Bollywood stars ready for the FIFA World Cup

SRK, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta and many others are in Jo'burg, and having a blast

Football fever has never been more pronounced in Bollywood. Stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Imran Khan, Lara Dutta, Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt, have already reached Johannesburg to watch the World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain, and they are pretty excited.

SRK posted this picture of him and son Aryan earlier today, and wrote on his Twitter page, "We are ready for the world cup...our finals jo'bulani balls..bring it on."

He added later, "Chairman soccer in south africa was so kind to me at lunch & even made me make a speech..warmth of s africa very touching. having a blast. Ryan the rhino from our safari predicts holland will win...lets see if 8 arms or thick skin is right..ha ha."

Lara Dutta added, "Just got into Jo'burg. So far Spanish supporters outnumbering the Dutch! Had a contingent blowing their vuvuzelas right from the airport!:-) Its an amazing atmosphere! South Africa has bn wonderful hosts! Fans from across the globe r raring 2 go! EVERYONE has a jersey, headgear on."

Anil Kapoor is on his way now, but had almost cancelled his plans.

Sighed Anil, "Some work had come up. It looked like I wouldn’t be able to go to Johannesburg, though I had packed and booked seats at the stadium. But, I finally did make it. I am the brand ambassador and this is the biggest sports event," said Anil as he left for South Africa.

Another football enthusiast, Dino Morea, too seemed unsure of making it to Johannesburg. "I’m in London, all set to go. But my air ticket is not confirmed, if it doesn’t happen, then I’ll just have to watch it on television," he said.

The model turned actor is a huge football fan. "I play football and I love watching the sport. I was supporting Italy as I am half-Italian. Now, I’m supporting Spain because they have never won the Cup," he added.

Sanjay Dutt left his pregnant wife in Mumbai for the finals. He will be in South Africa with his two non-filmy best-friends.

"I wouldn’t miss the World Cup for the world. I’m the hugest football fan. I place it above cricket in my scheme of joy. I watched the silliest of games in the Cup. For the finals, I had to be here (in Johannesburg)," said the actor.

Dutt is rooting for Spain all the way. So is Jackky Bhagnani, producer Vashu Bhagnani’s son has apparently secured some of the best seats in the stadium for himself and his five friends from Mumbai.

Speaking from Johannesburg, Jackky exulted, "Man, I’ve the best view possible! I could never afford these seats, they are among the best in the stadium. An industrialist friend from Russia got me these seats. I can’t begin to express my excitement, I feel like an eight-year-old who has got his favourite toy. Me and my friends have our t-shirts, caps and flags ready. We’re rooting for Spain."

Adding to Jackky’s excitement is the fact that this is the first FIFA World Cup match he’s attending.

But for all the stars attending, there are some football lovers who had to miss the event. Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor are shooting in Colombo and Delhi respectively, while John Abraham had to cancel his plans for the finals because of a shoot with Vishal Bharadwaj.