Neal Collins on South Africa and the 2010 World Cup, “the greatest footballing show on earth”

Neal Collins is a London-based sports journalist who grew up in South Africa but has spent the last 25 years working on Fleet Street for the Mirror, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and Daily Express. He also makes regular appearances as an analyst on Sky News and is a regular contributor for South African radio stations, including CapeTalk, KFM and 702 in the build-up to the World Cup. He has just published his first novel, A GAME APART, detailing his experiences as a young footballer and journalist in Apartheid South Africa. It is available from http://www.nealcollins.co.uk/, where you can read more about his background - and the prologue of the book.

Neal leaves for Indaba 2010, the pre-World Cup conference, in Durban next Tuesday - and from there it will be a matter of weeks before the players and fans from 31 nations fly in for Africa's first World Cup.

Here, Neal explains why it is in everyone's interests to get behind the Rainbow Nation as they host the greatest footballing show on earth...