Not yet a Spanish swan song

Spain's shocking loss to an unfancied Switzerland in their first match in Group H certainly provided the much-needed "wake-up" call in an otherwise lukewarm start to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

It was Spain's maiden defeat by Switzerland. In retropect, Spain, fondly known as La Roja, had 15 wins over Switzerland and three draws in all their international meetings dating back to 1925.

Since hosts South Africa and Mexico kicked off the first World Cup tournament to be staged on the African continent with a 1-1 draw, it has been very much Dullsville for most football aficionados.

The ubiquitous plastic horn called the vuvuzela has made a greater din at this World Cup than the action on the field. Love it or hate it, at least the colourful vuvuzela has stirred the adrenaline.

So far, Germany was the only team to have sparked some interest with a fine display of attacking football, scoring four goals that turned the Australians into "Shockeroos".

The 1-0 defeat suffered by Spain, who are tipped as joint favourites with Brazil to win the World Cup, will send a strong signal to all the other teams not to be too complacent, especially when they face seemingly weaker opposition.

Even a team with pedigree, Brazil, have been forewarned not to take it easy following their narrow 2-1 win over North Korea. Brazil coach Dunga wasn't too please with the result with two really tough matches coming up in the form of Portugal and Ivory Coast.

Since winning the Euro 2008 championship, the Spaniards have been riding the crest of a wave. Spain have been ranked No. 1 in the FIFA standings without a name to the World Cup, the only team in the world ever to hold that distinction.

The highest achievement by Spain in the World Cup was fourth place in 1950.

Under coach Vincente Del Bosque, Spain have qualified for South Africa with a clean record. They won all their matches in their European qualifying group.

They only lost to the USA in the Confederation Cup which was won by Brazil.

Players and pundits alike are led to believe that the present Spanish squad "can do no wrong" and this time around the World Cup which had proved to be elusive to them in the past is now ripe for the taking for the first time.

Star midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who played for Arsenal, was reported to have said before the Switzerland match that Spain "are hungry for the title and we can show we are the best at this championship."

Spain will face Honduras on June 21 in Johannesburg and Chile four days later in Pretoria. No doubt, Del Bosque will be telling his players that the honeymoon is over and it's time to step up to the plate.

It could have been lady luck that brought about Spain's defeat in Durban. In fact, Spain had most of the play against Switzerland but a packed Swiss defence, including the good form of keeper Diego Benaglio help to shut out the Spanish attack.

It is likely that Spain will get to the next round either finishing top or second in the group standing.

It could well be a blessing that they lose this one game and take their future opponents more seriously because Spain, I feel, still have got what it takes to win the most prized football trophy on this planet for the first time. - Mark Kho

Vuvuzela,You Sound Like Angry Bees in My Ear!

There's an ear-splitting din at the World Cup tournament in South Africa with thousands of vuvuzela aficionados having a good time blowing their trumpets.

But the colourful, noisy plastic trumpets may be facing a ban if World Cup officials think the racket is threatening to deafen players and viewers alike.

Already, World Cup organising committee chief Danny Jordan was reported in an interview with the BBC as saying that they are not ruling out the option of banning vuvuzelas.

According to AFP, criticism of the vuvuzelas has been almost as loud as the instruments. Broadcasting companies covering the World Cup matches are complaining the din is almost drowning out commentary.

If the incessant noise has anything to do with a team's performance, then we can believe that France's poor display in their 0-0 draw with Uruguay was due to the vuvuzela racket as claimed by Les Bleus captain Patrice Evra.

"We can't sleep at night because of the vuvuzelas. People start playing them from 6 a.m. We can't hear one another out on the pitch because of them," the Frenchman was reported as saying.

Even on Facebook, YouTube and other sites online, a passionate debate is going on about the pros and cons of the vuvuzela.

When thousands of this thing are being blown at full volume, it's going to sound like a swarm of angry bees buzzing in your ear, and as one newspaper put it, an elephant in distress.

While the World Cup tournament is in progress in the Rainbow Nation, you can't escape the noise - it's everywhere. Not only at the football stadiums, but in shopping malls, hotels, and on the streets.

However, despite all the noise, FIFA president Sepp Blatter was reported to have given his blessing, saying Africa is about dance and music, and moaning about the instrument bordered on discrimination. -  Originally published at Markkscript's Posterous