European Football Weekends

Ok, so where we? Last time out I had found football nirvana and pleasingly we have continued in that mystical and spiritual way. Tuesday saw the squad attending the Brazil v North Korea game at Ellis Park Stadium. It's described in our - by now rather tattered and torn - Guardian World Cup Guide as 'A key rugby stadium and venue of the 1995 World Cup final. Has San Siro elements but with muffin-top curves'. 5000 miles to see some muffin-top curves - tick.

In my last letter from RSA I was bemoaning the absence of the North Korean Vuvuzela and suggested that was because there were no North Korean support. I was wrong. North Korea do have a following here, 40 of them to be precise and precision is easy when you are just sitting behind the Korean Kop. I have never seen such furious and staged flag waving. The Chollima gave a fine account of themselves to the delight of the millions watching back home, oh.

The Brazil game was great and it so reminded me of home. There was something akin to an afternoon at The Valley. Was it the free flowing football? Was it balls. It was the fact that it was minus two degrees with a biting wind in our face. A multi layering of clothes was essential not to mention gloves, hats indeed anything I could lay my hands on - it was freezing.

Obviously the thing to do after a chilly evening watching the beautiful game would be to go home and have a warming mug of broth and retire to bed. What we did do was attend the Winter Wonderland gig with Norman playing to a very boisterous crowd until 2 in the morning.

Waking early on Wednesday we flew to Durban to attend the Spain v Switzerland Match which was top draw. The Stadium is breathtaking and if I can resolve my technical problems, I will send some photos. (EFW has a Durban contact, see photos below - Photo Ed.) This Match also represented the first game that Slepp Blatter, Pele and I have attended together albeit in entirely different parts of the Stadium.

Ex-Scotland gaffer Andy Roxborough seemed slightly puzzled by me later in the Hotel, he was somewhat confused by my Scottish shirt despite coming from Sussex. After the Game we watched Bafana Bafana play poorly and lose against Uruguay, that's probably it now for them now although I sincerely hope I am wrong.

Durban is a lot warmer than the Jo'burg experience and we were sweltering in almost, er, 18c. However the trip was to take on a new height of surrealism, after Winter Wonderland, the next venue and gig was to be held at the Kingsmead Test Cricket Ground In Durban. It had been taken over by thousands of Australians - for the entire World Cup! They stay in Army tents with the pitch roped off but really live in the cleverly erected 'Mark Bosnich Big Beer Tent'. I even managed to find one Crystal Palace supporter who proudly told me that the had moved from Croydon in South London to Croydon in Melbourne 22 years ago.

The gig was, as one might imagine, and I am going to use a technical term here "a bit messy" there would have been some sore heads the next day believe me.

We have just landed in Cape Town and it really is as wonderful as they say with Table Top Mountain looming over us. We are here to play to some more Australians and tonight we attend England v Algeria which we are all so looking forward to before a rather large gig for all the English support after the game....lets hope they are in good humour after a fine performance from England. Although we've had our favourites, the previous three games have been stress free. Now it's England and there is a knot of tension in our collective stomachs.

Come on England. To be continued.....

A friend of EFW (Gary Lacroix) was out in Durban prior to the World Cup assessing the stadiums for the Australian TV coverage. He sent over the following photos of the Moses Mabhida Stadium with its Wembley-style design and superfluous arch which is meant to be a metaphor for South Africa's new unity:

James Corden, poor punditry, empty seats, ITV missing England goals, ITV, negative tactics, endless moaning about the vuvuzela, dull games and a ball that is too round (too round). They were the early thoughts of the World Cup I'd left behind in Blighty. It was a relief to finally get here and see and feel the World Cup through South African eyes.

First thing to say is that our hotel is superb. Based in Boksburg, it's in the middle of what's known as the International Football Village (IFV) and it has giant screens, African markets, a Brazilian beach bar, loads of live music and - don't tell Sepp Blatter this - a Bavarian Beerhouse. Nod to Robbie Earle and his scantily clad Dutch girls.

My first impression of Jo'burg is that it is just packed jam full of football maniacs of every nationality, size, age, sexual orientation and it's ready for a FANtastic celebration of a wonderful sport. My second impression is that about 98% of them are brandishing vuvuzelas and I cannot hear myself think, but, more of them later.

Our first game was Holland v Denmark at the Soccer City Stadium. As we arrived on the shuttle bus there was a collective gasp from the rest of the squad. We're seasoned football fans who have travelled to many parts of the globe following the beautiful game but we were struck by the sheer magnitude of this - the biggest calabash cooking pot in town.

Inside the stadium it was clear that the match was not the sole property of the Danish Vikings and the orange army of Dutch. We sat next to Argentinians who are giving presents to the French who were hugging Spaniards who were making a South African laugh. I cant begin to describe the joy of all those that were there, they just wanted to celebrate and it was wonderful.

Before the match I was offered a number of vuvuzelas painted in the colours of every team aside from one - I guess they figured the North Korean ones wouldn't sell. Remarkably, the same chap that will sell you a vuvuzela will also sell you ear protectors, albeit in the shape of mini vuvuzela. Its like buying cancer insurance with a packet of cigarettes.

You couldn't get within a country mile of a hot dog stall before the game or at half time which was a shame because everything else was great. Access in and out was easy, the stadium had broad sweeping concourses and our seats - in the middle of the second tier - afforded great views in amongst the hardcore of the Danish and Dutch support.

The vuvuzela is of course the source of much debate and some people want to see them banned. Our parties view is that it is part of the African football experience. You give South Africa the World Cup then let them party on their own terms. After the game we went back and watched Italy v Paraguay in the IFV - as you do.

Today I went and spent some time in Soweto which offered a chance to reflect on where this country has had to drag itself from and the sacrifices its made to become a modern democracy and stage this type of world event. Norman and I went to Nelson Mandela's house where he lived before and after his incarceration. I say after, but really it was only 12 days as he found it hard to live there for all the people singing non-stop outside his house despite him asking them to stop. Desmond Tutu was a neighbour incidentally.

Tonight we are going to Brazil v North Korea at Ellis Park Stadium. I'm all for supporting the Koreans, that's if I can get hold of an limited edition vuvuzela in their colours. I am sorry for the lack of photo's so far on my trip to planet football. There are a few technical issues this end which I hope to resolve as soon as possible. Speak soon....

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