Mandela gracious in World Cup hosting defeat

1:00 PM - By KIM HELFRICH

PRETORIA - While a sad South Africa was still shaking its head over losing the 2006 World Cup bid by the narrowest of margins, former president Nelson Mandela told a gathering of national leaders that no one was to blame.

"We lost. No one is to blame. The finishing touches
just weren't there. Our inexperience showed," Mandela said.

He told the 200-strong gathering - which included President Thabo Mbeki, his deputy Jacob Zuma, a number
of cabinet ministers, diplomats and top government
officials - that South Africa should rejoice instead of feeling regret.

Mandela used the country's one-vote loss to Germany as
an example of just how far Africa had progressed.

"One vote between what Fifa president Sepp Blatter
called a move to innovation, or going back to the
traditional, was what kept South Africa from becoming
the first-ever African country to host this event."

Mbeki said South Africa's "excellent showing" in the
voting, which saw fellow Africans Morocco go out in
the first round and England in the second, had shown
the "country and the continent were now players in
world terms."

Both he and the former president congratulated Germany
on its selection.

The president said he and others were well aware of
Germany's capability and capacity - "they will do it
well."

But the final word on the narrow loss rested with
Mandela: "Our bid-team chaps did an excellent job, and
there are few who would criticise European nations for
being selfish and callous. After all, they have had
many opportunities to host events of this stature.

"We were given an equal chance and we lost. We just
did not have the finishing touches."

- THE STAR, JOHANNESBURG