World Cup 2010, Group A: South Africa vs France Fan Reactions as both teams eliminated from World Cup
A stunning performance in front of 40,000 adoring fans was not enough to take the hosts South Africa through to the second round of the World Cup. They become the first host nation in the history of the World Cup to bow out of the prestigious tournament in the opening round.
The hosts, commonly known as the Bafana Bafana, were too good for the disgraced 1998 champions France, who were a shadow of their former selves; a team ripped apart by disunity, disharmony and disbelief that shocked the supporters of a team - once a major force in International football - that, besides the 1998 triumph, made it to the final of the last World Cup.
The football fans who were cheering for the Bafana Bafana at Bloemfontein, saw a brilliant display by the hosts that gave them their first ever win over the Europeans, yet was not good enough to see them through the next round.
Despite their elimination, the hosts celebrated their team's performance on Tuesday, with a majority of the locals claiming that they were proud of their team.
"[The elimination] doesn't matter, we are winners for today and that's what we wanted," said one fan, while another added that he was over the moon to see the French side knocked out by the hosts; "France is out, that's the best part of it," he said.
Some of the locals felt that despite the elimination of the host country in as early as the first round, the tournament would not suffer, and people would still flock to the stadiums to see the best footballers in the game, in action on their grounds.
They hoped that some other team from Africa would make them proud, and go beyond the second round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, French fans were shocked by the abysmal performance of their team in the World Cup, and hoped that the players and administrators responsible for the debacle would be taken to task by the French Football Association.
Some of the fans that watched the game said that they were expecting the reversal, given the poor performance of the team at the international stage in recent years, adding that they have hit rock bottom with a defeat to a lowly ranked team like South Africa.
The French squad will fly out of South Africa on Tuesday, and their fans are set to give them an angry and enraged reception upon their arrival in their homeland.
During the match, hundreds of fans were present at the foot of the great French landmark, the Eiffel tower, and hoped for a miracle from their disunited team that refused training after one of their teammates Anelka was sent packing by the French Football Association, after he reportedly had a war of words with team coach Domenech.
However, their hopes quickly evaporated, as the hosts fired in two quick goals, and even a late goal in the second half by the French did little to console the disgruntled fans.
A group of fans concluded that this World Cup was simply not meant for their team, and the sooner it is forgotten the better it is for the team that is set to start a new era under Laurent Blanc, who will replace the beleaguered Domenech.
Another fan added that the players would have to play for their national team with a renewed spirit once they re-group under their new coach, and would have to bury the past, including the most ignominious World Cup campaign in their football history.
The mood in the camp was summed up by an angry group of fans that claimed that Ireland, who were ruefully knocked out by a dubious goal scored by French striker Thierry Henry, deserved to be at the World Cup in place of their team. That was nothing more than an absolute shocker.
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