Cape Town, Dec 2 (DPA) The chief organiser of the football World Cup, Danny Jordaan, said Wednesday he hoped the final draw this week would be kind to South Africa - so the struggling hosts do not crash out in the first round.
“I hope for a good draw for our nation. We don’t want to be the first nation to drop out in the first round,” Jordaan, chief executive of the FIFA World Cup local organising committee, said at a media breakfast in Cape Town, venue for Friday’s gala draw.

South Africa’s national team Bafana Bafana (Boys, Boys) is under pressure to pull up its socks in the seven months left until kick-off.

After a creditable performance in the eight-nation Confederations Cup in June, the team lost eight out of nine friendlies to mostly mediocre teams, forcing a change of coach.

Since Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira returned to the team in November, they have drawn with Japan and Jamaica, sparking talk of a turnaround.

Jordaan put Bafana’s woes down to the players not getting enough practise in their clubs.

While several, like Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy, play for big clubs, they spend a lot of time on the bench, he said.

Ticket sales for the World Cup are expected to surge after Friday’s draw, which will determine which of the 32 qualifying teams plays which in the first round, and in which of nine host cities.

The World Cup trophy arrived in Cape Town Tuesday after touring cities on the continent.

Jordaan said FIFA were still expecting 450,000 foreign supporters, while at the same time predicting each of the qualifying countries would see on average 10,000 fans, which would work out at around 310,000 foreign fans.