BY the time you are reading this, I am back in Johannesburg to watch today’s historic final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Exactly a month ago, I was among the 94,000 fans that gathered at the Soccer City Stadium that watched the opening match between hosts, South Africa and Mexico, during which Siphiwe Tshabalala sent us and millions of television viewers to dreamland with his blistering left footed rocket that opened scoring accounts for the hosts.

Those of us at the Johannesburg Stadium tonight will be taking part in history as “brand new” world champions will emerge. For Netherlands, they have played and lost two previous finals, 1974 to West Germany and 1978 to Argentina, on their opponents’ soil, but today they are meeting first timers, Spain, on a neutral ground, South Africa.

Regardless of the eventual winners, Europeans are increasing their lead over South Americans concerning an all European finals which are now eight compared to the Latinos two. Finals between the two are nine times. Other continents, Africa, Asia, North America, Caribbean, and Oceanic are yet to get to the final of the World Cup.

Today’s two finalists have interesting football pedigree. Netherlands, Holland or the Dutch, whichever you decide to call them, introduced to the world what they called Total football – Mass Attack, Mass Defence – which flourished in the 1970s.

Spain on the other hand, are the greatest exponents of ball control and superb passing. In a space as small as a family dining table, four Spanish footballers can exchange passes without the opponents getting a touch. Spanish football which the Brazilians worked upon, and transformed to jogo bonito, the beautiful game, had always been delightful to watch, but while Brazil had reaped huge fruits from, the Spaniards are yet to benefit.

Even when Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982 they did not progress beyond the second round and have since earned the well deserved sobriquet of the world’s number one under achievers.

As home to the famous Real Madrid and Barcelona, European Club champions several times over, and blessed with a battalion of world class footballers, Spain have no business lagging behind, and in 2008, their luck turned around as they emerged the European champions for the first time. Now two years on, will their luck hold for the big one, FIFA World Cup?

The Dutch are also a power house in Europe. Famous for their soccer academies which have produced world class players, Netherlands do not put too much emphasis on individual brilliance, but on team work. Who will win tonight’s final? Readers will readily recall that a week to the World Cup, 6 June 2010 I wrote on the favourites. Permit me to recall excerpts: “if the bookmakers are making Brazil the number one favourites, I go for Spain as the joint favourites.” …………. “So for South Africa 2010, mark down Spain as favourites.”

I did mention other countries, England, France, Italy, Argentina and Germany, but Netherlands did not appear on my radar. Quite a few knowledgeable football journalists covering South Africa 2010 are predicting victory for Spain. Some have even suggested that Spain are so talented and star-studded that their Second Eleven could successfully compete and win the World Cup!

A lot of football fans across the world watching today’s final will be torn between emotions and sentiments. Some will root for the Dutch and wish them third time lucky, while others will wish the colourful Spaniards to create a record by winning after twelve previous appearances since 1934.

Whoever win, we’ll drink to their toast, that at long last Africa have produced new World Cup champions to join Brazil, (five times), Italy (four times), Germany (three times), Uruguay (two times), Argentina (two times), England (one time) and France (one time). I will drink to my favorite lager, hei.…ken, which is a product of the Dutch.