The Host Country In 1992 and 1993 the national team participated in the World Cup elimination round for Africa, but it lost to Nigeria. Subsequently, SA made its World Cup debut at the XVI FIFA World Cup in Paris in the late 1990s. It all started when in August 1997, South Africa beat Congo, 1-0, and advanced to the 1998 World Cup. In the first round, it finished third in its group, behind France (host country) and Denmark. The squad lost to France, later world champ, 0-3. Then, it tied with Denmark (1-1) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2-2). The men’s soccer team, under the leadership of Clive Barker, finished 24th, ahead of Scotland, Bulgaria, South Korea, Japan and the United States of America.

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And here we are, Yet again with yet another exciting and wonderful season of FIFA World cup Football or Soccer as you like to say, Being hosted by South Africa. I know quite a lot of people like me are specially waiting for the opening ceremony of this mega event which South Africa has always done it in style. Let it be Cricket, Football or Olympics, South Africa always does these opening ceremonies in style!

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At the turn of the 20th century racial segregation became prominent in South Africa and the history of community removals and marginalisation had begun. In 1966, an apartheid government declared valuable urban areas “whites only” areas and all people of colour were forcibly removed from their homes to the barren low-lying outer areas of the cities, their homes bulldozed to the ground.

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