6 June. South Africa is being worked up by an endless media barrage into a state of great excitement and expectancy about the World Cup. The advertising tends to stress Africa, not just South Africa - perhaps just as well given the home team's weaknesses. Ads show African footballing stars - Eto'o, Essien, Drogba, Pienaar - first in dreary English settings and then returning home to the African sunshine, where they're met by vast welcoming crowds. It is Africa's time, we are told. The clear message of the ads is that Africa is going to win the Cup. Portugal's recent walloping of Cameroon and Holland's thumping of Ghana in pre-tournament friendlies may have injected a dose of realism, but the media will continue to encourage all manner of fantastical expectations.

LRB 22 July 2010 | PDF Download