Just under 15 years ago, the eyes of football loving fans globally were on South Africa as the African continent hosted its first Fifa World Cup — a largely flawless spectacle, on and off the field.
For a month, South Africa seemed like a different country — streets were clean, even the special courts set up for the spectacle were effective.
The stadiums used for the World Cup, including training facilities, were in world-class condition, showcasing to the world that Africa can match western countries in terms of delivering a world-class event.
The world was in awe about what South Africa, and by extension the African continent, was able to achieve, with some dubbing the event the best world cup ever.
The FNB Stadium, which was then called Soccer City, hosted an amazing final between Spain and the Netherlands on July 11, on a cold night in Johannesburg.
Despite the 2010 World Cup taking place in the middle of winter, all the football pitches were immaculate, making it easy for the world's best football players including the likes of Andrés Iniesta, who scored the World Cup-winning goal for Spain, to showcase their skills.
In the last two weeks, the Betway Premiership saw two sold-out matches featuring Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundown held at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg and Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria.
The Soweto derby is South Africa's most anticipated fixture which also gets beamed live to other countries, supposedly as an advertisement for South African football to the outside world.
The quality of pitches at Loftus and FNB for these two matches left much to be desired, despite South Africa being in the middle of summer. The condition of the pitches were bad to say the least.
The condition of the grass did not allow the players to fully express themselves on the ball and showcase their abilities. Instead of improving and learning from what we achieved during the 2010 World Cup, we seem to regressing.
At the sold-out Loftus Versfeld on Saturday where Mamelodi Sundowns beat Orlando Pirates, the grass looked more like a cattle grazing field than a venue for a top of the table Betway Premiership clash.
The grass was in such poor condition it was cutting up as if it was laid recently, with more than six players from both teams finding themselves slipping and sliding on numerous conditions as a result.
Why are ticket scanners placed so close to the venue unlike during the 2010 Fifa World Cup? The PSL has to catch a big wake-up call or else there's a disaster waiting to happen
Even some of the goals conceded in the 4-1 affair were a result of the pitch's poor condition which led to errors. So in just 15 years, the standards that South Africa proudly showed the world can't be maintained.
Why is the PSL allowing its marquee fixtures to be played on pitches that are in that kind of condition in the first place?
Even the handling of tickets for these matches is an issue of concern, meaning we did not learn from the very same 2010 Fifa World Cup that we hosted. Those producing fake tickets must be smiling all the way to the bank due to the PSL failing to deal with the problem.
At FNB, the venue was so packed that some fans tried to force their way into the media area of the stadium. Thousands could not find seats despite having bought valid tickets.
Why is the PSL failing to ensure that all scanners are functional at the stadium during such big matches. Poor network is something that should be anticipated as we know that more than 90,000 people will be at the stadium.
At one entrance, south of FNB, queues formed largely because the ticket scanners were not working, which meant those with fake tickets gained access without their tickets being scanned.
And most importantly, why are ticket scanners placed so close to the venue unlike during the 2010 Fifa World Cup? The PSL has to catch a big wake-up call or else there's a disaster waiting to happen.
South Africa has proved that it is able to host big events, including major concerts.
All we need is the will from those making decisions to ensure that the stadiums are in good condition like they were in 2010 and we use the lessons learnt regarding access management.
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