South Africa

JOHANNESBURG — A somber and frail Nelson Mandela attended the funeral Thursday for his 13-year-old great-granddaughter, whose death in a car crash last week following the World Cup’s opening concert marked a tragic start to the tournament.

From TheGrio.com: Within this month hundreds upon thousands of soccer fans will fill the South African stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in hopes of watching their favorite teams score. But as the beer is poured, and inhibitions are lost, many of these same fans will be looking to score for themselves outside arena.

JOHANNESBURG — Nelson Mandela would have loved it. The joy, the pulsating music and dazzling colors, the big party to celebrate the world’s embrace of South Africa — even the scrappy 1-1 draw.

JOHANNESBURG – The death of Nelson Mandela’s great-granddaughter cast a shadow over the opening day of the World Cup on Friday, dampening the spirits of a nation proud and excited to be hosting the world’s most popular sporting event.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela will likely greet fans and players for 10 to 15 minutes at the World Cup opening ceremony before watching the rest of the game from home, his grandson said Tuesday.

From Bloomberg News: A stampede of fans hospitalized 15 people before a soccer World Cup warm-up match today between Nigeria and North Korea in Johannesburg, South African police said.

From the AFP: JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is riding a wave of patriotism ahead of the World Cup, which national leaders hope will heal the still-sharp racial divide 16 years after the end of white-minority rule.

From USA Today: When the U.S. World Cup team arrived in Johannesburg on Monday, the historic moment had special significance for several of the team’s African-American players.

From MSNBC: JOHANNESBURG – The soccer World Cup in less than two months will be South Africa’s greatest opportunity to show off the diversity and potential of the nation and the whole of Africa, President Jacob Zuma said recently.

JOHANNESBURG – South African police are investigating whether there was a link between homosexual sex and the murder of white supremacist Eugene Terre’blanche, police said on Sunday.