Proteas happy to just be there

Marseilles, June 13: For South Africa, just being there on Friday night was all that mattered. Never mind that host France outclassed the de...

Marseilles, June 13: For South Africa, just being there on Friday night was all that mattered. Never mind that host France outclassed the defensive-minded Bafana Bafana, who were playing their nation8217;s first World Cup game in the pressure cooker of a packed Marseilles Stadium before a global television audience.

There will be other World Cups, more chances to shine across the planet and create dreams for those back home. Friday8217;s inaugural appearance in soccer8217;s biggest tournament was a coming of age for players, fans and a nation that has long-thirsted for recognition, and even more, acceptance.

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, the heir apparent to Nelson Mandela, was there, sitting with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and World Cup organising committee chairman Michel Platini.

Since arriving in France on Sunday, the players have been reminded over and over that the bad old days of apartheid and international isolation were gone. In Vichy, the central town where they train, residents have welcomedthem warmly, seeking autographs at every chance.

Back home, the significance is even greater. South Africa has enjoyed lots of sports success since its return to the international arena in the early 1990s. Ernie Els has won two US Opens in golf, while Josia Thugwane was the Olympic marathon champion and Penny Heyns won two swimming gold medals in Atlanta two years ago. The Rugby Springboks won their World Cup at home in 1995.

But soccer is the national sport, followed and played zealously by most of the black majority. For 28 years, until 1992, South Africa was banned from international soccer because of apartheid and its players and fans could only wonder what a World Cup was like. Now they know.

South Africa lacked the speed and strength to win battles for the ball, and its defensive shell allowed France to control play and score twice more in the second half for a 3-0 victory. Shipping company official Phillip Malebe, 44, of Johannesburg said he was amazed at how the event brought South Africans ofall colours and backgrounds together. quot;The fact is we are here. They brought us all here,quot; said Malebe, who wore a South African jersey. quot;I8217;ve seen the beautiful rainbow nation, all colours, singing our song. We were singing together, we were passing drinks mouth-to-mouth. 8230; Just to be here, we don8217;t need the Cup.8221;