Diego Maradona and his Argentina squad arrived in South Africa for the World Cup today, looking jet-lagged as they were greeted by media at Johannesburg airport. Maradona blew a kiss to reporters, saying: "Hola, South Africa. I love South Africa."

Security was tight at the airport, with a line of South African police carrying guns and wearing dark blue uniforms moving out on to the tarmac as the Argentina team's aeroplane taxied towards the building. Maradona, who has already named his final 23-man World Cup squad, then led the players off the plane on the short walk to the newly built arrival facility for World Cup teams.

Denmark, who are in a tough-looking Group E with Cameroon, Holland and Japan, also landed in Johannesburg today. Morten Olsen, the coach, said he thought the winter conditions in South Africa would produce fast, high-tempo football.

"I think the conditions are not summer now and here it is winter and it's not so warm," Olsen said yesterday. "So surely it will be a very high pace in the games."