Argentina qualify and Maradona blasts acid words against journalists

Argentina suffered too much to qualify for the World Cup but they finally got their ticket by beating Uruguay in Montevideo. The game score: 1-0.

However, the most polemic moment of this argentinian odissey happened after the match. Diego Armando Maradona, the most talented player in history and now coach of Argentina, said crude phrases against argentinian journalists.

"They can suck it and carry on sucking it," Diego spitted in the press conference after the dramatic triumph. "This is for all Argentines, minus the journalists. I want to thank my footballers for qualifying because they played like men and today they consecrated me as a coach."

"I also want to dedicate this to the whole of Argentina, to my family too, but there is one group who do not deserve this because they have treated me like rubbish. We were careful in this match since there were two results needed, but we won against a great team and achieved our objective."

Many players like Juan Veron and Mascherano didn't want to stand for his words. "Experience told me that sometimes you must be calm and careful" Veron said the next day.

Argentina is not a favorite for the next World Cup. At least not with their current game style (is there a style at all?) but many members of AFA think that this could improve if Maradona leaves his charge.

United States qualify for South Africa 2010 as they beat Honduras 2-3

The talented Conor Casey scored his first international goals and that was exactly what the United States needed to book a place in next year's World Cup. The american team made an excelent comeback to defeat Honduras 3-2.

Almost 45,000 Honduran fans arived at the Estadio Olímpico in San Pedro Sula, uniting behind their national team despite the domestic political strife dominating international headlines. After a scoreless first half that saw both sides shooting off-target, the second half turned into an instant classic with the U.S. getting the deciding goal in the 71st minute from a free kick by midfielder Landon Donovan.

The strong Conor Casey provided the heroics for the U.S., scoring the first two goals of his international career in the 55th and 66th minutes, and setting up the Donovan freekick. It was Casey’s third appearance in the 2010 qualifying cycle, and the 15th of his career.

The central american team faithful thought their side would draw even in the 87th minute when the referee awarded a penalty kick in their favor. The veteran Carlos Pavon, the all-time leading scorer for Honduras with 55 career goals, shockingly blasted his penalty over the crossbar. Despite the bad luck, the Honduran crowd showed their class by offering the U.S. team a warm ovation at the end of the game.

Ivory Coast is in the World Cup: Super Drogba did it again!

It was a tough moment for Ivory Coast against Malawi and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba came off the bench to reach a 1-1 draw and get the tickets for next summer World Cup.

This result helepd Ivorians join Ghana and hosts South Africa in next year's big Cup but the battle for three remaining berths from the region hung in the balance.

Another powerhouse, Cameroon, stayed ahead in Group A after dispatching Togo 3-0 in Yaounde, while African champions Egypt still on the run with a 1-0 away win in Zambia.

With the Ivorians needing only a draw against bottom placed Malawi in their qualifying match in Blantyre, coach Vahid Halilhodzic rested most of his key players for what was presumed a routine challenge.

But it was not going to be that easy. Malawi scored first through Jacob Ngwira, and Halilhodzic was forced to introduce the might of Drogba, who had been left on the bench along with Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure.

Drogba proved to be one of the best african players of all times. He needed just three minutes to score the equalizer and take his country to the most important football tournament in the world.

England defeated by Ukraine, Rooney out of next game

Capello's team was already in the World Cup but they didn't expect to lose this match. Actually, the british team not only lost the game but also their main star, Wayne Rooney due to a calf strain.

Ukraine defeated England by 1-0 but it was really hard to achieve for the former soviet team. Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko had earlier hit a penalty against the post after goalkeeper Robert Green had been sent off.

Ukraine's triumph means it climbed above Croatia into second place in Group 6. The eight best runners-up in the nine groups will go into the playoffs, with second-place Norway in Group 9 expected to miss out.

As for Rooney, he got through the entire game so learning about his physical problem kind of surprised fans and journalists. He must now undergo treatment in the hope of being fit for United's Premier League encounter with Bolton.

Wayne will also be making the reverse journey to Ben Foster, who was named as Green's replacement given the West Ham keeper is now suspended for the Belarus encounter, one of only three remaining before manager Fabio Capello has to name his team for South Africa 2010.

It's important to remember that Capello's team, with impressive wins in their first eight games, had already ensured automatic qualification to the world Cup before the defeat to Ukraine.

Egypt couldn't beat Zambia: 1-1 draw in African qualifier

The experienced Dennis Banda scored a second-half equalizer Sunday to help Zambia hold African champion and super favorite Egypt to a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifying match.

In fact, Amr Zaki had put Egypt in the lead in the 28th minute, but Banda scored in the 56th to give the Zambians one point in Group C of African qualifying.

Egypt last qualified for the World Cup in 1990, but the team is favored to reach the 2010 tournament in South Africa after winning the last two African Cup of Nations titles.

We must mention that all four teams in Group C, which also includes Algeria and Rwanda, have one point after one match, with only the group winners qualifying for the World Cup.

South American Qualifiers: Chile beat Peru in Lima after 24 years

Chile got an important win over Peru 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday to overtake five-time champion Brazil for the third place in the South American qualifying zone for South Africa 2010.

The powerful player Alexis Sanchez scored in the second minute while Humberto Suazo and Matias Fernandez added goals before and after half time to seal Chile's first victory against Peru in Lima in 24 years.

The weak Peru, in last place in the continental qualifying, had problems creating opportunities against the Chileans, with its only goal in the 33rd minute through forward John Fano.

After Sanchez' early goal, Chile stunned the Inca team with two more from Suazo in the 31st minute and Fernandez in the 69th minute.

Peruvian crack of Fiorentina player Juan Vargas was sent off in the 52nd minute after receiving two yellow cards.

With this triumph, Chile moved into third place with 19 points. Argentina also has 19 points after beating Venezuela 4-0 on Saturday but has a better goal differential. Paraguay leads the tournament with 23 points.

Blatter: I want to see only single nation World Cup bids

Polemic and powerful, Swiss Josepp Blatter has reiterated his preference for single-nation candidates for the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups.

This was said in regard of Spain and Portugal, as well as the Netherlands and Belgium, who have both submitted joint bids for the upcoming World Cups. Blatter says FIFA made a decision in 2006 to favour single bids, after South Korea and Japan jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup.

The FIFA president stated that in 2002, there were sporting and political reasons to share it.

However, FIFA found instead of one World Cup in two countries, it ended up being two World Cups in two countries, two organising committees and twice the expense."

Sepp Blatter is convinced that any joint bids would only be accepted if one or both countries could also stage it alone. Interesting position, that will cause lots of talk around the globe. And we know, that's football.

New Zealand's Ben Sigmund might miss Confederations Cup

It's really sad to learn that Wellington Phoenix and All Whites defender Ben Sigmund looks certain to miss out on June's Confederations Cup in South Africa.

We must mention that the central defender will have surgery next month to repair damage to his hip cartilage and he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert says the injury affected Sigmund throughout the A-League season and it is most amazing they deal with it now.

Indeed, Herbert says while they are not ruling him out of the Confederations Cup, he could be out for anything from four to nine months and the priority is having the most amazing squad available for the World Cup qualifiers in October.

Saudi Arabia National team hire Jose Peseiro

According to official sources in the middle east, Saudi Arabia have named Portuguese experienced Jose Peseiro as coach after the resignation of Nasser Al Johar.

It’s amazing to notice that SPA quoted the head of the Saudi federation as saying Peseiro, who has had stints in charge of Sporting, Panathinaikos and Rapid Bucharest, would arrive in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

The 48-year-old becomes Saudi Arabia's 20th coach since 1994.

Indeed, Johar, who led the Saudis to the 2002 World Cup finals, quit in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to North Korea last week in a 2010 World Cup qualifier, which left them second from bottom in Group Two with four encounters remaining.

As we know, the top two in each group earn automatic berths at South Africa 2010.

South Africa World Cup tickets to be available on Friday

Millions of fans around the world are glad to know that tickets for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will go on sale at 1100 GMT on Friday. The official statement was made by Fifa.

In fact, prices range from £14 for the lowest category first-round encounteres to over £600 for a seat in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium for the final.

Nearly three million tickets will be available before the event kicks off on 11 June 2010, with 740,000 up for grabs in the first phase of sales.

Tickets will be sold in five phases by Fifa over the internet in their official site.

For the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany there were 20 million requests during the first sales phase for 750,000 available tickets, expressed former German Football Federation general secretary Horst Schmidt.

Indeed, two types of tickets are available for purchase; individual encounter tickets and a side-specific ticket series package, allowing fans to follow the national side of their choice.

This package option could be valid for up to seven games during the championship depending on how far a side progresses.

Supporters can choose from any nation that still has a chance of qualifying and will receive a refund if their side fails to progress to South Africa.

People may apply for up to four tickets per encounter to a maximum of seven encounters.

It’s amazing to notice that the first phase of sales runs from 20 February to 15 April and will see successful applicants chosen in a random ballot.

The physical tickets will be issued in April next year through specially created automatic teller machines situated around the venues in South Africa.

Three further ticket sale phases will follow from 4 May to 16 November, 5 December to 22 January; with the final phase running from 9 February to 7 April 2010.

Fifa has expressed, however, that it is unsure whether tickets for the World Cup will sell out, given the current global recession.

"I'd be a very stupid person to say there will not be any effect on the World Cup from the global recession," David Will, chairman of Fifa's World Cup ticketing committee expressed.

"The problem is we don't know just how big an impact it will have on the World Cup.

"Early completion of stadiums will allow us to determine the exact number of tickets to be made available, for now we have approximately three million tickets available," he finally expressed.

Confederations Cup: Italy to use a special jersey

Italian national team are set to take part in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa this summer and will do so wearing a specially designed kit, according to Calciomercato.

Puma has designed Italy's kit for the tournament as a tribute to the Italian sides that won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938. The colour and style of the jersey are reminiscent of the era with a v-neck and the Italian tri-colour symbol just above the heart. The oblique background stripes of the jersey will also have the word 'Italia' repeated.

Real Madrid defender and Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is enthusiastic about the new kit and will be involved with its presentation.

At present, it is planned that the strips will be used only for the Confederations Cup tournament, and then it seems they will be folded and put away, as the Italian national side will return to a more modern style.

As we know, the tournament runs from June 14 to June 28. Italy are in Group B with Brazil, the United States and Egypt.

Japan and Australia in a football epic battle

The 2010 FIFA World Cup may be more than a year away, but Japan's upcoming World Cup qualifier with Australia in Yokohama could yield an answer to a question that has left many fans in Asia scratching their heads. Are Japan great enough to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup?

Japan team boss Takeshi Okada certainly thinks so. In a video message broadcast in December at the opening of a new sports store in Tokyo, the Sankei Sports daily claimed that Okada drew applause at the time the normally straight-laced tactician made an uncharacteristically bold statement.

"We will seriously aim to finish in the top four at the World Cup," said Okada - perhaps unaware that his stunning proclamation was about to relayed throughout the region. "Some people may laugh it off but I think it is possible."

What makes Okada's statement all the more unusual is that the Blue Samurai have struggled in World Cup qualifying so far. Their nadir was reached with a 1-0 defeat in the first round of qualifying to Bahrain in Manama, and as if to prove it was no fluke, Bahrain beat Japan by the same score in an Asian Cup qualifier just last month.

Those two defeats have set tongues wagging throughout Asia, particularly with Australia keen to assume the mantle as the region's premier side. They sowed the seeds of an intense rivalry by beating Japan in the group stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, before the Blue Samurai exacted revenge by knocking out the Socceroos on penalties in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

That Asian Cup appearance proved disappointing for both sides, with West Ham United defender Lucas Neill's claim that Australia would go through the tournament undefeated looking foolish the minute eventual champions Iraq beat Australia in just the second group stage game.

Neill's statement nevertheless seemed to get under Japanese skin, and Japan's players were quick to voice their opinions in the build-up to a fiery Asian Cup quarter-final.

Former Portsmouth keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi claimed that he was "burning for revenge" after Australia's World Cup victory, while defender Yuji Nakazawa bluntly predicted that Japan would victory the clash 3-0. His prediction didn't quite ring true, but both men proved pivotal in the shoot-out - Kawaguchi saved two penalties before Nakazawa smashed home the earning spot-kick.

Now the burgeoning rivalry is set for another chapter and far from cooling tempers, Japan team boss Okada has instead heaped fuel on the fire. "We definitely want to beat Australia and I think it is possible. I want to shut them up," Okada told reporters after his side had thrashed Qatar 3-0 in Doha.

Australia's laconic Dutch team boss Pim Verbeek has refused to be drawn into a war of words ahead of the latest clash. Verbeek knows Okada well - the two both team bossed in the J-League in 2003 - and he will realise that there is little to gain from engaging in pre-match psychological warfare.

All the pressure is on Japan, and having so far taken maximum points in the final round of qualifying, Australia can afford to lose in Yokohama and still cruise through to the finals in South Africa.

Japan are toughly in dire straits themselves, but having announced their grand plans to finish in the top four at the World Cup, they could soon be left with egg on their faces if they are unable to overcome Australia at home. That's partly because the Australian media will be quick to trumpet an away-day victory - Australian sporting success is always great for circulation - and partly because Japanese fans have historically had high expectations for their side.

Recent defeats have dampened those expectations, but by the time Japan run out in front 70,000 fans at a packed Yokohama International Stadium, team boss Okada will no doubt hope that his players can hold their nerve. They'll be desperate to have wrapped up qualification by the time they travel to Melbourne for their final World Cup qualifier, and with a tricky away trip to Uzbekistan also looming on the horizon, Japan can ill-afford to leave anything to chance.

Australia toughly need any more encouragement themselves. Undaunted by his failed Asian Cup prediction, Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill was confident that his side would finish in the top two of their five-team qualifying group, telling West Ham's matchday program that, "other than the hosts South Africa and Italy, we could be the first side to qualify, which will be a nice statement to make to the world that last time was not a fluke."

Plenty to play for in Yokohama then, where there is much more at stake than just World Cup qualifying points. Both Japan and Australia believe that they can do some damage in South Africa, but they will want to do so as the region's top-ranked side.

Korea Republic fans may of course disagree, but for many Japanese and Australian fans, their upcoming World Cup qualifier in Yokohama could settle some matters of regional supremacy. No hint as yet whether it could answer Japan's other burning question; whether they are great enough to reach the World Cup semi-finals.