In the first of a series on World Cup players, nations and managers, Monocle looks at South African Matthew Booth. He’s an unlikely poster boy for the tournament but his tough tackling and marriage to a top black fashion designer mean he has the popularity and power to unite the nation.
World ranking: 85
Number of times qualified: Two (1998, 2002); they qualify automatically as hosts for 2010.
Highest finish: First round (1998 and 2002).
Average salary of a premier league footballer: €1,300 to €1,600 a month.
Worst football moment: South Africa was banned from international contests until 1992 after the end of apartheid.
Best football moment: South Africa wins the African Nations Cup on its first attempt in 1996.
National football heroes: The political prisoners, including current president Jacob Zuma, who established a football league on Robben Island in 1966.
Issue 32
One of the few unifying experiences in multi-lingual Switzerland is Rainer Maria Salzgeber’s TV coverage of the national football team’s matches. The presenter says the sport can help the nation become more tolerant of…
Issue 33
The first winter military world games took place in March in Valle D'Aosta, Italy, giving armed forces of the world a chance to bond with each other and to promote peace through sport. Monocle was there, cheering our fav…
Issue 6
‘Forefoot striking’ is the style of most professional runners – so why do the big brands all emphasise the heel? A tiny trainer company in Colorado is proving that the big boys need to stay on their toes when it comes to…
Issue 33
As national coaches from Brazil to South Korea plot World Cup tactics, so too do the world’s journalists. Monocle visits Durban and Johannesburg to see how 18,000-plus writers, pundits and photographers will be accommodated…
Issue 55
Swimming on Bondi Beach, playing tennis in the jardins of Paris, running down the beach in Rio. Monocle picks five cities to call home if you want to stay healthy and trim.
Issue 8
Australia's dramatic water shortage, and New Zealand gears up for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Issue 54
Kenenisa Bekele is a superstar in his home nation of Ethiopia – an Olympic gold-winning distance runner who has risen from poverty to the top of his sport. Yet he remains a humble man who eschews the limelight.
Issue 2
*Monocle* assembles the perfect fitness regime and fills a kitbag with exercise essentials without s much as breaking into a sweat.
Issue 30
In this issue, for our World Cup series, we visit Puma, the sports brand that has become most associated with African football. As the competition heads to the continent, will Puma be the PR victor?
Issue 26
Jealous of the British-inspired Commonwealth Games and the Jeux de la Francophonie for nations of the former French empire, Portugal has created the Jogos da Lusofonia. In a world of soft power, pole vaulters and sprinters…
Issue 27
There’s no better way to spend a sunny autumn afternoon than a few sociable sets of tennis on London’s Parliament Hill Fields. We get kitted out for the perfect match, both on and off the court.
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