With the eyes of the international community now firmly on South Africa for the Confederations Cup ? a key curtain raiser for next year's World Cup ? it was inevitable that the foreign media would be looking for any excuse to take a swipe at South Africa.

And they didn't have to wait long. Sunday's impressive opening ceremony attracted a near capacity crowd at Ellis Park, but this was marred by Spain's opening fixture against New Zealand ? a couple of hours later ? which attracted about 20 000 spectators. That's less than half of the capacity at the gleaming new Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

What was particularly disturbing is that Spain are ranked number one in the world (as evidenced by their 5-0 trouncing of the All Whites) and FIFA President Sepp Blatter said as much: "The organising committee should have done more to sell tickets and to bring people to the stadium. They could have brought schoolchildren, for example."

The truth is that spectator apathy has long been a problem in South African soccer where top-of-the-table PSL matches attract a handful of supporters. Apart from derby giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, many of the country's top teams still battle to attract supporters. All too often, the finest footballers in the land are strutting their stuff in empty stadiums.

One foreign scribe says there is a nonchalance about arriving on time at matches in South Africa ? and it's the kind of attitude that drives FIFA crazy. The reality is South African fans (and non-fans) need to wake up and recognise the enormity of the Confederations Cup which showcases the champions of every continent.

As City Press noted this week, "the time has come to show the world we are in the mood to host the World Cup. Let us be lovely: let us be soccer crazy." After all, in less than a year, South Africa will be hosting the biggest party on the planet, with or without South Africans.

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  • Urquhart is a former FIFA World Cup Media Officer and the current editor of Project2010