Greetings from the World Cup Part 1

US fans left at Ellis Park before the Slovenia game.
As the World Cup semi finals kick off tonight I am writing from Southern Africa following a 10 day sojourn for the World Cup in South Africa. Unfortunately the rural settings we were lodged in were not blessed with great internet coverage so could not post while I attended games with my 16 year old son Dominic. Here's the first of a couple of blog posts to share some initial reactions of the 10 most memorable things from the World Cup.

1. South Africa has done a fantastic job in hosting: Concerns about security, organization, transport and infrastructure have been almost entirely unfounded. We managed to get to our seats on time for five games in two different cities, covered 2000 km in a hire care with only one minor traffic incident. We were greeted by total strangers with nothing but warmth and friendship. The organizers have set a high standard for Brazil to follow. Congratulations to Sepp Blatter Danny Jordan and everyone involved.

2. What a global experience: We met and interacted with fans from South Africa - wearing all sorts of colors, US, Slovenia, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, England, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Japan, Spain and Honduras and saw fans from many other countries. With one exception (I bet you can't guess!) all were good natured friendly and getting in to the spirit of a really joyful World Cup. Dominic left had a mostache drawn on with a sharpie by Uruguay fans at the Mexico game. The total interaction of fans was a real joy and enriched the whole experience.
I'll write some more tomorrow when I'll reveal my least favorite fans.