South African police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at hundreds of workers protesting over pay in the early hours of this morning outside the stadium where Germany had just trounced Australia in their World Cup opener.
Riot police sporting body armour, helmets and guns chased stewards who had earlier been responsible for the security of 62,660 fans from the new Moses Mabhida stadium.
One woman was hit by a rubber bullet. She lay outside the stadium for nearly an hour before an ambulance took her away.
"We were mounting a peaceful protest because they were not paying us what we expected and we were surprised that the police started charging at us. They fired teargas at us," said one of the workers, Sydney Nzoli.
Police blasted teargas as the disgruntled staff, bricks and rocks in hand, rampaged down a Durban highway. Scores of police corralled the protesters before they reached the city centre. After a tense standoff, the workers dispersed.
Germany's resounding 4-0 victory prompted British bookmakers to cut the odds on the team winning a fourth World Cup to 9-1 from 12-1.
Defending champions Italy play for the first time today, hounded by a wave of reporting that says they are too old and lack pace and imagination.
Coach Marcello Lippi's insistence on keeping faith with the bulk of the team that won in Germany four years ago has angered Italian fans and sports reporters alike.
Combined with their tradition for infuriatingly slow starts they could be in danger from one of the lesser teams, an in-form Paraguay, when they meet in Cape Town in the evening.
While Italy will have to transform their recent displays to convince, all the top teams got a severe warning of the danger from a young German side in the most convincing win of the tournament so far.
Reuters