This month marks thirteen years since the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Having watched those finals as a thirteen-year-old boy, I wanted to reflect on some memories of the tournament, with a particular emphasis on one extraordinary moment involving the French national team.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the first of its kind to be held in the continent of Africa. In the final round of voting during the selection process in 2004, the South African bid, spearheaded by an 86-year-old Nelson Mandela, overcame competition from Egypt and Morocco to win the right to organise the finals. FIFA had previously stated that only African nations could put themselves forward as hosts, and the message at the ceremony in Zurich from Sepp Blatter, then FIFA President, was clear: "the winner is Africa, the winner is football.” This edition of the World Cup had been strategically designed by the global governing body as a month-long celebration of not just one nation, but an entire continent, whose love and obsession with football could rival anywhere else on the planet.
The tournament build-up would run less than smoothly, however. Western media was rife with reports of crime and crumbling stadiums, as well as allegations of corruption amongst FIFA officials, which have since become the norm. According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, at the inception of the tournament, South Africa was ranked below both Gaza and the West Bank on the Human Development Index - a measurement based on statistics relating to life expectancy, literacy rates and income per capita, amongst others. Meanwhile, The Daily Star warned travelling England fans to expect a "machete race war" on the streets of South Africa.
The front page headline warning England fans of a "bloodbath" in South Africa. [The Daily Star, 5 April 2010]
Fortunately for the organisers, the critical clamour surrounding the hosts was drowned out once the actual football finally kicked off, with South Africa facing Mexico in the curtain raiser at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday 11 June.
After a goalless and somewhat underwhelming first half, the game, and indeed the tournament itself, was brought to life by an electrifying moment just under ten minutes into the second period.
With Mexico looking to press home their supposed technical superiority, Kagisho Dikgacoi, later of Crystal Palace fame, intercepted a stray flick by Giovani dos Santos about 35 yards from his own goal. The ball broke loose towards Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who was able to bring it under control and find teammate Teko Modise, affectionately nicknamed “The General”. With a burst of energy and authority exemplifying such a moniker, Modise knocked the ball into the feet of his centre forward, Katlego Mphela, and darted towards the halfway line. Mphela timed the return pass expertly, allowing Modise to gallop onto the ball between the lines of the Mexican midfield and defence. Without any hesitation, the midfielder punched the ball through a gap to release Siphiwe Tshabalala through on goal. The 80,000-strong crowd collectively rose to their feet.
The pass was perfect, but there remained much work to be done by a pacy winger who had never had a goal record to write home about.
Tshabalala didn't break stride as he controlled on the corner of the 18-yard box. The angle was tight. The covering defender was gaining. The ‘keeper had advanced. None of that seemed to faze him.
As the unstoppable left-foot strike flashed past veteran Óscar Pérez into the far corner of the Mexican net, the stadium erupted. "Goal Bafana Bafana! Goal for South Africa! Goal for all Africa!" bellowed Peter Drury on commentary. Later shortlisted for the Puskas Award, it was a goal which would set the tone for a memorable month ahead.
Siphiwe Tshabalala leads Teko Modise, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Katlego Mphela in a dance after his stunning goal for South Africa against Mexico. [Johannesburg, 11 June 2010]
Tshabalala’s stunner was not quite enough to give South Africa a fairytale start as Rafael Márquez equalised late on to secure a draw for Mexico. Nonetheless, the unfancied hosts had given an early indication of what was to follow, as there were shocks aplenty throughout the group stage.
In a clash between the lowest and highest ranked nations at the finals, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea showed remarkable resolve to hold world number one side Brazil for almost an hour before a magical swerving effort from full-back Maicon broke the deadlock. Former Manchester City playmaker Elano would shortly add a second for the 'Seleção', before diminutive Korean midfielder Ji Yun-nam fired home past Júlio César in the 89th minute. It was to only be a consolation, but it was a historic and famous goal for the tournament’s rank outsiders.
Ji Yun-nam celebrates his goal for North Korea against Brazil. [Johannesburg, 15 June 2010]
This more-than-impressive showing by the minnows encouraged their repressive government back home to reverse a long-standing ban on broadcasting live sporting events to the population. Unfortunately, this decision heavily backfired for the North Korean authorities, as their national team were thumped 7-0 and 3-0 in their remaining matches, by Portugal and Côte d'Ivoire respectively. Disturbing reports then began to emerge claiming that the players and coaching staff had been sentenced to hard labour on their return home for causing such national embarrassment.
Back on the pitch, highly-tipped Spain were getting off to the worst possible start. A scrappy winner from Gelson Fernandes, yet another ex-’Cityzen’ of ’The Barclays’ vintage, saw 'La Roja' succumb to Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Switzerland in Durban. Germany also stuttered as a cool penalty from Milan Jovanovic proved enough for Serbia to smash-and-grab their way to a shock result in Group D. Coming almost exactly 96 years after another young Serb had taken out a German-speaking superpower with devastating consequences, thankfully this wasn’t to be an exact case of history repeating itself. Instead 'Die Mannschaft' regrouped with a pulchritudinous Mesut Özil hit against Ghana to send them through to the second round. Spain would also still qualify fairly comfortably. David Villa negotiated them through routine victories against Honduras and Chile.
Mesut Özil scores for Germany against Ghana. [Johannesburg, 23 June 2010]
Elsewhere, another European “contender” were struggling to find any sort of fluidity or form to match their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites. After goalkeeper Robert Green had somehow allowed a Clint Dempsey daisy-cutter over the line to drop two points in their opener against the USA, Fabio Capello's England would play out the flattest of nil-nil draws against Algeria. The stale performance was then capped off by a frustrated Wayne Rooney post-match. As the camera zoomed in on the Manchester United ace while he trudged off the pitch to a chorus of boos, Rooney looked straight down the lens and gave the nation a piece of his mind: "nice to see ya home fans booing yer... that's what loyal support is!"
Wayne Rooney bites back at the critical England fans. [Cape Town, 18 June 2010]
In reaction to the group-stage draw months earlier, a certain national newspaper had acronymised England’s initial opponents as 'E.A.S.Y.' (England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks). This could not have looked further from the truth as the 'Three Lions' approached their do-or-die group finale against Slovenia. A fine first-time finish from Jermain Defoe would send England through as runners-up - delaying the inevitable for another week.
Meanwhile, burly centre-half Winston Reid's last-second leveller against Slovakia made history for New Zealand, as it secured a first ever point at the World Cup finals for the rugby-centric nation. The plucky part-time Kiwis ended up being the only unbeaten nation at the tournament after drawing each of their three matches. Unfortunately, this was not enough to see them progress beyond the group stage, but it did mean that they would be the answer to many pub quiz questions in the years to come.
It was also enough for the 'All Whites' to finish above the World Cup holders Italy, who crashed out at the first hurdle in catastrophic fashion. Marcelo Lippi’s 'Azzurri' failed to beat Paraguay and New Zealand in their first two fixtures and were then sent packing after a disastrous 3-2 defeat to Slovakia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Labelled as “La Vergogna” (“The Shame”) by Gazzetta dello Sport, this was a national humiliation in Italy.
Fabio Cannavaro congratulates the Slovakian players while a disconsolate Fabio Quagliarella hides his face after Italy are eliminated from the World Cup. [Johannesburg, 24 June 2010]
Yet still, the collapse of the reigning champions was not the biggest implosion to hit the headlines in the summer of 2010. Enter stage left: L'équipe de France.
Four years previous, the French had finished as runners-up after losing on penalties to Italy in Berlin. Their journey to a second World Cup Final in just eight years was a last hurrah for a team packed with numerous legends of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Out of the twenty-three French players selected in Germany, seven had been aged 32 or over, including the great Zinedine Zidane. Only five members of that squad would then also make it onto the plane to South Africa. Despite this overhaul of the playing staff, the coach, Raymond Domenech, did remain a constant between the two tournaments.
Domenech was not a popular figure among the more esteemed footballing circles within France. In spite of his successful run in 2006, a calamitous UEFA European Championships two years later had badly damaged his reputation. The French crashed out at the group stage, with the on-field lowlight a 4-1 thumping served out by the Netherlands. However, it was the off-field actions of Domenech which raised more eyebrows. Following a 2-0 loss to Italy, which officially eliminated France from the tournament, Domenech used his post-match interview, broadcast on live television, to confess his desire to marry his partner, Estelle Denis. To compound this bizarre act of attempted chivalry, an imaginably mortified Denis was actually presenting that very sports show back in the studio. She refused to be drawn into an on-air response.
Estelle Denis and Raymond Domenech attend the Ballon D'Or ceremony. [Paris, 3 December 2018]
An increasingly vocal section of the press now had serious whether the eccentric Domenech was the right man to lead the national team. France’s disappointing results in World Cup qualification would then only served to amplify this scepticism.
Finishing second to Serbia in their pool meant 'Les Bleus' had to face the Republic of Ireland in a play-off to qualify for the finals. A goal from Nicolas Anelka in Dublin gave them a valuable lead heading into the second leg in Paris, but a Robbie Keane goal at the Stade de France would send the tie into extra-time. As the clock ticked down and penalties loomed, William Gallas bundled home a square pass from Thierry Henry, who had deliberately used his hand to control the ball in the build-up. The Irish were apoplectic, but the goal stood and the result was final. With a huge sense of injustice and a hefty slice of luck, France were through. Domenech would survive.
Thierry Henry handles the ball against the Republic of Ireland. [Paris, 18 November 2009]
In spite of their substandard form over the previous four years of Domenech’s premiership, the French were still considerable favourites to top Group A, having been drawn against the hosts South Africa, as well as Mexico and Uruguay. The depth of talent at the disposal of the head coach would have made many of his managerial counterparts hugely envious, but Domenech seemed to be overwhelmed by these numerous options - particularly in the attacking positions.
A regular bench-warmer at Barcelona by this point, Henry was undoubtedly past his best by the summer of 2010. At the same time, he was a former champion with France and the country's all-time record goalscorer, so Domenech knew that he would not be happy with a bit-part role during the tournament. His intention was to omit Henry from the squad altogether. However, when he travelled to Catalunya to inform the striker of his decision, Domenech allowed himself to be talked round. Henry made the plane - a decision which perplexed many; none more so than Nicolas Anelka.
Although they had similar levels of talent, Anelka had spent much of his career in the shadow of Henry. They had emerged through the Clairefontaine national football academy together as teenagers - with Anelka initially tipped to do greater things. Over the ensuing years though, it was Henry who would become a poster-boy for the Premier League, breaking record after record with his goal-scoring feats for Arsenal. Over the same period, Anelka found it more difficult to consistently showcase his ability. From 1999 to 2004, he would play for six different teams across Europe. It wasn't until he joined Chelsea in 2007, that Anelka began to receive recognition. A Premier League Golden Boot in 2009 was followed by a title in 2010. Unlike Henry, he was still very much in his prime heading into South Africa. He seemed the obvious fit to lead the line for his country.
French strikers Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and David Trezeguet. [Clairefontaine, 1998]
Despite the mild furore over the inclusion of Henry in the squad, it was Anelka who was selected to start by Domenech in the opening fixture against Uruguay in Cape Town.
During the game, Anelka regularly dropped off from the front to collect the ball in wide areas, as he had done with such success for his club side. This went against Domenech’s intention, which was for his striker to remain central and look for runs in behind. Anelka’s nomadic positioning meant that France were effectively trying to break down their opponents without an orthodox centre-forward.
Henry replaced Anelka midway through the second-half, but to no avail. The game finished goalless. France24 described the match as 'uninspiring'. The BBC went with 'truly awful'.
Domenech claimed that he was "happy with the overall performance" post-match, but the confusion surrounding Anelka's position was emblematic of the general disharmony within the French camp. Franck Ribéry was also unhappy at being played on the left wing instead of the central 'Zidane role' that he desired. Once again, Domenech would cave to his senior player. For the following game against Mexico, Yoann Gourcuff was dropped for Florent Malouda, who would play from the left with Ribéry moved into the middle behind Anelka, who kept his place as the lone striker.
On paper, the French team still looked strong. On the pitch, they were a disjointed muddle.
Second-half goals from Javier Hernández and Cuauhtémoc Blanco gave Mexico a deserved victory. After two games, France had scored no goals, accumulated just one point and were on the verge of elimination.
Javier Hernández rounds Hugo Lloris to score for Mexico against France. [Polokwane, 17 June 2010]
To add insult à la blessure, a verbal confrontation between Anelka and Domenech in the dressing-room at half-time had been leaked to the media.
Unhappy with his striker's first-half performance, Domenech reportedly insisted Anelka must work harder for his teammates. In response, Anelka accused Domenech of always singling him out for criticism. When Domenech reminded his striker that he was in charge, Anelka allegedly volleyed back an expletive-laden rant.
'Go fuck yourself, you dirty son of a whore', read the headline in L'Équipe two days later. Anelka had been subbed off at half-time against Mexico. He would never make an appearance for France again.
Headline of the insult aimed at Raymond Domenech by Nicolas Anelka. [L'Équipe, 19 June 2010]
In the following days, Anelka was sent home by the French Football Federation (FFF). He had initially been offered a reprieve as long as he agreed to publicly apologise - but he refused. The decision to castigate him in this way angered the rest of the French squad. Anelka was popular amongst key figures in the dressing-room such as Ribéry, Gallas, Eric Abidal and Patrice Evra, who were also very unhappy that the story of the contretemps had instantly reached the press. Furthermore, the punishment had been enforced by the FFF without any prior consultation with the other players.
The day after Anelka was sent home, the team went on strike.
At an open training day in the sleepy township of Knysna, with the world's media present, the French players arrived on the team coach and disembarked to greet some local children. After this, rather than going ahead with their scheduled session, the entire squad got straight back on the bus, pulled the curtains and sat in obstinance.
Domenech came out to face the cameras with a note.
"All the players without exception want to declare their opposition to the decision taken by the FFF to exclude Nicolas Anelka from the squad," read the beleaguered coach. "The FFF has at no time tried to protect the squad. It has made a decision without consulting all the players, on the basis of the facts reported by the press."
Raymond Domenech announces the players' decision to the press. [Knysna, 20 June 2010]
The sight of this broken and humiliated man delivering the news of his team's revolt, aggravated by video images capturing an angry Evra being separated from fitness coach, Robert Duverne, meant the story quickly became a national scandal in France.
The French team director, Jean-Louis Valentin, described himself as "sickened and disgusted" by the actions of the team and immediately resigned. The FFF echoed his sentiment and apologised to the nation for the "unacceptable" behaviour of the players. But this apology did not suffice. The strike reverberated far beyond the sporting realm. Once the news reached the office of the President, Nicolas Sarkozy, it soon became a social, political and, unfortunately, a racial issue.
The Minister for Health and Sports, Roselyne Bachelot, released a statement in the National Assembly describing the situation within the squad as "frightened kids" governed by "immature ringleaders". There was a clear narrative being suggested in the mainstream media and among many senior authority figures in France; the players with immigrant heritage from les banlieues (the suburbs) were being portrayed as the principal perpetrators. Daniel Riolo, a French sports journalist, stated: "people wanted to believe it was the blacks and the Arabs. Nobody wanted to hear that Jérémy Toulalan (a white player of middle-class background) was involved."
Nicolas Sarkozy and Roselyne Bachelot meet with Raymond Domenech at the Stade de France. [Paris, June 2007]
The French farce ended fittingly with a 2-1 defeat by South Africa in their final group game. They had been resoundingly eliminated from the World Cup at the first hurdle. In a suitably pathetic manner which would cap off their darkest hour, Domenech refused to shake the hands of opposing manager, Carlos Alberto Parreira, after the game.
In the weeks that followed, Anelka was handed an 18-match international ban by the FFF. He insouciantly claimed he was dying with laughter when he received the news. Evra was suspended for five matches, Ribéry received three and Toulalan just the one. Domenech was replaced by Laurent Blanc after the tournament.
While this fiasco in 2010 may not seem overly significant from a purely football perspective, given that France won the World Cup in Russia just eight years later, it is emblematic of a much wider cultural issue in France which surrounds the national team. When they succeed, they are heralded as a beacon of modern multicultural French society. When the team fails, suddenly the nationality of the players comes under scrutiny.
French players Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé celebrate after winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia. [Moscow, 15 July 2018]
For a far more insightful perspective on the sociopolitical impact of the successes and failures of the French national football team over the past 30 years, I would strongly recommend reading 'Sacré Bleu: From Zidane to Mbappé - A Football Journey' by Matthew Spiro, which was used as the main source material for this account.
Returning to South Africa, the early exit of the French paved a route to an unforeseen semi-final appearance for one of Uruguay, South Korea, United States or Ghana. Winning goals from Luis Suárez and Kevin-Prince Boateng in the last-16 set up a quarter-final tie between the South Americans and the West Africans in Johannesburg. It would be the most memorable game of the whole tournament.
Ghana went into the tie knowing that if they were victorious, they would become the first ever African side to reach a World Cup semi-final. Achieving this, at the first ever World Cup finals in Africa, would have felt like an epochal moment for the global game. And when Sulley Muntari arrowed in a fizzing left-footed ripper to give the 'Black Stars' the lead on the verge of half-time, history was on the cards.
After the interval, though, things started to go wrong.
Early in the second period, Diego Forlán, as he had done throughout the tournament, demonstrated once again how to perfectly strike the infamous Jabulani ball as he equalised with a swerving free-kick for 'La Celeste'.
From that point, the game became tense and stodgy, with very few chances for either team. Ninety minutes became one hundred and twenty. Penalties were looming.
Right in the dying seconds of stoppage time at the end of extra-time, Ghana won a wide set-piece. John Pantsil took two strides and swept an out-swinging right-footed delivery into the crowded Uruguayan penalty-area. Chaos ensued.
Boateng flicked the ball on at the near post towards the six-yard box. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera came flying out of his net, only to completely miss the ball. John Mensah took a swipe. Stephen Appiah then connected, only for the knees of Suárez to block on the line. The ball ricocheted up and Dominic Adiyiah met it with a firm header. Suárez again blocked - but this time, with his hands.
Luis Suárez of Uruguay handles the ball to deny a goal for Dominic Adiyiah of Ghana. [Johannesburg, 2 July 2010]
The Ghanaian players were incensed and furiously appealed to the referee. Fortunately, Olegário Benquerença had seen everything. He blew his whistle, pointed to the spot and showed Suárez the red card. Asamoah Gyan now had the greatest possible opportunity to win the game and create history.
As one striker left the field in tears, the other puffed out his cheeks and laid out his run-up.
Up stepped Gyan.
And he missed.
Dominic Adiyiah and Asamoah Gyan of Ghana and Fernando Muslera of Uruguay watch on as the ball strikes the crossbar from Gyan's last-minute penalty kick. [Johannesburg, 2 July 2010]
The death rattle of the crossbar preceded a shell-shocked hush.
Nobody could quite believe what they had just seen. Nobody but Suárez, it seemed, as his despair transformed to ecstasy in an instant. The lasting image of the clench-fisted centre-forward celebrating down the tunnel was the definitive salt in the wound. His self-sacrifice had paid off. His cheating had saved his team. While many would view him as a disgrace, at home in Uruguay he was lauded as a martyr and a hero.
Despairingly, Gyan would convert from the spot just moments later in the shoot-out. Adiyiah would again be denied however, and Ghana went on to lose in the most heart-breaking of defeats.
A few years later, Gyan revealed publicly that, on her deathbed, his mother's dying wish was that her son should never take a penalty again.
Sebastián Abreu scores past Richard Kingson with a 'panenka' penalty, meaning that Uruguay had defeated Ghana in their quarter-final tie. [Johannesburg, 2 July 2010]
Despite another long-range cannon from Forlán - who was on his way to winning an unexpected Golden Ball award, given to the best player at the tournament - Uruguay would lose to the Netherlands in the next round. A thunderbolt from Giovanni van Bronckhorst sent the Dutch through to their third World Cup final, where they would meet Spain, who had overcome Germany via a flying Carles Puyol header in a gripping semi-final encounter.
The final itself was a poor spectacle. Going against their 'Total Football' traditions, the Dutch decided that the best way to get their hands on the trophy was to focus on stopping their opponents. Perhaps aware that the Spanish could play through them if they got into their customary passing rhythm, Bert van Marwijk's charges committed twenty-eight fouls and amassed a record nine yellow cards over the course of the match, including two for Johnny Heitinga, who was dismissed in extra-time.
English referee Howard Webb was the unlucky man caught in the middle of the slugfest. The police constable from Rotherham was experiencing something of a zenith in 2010. He followed up a Champions League Final appearance at the Santiago Bernabéu two months earlier with this run to the pinnacle of the international game. It would prove to be one of the more difficult evenings of his career, however, as Nigel de Jong and co. wreaked havoc.
Nigel de Jong of the Netherlands catches Spain's Xabi Alonso with a very high studs-up challenge, for which he only received a yellow card. [Johannesburg, 11 July 2010]
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and perhaps the tactics deployed by van Marwijk would have been heralded, if only Arjen Robben had taken the best opportunity of the final when he was sent through by Wesley Sneijder on the hour mark. One-on-one with Spanish goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, the flying Dutchman controlled once with his right foot, steadied with his left, and looked up to pick his spot. He opened his body to tuck the ball to the right of Casillas, as the 'keeper dived in the opposite direction, only for the outstretched leg of the Real Madrid stopper to divert the ball past the post.
The Bayern Munich winger would rue his wasteful finishing. As the game entered extra-time, the ten-man Oranje, weary from chasing their opponents and the ball, began to leave more space for the Spanish midfield. With just five minutes of the additional period remaining, Cesc Fàbregas pounced on a poor clearance from Dutch skipper, Rafael van der Vaart. The ex-Arsenal playmaker prodded a pass through to Andrés Iniesta, who flipped up the ball with his instep and then hammered home from around hip height.
After his winning goal, Andrés Iniesta pays tribute to Dani Jarque, the former club captain of Espanyol, who died of a heart attack at just 26 years-old in 2009. [Johannesburg, 11 July 2010]
A first ever World Cup triumph for Spain had been sealed by the Barcelona maestro. Vincent del Bosque’s mirroring of the revolutionary tiki-taka tactics of the all-conquering domestic side managed by Pep Guardiola - with many of the same players - had proven to also be a winning formula in the international game. This was the second of three international trophies during Spain's reign between the years 2008 and 2012. Always the bridesmaids, the Netherlands had to settle for yet another runners-up finish at the World Cup.
Captain Casillas lifted the trophy and the curtain was drawn on the World Cup. Appropriately, the best team had won. Played out by a soundtrack of vuvuzelas and Shakira's 'Waka-Waka', South Africa 2010 was over. More than a decade later and it still lives fondly in the memory.
Iker Casillas raises the trophy above his head after Spain defeated Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup Final at the Soccer City Stadium. [Johannesburg, 11 July 2010]
This article was written by James Ablett and published first on www.kanubelieveit.com on 22 June 2023.