A Bafana Bafana Beating Beating?

Usually when you talk about the national team of the country hosting the World Cup you do so in the context of whether or not they will use the home field advantage to advance far in the competition. Even with their young side, you knew Germany would be more than competitive in 2006. Even though you didn’t think it was possible for Japan or South Korea to lift the trophy in 2002, you knew they would represent well. In 1998, the conversation was not about France getting out of the group stage but about how they could win it all.

Not since the United States side of 1994 has there been a question heading into a World Cup of whether the host country would get knocked out in the first round. Given the current state of football in South Africa, it is fair to ask whether the Bafana Bafana are heading in that direction.

Yes, there are two and a half years until the 2010 World Cup even kicks off and the host country always gets an easy draw, but if I were a South African fan right about now I would be preparing for the worst rather than dreaming about the best.