World Cup South Africa 2010 - Unofficial fan site

Spain win the World Cup 2010

2010-10-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Andres Iniesta scored the most important goal of his life, and his country reached the glory for the first time in history. There's no doubt that this game will never be forgotten in Spain. Del Bosque's team defeated the Netherlands in the Final of South Africa 2010 and lifted the Cup.

Iker Casillas not only saved two dangerous attacks from Arjen Robben. He also kissed the Cup, and his girlfriend Sara Carbonero, who tried to get an interview with the goalkeeper after the game.

And even though it was not a beautiful match, the excitement and happiness of a whole nation are completely well-grounded. Spain was by far the best team of the tournament, and had the best players as well. They never gave up their style, even in the toughest moments.

A new era in football begins with this result. Spain is no longer a "king without a crown". They are now the best team in the World.

Semifinals: Carles Puyol scores and takes Spain to the final in South Africa

2010-10-11T12:36:00.001-07:00

Germany proved to be a serious team with enough talent to beat Spain. But at the Durban Stadium, the Germans betrayed their style and assumed the game with an extremely defensive strategy. Spain was patient enough to attack and attack until the goal finally happened.

Barcelona's defender Carles Puyol netted a long pass by Xavi Hernandez and helped Spain make history. It is the first time that the "Red Fury" reach this stage and a unique opportunity to reach the glory of football. Now Casillas and his teammates will have to battle the Netherlands in the most important game of their lives.

Semifinals: Netherlands beat Uruguay and reach the final for the third time in history

2010-10-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

The first semifinal played at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town was a really good match and delivered some of the best goals in the tournament. Indeed, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's superb opener scored in the first half is a perfect example of it. In the end, the Orange team defeated Uruguay 3-2 but things were really equilibrated until the very last minute.

After the first goal, Diego Forlán netted the equalizer for the South American team. In the second half, Wesley Sneijder (70') and Arjen Robben (73') scored the winning goals. But Tabarez' side would not give up for their dream, and scored their last goal thanks to Maxi Pereira.

Quarterfinals: Germany was too much for Maradona's side

2010-10-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

Maradona was convinced that his team would win the Cup but his dream ended at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Germany, with Klose and Müller commanding a powerful attack, crushed Argentina 4-0.

The goals were scored by Thomas Müller (3'), Miroslav Klose (68'), Arne Friedrich (74') and Klose again (89'). The South American team had Messi on the field but they were no rival for a solid German team.

Many newspapers in Argentina criticized that a team with players like Messi, Milito and Tevez should have reach at least the semifinals and the main reason for the fail was Maradona's lack of experience as a coach.

Quarterfinals: Electrifying win of Uruguay over Ghana in penalty shootout

2010-10-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

People from Uruguay will never forget this victory. And the people from Ghana and in all Africa will not forget the pain of their defeat. The Soccer City Stadium held one of the most breathtaking games of all times. Uruguay beat Ghana 4-2 in penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in extended time.

Sulley Muntari socored the opener for Ghana, the only African team alive so far, but Diego Forlan netted the equalizer for Uruguay. And when it was all over, South American striker Luis Suarez touch the ball with the hand in his own area to keep it from entering the goal. It was a penalty and a red card for him, but it was not a goal for Ghana because Asamoah Gyan missed the shot in the very last minute of the game.

After that, the penalty shootout began. And in the end the glory was for Uruguay, who reach the semis after more than 40 years.

Quarterfinals: Netherlands beat Brazil with Wesley Sneijder's double

2010-10-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth was the scenario for one of the most expected games in the last ten years. Superfavorite Brazil needed to beat a really talented Netherlands to reach the semifinals, but just like in Germany, it was not possible for the "verde-amarela"to reach that stage. The orange playmaker Wesley Sneijder scored twice and lead his country one step closer to the glory.

Brazil was a solid team with a furious attack in the first minutes, and the effort lead them to score first. Robinho finished a brilliant move and netted the opener, but Netherlands were patient enough to recover the ball and control the game. And the second part was completely different: the orange side became stronger and ended winning the match.

A millionaire team with players like Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano or Dani Alves, to name a few, is now out of South Africa, but they can have their revenge in 2014: The World Cup will be played in Brazil.

Quarterfinals: Casillas and Villa lead Spain to the Semis

2010-10-10T22:47:00.001-07:00

Spain proved to be a serious candidate but Paraguay was one of the strongest teams still alive in the Cup. Del Bosque's side even needed Iker Casillas to stop a penalty shot by Oscar Cardozo to have a chance of winning this game.

And that was because the talented Xavi Alonso miss a penalty for Spain too, in one of the moust exciting matches of South Africa 2010. This clash took place at the Ellis Park Stadium, in Johannesburg, and the winner goal was netted by David Villa only at the minute 83. It was the end of the story for Paraguay and the beginning of the dream for the "Red Fury".

Round of 16: Spain beat Portugal but... where was Cristiano Ronaldo?

2010-07-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

David Villa is the name of the impressive striker that beat Portugal out of the World Cup. In this match, Villa did everything that Cristiano Ronaldo was supposed to do: score, win, being the main atraction of the game, take his country to the next level.

Spain beat Portugal only 1-0 but we could say that it was the best match of Del Bosque's side so far. If Xavi, Iniesta, Ramos and Villa keep playing like this, this may be the Cup of Spain after all.

As for Ronaldo, it seems like the curse of the last Nike advert touched him too: all footballers that took part of the spot had a sad participation in this World Cup (Rooney, Cannavaro, Ribery, Drogba, Ronaldo) or could not even take part of it (Ronaldinho). In the end, Portugal did not respond to the high expectations they came with, and Cristiano was not the same player that scored more than 30 goal in the last season with Real Madrid.

Spain will face now Paraguay, and this is the perfect chance to make history and finally win the World crown for the "Red Fury". If they beat Paraguay and reach the semis, nothing will stop them.

Round of 16: Paraguay reach quarterfinals for the first time in history after defeating Japan

2010-07-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

At the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, Paraguay had a hard time trying to defeat a really strong Japanese team. The 0-0 tie between both sides did not move, not even in overtime, so the winner of the game would have to be know after a penalty shoot-out.

All Paraguayan shooters scored in the penalty shoot-out: Edgar Barreto, Lucas Barrios, Cristian Riveros, Haedo Valdez and Oscar Cardozo. Japan scored through Yasuhito Endo, Makoto Hasebe and Keisuke Honda, but Yuichi Komano hit the bar and missed the chance of booking a place for his country in quarterfinals.

Thousands of fans in Paraguay came out to the streets to celebrate this historical moment for the "albirroja", even the famous model Larissa Riquelme, who has been named as the "Bride of the World Cup".

Now the South American squad will face the powerful Spain, who beat Portugal and is a clear favorite to advance to the final stage. However, "Tata" Martino's side knows that from now on, everything is possible.

Round of 16: Slovakia was no rival for the Netherlands

2010-07-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

The Netherlands came to South Africa with enormous expectation, and they have done it right so far. Bert van Marwijk's side beat Slovakia 2-1 at the Durban stadium and advanced to the quarterfinals. Now they are set for a dramatic encounter with Brazil on friday.

Arjen Robben is once again the playmaker of the Netherlands, and he scored the first goal of his team at minute 18. Wesley Sneijder netted the second one at 84', but Slovakia managed to score the goal of honor in the very last minute of the match.

Mabye the Netherlands are not displaying their famous "Total Football" but they have enough talent to beat Brazil and even reach the Final Game in this tournament. The world will know the answer on Friday.

Round of 16: Brazil beat Chile 3-0 and aim for the title

2010-07-01T00:42:00.000-07:00

Dunga's team has been critiziced for not showing the "jogo bonito" (beautiful game) that is traditionaly linked to Brazil. But at the Ellis Park Stadium, the "canarinha" displayed their best arguments to win 3-0 and prove to be the strongest candidate to win the World Cup 2010.

The first goal was scored by Juan after a corner kick, and only four minutes later striker Luis Fabiano would score the second one. After this, Chile desperately tried to move their lines ahead but could never find the ball. The extremely talented midfielders that Dunga put on the pitch - notice big names like Kaka, Robinho or Dani Alves - completely dominated the game.

Bielsa's efforts to change the destiny of his team were futile. Valdivia, Rodrigo Tello and Millar entered in the second half to help Chile score at least one goal, but it never happened.

The last brazilian goal was scored by Robinho, and that was it. Chile is the only South American team eliminated of the tournament, and Brazil advanced to quarterfinals of the Cup.

Dunga's squad will face the Netherlands, a really dangerous team that will use excellent footballers such as Arjen Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder. The orange side is just as talented, and that promise to be one of the best games of South Africa 2010.

Round of 16: Argentina beat Mexico... again

2010-07-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

It was the perfect opportunity for Mexico to take revenge on Argentina for their last encounter in Germany 2006, but South Africa 2010 would have just the same exit door for Aguirre's team. Argentina defeated Mexico 3-1 with two goals of Carlos Tevez and another one scored by Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuaín.

It was a cold night at the Soccer City Stadium, and the referee made the first mistake of the night by validating Tevez's goal in offside. But defender Ricardo Osorio's mistake was just as big, when he lost the ball and let Higuain score the second for Argentina.

The third goal of Maradona's side was netted with a superb shot blasted by Carlos Tevez, who had his best World Cup match in his career. Mexico found their only goal thanks to young Hernandez, but that would not change the destiny for the "Tri".

Argentina will have and even harder exam now against Germany, who has excellent players such as Klose, Ozil, Schweinsteiger or Muller, to name a few. But if Messi is inspired, they have great chances to advance to semifinals.

Round of 16: Germany take revenge of World Cup 66 by eliminating England

2010-06-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Germany booked a place in the quarterfinals with a stunning 4-1 win over England. And it was stunning because England was still a strong favorite, even after their disappointing performance in their group. The British team had mega stars such as Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, but that was not enough. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski put Germany 2-0 up early on the match, and Thomas Muller scored twice in the second half to assure the result.

Upson scored the only valid goal for England, but the most controversial moment of the game happened when referee Jorge Larrionda ruled out Frank Lampard's goal, after the ball hit the bar and bounced behind the goal line. That move was similar to England's third goal against Germany in World Cup 66, but there was an important difference: in that World Cup, the ball did not cross the line, but was considered a valid goal. This time, the ball did cross the line, but the referee said the opposite thing.

Despite that goal, Germany was a fair winner and will now face Argentina in quarterfinals. With playmakers like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mezut Ozil, they know that reaching the semifinals is perfectly possible for them. The only man that could keep them from reaching their goal is called Lionel Messi.

Round of 16: Game over for the USA, Ghana still alive in the Cup

2010-06-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

This time the United States were favorite to win the clash and advance to the quarterfinals, but Ghana was far more difficult than anybody expected. In the end, the match went to extra-time and the African squad beat the U.S. 2-1. Kevin-Prince Boateng scored the opener only with 5 minutes after the start, but Landon Donovan netted the equalizer at 63'. In overtime, Asamoah Gyan proved his class by blasting an impressive shot to score the winner.

Surprisingly, Bill Clinton - former president of tehe U.S. - showed up at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg and sat to Rolling Stone Mick Jagger to cheer up Bradley's team.

The game was intense and tough for the United States, since Ghana had the extra motivation of remaining as the only African Team still alive in the competition. And once again, they beat the U.S. just like in Germany four years ago.

Coach Bob Bradley expressed his feelings after the game: "I really felt when we got to 1-1 there were some chances for us to win this match. But early in the overtime we go down again. At that point, with everything we put into the game early, we didn't have enough to equalize again. But we have a great squad, and we should work hard to make it better in the next World Cup."

Round of 16: Uruguay beat South Korea and reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years

2010-06-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

Uruguay was not far superior than South Korea but they had Luis Suarez to score at crucial moments. That was enough for the South Americans to win the game 2-1 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in Port Elizabeth. Lee Chung-Yong scored the equalizer for Korea.

Suarez, the main star of Ajax in Netherlands, curled home a brilliant goal almost 10 minutes from time to confirm Tabarez's team as the first nation to book a place in the quarterfinals. At his young age, Suarez is already part of the history of Uruguay.

Uruguay will now face Ghana in the next stage for a place in the semifinals, and that game will be extremely tough for the "Celeste". But coach Oscar Tabarez won't give up on their dream: "I'm really proud of my players. We are among the best eight teams in the world, and even though it's real, it still sounds incredible. Let's see how far we can go now. We are not building castles in the air, but I don't see why we should think this is it. We don't have to renounce anything before playing the next games."

Group H Results: Spain and Chile advanced as Switzerland went from surprise to disappointment

2010-06-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

Group H was supossed to be easy for Spain. With players like David Villa, Xavi, Torres or Iniesta, they were the strongest favorites not only to win the group but to win the World Cup, but maybe nobody told that to the Swiss players. Surprisingly, Switzerland defeated Spain 1-0 in the first game, and that changed everything. Spain defeated Chile 2-1 in their last game and only then the European Champions could breath with ease.

Marcelo Bielsa's side won their first two games, but even with six points, Chile could end up eliminated in the first stage. Indeed, Spain defeated the South American team, but Switzerland - yes, the same squad that beat Spain in the first game - only got a 0-0 draw with Honduras, and they were the ones going back home early.

Now Chile will have to play with Brazil in the round of 16, just like in France 98. Spain will battle Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, and the winner of that game could tell us who will be in the final. For now, lets take a look a the positions in Group H:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Spain	3	2	0	1	4	2	6
Chile	3	2	0	1	3	2	6
Switzerland	3	1	1	1	1	1	4
Honduras	3	0	1	2	0	3	1

Group G Results: Brazil and Portugal, same language, same football

2010-06-27T00:43:00.001-07:00

Brazil got a 0-0 draw in their game against Portugal, and this tie let both teams qualify for the round of 16. Ivory Coast defeated North Korea 3-0 but that was simply not enough for Drogba and his teammates to reach the next stage.

Dunga's team proved to be a real candidate to win this Cup, even when their first victory was not that impressive (2-1 over North Korea). But with the talent of Maicon, Kaka, Elano and Luis Fabiano, they defeated Ivory Coast 3-1 to assure their ticket for the next round.

As for Portugal, we can say that the key victory of Cristiano Ronaldo's team over Korea (an amazing 7-0) helped them a lot. But now they will have to face Spain in the second stage, and that match could change the history of the entire World Cup 2010.

Group G will be remembered for the image of Didier Drogba playing with a broken bone, and for the quality football of Portugal and Brazil when they decided to use all their potential. The final positions in this zone were:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Brazil	3	2	1	0	5	2	7
Portugal	3	1	2	0	7	0	5
Ivory Coast	3	1	1	1	4	3	4
North Korea	3	0	0	3	1	12	0

Group F Results: Italy say "Arrivederci" and Paraguay begin to make history

2010-06-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Current champion Italy just lost to Slovakia 3-2 and finished their worst World Cup performance in 36 years. Even with superstars like Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo, the Italian squad could not achieve a single victory in South Africa and was eliminated in the first round.

The Italian disaster begun with a 1-1 draw with Paraguay, and it grow bigger with another draw with New Zealand. In the other side, the Paraguayan squad got three vital points against Slovakia, so their draws against the "Azurris" and the "All Whites" were enough to win the zone.

Even though Marcelo Lippi's team were strong favorites, they will be remembered for this incredible fail. This group also let us see an almost amateur team playing like pros - New Zealand - and proving that there is no "small team" anymore. The Group F positions are:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	5
Slovakia	3	1	1	1	4	5	4
New Zealand	3	0	3	0	2	2	3
Italy	3	0	2	1	4	5	2

Group E Results: Celebration with orange juice and sake after wins of Netherlands and Japan

2010-06-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Netherlands beat Cameroon 2-1 with great goals scored by Robin Van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar at the Green Point Stadium of Cape Town. With this triumph, the Orange got the first place of Group E and will now face Slovakia in the round of 16.

Japan is the surprise of this zone. The "Blue Samurais" got two superb wins over Cameroon (1-0) and Denmark (3-1) to reach the round of 16, just like in 2002, and with good chances of getting a great result ahead.

This group let us see a promising star in Keisuke Honda and confirmed the strenght of the powerful Orange team. We will also remember the disappointing performance of Cameroon and the previous words of Samuel Eto'o, who said that the "Indomitable Lions" were going to be World Champions. The final positions in Group E were:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Netherlands	3	3	0	0	5	1	9
Japan	3	2	0	1	4	2	6
Denmark	3	1	0	2	3	6	3
Cameroon	3	0	0	3	2	5	0

Group D Results: Germany and Ghana made it to the last 16 in a very tough group

2010-06-23T21:06:00.001-07:00

Germany started the group like a powerful panzer but ended like a plane on fire. The European team could not use their most important striker - Miroslav Klose - against Ghana and they suffered to beat the African squad 1-0. However, both teams advanced to the round of 16.

Australia defeated Serbia 2-1 in the last game, which was a surprising result considering previous games. The socceroos eliminated Serbia and helped Africa have at least one team in the next stage.

This group was a constant surprise for everyone, and we cannot say that Germany or Ghana are clear favorites against England or the US. But at least some newbies at World Cups like Cacau, Ozil or Muller proved that there is still class in German football. The final table of Group D was:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Germany	3	2	0	1	5	1	6
Ghana	3	1	1	1	2	2	4
Australia	3	1	1	1	3	6	4
Serbia	3	1	0	2	2	3	3

Group C Results: United States got a last minute victory to go from eliminated to group leader, England suffered to be second place

2010-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

It was a 0-0 draw between the USA and Algeria, and with that score both teams were eliminated. Knowing this, England and Slovenia were playing the other game with a smile in their face. But Landon Donovan, the most talented American footballer nowadays, netted the winner goal in the very last minute of the game. USA got the tickets for the next stage and reached the top position of Group C.

England started the Cup with two disappointing draws: 1-1 against USA, with the infamous mistake of goalkeeper Robert Green, and 0-0 against Algeria. Despite Rooney, Lampard, Gerard and many other superstars, the European powerhouse didn't show enough quality to reach the final game.

The World will remember this group for the terrible mistake of Robert Green against the American squad, and for the excellent game between the USA and Slovenia. Group C finished like this:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
USA	3	1	2	0	4	3	5
England	3	1	2	0	2	1	5
Slovenia	3	1	1	1	3	3	4
Algeria	3	0	1	2	0	2	1

Group B Results: Messi helped an unstoppable Argentina shine over Nigeria, Korea and Greece

2010-06-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Diego Maradona aproved his most difficult test, by taking Argentina to the top spot of Group B. The South American powerhouse defeated Nigeria (1-0), Korea (4-1) and Greece (2-0) to prove that they are serious candidates. And the main reason for this initial success has a name: Lionel Messi.

Tonight's win of Argentina over Greece was achieved thanks to a pair of goals netted by Demichelis and Martin Palermo, a veteran striker who is close to retirement and got to score his first World Cup goal.

The Republic of Korea got an important win over Greece in the first match and that result helped them move to the next stage, eliminating the European team and Nigeria. As for the "Super Eagles", they had a super-disappointing performance in this World Cup.

Argentina will have to face Mexico just like in Germany 2006. But this time, with players like Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Tevez and Veron, to name a few, they clearly are favorites to reach the final and win the Cup. The final table of Group B is:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Argentina	3	3	0	0	7	1	9
Korea	3	1	1	1	5	6	4
Greece	3	1	0	2	2	5	3
Nigeria	3	0	1	2	3	5	1

Group A Results: Uruguay and Mexico got the tickets, France was eliminated

2010-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Luis Suarez scored the only goal that helped Uruguay beat Mexico 1-0. Despite the loss suffered by the "Tri", both latin nations qualified for the next stage. South Africa save their honor by defeating a really sad French team 2-1, but that could not keep the host squad from elimination.

Considering the initial results - Mexico and South Africa started the Cup with a really strong proposition and ended their game with a 1-1 draw, while France tied with Uruguay 0-0 - we can conclude that the difference was made in the second round, where the South American team crushed the hosts 3-0 with a superb Diego Forlan, and Mexico upset France 2-0, goals scored by Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

There was very few surprises at the Group A, and many disappointing performances. But above all, this group will be remembered for the internal rebelion in the French team. That included Chelsea's striker Nicolas Anelka blasting against his coach, and the entire French squad on strike after Anelka's departure. In the end, the final positions in Group A are:

Teams	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Uruguay	3	2	1	0	4	0	7
Mexico	3	1	1	1	3	2	4
South Africa	3	1	1	1	3	5	4
France	3	0	1	2	1	4	1

Arjen Robben: "I will go to South Africa"

2010-06-07T23:26:00.001-07:00

The talented midfielder said that he is "happy that the coach counts on him and didn't call a substitute. I'm pretty sure I will travel to South Africa, I'm just not sure when".

The Bayern Munich's footballer is pleased with Bert van Marwijk´s decision of waiting for him to heal. As we know, Robben tore his left hamstring in the friendly game against Hungary, which ended 6-1 for the Netherlands.

"I will do all I can to play in the World Cup. I'm confident that it will happen but I can't rush the medical process. I know I will be there, maybe in four days, maybe in ten." he concluded.

Brazil beat Tanzania 5-1 and proved to be a serious candidate

2010-06-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

Brazil was just too much for a weak Tanzania in their last friendly game before the World Cup opener. Robinho and Ramires scored twice, but maybe the best news are the great performance of Kaka, who is recovering from a long time away from the pitch due to an injury.

The south american team took this game almost as a training session since the rival was not a serious challenge in terms of football quality.

Coach Dunga had the chance to use all his players in order to prove his entire squad and define the starting team for the first game in South Africa.

Brazil will kick off their campaign against North Korea on June 15, and the team is stronger than ever, even without world class stars such as Ronaldinho, Pato or Adriano.

Eto'o: "I hope the world is ready to see an African Nation win the World Cup"

2010-06-07T23:22:00.001-07:00

The most important player in Cameroon, Samuel Eto'o, claims that the entire world should be prepared to accept an African Champion in this World Cup.

"African teams are really well prepared to wint this Cup. There's no doubt that we all will fight with everything we have to achieve it. This tournament is the opportunity to show the world that Africa is not just a land of deseases" Samuel Eto'o said.

Lets remember that Cameroon will kick off their participation against Japan on June 14.

Adidas' Jo’Bulani, the official ball for the Final in South Africa

2010-04-20T08:29:00.001-07:00

FIFA officially announced that the ball to be used at the Final of South Africa 2010 will be the beautiful "Jo'Bulani". This ball, manufactured by Adidas, was unveiled in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Adidas has always been the official provider for the balls used at the World Cups, and this time they want to make the difference with a golden ball.

The name "Jo'Bulani" plays with the word "Jabulani", which means "celebration" in isiZulu, and "Jo'Burg" - the common nickname for Johannesburg.

Adidas announced that they will continue to use innovative technology for their sports accessories. In fact, they are already working on the ball for the next World Cup in Brazil 2014.

HBO to broadcast "Destination South Africa 2010"

2010-04-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

There are only two months left before the World Cup begins. And as the emotion grows, HBO announced that starting this sunday, they will broadcast a new show called "Destination South Africa".

The TV show will have ten episodes, 25 minutes each, and we will be able to look at the most interesting reviews, interviews and much more related to the most important candidates to win the Cup. The show was filmed in Spain, Argentina, Brasil, England, Mexico and South Africa.

Powerful Argentina: Messi and Higuain have scored 50 goals in the Spanish League

2010-04-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

Argentina has reasons to dream with a great World Cup in South Africa. Despite the fact that Maradona has been critiziced for his poor experience and bad decisions as a coach, the south american team has the most dangerous strikers of Europe: Messi and Higuain.

Indeed, only in the Spanish league, Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain have scored 50 goals and are the top strikers of the competition. They are the most efficient forwards in Spain, even above great super stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or David Villa.

As we know, Argentina will begin the World Cup in Group B along with Nigeria, Greece and North Korea.

Shunsuke Nakamura with an ankle injury

2010-04-06T09:26:00.001-07:00

Shunsuke Nakamura is maybe the best Japanese player nowadays. And he could miss Japan's friendly match with Serbia due to a serious injury.

The talented midfielder left the last game of his team with a bruised ankle. Yokohama finally lost 2-1 to Shimizu S Pulse but that was not the only bad news for him.

Japanese boss Takeshi Okada expressed his concern: "It is not good at all. But we have to hear what the doctors say tomorrow and go from there."

Deco: Portugal is my favorite to win World Cup

2010-04-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Anderson Luis de Souza, better known as "Deco", assured that Portugal will make a great World Cup. The reason is that their squad has great physical condition and no injured players.

The Brazilian-Portuguese player dreams to reach the final stages of the tournament. According to him, they have enough talent to beat Brasil, Argentina or Spain

Deco also claims that South Africa will be his last big competition, and it will be a strange moment when Portugal will face Brazil. As we know, both countries are in Group G, along with Ivory Coast and North Korea.

Cesc will not miss World Cup despite fibula fracture

2010-04-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas will be out of activity at least for six weeks due to a fibula fracture suffered in the Champions League match against Barcelona.

Fabregas, who played the match with previous physical problems, is a key player for his club and the Spanish National team as well. Doctors have assured that he will be fit for June 11, when the World Cup will begin.

As we know, Spain is in Group H and will battle against Chile, Switzerland and Hondura to reach the next stage at the World Cup 2010.

Rooney twisted his ankle in Champions League match against Bayern Munich

2010-03-31T08:45:00.001-07:00

Millions of English fans saw a really concerning scene at the end of the Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United game for the Champions League: Their national team star Wayne Rooney twisted his ankle and fell to the ground in pain.

Now everyone in England awaits for the diagnosis of Manchester United medical team. And Ferguson was cautious about it: "Wayne has obviously hurt his ankle. However, it is too early to say how serious it is. I don't think it's that serious but we'll wait and see."

One of the most concerned persons with this news is England coach Fabio Capello. Rooney is the key player of his team and the main reason why the British are candidates to win World Cup in South Africa.

It's important to remember that Rooney's team face Chelsea on Saturday in a game which could determine the winner of this season of the Premier League.

Diego Maradona attacked by his dog, went under surgery

2010-03-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Former Argentinian star and current national team coach Diego Armando Maradona was bitten by his dog yesterday, and had to go under reconstructive facial surgery to fix his upper lip.

The former footballer was checked into Los Arcos clinic in Buenos Aires. The surgery was successfully performed.

"Diego was evaluated by plastic surgeons and taken to an operating room where they did reconstructive surgery on his upper lip" the hospital announced.

The most convincing version says that Maradona was playing with his pet dog, a Shay Pei, at home in Buenos Aires. This kind of dogs are usually used for security purposes.

Ivory Coast: Sven-Göran Eriksson is the new coach

2010-03-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sven-Göran Eriksson is the new coach for Ivory Coast ahead of the World Cup 2010. As we know, Vahid Halilhodzic was fired after failing to guide the Eagles to the semifinals of the African Nations Cup.

The popular Eriksson, a coach who helped England reach two World Cup quarter-finals, will now hope to guide the African squad in a very difficutl group, with Brazil and Portugal as favorites to make it through the next stage.

Ivory Coast Federation released an statement announcing the news: "Eriksson is an experienced manager. The goal for his job is to ensure an honorable participation at the upcoming World Cup".

Fans to vote for "Man of the match" at each World Cup Game

2010-03-26T07:51:00.001-07:00

A new system will be launched at South Africa 2010: now fans from all around the world will designate "Man of the match" for each game at the World Cup.

Until now, FIFA's technical study group were performing this task. But from now on, supporters will be able to vote over the internet or by mobile text message.

With this systems, fans will also have the opportunity to win tickects for the matches. The World Cup organization board, along with Anheuser-Busch InBev - sponsors of the "Man-of-the-match" space - are looking forward to develope the most interactive World Cup in history.

EA Sports released a trailer for South Africa 2010 video game

2010-03-25T08:44:00.001-07:00

The first images of the Official World Cup video game are already available over the Internet. Therefore, a massive expectation has emerged among football fans for this new product by EA Sports.

The main objective in this new 2010 FIFA World Cup game is to win the World Cup title for your nation. Choose a team, pass the qualifyiers, Choose a team, pass the qualifiers, play the final stage in South Africa and rise the Cup with your own hands.

Along with this trailer, it was announced that 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will be released on April 27th for the PC, Playstation 3 and PSP, Nintendo Wii, as well as Microsoft Xbox 360.

There are not enough adjectives to describe Messi's moment

2010-03-22T22:03:00.001-07:00

"The best in football history", "genious", "divine player", "epic player"... newspapers in Spain and Argentina, as well as many football players and coaches, simple ran out of adjectives for Lionel Messi.

The supertalented footballer scored yet another hat-trick against Zaragoza (2-4), and proved to be the best player in the World right now. The most amazing detail of it is that Lionel is only 22.

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said that Messi "can't be described with adjectives". Still, newspapers in Europe try to find the one that fits perfectly with Leo.

President Joan Laporta didn't put limits in his words: "Messi is the best player in the world, the best player of history".

Diego Maradona - coach of the Argentinian National team - has a unique player ahead of the World Cup South Africa 2010. If he can take advantage of this, Messi will make history this year.

Fabio Capello wants Wayne Brigde to be in the World Cup

2010-03-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

England boss Fabio Capello claims that Wayne Bridge has the door open to return to the international fold, and admitted that the situation that led to the full-back's decision to make quit from the National team was not an easy one.

As we know, the talented defender last month announced he did not wish to be selected for England after it became public that Chelsea's John Terry had an affair with Bridge's mate, Vanessa Perroncel.

Capello did not put a deadline for Bridge's decision of coming back. "I want him to rethink about it".

South Africa got a 0-0 draw with Brazilian Cruzeiro in friendly game

2010-03-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

The World Cup host team is training in Brazil, and played against Cruzeiro from Belo Horizonte last night. The final score was 0-0, and South Africa proved that there is still many urgent improvements needed in their gamestyle.

In a very friendly game, the Brazilian team had a few more chances than the "Bafana Bafana". But strikers of both sides could not score the opener.

More than 40,000 supporters assisted to the Mineirao Stadium for the match. By the end of the game, they were exasperated with their own squad's inaccuracies, but delighted with some talented moves of Itumeleng Khune and Siphiwe Tshabalala.

Carlos Alberto Parreira sounded satisfied with the result: “This was our biggest match in Brazil. Our team can't do miracles in nine days, and I think that we have had good results so far."

Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas and Shakira to perform in the World Cup Opening Ceremony

2010-03-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

FIFA and the South Africa World Cup organization comitee is planning a huge concert the previous day to the kick off. And many mega-stars will be present: Alicia Keys, Juanes, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and John Legend are roumored to sing that day.

This super concert also will show famous African artists like singer Vusi Mahlasela and Malian Amadou and Mariam.

In a very wise statement, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke promoted the concert by saying that it would celebrate the unifying power of soccer and music.

Lucas Radebe, a former african footballer currently part of the organization team, said: "I believe these historic events will go a long way towards uniting the people of our rainbow nation in our nation. We must remember that music and sports are the lifeblood of African culture, so to mix up these great things for our epic World Cup will be a true celebration for the African continent".

Brazil to promote 2014 World Cup in South Africa

2010-03-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Brazil will invest 3 million dollars to promote their 2014 FIFA World Cup in South Africa during the next Cup, acording to Orlando Silva, Brazilian Minister of Sports.

"We will set up a huge area for 'Casa Brasil', an outstanding center to meet our project, the new stadiums, make business and a lot more.

The politician said that the budget does not include the cultural aspect of this project. They are hoping to close a deal with South Africa's government to support Brazilian artist and volunteers for this job.

South Africa 2010: Mexico to face North Korea in friendly match

2010-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Javier Aguirre is strongly confident that Mexico will be the biggest surprise in the World Cup 2010. He states that there are "solid arguments to dream". At least tonight, North Korea will be the perfect rival to prove it.

The friendly match will take place in the city of Torreón, and the Latin American squad will be full of young players that aspire to be part of the final team for South Africa.

Aguirre will test players like Jesús Molina (Tigres), Patricio Araujo (Chivas), Daniel Arreola (Atlante) and Luis Miguel Noriega (Puebla). He also called Barcelona's Jonathan Dos Santos.

Beckham almost out of World Cup 2010: he tore his Achilles’ tendon

2010-03-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

Last AC. Milan win over Chievo Verona ended with a terrible injury for David Beckham, who is likely to miss the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The English star pulled up frozen in the center circle, hopped on his right leg, and then fell down. "It’s broken! It’s broken!” he shouted to his team mates.

“David felt the muscle begin to come up, a typical symptom when you break an Achilles’ tendon. This is really sad for all of us” Milan coach Leonardo explained.

The first reports suggested that Beckham would be out for about three months but the club's doctors have stated that he could be even five to eight months in recovery process.

This news was also a blow for England, but it's not that bad for Capello, since he was not even sure of taking Becks to South Africa.

Salvador Cabañas is having an incredible recovery after being shot in the head

2010-03-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Salvador Cabanas, one of the most important strikers of the Mexican league and of the Paraguayan National Team, was shot in the head two months ago. Not only he didn't die. Today, he gives interview and says he wants to score goals again.

"I'm almost ready. I will be back soon... I miss the fans, the support they give to the team and to me" he stated.

The talented footballer was the most important offensive player for Paraguay ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But after receiving a shot in the head inside of a bar in Mexico City, his whole country was shocked. Now, the recovery he has showed is impressive.

World Cup Draw: South Africa 2010 Groups

2009-12-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

South Africa proved to be a great host for the next World Cup by organizing the Ceremony for the Official Draw. These are the Groups for the Cup:

Group A: A tough job for the hosts. They will face two world champions and the traditional leader of the CONCACAF.

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B: Messi's team will have not an easy zone, but it's not the hardest one either.

Argentina
Nigeria
South Korea
Greece

Group C: Beckham will face Donovan in the most interesting duel of this group.

England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D: Ballack's team will have an easy first round. Only a really good day of their rivals would cause them little harm.

Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E: Eto'o will have to prove his class against a really strong dutch team.

Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F: The current champions are not playing well but they should mark a big distance from the rest of this teams.

Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G: This is the "Death Group", with super stars like Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Drogba among others.

Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Group H: Fabregas and Torres have an easy group to prove their quality.

Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

World Cup Draw: Charlize Theron announced Ireland for Group A in funny stunt

2009-12-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

There are just a few hours left before the Word Cup Groups Draw takes place, and there are already interesting news.

South African famous actress Charlize Theron was smart enough to make an statement in a funny way, during the rehearsal of the 2010 World Cub bir that will take place on Friday.

The famous actress announced "Ireland" as she took the firs ball of the bowl. As we know, the Irish team was eliminated by France in an extremely controversial game that the Bleus won with Thierry Henry's hand ball. What many don't know is that Theron is a big supporter of the Irish squad. What's more, she actually has an Irish boyfriend: Stuart Townsend.

FIFA directors admitted the joke to the press, however, they are a little concerned that she might repeat it at the official draw tomorrow.

Gallery: Top-Five Moments of the World Cup Qualifiers

2009-12-03T21:57:00.001-08:00

Nº 1: Thierry Henry's hand ball. France reached the final stage and eliminated Ireland in the most controversial match of the last 20 years. He touched the ball with the hand before assisting Gallas, who scored the 1-0 that took France to the World Cup.

Nº 2: The Via Crucis of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Ronaldo suffered many bad injuries during the process, and the last one kept him from playing the last matches that Portugal had to win in order to qualify to South Africa.

Nº 3: Argentina, Maradona and San Palermo. Diego Armando Maradona became the Coach of the Argentinian team and was able to use mega stars such as Agüero, Messi or Higuain. But his team almost fail to reach the World Cup. Only Martin Palermo was able to do miracles in the last games.

Nº 4: The best Spain in history. The spanish team completed a perfect qualification process by winning all the matches. With superb footballers like Casillas, Torres, Fabregas or David Villa, they are the stronger candidates to get the title.

Nº 5: Egypt vs. Algeria. David vs. Goliat. The african champion against the smallest country. In the end, Algeria got the tickets and the team of the pyramids will not be present in South Africa 2010.

Argentina qualify and Maradona blasts acid words against journalists

2009-10-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-12T01:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-25T23:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-18T22:25:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-06T00:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-06T00:48:00.000-08:00

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.

FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 Schedule

2008-12-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

The draw has taken place and the groups have been decided. Now it is time for all of us to know the schedule of the matches on this FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 calendar. The so expected tournament will be played in four venues: The Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, the Free State Stadium of Bloemfontein, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg and the Loftus Versfeld Stadium located in Pretoria.

GROUPS STAGE

Group A:
South Africa
Iraq
New Zealand
Spain

2009-06-14
16:00
South Africa vs. Iraq - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

2009-06-14
20:30
New Zealand vs. Spain - Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

2009-06-17
16:00
Spain vs. Iraq Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

2009-06-17
20:30
South Africa vs. New Zealand - Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

2009-06-20
20:30
Iraq vs. New Zealand - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

2009-06-20
20:30
Spain vs. South Africa - Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Group B:
United States
Italy
Brazil
Egypt

2009-06-15
16:00
Brazil vs. Egypt - Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

2009-06-15
20:30
United States vs. Italy - Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-18
16:00
United States v Brazil - Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-18
20:30
Egypt vs. Italy - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

2009-06-21
20:30
Italy vs. Brazil - Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-21
20:30
Egypt vs. United States - Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

SEMIFINALS

Match 13
2009-06-24
20:30
Winners of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B - Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Match 14
2009-06-25
20:30
Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group A - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

THIRD PLACE

Match 15
2009-06-28
15:00
Losers of Match 13 vs. Losers of Match 14 - Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

FINAL

2009-06-28
20:30
Winners of Match 13 vs. Winners of Match 14 - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Ronaldo rejects offer from Italian club Siena

2008-11-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Brazilian injured footballer Ronaldo Nazario rejected on Wednesday the possibility of playing with the Italian club Siena, whose president offered him the equivalent to 128,000 U.S. per each goal he scored.

Indeed, Ronaldo's manager Fabiano Farah said that "there is not any possibility for Ronaldo to play in the Siena."

According to a public media, Farah admitted that all the world says what they want and all wish to have a name like Ronaldo in their teams, but the player is not interested.

"We thank the interest (of Siena club), but will respect to the Siena, after nine months fighting to recover, Ronaldo can not play in a club that is fighting for not to drop (to second division)," Farah said.

"I'm sure that Ronaldo will start to think about his future after the 'Match against Poverty', a match in benefit of the United Nations," Farah toldthe world.

As we know, the annual Match against Poverty is commanded by Ronaldo and French soccer player Zinedine Zidane, and this year it will take place in the city of Fez, Morocco on Nov. 17.

"This match against Zinadine Zidane marks the return of Ronaldo to the fields, it will be the first step for his definitive return. After that we will start thinking in which club he will play during 2009," Farah claims.

The brazilian super star does not have club since June when his contract with Italian club Milan ended and he has not played since February due to a knee injury.

South African workers to get free tickets for the World Cup

2008-11-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

A great reward is planned for the South African construction workers. According to FIFA, they are to be given free tickets to football matches in the 2010 World Cup at stadiums that they have helped to build.

Indeed, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said that 20,000 double tickets would be given to construction workers at all the venues.

It's interesting to know that the tickets will be for the first Fifa World Cup match at the stadium the workers helped build, except for Soccer City where workers will instead receive tickets for the second match.

What's more, Chairman of the South African Local Organising Committee for the 2010 World Cup, Irvin Khiza, said that the subcommittee would determine the construction workers who would be given free tickets.

“The subcommittee should identify who should get the tickets from the people doing earthworks, overlaying, installing seats and air-conditioners, and the electricians.” he concluded.

Diego Armando Maradone is the new coach for Argentina

2008-10-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Argentinian most important star, Diego Maradona, has capped a remarkable comeback from a near fatal heart attack four years ago by being named coach of the national side.

Diego Armando Maradona, who will be 48 today and has no top-level coaching experience, said he hoped to repeat the success of the 1986 World Cup when as a player he inspired them virtually single-handedly to the title.

Indeed, the popular "Diego"sted in the mission of winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by another integral member of the 1986 set-up, coach Carlos Bilardo, who will be the director of football. Their roles were rubber-stamped at a meeting with Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona.

"During the conversation with Grondona and Bilardo it became clear that I was to coach the team," said Maradona, whose international playing career came to an ignominious end when he failed a drug test at the 1994 World Cup in the US.

"Grondona's ideas are the same as mine and Bilardo's. My job will be to go and watch the players as often as possible. The idea is to return the squad to the spirit of 1986."

Maradona, who was also part of the Argentinian side which muscled its way into the 1990 final only to have two players sent off and lose 1-0 to West Germany, takes over from Alfio Basile.

As we know, Basile resigned a fortnight ago after a FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to Chile, which leaves Argentina in third place in the South America qualifying group. Maradona is regarded as one of the greatest footballers and shared FIFA's Player-of-the-Century award with Brazilian legend Pele.

At club level the pint-sized midfielder played for Club Atletico Boca Juniors, before moving to Barcelona for two seasons in 1982. After Spain he went to Napoli, his bustling play and talismanic presence driving the Italian side to two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990 and a UEFA Cup triumph in 1989.

Maradona finished his career at Boca in 1997, but controversy was never far from the dark-haired maestro. He was twice banned for drug infringements, was linked to the Mafia and was not fond of paparazzi intrusions.

However, it is his goal against England at the 1986 World Cup that towers above all else. The infamous "Hand of God" came during Argentina's 2-1 win in the quarter-final, when Maradona rose above keeper Peter Shilton to punch the ball into the net. Despite English protests the referee never spotted the incident.

Later in the match Maradona showed what he could do with his feet, sublimely weaving through the England team from the halfway line, taking on Terry Butcher and Terry Fenwick, to slot the ball home.

Balance, vision, and a powerful left foot marked him out from a very early age. At 17 he made his debut for the national side. The spectre of drug abuse surfaced in 1991 when he tested positive for cocaine and was hit with a 15-month ban.

Health problems followed his retirement and in 2000 he suffered a heart attack in Uruguay, reportedly brought on by a cocaine overdose. His convalescence involved a spell in Cuba at the request of Fidel Castro.

Despite his demons Maradona still enjoys the adulation of millions in his home country.

Nigerian striker Kanu aims the 2010 World Cup

2008-10-29T17:21:00.001-07:00

Nigeria footballer Nwan-kwo Kanu has said his side are bent on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after they missed out on last tournament in Germany 2006.

“I can say that both the senior players and the new ones have one common goal — which is to be part of South Africa 2010,” said Kanu, who has already played at two World Cups.

“We missed the last World Cup and we all know how Nigerians felt watching other African teams steal the show in Germany.

“We therefore can’t afford another such experience and that’s why we’re resolved to doing everything to qualify.”

Kanu added: “There is a new belief from the players and as such there are no longer issues over allowances and bonuses, which were once a major problem with the federation.”

The Super Eagles are drawn in Group Two along with Tunisia, Kenya and Mozambique in a final qualifying tournament that will begin in March.

Indeed, the Portsmouth frontman also insisted that he will be part of the trip for a friendly in Colombia on Nov 19 despite reports in the local press to the contrary that several of Nigeria’s stars want to be excused from the long trip to South America.

“Even if the Super Eagles play in Iraq or Afghanistan, I will be with the team because I’m a captain that leads by example. And it is not for us as players to pick and choose the matches we want to play,” said Kanu.

Super millionaire insurance for the World Cup against global crisis

2008-10-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

FIFA official sources assure that preparations for the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup in South Africa are on track, says that it is confident that the global credit crunch will not hit the next two World Cups – but has taken out $650 million insurance against the 2010 and 2014 cups being postponed or relocated.

AS we said, this emerged at the end of a two-day meeting on October 23 and 24 2008 of Fifa’s executive.

“There has always been an insurance policy for World Cups and has to do with a natural or non-natural catastrophe or any event that could lead to the postponement of the event to another country from South Africa…but we are on time to deliver the Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2010 World Cup in South Africa,” Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke admitted at a news conference in Zurich.

Taking out insurance was standard practice and did not indicate a lack of confidence in the local organising committees, he said.

In a statement, Fifa said that it had received a detailed analysis of the potential impact of the global financial crisis.

According to this analysis, Fifa had not suffered any losses and was well-equipped to weather the current crisis thanks to a number of factors, including “diversification of its financial assets; low exposure to currency fluctuations; the fact that 95 per cent of the 2007-2010 income budget is under contract; good cost management; and the diversity of its portfolio of commercial and TV partners”.

It said that it had taken out insurance as had been the case for all World Cups since 1998.

The $650 million cover was for postponement of relocation of the 2010 and 2014 cups. The policy provided cover against terrorism, natural disasters, epidemics, war, accidents or turmoil, Fifa said.

With regard to the 2010 World Cup, Fifa’s executive committee decided that, in order to protect the welfare of the players, they should play their last club matches on May 16 2010 at the latest. A mandatory rest period will be in place from May 17 to 23 2010.

The final of the Uefa Champions League - scheduled to be played on May 22 2010 - will be the only exception to this rule.

Fifa said that the executive also had discussed the possibility of announcing the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups simultaneously. “The proposal was accepted in principle, but a final decision on this matter will not be taken until the executive committee's next meeting in Tokyo, on December 19 and 20 2008.”

South African website football365.co.za, in an article on preparations for the 2010 World Cup, said that the global credit crisis coupled with slowing domestic growth and higher prices for building materials was causing projected costs to seem conservative, “a situation that could place a massive burden on the taxpayer for decades to come”.

“As the cost of borrowing money from the world's financial institutions heads for stratospheric heights, economists claim SA could struggle to raise the necessary funds for massive infrastructure projects promised ahead of the World Cup,” the website announced.

After South Africa’s cabinet received a report on October 23 on World Cup preparations, cabinet spokesperson Themba Maseko said that the construction programme for the stadiums was on track to meet all Fifa deadlines although cost escalation “remains a challenge”.

On October 21, South African finance minister Trevor Manuel, in a medium-term budget policy statement to parliament, said that an additional 8.8 billion rands (about 619 million euro) was to be given to municipalities to help with the costs of preparing for 2010. Manuel made adjustments to the country’s medium-term budget plans against the background of the global financial crisis.

An additional 5.4 billion rands will go to alleviate the effects of inflation on operational and capital spending programmes and there will be an extra 3.4 billion for the municipal costs of the building programme. Of this amount, 835 million rands (about 59 million euro) will go to public transport and 497 million rands (about 35 million euro) to add to the existing budget for stadiums.

To host the event, South Africa is upgrading five existing sports stadiums and building a further five. The Fifa World Cup 2010 will be played at 10 venues in nine cities.

Maseko admitted that the cabinet had been told that South African telecommunications giant Telkom's upgrade of its core fibre optic network was progressing according to plan and was due for completion in the last quarter of 2008.

The Public Transport Infrastructure Support programme was being implemented with most infrastructure either under construction or scheduled to start this year.

Power utility giant Eskom has guaranteed that construction of stadiums and the football tournaments would not be adversely affected by any power outages, and safety, security and disaster management plans had been completed, Maseko concluded.

Referees announced for South Africa 2010 magnus event

2008-10-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

FIFA released a provisional list of 38 referees for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, hoping they will avoid the record number of red and yellow cards from the 2006 championship in Germany.

Indeed, the 38 referees - expected to be reduced to around 20 by the time the championship kicks off - are made up of 14 from Europe, seven from South America, five each from Africa, Asia and CONCACAF and two from Oceania.

It's important to say that Jerome Damon, who was on the standby list for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, has been selected from host South Africa. The youngest referee is 29-year-old Joel Aguilar Chicas of El Salvador, who will be 31 by the time of the championship. The oldest is 43-year-old Carlos Simon of Brazil, who was on the 2006 list and will be 44 when it kicks off June 11, 2010.

While FIFA applauded the overall performances of referees and linesmen at the 2006 World Cup, the competition had a record number of red and yellow cards, including an unprecedented four reds and 16 yellows in one game between the Netherlands and Portugal.

English referee Graham Poll mistakenly showed three yellows to Croatia defender Josip Simunic before sending him off. He should have been showed the red card after two.

FIFA headman, Sepp Blatter, who complained that there were too many inconsistent decisions in 2006, also apologized to Australia after Spanish referee Luis Medina awarded Italy a penalty in the final seconds after Fabian Grosso went down in the area under pressure from Socceroos defender Lucas Neill. The Italians scored to win 1-0 and knock Australia out.

Spain's success lead them to top FIFA World Ranking

2008-07-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone is Spain has another reason to celebrate: the FIFA World Rankings for the month of July were released on Wednesday, and Euro 2008 champion moved up three spots to No. 1.

Indeed, Spain is just the sixth team ever ranked No. 1 by FIFA, joining Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and Argentina.

It's important to notice that Italy, which lost to Spain in the quarterfinals of Euros in penalties, moved up from third to second. Euro runner-up Germany jumped two spots to second. The Netherlands, which beat Italy, France and Romania at Euros, moved up five spots to fifth to put four Euro quarterfinalists in the top five.

South american powerhouse Brazil, which was second in the last rankings, dropped to fourth and Argentina slipped from first to sixth. Argentina had been ranked No. 1 since October of last year.

Four other European nations that participated in the Euro finals - Croatia, Czech Republic, Portugal and France - round out the top 10.

Russia, which made a surprising run to the semifinals of Euro 2008, made the biggest move in the top 50 by going from 24th to 11th. Turkey, the other Euro semifinalist, jumped six spots from 20th to 14th.

Cameroon remained the highest ranked African nation at 13th and Mexico remained the highest ranked CONCACAF team at 19th, despite slipping five spots. Japan is still the highest ranked Asian nation and moved up five spots to 34th.

Euro 2004 champion Greece, which failed to win a game at Euro 2008, made the second biggest drop among the top 50 by slipping 10 spots to 18th. Honduras was the worst by falling 11 spots to 48th.

England joined Greece as one of two nations to fall out of the top 10. England slipped six places to 15th.

The United States also took a big drop, slipping nine spaces to 30th. The U.S. lost to England and Spain in the last month, but also tied Argentina.

Iran made the second largest jump among the top 50 by moving 11 spots to 37th.

The biggest movers this month were Africa's Suriname (87th, up 58) and Burkina Faso (64th, up 47). Both of these teams played at least two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in recent weeks.

It's good to announce that the next FIFA World Ranking will be published on Aug. 6, 2008.

A Russian way to eat an orange: Euro 2008

2008-06-22T01:21:00.000-07:00

In a really exciting match, two late goals in extra time gave Russia a 3-1 victory over the superfavorite Netherlands in the Euro 2008 quarterfinal on June 21, booking their first semi-final appearance in a major tournament in two decades.

It's important to remember that in 1988, Marco van Basten's goal in the final brought the Netherlands their only European championship against the Soviet Union, but the former striker's bid to become the first player to win the tournament as a manager was ended byfellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink's Russia squad.

In fact, Netherlands topped the "group of death", winning all their games and scoring nine goals, but came against an opponent that put up a bigger fight than either world champions Italy or World Cup finalists France in the group stage.

The Russian side was on the front foot from the start and striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wasted a free header in the penalty area within the first ten minutes of the match.

Beaten by Spain 4-1 in their opening game, Russia looked a different team in the past two games since the return from suspension of Andrei Arshavin, who was at the heart of every dangerous move for his team. Just the great reflexes of Edwin van der Sar kept the scoresheet unchanged in the first half.

At the other end, Dutch players had a torrid time, with Russia constantly pressing when without the ball. The Dutch squad rarely ventured out wide, preferring insted to pummel their opponents' defence through the middle, but it yielded little result.

Still, should either forwards Andre Ooijer or Ruud van Nistelrooy been quicker in getting to the ball to take advantage of some good crosses, Netherlands would have gone into the break ahead, allowing them to play the counter-attacking style of football that made the Dutch the early favourites to lift the trophy.

Instead, it was Russia that opened the scoring, Pavlyuchenko tapping in Sergei Semak's cross ten minutes after the restart. Not only taking the lead, Russia looked forward to attack van der Sar's goal, while a frustrated Dutch side was left trying their luck with long-range efforts.

Somewhat anti-climactically, Netherlands managed to score an equaliser with five minutes remaining, van Nistelrooy taking advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration from the Russian defence to head in Wesley Snejder's free kick.

And yet, despite the disappointment, Russia would not concede initiative and looked the fresher team in extra time, with Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko and the new player Dmitry Torbinski all going close to scoring against a tiring Dutch side.

It looked increasingly likely that it would take spot kicks to separate the two sides on the night, a situation the Dutch seemed ready to accept, when Russia struck in the 112th minute. Arshavin chased a long ball to the goal line, lobing a ball over van der Sar that three Dutch players rushed to clear, but Torbinsky got to it first, turning the ball from less than one metre.

Dejection was clearly visible on the faces of Dutch players and Russia took advantage to put the final result beyond doubt. Once again, Arshavin proved to be too quick for his marker and his volley flew into the net between van der Sar's legs, taking a slight deflection from John Heitinga.

The Dutch had opted to rest their starters for the final group game, which was still enough to beat Romania, but in the end it was Russia who looked the fresher side throughout the match. Portugal and Croatia, who have fielded reserves in their last group matches as well, are already out of the tournament, which does not bode well for powerfull Spain, who take on Italy in the last quarterfinal on June 22.

Brazil and Argentina only tied 0-0 despite the World expectation

2008-06-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

South american powerhouses Brazil and Argentina drew 0-0 in a World Cup qualifier in which the two top-ranked teams known for their offensive fire became locked in a defensive battle on Wednesday.

Top-ranked Argentina played conservatively in the first half, not allowing Brazil to take many clean shots on goal. As for the Brazilians, they tried to be aggressive while its defense quickly snuffed out any spark of offense from Argentina.

The defenses tired in the second half and the strikers on both squads had chances.

Argentina's Julio Cruz hit the crossbar in the 56th minute, and five minutes later Brazil's Julio Baptista curled a free kick over Argentina's defense but past the goal.

Argentina young talented Lionel Messi was the most active player on the field, dribbling around Brazil's defense and taking several shots. He nearly gave Argentina a win in injury time, sending a left-footer off Julio Cesar's hands, then putting a rebound just over the net.

The result will partially pacify Brazilian fans after watching their team lose a friendly to Venezuela this month for the first time ever, then lose 2-0 on Sunday to powerfull Paraguay, which leads the South American standings.

"We played a great team with a lot of experience," Julio Cesar admitted.

"We played completely different than we did against Paraguay we played a great defensive game but just couldn't get a goal, unfortunately."

Aragones believes in Spain chances of winning Euro (even without Raul)

2008-05-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

The European Championship in Austria and Switzerland is really close, and Spain is one of the most powerfull teams, set to reach an important position.

That's why Luis Aragonés, the coach, explained that he picked his side carefully, and decided not to choose Raul Gonzalez for the tournament.

Raul, who is Spain's top scorer with 44 international goals and currently third in La Liga goal-scoring charts this season, has not been named in the Spanish side since September 2006 and his omission from the Euro squad had been widely predicted.

Also accurately reported was his replacement by uncapped Real Zaragoza striker Sergio Garcia, especially after the withdrawal of FC Barcelona young talent Bojan Krkic.

"I did talk to Bojan and he told me that he did not feel at his best physically and mentally," said coach Aragones.

As for Garcia, he makes the squad on the back of some strong individual performances for his team, which are currently lying 18th in La Liga.

But he has scored only four goals so far this season compared to Raul Gonzalezs 18 for Spanish champions Real Madrid.

Aragones defended his decision to pick Garcia and omit Raul, saying: "There's a debate because he (Raul) is a player in the media's eye. But the clubs have no influence over the choice of a footballer. I focus on the players, not the position of the team in the league.

"There are many other great players who, when you look at the number of minutes played, have scored more than Raul and they haven't made the list either."

The biggest surprise in Aragones' squad is the inclusion of Villarreal's attacking playmaker Santiago Cazorla.

Therefore, this is the final list:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool/ENG), Andres Palop (Sevilla)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Juanito (Real Betis), Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool/ENG), Fernando Navarro (Real Mallorca), Raul Albiol (Valencia), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)

Midfielders: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal/ENG), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia), Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal), Ruben de La Red (Getafe), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool/ENG), Marcos Senna (Villarreal)

Strikers: David Villa (Valencia), Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza), Fernando Torres (Liverpool/ENG), Daniel Guiza (Real Mallorca)

Capello says Beckham can shine in 2010 World Cup

2008-05-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

England head coach Fabio Capello is convinced that David Beckham can play on until the 2010 World Cup if the midfielder takes care of his fitness.

In an interview with a Spanish newspaper, the italian coacho was asked if Beckham's England career was close to an end after the LA Galaxy captain won his 100th cap against France last month.

"It's still open," Fabio Capello admitted. "Beckham played in the last game, he did well against France, and I sometimes go to see him in Los Angeles."

But Capello added that the midfielder's participation at the showpiece in South Africa will rest on his fitness as well as England's qualification.

He assured: "It depends, there are players who at 33 or 34 take good care of themselves, they understand that the body is not as it was and they take more care. It really depends a lot on that."

The italian manger also stated he believes the Premier League is the pick of all the domestic competitions in Europe, although he admits the influx of foreign players represents a problem for the national squad.

"Some really good football is being played in England. At the moment it is the best league in Europe, but then you have Arsenal, who play fantastic football and are out of the Champions League," he said.

"Our problem is that we have only 38% of the current players. There are Welsh players, Irish and Scots. And that's a problem because in Spain and Italy, for example, 70% of the players can be called up. But we can't do that."

Blatter wants Spain to be a candidate to host 2018 Word Cup

2008-05-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

According to European press, FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants Spain to bid for the 2018 World Cup.

"I have really good memories of the 1982 World Cup in Spain," Blatter told a visiting party of 50 soccer officials from Spain led by Angel Maria Villar, a vice-president of FIFA.

"I have heard that you might have some interest in hosting another World Cup," Blatter stated. "I encourage the Spanish FA to apply and the next occasion when this would be possible is for 2018."

As we know, South Africa will be the first African nation to host the tournament in 2010, and Brazil has been awarded the 2014 World Cup.

The English Football Association has set aside 18.9 million euros (C$29.5 million) for its bid to host the 2018 tournament. Other likely candidates might include Canada, the United States, Mexico, Belgium and Netherlands as a joint bid, Russia, China, Japan and Australia.

It's important to mentio that FIFA votes on the host nation in 2011.

Greek power in FIFA world ranking

2008-04-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

According to FIFA stadistics, european champion Greece has risen to eighth spot of the world soccer rankings, its highest ever position.

Argentina still at the top of the list in an unchanged top seven, Greece rose two places in the list released Wednesday after beating Portugal last month 2-1 in a friendly game.

As we know, that game was a rematch of the 2004 European Championship final, in which Greece surprisingly beat the hosts 1-0.

With Brazil, Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic and France filling out the rest of the top seven spots, the portuguese team dropped a place to ninth and the Netherlands slipped a spot to 10th.

As for the CONCACAF teams, we must say that Canada fell one place to No. 63.

In the other side, Israel reached the top 20 for the first time, rising two places to 20th thanks to a 1-0 exhibition clash victory over Chile.

Congratulations to Moldova, which had the biggest mover in the top 50 with a 14-place rise to No. 37 while the United States moved up seven places to No. 21 after a 3-0 exhibition victory at Poland.

Finally, lets mention that Ghana remained Africa's highest ranked team in No. 14, with Mexico two spots back as CONCACAF's best national team.

South Africa wants to avoid power cuts during World Cup

2008-03-05T02:14:00.000-08:00

According to local sources, South Africa government intends to make sure there are no power cuts during the 2010 World Cup.

Indeed, the state electricity company said Tuesday resources will be allocated to avoid the kind of power shortage that disrupted the country's mining industry and triggered an $8 billion, five-year rescue plan.

It's important to know that Eskom director Johnny Dladla briefed FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke at a board meeting of the local organizing committee on Tuesday.

In fact, a recent FIFA inspection team declared satisfied with the progress toward stadium construction. "The inspection visit went very well," Valcke saluted. "For the World Cup, we are all on track."

However, the local committee said the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth, one of the World Cup venues, may not be ready for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. That would be a very bad signal.

Almunia might play for England

2007-12-26T08:16:00.001-08:00

Amazingly, Arsenal’s Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has expressed that he would have a tough time saying no if the new coach Fabio Capello asked him to play for the England National Team.

We must consider that Arsene Wenger has been the chief advocate of Almunia as a solution to England’s lack of reliable talent in the goalkeeping department.

“I think it would be the toughest decision of my career and a big one,” was the 30-year-old’s conclusion.

“In fact, I will have to wait until that moment to see what is happening such as which goalkeeper England has or which one Spain has.

“Spain have never called me. And, if other people want me, I have to study my situation and take a decision because it is good for me. I will not close the door to anything. Honestly I’m not thinking about being an international goalkeeper for Spain. My mind is here in Arsenal in London and, at the moment, I don’t have many options to play for Spain. But I don’t care, I am really happy here.

“And yes, I would be very pleased to take a decision that would make me happy and my family happy.”

Critical moment for Ronaldinho and Barcelona

2007-12-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

At the time Ronaldinho Gaucho arrived at El Prat Airport on Sunday night in the comic get-up of the teenage bad-boy sunglasses, it was barely an hour after the final whistle of the Camp Nou derby. In fact, it was the fastest he'd moved all night and rather than wagging thumb and little finger at adoring fans, he sneaked silently through a side door. If he is late back again, busy holed up in the boot of a car or working on his pneumatic drill impression, few will care. Right now, plenty of Blaugrana supporters couldn't care less if he doesn't fly back at all.

Yes, they couldn't care less because on Sunday, Barcelona FC were defeated 1-0 by Madrid in what used to be called the derbi and is now dubbed the clasico but was only classic in the way that old programs which weren't that great the first time are classic. Because a Julio Baptista goal inflicted Barca's first home defeat for almost two years. Because they failed to score for the first time since a 0-0 draw with Espanyol almost three years ago. Because defeat leaves them seven points behind Madrid, closing an annus almost as horribilis as the Queen's. Because, in an admirable display of cliched fools seldom differing, both Marca and AS's sites declared it a "white Christmas", while Sport and Mundo Deportivo called it "the nightmare before Christmas". And because the league looks done already: "It's over," insisted Marca's Roberto Palomar, "the difference between Madrid and Barcelona is the difference between an goat and a lion. And I just don't remember a single documentary where the goat wins."

Most of all, though, they couldn't care less because it's all Ronaldinho's fault. It's not actually all Ronaldinho's fault, of course. Barcelona came up against a Real Madrid team that was too good. Not a side with great fluidity or creativity, and certainly not one playing the fantasy football promised when Fabio Capello was sacked, but one with few weaknesses. Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira - Pepe to his mates - cost Madrid €30 million ($50 million) and is starting to look well worth it alongside Cannavaro. Sergio Ramos is a ridiculously good athlete. Iker Casillas performs miracles like he's making a nice cup of tea. Ruud van Nistelrooy is still the most effective striker in Spain. Raul's oxygen tent is working wonders. Midfielder Robinho is finally finding consistency. Wesley Sneijder is recovering his early season form. And Baptista, built like a tank but half-way out the Bernabeu door, has learnt that he doesn't need to be so nice all the time.

Capello named new England manager

2007-12-15T02:03:00.000-08:00

The English Football Association have confirmed that Fabio Capello will succeed Steve McClaren as manager of the National team.

As we know, the news was revealed 48 hours after Capello agreed in principle to lead the Three Lions, with the decision being ratified by the FA Board on Thursday.

Final conversations between the FA and Capello's advisors have now been completed and the former Juventus, AC Milan and Real Madrid coach has signed a four-and-a-half year contract and will begin work on January 7.

"I am delighted that Fabio Capello has agreed to become England manager," expressed FA chief executive Brian Barwick.

"When we set out to recruit the new coach, we said we were committed to appointing a world-class candidate. In Fabio Capello we have that man. Fabio is just a winner. His record over the last two decades speaks for itself.

"At every club he has managed Fabio has won the league title and Sir Trevor Brooking and I were left in no doubt of his passion and commitment to bring that success to the England squad."

International Peruvian footballers involved in hotel scandal

2007-12-15T01:59:00.001-08:00

Chelsea FC forward Claudio Pizarro, PSV Jefferson Farfan and UD Almeria Santiago Acasiete were among four Peru internationals suspended from the national team on Friday for holding a hotel party before losing to Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier.

Andres Mendoza of Ukraine's Metallurg, also was suspended by the Peruvian Football Federation's commission in charge of the South Africa 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

"I can announce that we have decided on a definitive suspension," commission head Juvenal Silva said. "We've been firm and have decided unanimously to suspend these players."

The federation must ratify the commission's decision.

The scandal erupted after Peruvian journalist Jaime Bayly reported on his weekly television program "The Sharpshooter" that some national players were "drinking with women" in their hotel rooms after the 1-1 draw with Brazil on Nov. 18 in Lima.

And three days later, Peru lost to Ecuador 5-1 in Quito and lie ninth in the 10-team South American standings.

In fact, the footballers were supposed to abstain from partying during the qualifying rounds, which Peru officials call "a period of concentration."

Silva said Peru coach Jose "Chemo" del Solar was not to blame.

Japan names their new coach: Takeshi Okada

2007-12-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

Takeshi Okada was formally appointed last week for the second time. He was in charge of Japan at the 1998 World Cup.

As we know, Okada replaces Ivica Osim who suffered a serious stroke in November.

"Life is unpredictable," Okada admitted at press conference in Tokyo. "I'd never thought about this a week ago."

We must mention that Japan start qualification for the 2010 World Cup on February 6. and have been drawn in the same group as Thailand, Bahrain and Oman.

"First of all, I want to stake all I have in bringing Japan to the World Cup 2010," Okada expressed. "I am determined to rise to the top of this steep slope."

We have to remember that Okada quit after Japan’s three defeats at the France World Cup and went on to lead Yokohama F Marinos to two J-League titles.

He declared that he was sorry to be appointed due to Osim’s illness: "I feel pain in my heart when I think of his disappointment," he said. "But I can't do Osim's football. I want to create my own team little by little throughout the qualifiers by making use of what we have now."

South American qualifiers have a new leader: Paraguay

2007-11-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

Sevilla's Luis Fabiano netted twice on Wednesday as Brazil edged Uruguay, 2-1, despite a sluggish effort at home in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In fact, Sebastian Abreu gave Uruguay the lead in the 9th minute, but Fabiano scored in the 44th and 65th to rescue Brazil.

Also on Wednesday, Edison Mendez and Walter Ayovi each scored twice as Ecuador defeated Peru 5-1 for its first qualifying victory, and Paulo da Silva scored two goals to lead Paraguay to a stunning 3-0 triumph over Chile in Santiago.

On Tuesday, a surprising Colombia defeated Argentina, 2-1, thanks to second-half goals from Ruben Dario Bustos and Dayro Moreno. Leo Messi scored in the 37th minute after teammate Carlos Tevez was sent off, but Argentina couldn't hold on.

In fact, it was the first qualifying loss for Argentina, which is ranked No. 1 in the world.

In Tuesday's other qualifier, Daniel Arismendi and Giancarlos Maldonado each had two goals as Venezuela edged Bolivia, 5-3.

After this results, Paraguay (3-0-1) leads CONMEBOL at the end of the early qualifiers. Argentina (3-1-0) is second, followed by Brazil (2-0-2), Colombia (2-0-2) and Venezuela (2-2-0).

It's important to mention that South American qualifying resumes in June.

Photo Gallery: November 2007 World Cup Qualifiers

2007-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

Colombia made history with their surprising victory over Argentina.

Brasil suffered too much to beat Uruguay in an ancient derby.

England fired their coach Steve McLaren

2007-11-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

The England National Team has been showing a poor performance for a while, but yesterday's 2-3 defeat against Croatia was the top of it. With this result, England lost their Euro2008 qualification, and the English team sacked coach Steve McLaren after 15 months.

In fact, it is the first time since 1984 that England does not make it through to the European finals. Fabio Capello has been named as one of the possible replacements for McLaren.

It's important to mention that the English team has really big names like David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, and many more. That makes this result even more devastating for the British nation.

Ronaldinho in doubt for qualifier against Peru

2007-11-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Brazilian football team doctors are trying to help their super star, Ronaldinho Gaucho, recover from injury before Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Peru.

Indeed, coach Dunga canceled practice Thursday at the team's mountain training camp in Teresopolis, near Rio, while the FC Barcelona star underwent special weight training to stay in game condition in the hope that his injured ankle heals on time.

"I think that with these exercises Ronaldinho won't be jeopardized physically," physical therapist Luiz Alberto Rosan said Thursday on the Brazilian Soccer Confederation's Web site.

The Brazilian midfielder, a World Cup veteran twice named FIFA's Player of the Year, hurt his right ankle in a game for Barcelona and was listed as questionable for Sunday's game with Peru in Lima. The rest of the team — including playmakers Kaka and Robinho — are healthy and expected to be available.

Boss Dunga is worried about the team's preparation, and on Wednesday barred a visit by 26 candidates for the Miss Teresopolis beauty pageant who turned up at the training camp to see their admired idols.

The "Scratch" travels to Peru on Friday, two days before the game. Brazil then returns to face Uruguay on Wednesday in Sao Paulo.

We must mention that Brazil tied Colombia 0-0 and trounced Ecuador 5-0 in previous qualifiers. The five-time World Cup champions trail leader Argentina by two points in the 10-nation South American qualifying league.

Argentina gets ready to face Bolivia and Colombia in South American qualifiers

2007-11-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Following the arrival of their footballers who play in Europe at the weekend, Argentina are working to maintain their perfect start in qualifying for World Cup 2010. And this time, the most important news have to do with the return of Hernan Crespo.

Alfio Basile's squad will face Bolivia at home at the end of the week, with an away trip against Columbia in Bogota just three days later. The Argentineans have so far collected a maximum six points from two games and are the clear favourites heading into their next two fixtures.

Highly-rated young attacker Lionel Messi of Barcelona is keen to take the initiative against a comparitively weak Bolivia team. "Argentina always plays an offensive game, we show that every match trying to create as many chances as possible. The more goals we score the better."

"We have to win, the first goal is to win, then we'll see if we can have fun and score many goals. Even if last world cup qualifiers we managed to win 3-0 against Bolivia and everything went fine, on the previous one we won just 1-0 with a last minute goal from Gustavo Lopez. Anything can happen. We don't have to hide, we know we depend on ourselves and we know we are better than them

South American Qualifiers Photo Gallery

2007-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Juan Román Riquelme was the absolute star of Argentina in the first game of the qualifiers against Chile.

FIFA World Cup History

2007-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that the FIFA World Cup is the most expected sports event in the world. Indeed, ever since the first tentative competition in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA's (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) flagship has constantly grown in popularity and prestige.

A bunch of visionary French football administrators, led in the 1920s by the creative Jules Rimet, are credited with the original idea of bringing the world's strongest national football teams together to compete for the title of World Champions. The original gold trophy bore Jules Rimet's name and was contested three times in the 1930s, before the Second World War put a 12-year stop to this popular tournament.

And when it resumed, the football World Cup rapidly reached its undisputed status as the greatest single sporting event of the modern world. Held since 1958 alternately in Europe and the Americas, the World Cup broke new ground with the Executive Committee's decision in May 1996 to select Korea and Japan as co-hosts for the 2002 edition.

It's important to say that since 1930, the 16 tournaments have seen only seven different winners. However, the FIFA World Cup has also been punctuated by dramatic upsets that have helped create footballing history - the United States defeating England in 1950, North Korea's defeat of Italy in 1966, Cameroon's emergence in the 1980s and their opening match defeat of the Argentinean cup-holders in 1990....

Nowadays, the FIFA World Cup holds the entire planet under its spell. The last World Cup Germany 2006 got extraordinary numbers in terms of audience, breaking many records.

And after this long way, the main goal of the FIFA World Cup remains the same - promote the game, unite the World, entertain people and make nations happy.

World Cup Wallpapers

2007-11-13T00:35:00.001-08:00

Take the World Cup fever to your computer! Download this free wallpapers, made by fans, for the fans:

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2007-11-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

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FIFA World Cup Champions

2007-11-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Year	Hosts	Winner	Runner-up
1930	Uruguay	Uruguay	Argentina
1934	Italy	Italy	Czechoslovakia
1938	France	Italy	Hungary
1950	Brazil	Uruguay	Brazil
1954	Switzerland	West Germany	Hungary
1958	Sweden	Brazil	Sweden
1962	Chile	Brazil	Czechoslovakia
1966	England	England	West Germany
1970	Mexico	Brazil	Italy
1974	West Germany	West Germany	Netherlands
1978	Argentina	Argentina	Netherlands
1982	Spain	Italy	West Germany
1986	Mexico	Argentina	West Germany
1990	Italy	West Germany	Argentina
1994	USA	Brazil	Italy
1998	France	France	Brazil
2002	Japan / S Korea	Brazil	Germany
2006	Germany	Italy	France

Welcome to the long race towards South Africa 2010

2007-09-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all football fans. The World Cup qualifiers are about to begin, and that is just the first step of a really passionate and long race to reach the glory of being World Champions.

Stay with us and don't miss a thing, because when you play football, you never know what can happen in the next game. And that's just too exciting for being just a sport.

Come back soon, because we will post the latest news, videos, goals, results and classification, every day. Thank you all and lets begin!