Soccer well-positioned for 2009

Santos and Ajax Cape Town have once more demonstrated the ongoing power shift in South African club football.

By defeating Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs (2-1) and Orlando Pirates (1-0) respectively in their latest league encounters, the Cape-based sides are continuing to level the playing fields and demonstrate that tradition and mass appeal can be overcome. That's good for the local game in the build-up to next year's Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup. Certainly, the standard of the Premier Soccer League is a good indicator of how the game is developing with both these tournaments now looming large.

On the national football front, there's also plenty to be optimistic about. After a string of indifferent results (and the loss of yet another national coach), Joel Santana and his new-look Bafana squad are showing signs of real promise. They were desperately unlucky to lose to Nigeria in their final qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations. Since then, they have secured four friendly victories against Cameroon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Malawi. It's early days, of course, Santana but believes his squad will have what it takes to make a serious challenge at next year's "Festival of Champions".

Time and again, Fifa has reminded us that the performance of the local side is pivotal to the success of a World Cup, as demonstrated by France (winners in 1998), South Korea (co-hosts and semi-finalists in 2002) and unfancied Germany, who also made it to the semi-finals two years ago. If Bafana are in the process of starting a late charge for 2010, much will depend on the state of the domestic game and the national squad's performance at the Confederations Cup; but there are signs that things are pointing in the right direction.

Best Countries With Greatest Opportunity For An Unforgettable 2010 World Cup

The top 32 footballing countries will covene at the 2010 World Cup finals to play for the right to be world champions of the sport as the tournament draws nearer. Each of the teams that will be flying to South Africa for the competition will be readying themselves for the challenge ahead and fans can catch World Cup 2010 live using the Internet and broadband technology. With every match at the click of a button for any fan in every location in the world, they will get to enjoy the games involving but not restricted to Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Holland and each of the 32 teams taking part. Even updated news and all the incidents happening behind the scenes can be tracked this way which will be a huge bonanza for fans of football.

This edition of the FIFA World Cup finals will bring together many of previous champions of the competition. England have been hogging the headlines as they have always done leading up to any major football tournament. They have only won it once though compared to Brazil who have topped the charts with five previous trophies. Their calibre will be tested fully with the draw having placed them in the infamous Group of Death where they will need to go up against the likes of Ivory Coast, Portugal and North Korea. If they can come through it unscathed, then the Brazilian would have proven themselves worthy of progress.

Whoever hopes to claim the trophy this time will need to first wrest it from the hands of Italy who were crowned world champions in the 2006 finals. The Italians have been ranked lower in recent years due to the paucity of new talent emerging from their ranks. Many of their current crop are also young and unproven at international level despite their ease in qualifying for South Africa. If manager Marcello Lippi can make their passage through look easy against Slovakia and Paraguay, then more will start to take notice of them again. This will apply equally to France who were just champions in the last decade but have since gone into a decline so startling that they needed a controversial goal to qualify from the playoffs.

With the World Cup 2010 finals kicking off in June, there can only be one agenda on many sports fans' schedule. The tournament will also be staged in Africa for the first time and many eyes will be seeing how the continent prepares for it and how well they will do. If hosts South Africa can put on a show for not just the fans but the whole world to enjoy, then it would be a perfect advertisement for the country and their neighbours. The World Cup finals only come by once every four years and it would be tragic for the tournament to fail under any circumstance.