Great stadiums, pity about national team

JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (AFP): Top-class stadiums are a proud legacy of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the national team has failed to build on promise shown in the tournament.
Bafana Bafana (The Boys) will be notable absentees when the next global football showpiece kicks off in Brazil, having fared dismally in African qualifiers.
A match-fixing scandal and a lack of youth development are other disappointments in the four years since the first World Cup staged by Africa.
But there is guarded optimism that new South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan can create a brighter future.
Jordaan was the public face of a failed 2006 World Cup bid, which Germany won. He refused to quit and South Africa pipped Morocco in an African contest for the 2010 finals.
Amid worldwide concerns, particularly over security, infrastructure and stadium-building deadlines, South Africa staged a superb World Cup, spoilt only by freezing evening temperatures at some venues.
The stadiums are a joy to behold-from Cape Town in the south west to Nelspruit in the north east beside the world-famous Kruger National Park.
Cape Town Stadium has as its backdrop the spectacular Table Mountain.
Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban boasts an iconic arch, the top of which can be reached by cable car or climbing hundreds of steps.
Once at the summit, there are breathtaking views of the city, its suburbs and the Indian Ocean.
The Soccer City stadium in Soweto is the biggest in Africa with a 90,000- plus capacity, and venue of the 2010 final in which Spain edged the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time.
However, to fill these stadiums a successful national team is necessary. And Bafana are an embarrassment four years on from a dignified first-round exit having beaten France and held Mexico.
Long-time assistant Pitso Mosimane replaced Brazilian Carlos Parreira as coach following the finals and after early promise, he made a shameful departure.