John Helm: Shay-ke up for Shane

Jun 24 2009 by Peter Barrow, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Daniel’s family emigrated when he was just five and he has gone on to become a top official at matches around the globe.

One of his most recent adventures took him to Angola where he had to award a goal to Nigeria which killed off the hosts hopes of reaching the World Cup finals.

I gather he wasn’t the most popular man in Angola that night!

On another occasion he was holed up in Lagos, Nigeria for four days because of flight problems and I can assure you that is not an appetising prospect.

Don’t believe all you read!

IT MIGHT sound ridiculous for a columnist to warn readers not to believe everything they read in the papers but that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

The Huddersfield Examiner is an exception, of course.

Two days ago South African daily papers were full of the fact that the Egyptian football team had been victims to a robbery at their hotel and had been deprived of all their belongings.

Forty eight hours later it transpires that five of the squad playing here in the FIFA Confederations Cup had succumbed to the charms of ladies of the night and all that was robbed was their dignity. A night’s romp had also cost them about 20,000 rand.

I remember being in Johannesburg a few years ago when a Test cricket match was delayed 24 hours because of a similar situation involving two Pakistanis who had a bit of explaining to do to their wives when they flew home.

I touched on the security issue last week since when our TV crew has suffered at the hands of thieves who broke into our team bus in broad daylight and helped themselves to some costly camera equipment, and a FIFA official has been mugged because he refused to hand over his mobile phone to an assailant.

With next year’s World Cup finals in mind, South Africa and Jo’burg in particular still has a massive job on its hands in persuading people this is a safe country to stage such a prestigious event.

The Rainbow nation – as it was dubbed by a certain Nelson Mandela – is a land of stark contrasts. Stunningly beautiful, colourful and vibrant, sports crazy, it still cannot rid itself of apartheid allegations and while many folk enjoy transparent opulence others are eking out a pitiful living off the land.

I fervently hope it can stage a memorable World Cup on behalf of an entire continent, but there are bound to be opportunists trying to make a name for themselves and ruin what should be a harmonious and extravagant festival.