Read more on:   

• south africa

• mexico

• uruguay

• france

Related Links

• Fans show support for Khune
• Bafana fans remain hopeful
• Vuvuzelas quiet as Bafana lose

Johannesburg – What a difference a week makes.

Seven days ago, South Africa was coloured yellow as millions of euphoric citizens clad in the colours of the national team gathered around television screens to watch the opening game in the World Cup.

A week later, the yellow dye has come out in the wash as the host nation is swept by a tide of disillusionment over Bafana Bafana's near-certain ouster from the tournament.

By Friday morning, the yellow jersey that hundreds of thousands of people had worn religiously once a week, to mark Football Friday, had been discarded by most.

"Feel it. It is here," one of the slogans of the first World Cup in Africa goes.

But the only thing South Africans appeared to be feeling on Friday was cold as sub-zero temperatures persisted in many parts of the country, putting a further dampener on the frigid atmosphere.

Low temperature

"-10.3, Can you Feel It," the front-page headline in Johannesburg's The Star newspaper read, referring to a record low posted in a town in central Free State province on Wednesday night – the night South Africa's hopes of making it to the second round foundered after a 3-0 defeat by Mexico.

On Thursday, the cold and the hosts' disappointment saw attendances at fan fests plummet.

But the World Cup local organising committee remained upbeat on Friday about the mood.

The LOC was "very grateful" to see South Africans "embrace the spirit of 'you win together, you lose together’,” spokesperson Rich Mkhondo told a press conference at Soccer City in Johannesburg, in what appeared to be a plea rather than an observation.

"Indeed there will be times when spirits are low," Mkhondo acknowledged, while insisting: "South Africans will remain good hosts and we urge them to do so for the remainder of the tournament."

Mexico's 2-0 win over France on Thursday night handed South Africa the virtually impossible task of beating France by several goals in its last group game on Tuesday in order to avoid elimination.

African teams

The organisers of the cup are hoping South Africans will rally behind the other five African teams, but only one – Ghana – had won a game by Friday.

Suddenly, local football fans are finding they have little to blow their vuvuzelas about.

"It's very obvious that the atmosphere is going down," radio presenter Redi Direko said on her morning show on Johannesburg's 702 radio station.

"Let's not give up on the World Cup because that would be giving up on South Africa," she appealed.

President Jacob Zuma has also tried to revive drooping spirits by telling the nation on Thursday that they were already winners.

"The fact that we are hosting the tournament shows that we have won," he said.