It’s time we gave the boot to outdated ideas about S. Africa

Kansas City Star: Now that Spain has won the month-long global spectacle, South Africa deserves praise for putting on a first-rate World Cup.

Before the games began, many around the world — particularly in Europe — questioned whether the African nation could pull this off.

They doubted the stadiums, but the stadiums were beautiful. They questioned the transportation infrastructure, but it generally worked.

They wondered if crime would overshadow the games, but crime barely made a ripple. In fact, while South Africa had set up a separate judicial wing to handle crimes during the World Cup, the 1,600 employees had only about 200 cases.

Not to say there were no crimes: Two Dutch women in orange miniskirts with beer logos on their upper thighs were arrested for illegal advertising, and hotel cleaners apparently stole underwear from members of the English team. And, of course, don’t forget how referees stole a couple of goals from the U.S. team.

Memorable tournament

South Africans took on the planet’s biggest sporting event, with billions of eyes upon them, and produced a memorable tournament. In hosting a great World Cup, they showed the world that it is time to change outdated notions of a great nation.

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