In it together

It was one of those moments. The British would say: “Ah, bless.” In South Africa, that translates to: “Ag shame.” Reading about the welcome the German women’s soccer team received in Frankfurt on Tuesday gave me a lump in the throat and a few small tears down my cheek. They were being celebrated for having retained the Women’s World Cup by beating a scintillating Brazilian team.

Watching the video on the Spiegel home page, which led to the “bless” moment, I noticed the huge numbers of German flags. I had seen these during the men’s World Cup in the previous year, which had been held in Germany. And during that World Cup the flags did not stop waving, even when Germany were knocked out of the competition. In fact, Germany’s third-place game was still hugely celebrated.

I remember when Germany got the nod by Sepp Blatter that they would host the 2006 World Cup. We were all sitting in front of the TV, chewing our nails into oblivion hoping that South Africa would get the honour. It was not to be. Much to our embarrassment, we were quite bad losers, setting off an inquiry and hounding some poor New Zealand official.

In retrospect, Germany’s hosting of this world competition gave it the opportunity really to unify itself and become a proud nation. Unification of East and West Germany had not been that long ago in October 1990. This pride in their country could have been going on for a while, of course. I haven’t been living in Europe that long to have observed the trend. It was just hugely noticeable this time and as seen from outside of the country as well.

As an aside, it seems the Brits are sending civil servants across to Germany to learn how to be more customer focused. Who would have thought? Of course, my sister, who has lived most of her life in Germany, says that Germans are only friendly to foreigners. They put on a friendly face to outsiders only, is her slightly cynical take on it.

What the Germans did, though, for several years before the World Cup, was to train the people who would come into contact with visitors on how to be friendly towards such visitors. All Germans were encouraged to be welcoming to them. The World Cup logo had smiling faces in round footballs and the slogan was “A time to make friends”. This doesn’t quite do justice to the German one which is more along the lines of “The world as a guest comes to visit friends”. A bit more awkward, I suppose! I won’t take up that job as translator after all.

It was a huge campaign to ensure that Germany would come across as a friendly nation where the party never stops. And the parties did not stop. Every city and town had central gathering spots where huge TV screens were set up and people were encouraged to come and participate even if they could not get into the stadiums to watch.

I travelled through Germany two weeks after the end of the competition to visit my sister. When people heard us speak English, they came over to chat and to say hello and check if we needed help. What? The last time I travelled in Germany, 20 years before, the reception was quite different.

What has the spin-off been for Germany besides a huge boost in GDP during the World Cup weeks? Considerable growth, much to the German economists’ surprise, has continued into the next year. I read a day ago that a noticeable trend has recently been identified. German companies who since 2000 had been manufacturing outside of the country — whether in the “cheaper” east block countries or in China — are flocking back to their homeland. Sure there have been problems doing business outside Germany, but could it also be that besides strong economic growth, German business people could be more patriotic?

So, watching 15 000 or so Germans celebrate their women’s team — and let’s face it, women’s football is not that popular anywhere in the world, including Germany — made me think how more patriotic the Germans have become. They certainly are a more unified nation, celebrating their successes with pride and exuberance.

In retrospect, South Africa only receiving the go-ahead to host the World Cup in 2010 has been a blessing in disguise. And what a moment that was when Herr Sepp Blatter pulled out that piece of paper with the words “South Africa” on it? And the combined audience at the selection venue, and 44-million South Africans, waiting for Madiba’s arrival … I still get goose bumps remembering that.

Hopefully, all those observers who spent taxpayers’ money enjoying the World Cup last year would have come back to South Africa and said that that is how our competition must be run as well. It has to be a huge welcome to the rest of the world and a non-stop party. And we, as South Africans, will also show off our country with pride and passion, they should be saying — very loudly.

If it is organised as well as the Twenty20 World Championship recently held in South Africa — where ticket prices were kept to a minimum to ensure full stadiums, no matter who was playing, and a party atmosphere was maintained during the matches — then the legendary South African friendliness will create as great a feeling of togetherness worldwide as the World Cup did in Germany.

If done right, the same spin-offs will be felt in South Africa, including a much-needed unification of the country’s people, which will be felt more strongly than after the Springboks’ 1995 Rugby World Cup win. It will most assuredly contribute further to the current strong economic growth. And maybe it will entice ex-pat South Africans, their skills and their businesses back to their homeland. She says, writing from Brighton in the United Kingdom, and not the one in Durban.