Sebokeng is located in The Vaal, an impoverished collection of towns, townships and shanty towns in the gritty industrial area south of Johannesburg, where current South African captain Aaron Mokoena hails from. As a hotbed of football talent, The Vaal is unrivalled.
By Joseph Opio - 9 December 2010 - Text
Bafana Bafana might have exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup earlier than hoped, but while Carlos Alberto Parreira’s boys played to nationwide acclaim, another brigade of locals was pursuing an even more treacherous mission.
By Joseph Opio - 14 October 2010 - Text
Football fans are, by their very nature, a notoriously fickle lot. Yet even by prevailing standards, fans in Africa are capricious to a fault.
By Joseph Opio - 24 September 2010 - Text
After inspiring Uruguay to the semifinals, Diego Forlán can now be confident he ranks among the more recognizable faces among all Africans. The Atletico Madrid striker has become Public Enemy No. 1 after rubberstamping his status as the scourge of African football against Ghana.
By Joseph Opio - 6 July 2010 - Race, reconciliation and xenophobia, Text
There was nothing gallant about Ghana’s white-flag act in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals. Inept failures of nerve at the World Cup have become an African trademark since Italia ‘90. And against Uruguay, Ghana became the latest African team to self-destruct in the pressure-cooker of football’s ultimate contest. Sadly, like all African teams before it, Ghana’s naïve suicide act will be greeted by patronizing ‘hard-luck’ cheers instead of the scathing condemnation it deserves. Joe Opio writes a damning post-mortem.
By Joseph Opio - 5 July 2010 - Africa United, Race, reconciliation and xenophobia, Text
A sea of Orange stopped traffic in Cape Town as Dutch fans marched through this coastal city to the Green Point stadium to cheer on their team against Cameroon last Thursday. Twenty Ten journalist Joseph Opio from Uganda was both amused and thrilled to partake in this most Dutch of Dutch traditions.
By Joseph Opio - 30 June 2010 - Fans, fun and football, Latest news
Does Bafana Bafana reflect the demographics of the Rainbow Nation?
By Joseph Opio - 29 June 2010 - Africa United, Race, reconciliation and xenophobia, Text
Thousands of Stallion Security staff were abruptly sacked after their colleagues went on strike and severely embarrassed FIFA and the Local Organising Committee.
By Joseph Opio - 22 June 2010 - Text
Audio
Multimedia
Photo
Text
Video
RSS
Twitter
Linkedin
Facebook