England's Nightmare Revisited -- Croatia is Lying in Wait

President Thabo Mbeki and Fifa president Sepp Blatter officially got the countdown to the 2010 Soccer World Cup under way after the confirmation of the preliminary draw at a slick and glittering ceremony in Durban yesterday.

Blatter said yesterday's draw -- watched by millions around the globe -- would end all questions and doubts as to whether SA would be the next host of the biggest football tournament on the globe.

"Now there is no doubt the World Cup will be here in SA in 2010, and will be a big success," he said, to wild cheers inside Durban's International Convention Centre. "This is the official kick off of the 2010 World Cup. This is now the window to SA and it is opening to the world."

Mbeki said SA would deliver on promises the nation made to Fifa after the world football governing body confirmed Africa as the host of the 2010 World Cup in Zurich, Switzerland, in May 2004.

"We reiterate what we said a year ago in Berlin after the unveiling of the official logo that Africa is ready," he said.

"Africa is ready, Africa's time has come. Africa is calling, come to Africa in 2010," Mbeki said.

At a glittering function that 2010 local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan said cost more than R30m to produce, music stars including Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour and South African Afro-fusion band Freshlyground gave the event an African aura.

The draw kept coaches from some of the biggest football nations in the world at the edge of their seats as Fifa secretary-general Jérôme Valcke -- assisted by soccer legends George Weah, Kaizer Motaung, Jomo Sono, and former players Lucas Radebe, Christian Karembeu and Marcel Desailly -- led proceedings.

The biggest gasps in the room were reserved for the confirmation of Group 4 in the African qualifying zone, where Bafana Bafana were thrown into the same group as old enemies Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Though Bafana do not have to qualify for the 2010 World Cup because they are the host nation, the African zone qualifiers for the showpiece will also double as qualifiers to the 2010 African Nations Cup. This means Bafana must play some tough matches against nemesis Nigeria to ensure qualification.

Eyebrows were raised when Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was nowhere to be found and did not grant the South African media a chance to question him on the draw. Parreira has evaded the media often after big Bafana matches and his latest no-show did not go down well.

Other coaches stayed behind to comment, but Bafana's coach was nowhere to be seen.

In an event that had no shortage of high profile personalities, big-name coaches including Guus Hiddink, Marco van Basten and Felipe Scolari made appearances to see for themselves what they would face when the road to SA begins.

The International Convention Centre erupted in mock horror when it was confirmed that England would once again be in the same qualifying group as tormentors Croatia.

Wounds are still raw in England after Croatia managed to eliminate David Beckham and company 3-2 from the Euro 2008 at Wembley Stadium a few days ago. There was plenty of buzz about whether England might now also miss out on qualifying for 2010 because of a tough group that also includes last year's quarter-finalists Ukraine, Andorra, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Local organising committee chairman Irvin Khoza said the slogan for the 2010 Soccer World Cup would be Kinaki -- Celebrate African Unity. In other groups of huge interest to the visitors, France was drawn against Romania, Austria, Faeroe Islands, Lithuania and Serbia in Group 7. World Cup champions Italy start the defence of their title grouped with Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.