Archive for the 'Soccer' Category

World Cup 2010: Mexico vs. Uruguay will be a very interesting match, between the leaders of group A at World Cup 2010.

Both of these teams have 4 points before this last group game and a draw means qualification for both.

If these two draw today, France goes home no matter what.

Still, we have seen some very good football from these two along the first two games and it should be the same today. Diego Forlan scored one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament against South Africa and it looks like he will be one of the top goal scorers of the tournament. They’ve also played a very good game against France.

Mexico won against France and got a draw against South Africa and they will hope to advance in the competition, too.

We’ll have to see what happens. If this one ends in a draw, France will play South Africa just for fun…

The French team’s training session today in South Africa came to an abrupt halt.

Coach Raymond Domenech had a fight with team captain Patrice Evra and fitness coach Robert Duverne.

At the end of the talk, Duverne threw his accreditation down. Right after this, the players have started heading for the bus and back to the hotel, where they regrouped.

Domenech seems to have lost control of the situation almost completely, after the French team has very few chances of advancing to the knockout stage of World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

To add insult to injury, Jean Louis Valentin, the director of the French Football Federation, has announced his resignation, saying that he was disgusted and that this situation is for the whole team, country and federation and they won’t be a part of it. He refused to accept this.

Many think that the cause of the scandal is Domenech’s decision to send Nicholas Anelka home. The striker gave Domenech a piece of his mind after the last game.

Blind and visually impaired fans will be able to enjoy a special live-match experience at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Six stadiums will each have 15 seats equipped with headphones, and trained commentators will report live on the action happening down on the pitch. In addition, each of these six stadiums will have 15 seats that will be allocated to their sighted guides who will accompany them, while specially trained volunteers will provide assistance within the stadiums. This is a premier in South Africa’s sporting landscape.

The initiative, launched by the Swiss National Association for the Blind (SNAB) and the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) and financially supported by FIFA, is aimed at making the tournament accessible to all. FIFA Partner Sony is providing the necessary transmitters that will allow people to receive match-day commentary in the stadiums free of charge. The SANCB is ensuring that the tickets are fairly allocated and only a very limited number of tickets are still available for 19 matches via .www.sancb.org.za.

“Football is a universal sport and it must be accessible to everyone. We are therefore delighted to be able to make this unique live experience in the stadium also accessible to visually impaired and blind people. This project is another launching pad for South African sports and will create a legacy with services and facilities at football grounds for visually impaired and blind South Africans,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

The Institute of Advancement of Journalism was responsible for sourcing, training and coordinating the audio descriptors, while the Academy of Sound Engineering students will perform the technical audio functions that will be necessary to ensure that the audio descriptions are correctly transmitted to the visually impaired fans at the stadiums.

The stadiums offering this service are:

• Johannesburg – Soccer City Stadium: 8 matches
• Johannesburg – Ellis Park Stadium: 7 matches
• Tshwane/Pretoria – Loftus Versfeld Stadium: 6 matches
• Durban – Durban Stadium: 7 matches
• Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium: 8 matches
• Cape Town – Green Point Stadium: 8 matches

MATCH SCHEDULE:

• Soccer City: Netherlands vs Denmark 13:30

• Bloemfontein/Manguang: Japan vs Cameroon16:00

• Cape Town: Italy vs Paraguay 20:30

TRANSPORT:

Spectators should be aware of the fact that no private vehicles will be allowed within the stadium precincts and only people with valid, official tickets for the match will be admitted to the immediate surrounding areas. Private vehicles will also not be allowed to park close to the stadiums due to the exclusion zones which will be put in place. Fans are also encouraged to leave home early and get to the stadium well in advance of the start of the opening and closing ceremonies and kickoff on the other match days. Gates to Soccer City will open at 10am on the day of Opening Ceremony. On regular match days gates will open three hours before kickoff.

JOHANNESBURG:

Arrangements the same as match Day 1. Spectators area once again encouraged to get to the stadium early and not to attempt to drive to the stadium.

MANGAUNG/BLOEMFONTEIN:

The City of Mangaung will offer visitors and residents safe and easily accessible public transport during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Bus and other existing services will cater for a wide variety of transport requirements, and will ensure that the Free State Stadium, the FIFA Fan Fest™ and the public viewing areas (PVAs) are adequately served.

Event-related public transport will be added to the regular public transport system i.e. the airport to stadium shuttle that will run from the Bloemfontein International Airport to the Free State Stadium via the rail station and Park and Ride services. Manguang’s inner city will be served by an inner city transport service.

Airport Shuttle: An airport to stadium service will run from the airport, via the Railway Station and major accommodation nodes e.g. hotels and school hostels to the stadium.

Intercity Services: A dedicated inner city shuttle service will operate and this route will include a total of 16 stops including major accommodation and shopping nodes, the railway station and the stadium.

A valid match-ticket will allow the user access to the shuttle service, without any additional charges.

Park and Ride Sites: The following sites have been identified as park-and-rides:

• Bloemfontein Baptist Church, Nelson Mandela Drive

• Bloemfontein Showgrounds, Curie Avenue

Park and Ride services to operate from 4hrs before kick-off to 2 hours the after game ends (for ticket holders). Other shuttle services, to operate from 05:00 to 22:00 from 2 days before first to 2 days after the last match to be hosted in Bloemfontein (for ticket holders).

Park and Walk Sites: The following sites have been identified:

• Grey College

• Fontein Street Parkade.

World Cup 2010: England vs. USA had a fabulous first half.

First of all, England were the ones to score the first goal, showing the fact that they are the stronger team.

Steven Gerrard was the one to score first and everybody thought that the game would be a total demonstration of strength for Fabio Capello’s boys.

Still, USA showed that they’re not just a sparring partner. Robbie Green made a huge mistake and got the ball into his goal. This got the USA on level terms, making it an amazing first half result for them. The goal scorer is Dempsey, but Green played quite a part.

It was an amazing first half, that will lead to believe that the second half will be even better. Wayne Rooney hasn’t played his part in the game yet, so you should definitely watch the second half. There is a lot in store.

World Cup 2010:  South Africa vs. Mexico was a great game, in which an enthusiastic Bafana team managed to get a point against Mexico.

South Africa played some impressive football today, in a game in which they were considered the underdogs, as they played a team from a country that has much more football tradition than the African nation, Mexico.

The first half seemed to go according to plan for Javier Aguirre’s team. Mexico played better football and managed to get close to the South African goal quite a few times. This is actually shown by the possession figure. They had 58 percent possession throughout the game.

On the other hand, this didn’t matter too much, as South Africa, on the wings of a fantastic audience, managed to score first. A long pass for Tshabala and a clinical finish ended in the home country leading in the 55th minute.

Rafa Marquez managed to get the equalizer for Mexico. The FC Barcelona defender scored in the 79th minute and, even if South Africa struck the post once, the game ended in a draw. Mexico also had a goal annulled for an offside position.

A good start for Bafana at World Cup 2010.

World Cup 2010: At World Cup in South Africa, it seems that the United States will have the biggest number of fans, surprisingly enough.

American fans have bought 130,000 of the 2,8 million tickets for the World Cup in South Africa, according to FIFA and the South African organizing committee. This is the biggest amount of tickets bought by another country than South Africa for World Cup 2010.

It would seem that soccer, or football, as it is called in Europe, is starting to be an important sport for Americans.

The United States fans’ number at the World Cup in South Africa will surpass, for the first time in history, more traditional groups of fans’, like the ones supporting Brazil, Germany or England.

The interesting thing is that there are a lot of fans that are coming to South Africa to see the event itself, not necessarily to support their country’s team. Also, many of them could be coming to the World Cup to support their country of origin’s team – Mexico, Honduras, as well as many other countries, especially from Latin America.

Let’s see if their team manages to get a good result against Wayne Rooney’s England.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) would like to welcome Germany, Ghana, New Zealand, Algeria and Slovenia who landed in South Africa ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Today’s arrivals brings the total number of 2010 FIFA World Cup teams in South Africa to 24, including South Africa as the home team.

“It is with pleasure that we welcome the five teams that arrived today to South Africa. With the majority of the participants now in the country we are one step closer to kickoff on 11 June,” said Chief Executive Officer of the OC, Dr Danny Jordaan.

Germany

“It was a great welcome (when we arrived), it shows the joy and the excitement with which the South Africans are waiting for the World Cup. And, it shows that they will do anything for their guests from around the world,” said German coach Joachim Low.

Germany will open their campaign in Durban against Australia on 13 June. They will then travel to Nelson Mandela Bay/ Port Elizabeth to face Serbia on 18 June, ending the opening round of matches against Ghana at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium on 23 June.

Ghana

Ghana will kick off their FIFA World Cup™ in Tshwane/ Pretoria against Serbia on 13 June before making the journey to Rustenburg to face Australia on 19 June. They will then play Germany at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium on 23 June.

New Zealand

New Zealand will open their tournament against Slovakia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on 15 June. They will then travel to Nelspruit to face world champions, Italy on 20 June, ending their opening round games in Polokwane, playing Paraguay on 24 June.

Algeria

Algeria will play their opening game in Polokwane against Slovenia on 13 June. From there, they travel to Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium to face England on 18 June. Algeria will then to face the USA in Tshwane/ Pretoria in their final group match on 23 June.

Slovenia

Slovenia’s tournament will begin in Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium against Algeria on 13 June. They will then travel to the city of Johannesburg to play USA at Ellis Park Stadium on 18 June. Slovenia will then travel from Johannesburg to Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth to face England in their final group match on 23 June.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) would like to welcome Greece, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Chile and New Zealand who arrived in the country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“It is a great pleasure to be able to welcome the six teams that arrived in South Africa today. With the football stars now arriving in the country, we are really starting to feel the excitement. The World Cup has well and truly landed,” said Chief Executive Officer of the OC, Dr Danny Jordaan.

Portugal

“We had a great trip, got some good rest and couldn’t have asked for a better weather. Now, two years after having started our hard work, here we are as one of the 32 nations playing in the greatest tournament of all.”

“We want to enjoy this World Cup as much as we can and now we have all of our attention focused on Ivory Coast. Our players are ready to ‘eat grass’ in order to succeed,” said Portugal’s coach, Carlos Queiroz.

Portugal play their opening game against Cote d’Ivoire in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth on 15 June. They then switch to Cape Town to play against Korea DPR on 21 June, ending their group matches in Durban to take on the Brazil on 25 June.

Greece

Greece will open their tournament against Korea Republic in Nelson Mandela Bay/ Port Elizabeth on 12 June before travelling to Mangaung/Bloemfontein to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria on 17 June. From there they will then make the trip to Polokwane to play Argentina in the final group match on 22 June.

Japan

Japan will play their first game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Mangaung/ Bloemfontein on14 June before making the journey to Durban to play Netherlands on 19 June. They will then move from Durban to Rustenburg to play their last group match against Denmark on 24 June.

Netherlands

Netherlands will play their opening fixture against Denmark at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on 14 June. From there, they travel to Durban to face Japan on 19 June, then moving to Cape Town to face Cameroon on 24 June.

Chile

Chile begin the tournament in Nelspruit against Honduras on 16 June, moving to Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth to take on Switzerland 21 June. Chile will move to Tshwane/Pretoria to take on Spain in their final group game on 25 June.

New Zealand

New Zealand will open their tournament against Slovakia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on 15 June. They will then travel to Nelspruit to face Italy on 20 June. They will then travel to Polokwane to play Paraguay in their final group match on 24 June.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) would like to welcome France, Uruguay, Korea Republic and Mexico who arrived in the country on 5 June for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“It is interesting that the three other teams in Bafana Bafana’s group all landed today. We would like to extend a warm welcome to France, Mexico and Uruguay who, even though they are up against the home team, will definitely find themselves very welcome in South Africa. As previous hosts of the FIFA World Cup and managing to get as far as the Semi Finals, Korea Republic is an inspiration to South Africa and it is an honour to have them in the country,” said Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee, Dr Danny Jordaan.

Korea Republic
“This the third time I have been in South Africa, the players have long been preparing for the finals and they are happy to be here in South Africa to play at this World Cup. I hope they will be able to show what they are capable of and leave a giant footstep of Korean football at this tournament.”

“The atmosphere within the group is good, they are training in a joyful mood and they are eagerly looking forward to playing in the finals. The morale is very high,” said Korea Republic coach Huh Jung-Moo.

Korea Republic will open their tournament in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth against Greece on 12 June. They will then make the trip to Johannesburg to play Argentina at Soccer City Stadium on 17 June. Their final group match will be in Durban against Nigeria on 22 June.

Uruguay
“It’s an immense joy to finally be where the World Cup is going to be played. Of course I dream about winning the cup, but speculating about the subject makes no sense. We will know our real level on the 11th of June, when we face France,” said the Uruguay national coach, Oscar Washington Tabarez.

Uruguay will kick off their campaign in Cape Town against former World Champions, France on 11 June. From there, they will travel to Tshwane/ Pretoria to play South Africa at the Loftus Versveld Stadium on 16 June. They will then move to Rustenburg to play Mexico on 22 June.

France
France will kick off their tournament in Cape Town against Uruguay on 11 June. From there, they will take the long journey to Polokwane to play Mexico on 17 June. France will then travel to Mangaung/ Bloemfontein to face hosts, South Africa, in their final group match on 22 June.

Mexico
Mexico will kick off their tournament against hosts South Africa at Soccer City Stadium on 11 June. They will then move to Polokwane to face France on 17 June. Their final group match will be against Uruguay in Rustenburg on 22 June.