Oh South Africa!

WITH ALL THE NOISE AND THE FANFARE:
the Bafafana Bafana fans went home sad as if the ghost of the Soweto uprising is haunting the Rainbow nation

Hopes of South Africa making it to the second round have been dealth with a serious blow by Uruguay's striker Diego Forlan and Pereira last minute brace. Just like the tournament itself, history will be recorded for the first in the history of the tournament should South Africa fail to qualify. And if Bafana Bafana is expecting to defeat the French in their last game - they must do that by a wider goal margin and pray that Mexico trash their distance relatives the South Americans.

Whatever happens, the timing of tonite's three nil defeat by Uruguay will not go down well with South Africans, especially if one is looking at from the history books. On this day in June 1976, dozens of South African students protesting for better education got killed by the Police during the infamous apartheid regime in South Africa.

Now after fighting so hard to host the event on home soil, South Africans may have to wait for Mother Luck to save them from stepping aside out of the 2010 World Cup when they battle it out on their last game.

By Ebrima Baldeh