GU shatters Pirates' dream

The stage had been set for the official opening of one of the venues for the World Cup, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

This was supposed to be South Africa's crowning moment, to showcase a world-class facility and quality football with Pirates supposedly pummelling underdogs, Gaborone United (GU) and marching to the next round of Africa's premier club competition. If it were a movie, Pirates were supposed to assume the character of a super-hero, with GU the hapless victims. It seemed a perfect plot and a perfect setting. Nothing could go wrong. The crowd had turned up, though not in large numbers, and like a lamb being led to the slaughter, GU walked out of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium dug out in their white uniform, while the Ghosts, as Pirates are affectionately known, wore their traditional black.