The Fifa World Cup must rank as the biggest international event ever staged in South Africa. And it's marvellous that we pulled it off successfully especially in the face of far-fetched suggestions in British tabloids that visitors to SA needed bullet-proof vests! No bombs went off, no team buses were highjacked, in fact, I'm sure there was no more pick-pocketing than would be found in any comparable cities in the world. Good luck to people who chance Sao Paulo in 2014!
Like the rest of you I have witnessed the little flags on every third car driving around, and I'm privileged to live in Joburg so saw the million flags on the airport highway and the massed yellow thumbs-up signs at Gillooly's interchange, but even though I had international visitors staying in my garden cottage during this period, mostly my experience of the World Cup was through the newspapers and SuperSport. My agoraphobia would not permit a visit to a stadium, so my experience of the event may have been a bit limited, but I think I can say with safety that there wasn't anything much gay about it.
Well, there was Maradona's promise that he would run through the streets of Buenos Aires naked if his team won the World Cup, there were all those men kissing and hugging in public, and the wigs and face-painting of soccer fans put drag queens at the local Pride Parades in the shade.
And for all that there are allegedly studs in the soccer teams, all we saw was their knees, with socks pulled right up to them and baggy pants going down to them from above. Unless of course you happen to be a major celeb like Queen Sofia of Spain who addressed her team in the changerooms of the Durban stadium, some with only a towel around the waist. And if you endured the sometimes tedious matches to the end you might have been rewarded with glimpses of well-honed pecs or bulging biceps (often inked) as the players swopped jerseys.
Of course, the World Cup was a feast for any queens who are attracted by the thug looks. Gerard Pique and Robin van Persie get my vote for the most handsome players, but everyone will have their own favourites determined by taste. Send your opinions to info@exit.co.za