance in South Africa so far. And to be honest we needed to find our form because Portugal are top-class opponents. Fortunately the team rose to the challenge,” said Llorente.

“We’re taking things one game at a time and at the moment we’re only focusing on Paraguay. We’re treating them just as we did Portugal because you can’t underestimate anybody. If they’re in the quarters it’s because they deserve it.” And as for Spain’s supposed quarter-final curse, Llorente dismissed the notion outright. “There’s no reason that should even cross our minds. We’re a new generation of players and most of the lads were part of the EURO 2008-winning squad. There’s no point looking for bad omens. We have to stay positive, keep working hard like we’ve done so far and make sure we prepare properly for the match so we don’t get caught out.”

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Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz admitted Tuesday that arch-rivals Spain were the better team and deserved to stay in the FIFA World Cup™, but said his players did themselves proud. The European champions won a tight Round of 16 contest 1-0, leaving Portugal facing another four years before getting another crack at winning the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history.

“Spain won with merit,” said Queiroz. “But I would also like to underscore the fact that Portugal played with a great degree of dignity and ambition and I believe the fans have justifiable reason to be proud of the way the team has played.”

Portugal indeed played a clever game, defending well before launching counter-attacks. But ultimately the statistics speak for themselves, with Spain plundering 19 shots to Portugal’s nine. Spain also had far more possession, something Queiroz admitted was the difference between the two sides.

“It was an extremely difficult game but Spain moved the ball very well and had more possession and any team that does that can control the game better,” he said. “We did have opportunities to score but unfortuantely we were not able to do so, hence allowing Spain to win 1-0. We could have scored at certain critical moments, but Spain’s victory is justified.”

Portugal leave the tournament having conceeded just one goal, but it was costly one with David Villa doing the damage. Queiroz said they would learn from the experience.

“We wanted to do well and when we compete at this level, if we manage to obtain second or third, it is not satisfactory,” he said. “We always have as our main goal to win. We also want to have an honourable performance to dignify Portuguese football. I wanted us to be able to leave the field with our heads held high, and I think we accomplished this.”

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Giovanni van Bronckhorst is not the best player in the Netherlands team. He is, however, one of the side’s hardest workers, most experienced performers and leaders.

“I always try to run hard and give my best for the side,” said the humble captain, who, in his next breath, used the most flattering adjectives to describe his more acclaimed and creative team-mates like Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, just back to fitness and hoping to reach the peak of his powers in Durban tomorrow. “I am thrilled with the way the team has been playing here in South Africa,” the steady left-back told FIFA.com.

We know what’s it’s like to go out of a tournament after one bad match. We do not want to feel it again.

Netherlands captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Having won a UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, the former Arsenal man knows a thing or two about what it takes to win trophies. “We’ve been putting in some strong, patient performances,” he went on, before admitting the three group-stage wins over Denmark, Japan and Cameroon left room for improvement.

“We can play better,” the 35-year-old Oranje captain – as good as a second coach out on the pitch – added. “In a tournament like this it’s a great thing if you can get results when you’re not playing at your best. This way you can build and get stronger, leaving room to improve as the games come.”

As the brass band, part of the travelling Dutch supporters’ circus, play on in the background, Van Bronckhorst knows there is serious work ahead. Meeting hungry outsiders Slovakia in the Round of16, there will be no margin for error.

“The pressure is mounting; this is true,” said the Feyenoord player. “The closer you get to the Final, the bigger the pressure is. This is natural. Not too many people were expecting Slovakia to reach the second round, but they deserve it,” added the Rotterdam-born player, who after 102 caps for his country still admits to “getting goose bumps every time” he pulls on the famous Oranje strip.

“We know what’s it’s like to go out of a tournament after one bad match,” added Van Bronckhorst, a member of the side that beat France and Italy at UEFA EURO 2008 before slumping to Russia in the first knockout round. He is hoping to avoid a similar fate here on South African soil. “It’s a familiar feeling actually, and we do not want to feel it again. I hope it will be different here,” said the man who was part of the Netherlands side that lost to Portugal in the last 16 at Germany 2006.

My ultimate dream is to say goodbye with the Trophy in my hands.

Netherlands left-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Perhaps the first world finals staged on the African continent will provide a new winner, which would be a first since 1998, when hosts France paraded the Trophy up and down the Champs-Elysées. Having been to the Final on two occasions in the 1970s, the Netherlands – European Champions in 1988 – have had little to put in their silverware case despite being considered historically among the chief innovators of the sport. Van Bronckhorst, who will retire after his last match here at the FIFA World Cup, is hoping it can end with a famous first for his country.

“My ultimate dream is to say goodbye with the Trophy in my hands,” he said, and as the brass band played a rousing rendition of the classic Dixieland standard ‘When the Saints go Marching in,’ he smiled and told FIFA.com: “We are a long way from home, but those fans give us a warm feeling and we want to give them something big to cheer about.”

There was an inevitability about it that was all too apparent to supporters when the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ draw was made last December. As soon as England and Germany came out in neighbouring groups, Lennie of London and Bernd of Berlin spoke for all their countrymen when they chorused: “We’ll be facing each other once again”.

The two rival nations who share so much history over and beyond what happens on the football field, have provided some of the most dramatic action in the 80 years of the FIFA World Cup. They played out an epic Final in 1966 and four years later locked hours again for a quarter-final clash that almost rivalled it for sheer theatre and gripping excitement. Then in 1990 they reprised it all once more in a semi-final that again went the full 120-minute duration before penalties were required to decide the winner.

In Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon the familiar foes come face to face for the fifth time in a FIFA World Cup, Germany as winners of Group D and England as runners-up in Group C. If USA had not scored their injury-time winner against Algeria then England v Germany would not have taken place. But you just knew the footballing fates were conspiring again to ensure it did.

Their first FIFA World Cup meeting will go down as one of the greatest Finals of all time. It was 30 July 1966 and the tournament held in England for the first and only time, had reached its conclusion with the two long-standing enemies lining up on opposite sides of the halfway line.

A Wembley rollercoaster
What a match was about to unravel over 120 minutes. What a rollercoaster the two sets of supporters were subjected to as Germany took an early lead through Helmut Haller before England – and in particular Geoff Hurst – began to assert themselves. With Martin Peters adding a second-half goal to Hurst’s equaliser, Wembley believed the host nation was about to rule the world. Not so easily. With just a minute remaining Wolfgang Weber scored following a free-kick and English hearts sank. In extra time came one of the biggerst controversies since the competition’s origins in 1930 as Geoff Hurst turned to send in a shot that cannoned off the underside of the bar and crashed down onto the ground.

Was it a goal? Englishmen insist to this day that the ball bounced over the line. The Germans will never be convinced that an injustice wasn’t perpetrated on them by referee Gottfried Dienst as he signalled the goal on the advice of his Azerbaijani linesman, Tofik Bakhramov.

With the 120 minutes almost up, England’s golden boy and captain, the late Bobby Moore, launched a long ball from deep. Hurst has since said that his only aim was to send the ball high over the bar and into the crowd to eat up vital seconds. Instead the ball thundered into the net to complete his hat-trick – the first and, still, only one in a FIFA World Cup Final, and tie-up a 4-2 victory.

Four years later the teams met at Mexico 1970 at the quarter-final stage. Because of what happened four years previously, it was a fixture that aroused great anticipation although no one expected it to be anywhere near as dramatic. But in its own way it proved just as eventful as England forged a 2-0 lead through Alan Mullery and Peters. On a steaming hot afternoon in Leon and with only 41 minutes remaining, it didn’t seem possible that West Germany could come back.

Mueller seals comeback win
But England had a replacement goalkeeper in Peter Bonetti – Gordon Banks having succumbed to illness overnight – and they sensed the game hadn’t yet got away from them. Not with Gerd Mueller in their ranks and it was he who rounded off a famous victory with the winning goal in extra-time after Franz Beckenbauer and Uwe Seeler had brought the scores level.

Before their epic third encounter 20 years later, the nations also faced each other in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. In those days there was a second group stage and a largely forgettable affair ended 0-0. England bowed out after the three games while West Germany progressed to the Final where they lost 3-1 to Italy.

The 1990 meeting came in the semi-final and was played in Turin. It is remembered by Englishmen as much for Paul Gascoigne’s tears – when their talismanic midfielder realised a booking would keep him out of the Final if they won – as much as the result which again went West Germany’s way after it came down to a penalty shoot-out. The Germans – as they always do – scored with all their attempts whereas England’s fall-guys were Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle. This after Andreas Brehme had shot Franz Beckenbauer’s team ahead – the coach had played in both the 1966 and 1970 games – before Gary Lineker equalised with ten minutes remaining.

Is it too much to ask that South Africa 2010 can add to the roster of wonderful Germany-England skirmishes? History would indicate that another game that will seize the imagination and nag away at the nerve-ends will be played out in the Free State Stadium.

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Thousands of fans have been streaming off the City of Johannesburg’s new Bus Rapid Transport System (BRT) into Soccer City and Ellis Park stadiums for the 10 World Cup matches that have already been played there.

For the many South African spectators it has been their first taste of the new transport system in the city and all indications are that it will become a well used mode of transport long after the World Cup has left the country’s shores.

Known as the Rea Vaya BRT (which means ‘we are going’), the system is one of the many transport and infrastructure projects that was accelerated for the kick-off of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and during the tournament it has been one of the largest carriers of fans to and from matches in the city.

“The BRT is currently transporting around 30 per cent of the fans to both Ellis Park and Soccer City,” said Sibongile Khumalo, Johannesburg Host City coordinator for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“We have received a positive response from the public and the uptake has been very good. The BRT system takes fans straight to the stadiums and the easy access and usage has made it very popular with fans.”

The Rea Vaya transports fans to Soccer City in around 10 minutes from the Westgate station in the Johannesburg CBD, and under 15 minutes from the Thokoza Park station in Soweto. “The BRT saves people time, they can beat traffic as the system reliable and quick,” said Khumalo.

Based on the Brazilian Curitiba, which was the first BRT system developed in the world, the Rea Vaya utilises specialised vehicles, dedicated bus lanes, easy access stations and reliable scheduling.

The BRT system is a growing project, with new routes being planned for other parts of the city, ensuring that public transport in Johannesburg will continue to benefit more people once the World Cup concludes. “We plan to increase the network after the World Cup,” said Khumalo. “This is a system that will change the way people travel around the city. Already 20,000 Johannesburg residents use the system daily, from home to work and back again.”

For Khumalo the publicity around the Rea Vaya system during the tournament has raised public awareness and understanding among South Africans. “The BRT was fairly new before the tournament. Using the buses on the way to matches means that new customers are being created everyday, and these people will start using the system as part of their daily transport.”

As fans arrived in Soccer City for the clash between Ghana and Germany on Wednesday night, commuters were impressed. “The buses are great, comfortable and fast,” said Koketso Baloyi. “It is great to finally have a system like this in South Africa. With the Gautrain and Rea Vaya the travel around Johannesburg will change for good,” he continued, referring to the recently completed Gautrain train link between the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton and the OR Tambo International Airport.

Isaiah Malatji first used the Rea Vaya on his way to the opening match at Soccer City between South Africa and Mexico. “It is really amazing and has done us proud, I’ve caught it to a few games now and in conversation with other commuters we can only sing its praises. I will definitely be using the buses regularly. Before this I relied on my car, but this will change for me after the World Cup. It is a great gift for our young nation having first class infrastructure and it makes us proud to be from Johannesburg. We will gain much from this World Cup.”