The 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa
The 2010 World Cup promises to be the biggest World Cup ever in terms of Internet coverage - live or otherwise. It may not surpass the novelty of 2002 or the gaiety of 2006 and given that it will be winter in South Africa, it may not be the best event to go see world cup babes, but it will be something special.
The Confederations Cup, on the other hand, will be something of an anti-climax. Like all low-value cup competitions (think Carling Cup or the Club World Cup), there’s a tendency to take South Africa 2009 lightly, almost like a set of friendly matches.
The good thing is that every single team going to this year’s edition of the Confederations Cup has quite a lot to prove, a point to make, which should make for a spirited, if albeit inconsequential, 2 weeks of football.
Here’s a look at the different stadiums the matches will be played in, predictions for the Cup and links to fixtures, squads and how to watch the Cup live (online or on TV):
2009 Confederations Cup Venues
free-state-stadiumFour cities will serve as the venues of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup:
Johannesburg:
Coca-Cola Park (Ellis Park Stadium), 62,567
Pretoria (Tshwane)
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, 50,000
Bloemfontein (Mangaung)
Vodacom Park (Free State Stadium), 48,000
Rustenburg
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 42,000
Originally, Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was also chosen as a venue. However, on 8 July 2008, Port Elizabeth withdrew as a host city because its stadium was deemed unlikely to meet the 30 March 2009 deadline for completion.
All of these stadia are to host matches during the British and Irish Lions tour which will be in progress during this tournament, but a minimum of 9 days has been allowed for pitch recovery between a rugby match and a football match. Expect Wembley-style complaints.
2009 Confederations Cup Predictions
Group A: South Africa, Iraq, New Zealand, Spain
Group B: United States, Italy, Brazil, Egypt
In Group A I expect Spain to win their group comfortably with Iraq coming up as the runners up, although South Africa being the hosts could easily pip them to the post.
In Group B it’s closer on paper but the United States have been a bit clueless under Bob Bradley lately so it’s up to Egypt to cause a few scares and if they can get a win against Italy or Brazil, I think they’ll be a shoe-in for getting to the semis. Italy to win the group though, with Brazil as runner ups.
Semifinal 1: Group A Winner v Group B Runner Up
Semifinal 2: Group B Winner v Group A Runner Up
Predicted Semifinals: Spain v Brazil and Italy v Iraq.
Predicted Final: We’re likely to see Spain take on Italy in the final, and while the European champions will be favourites for such a clash, the World Champions can’t be counted out and I think they could take the game if they can go ahead first in the game.
What are your predictions for the Confederations Cup?
http://soccerlens.com/2009-confederations-cup-south-africa/30361/#ixzz0IDdKpvLW&D
The 2010 World Cup promises
Roo stars return for Japan showdown
The Aussies are favourites to claim Group A after a 2-0 win over Bahrain in Sydney on Wednesday and Japan's 1-1 home draw with Qatar, leaving the Blue Samurai two points adrift and needing to beat the Socceroos in Melbourne next Wednesday.
Everton midfielder Tim Cahill was not risked against Bahrain because of injury, while Blackburn enforcer Vince Grella was only used as a second-half substitute. Verbeek said he planned to play his strongest available team against Japan. He is expecting striker Josh Kennedy to recover from injury and skipper Lucas Neill, who has turned down a contract extension offer from West Ham, will return following suspension.
"As far as I know Josh Kennedy and Timmy Cahill will be ready for next week and I didn't want to risk Vince Grella against Bahrain because he was on a yellow card and I needed him for next week," the Dutchman said. "If they are all available I think I will have a very strong team for next week.
"We will have 100,000 people in the stadium next week, who want to see the best available players and we want to be number one in the group so that is why we will try to give everything we have to win that game."
Defenders missing
Verbeek said he will definitely be without defenders Luke Wilkshire and Mark Milligan, who played against Bahrain but have left to play with their clubs in Russia and China this weekend. Senior player Harry Kewell said it was important for Australia, unbeaten in seven final phase qualifying games, to continue winning against regional rivals Japan.
"It's a winning mentality. You want to stick to winning and enjoy that and you want to go into a World Cup winning. You don't want to go in coming off losing matches," the Galatasaray attacker said.
Australia have developed a fierce rivalry with Japan and came away from their away group game in Yokohama last February with a scoreless draw after a disciplined defensive performance.
The Australians scored three times in the final six minutes to overhaul Japan 3-1 in their opening match at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but the Japanese knocked the Socceroos out in the quarter-finals of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup on penalties in Hanoi. Under Verbeek, Australia have lost two of their 13 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Four-star Chile drop Bolivia
Mark Gonzalez doubled the advantage with a precise free-kick in the 74th minute, before Sanchez made it 3-0 four minutes later. Sanchez added his second one minute before half-time and his goal-scoring antics earned him a strong challenge from midfielder Ignacio Garcia who was subsequently sent off.
Marcelo Bielsa's side now have 26 points, one less than leaders Brazil and two ahead Paraguay. Brazil beat Paraguay 2-1 in Recife.
Elsewhere, Venezuela and Uruguay drew 2-2 at Cachamay stadium. Giancarlo Maldonado opened the scoring after eight minutes, but Luis Suarez finally brought the Uruguayans level on the hour mark.
Ten minutes later Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan put Uruguay ahead, but their lead lasted just three minutes as defender Jose Manuel Rey grabbed a point for Venezuela with a powerful free-kick from 25 meters. The result meant Ecuador moved into fifth place following their 2-0 victory over Argentina. They now have 20 points, two more than Uruguay and three ahead of Venezuela.
Finally, in Medellin hosts Colombia beat bottom-side Peru 1-0 to keep them in with a slim chance of reaching fifth place and the play-off. River Plate striker Radamel Falcao Garcia netted the only goal of the match in the 24th minute.
It was the first competitive Colombian goal in 210 minutes, as well as Falcao's first official goal with the national side. Colombia are three points behind fifth-placed Ecuador.
Brazil and Chile are just a step away from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Elsewhere Argentina came off second best to fast-improving Ecuador, Colombia edged out bottom-placed Peru while Venezuela and Uruguay played out an exciting draw.
FIFA.com rounds up the action in Wednesday's five qualifying matches in South America.
Match of the day
Brazil 2-1 Paraguay
Goals: Robinho 40, Nilmar 49 (Brazil); Salvador Cabanas 25 (Paraguay)
Cabanas' fourth goal of the campaign briefly threatened to end Brazil's unbeaten home record in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Dunga's side were alert to the danger, however, with Robinho restoring parity with a fine strike 15 minutes later and Nilmar completing the comeback just after the interval. The 2-1 win all but assures the Brazilians a place in the finals, a place they can clinch if they beat Argentina in Buenos Aires in their next match. Problems are mounting for La Albirroja, meanwhile. Without a win in four outings, they have now dropped down to third.
Conclusions
The other big winners of the day were Marcelo Bielsa's Chile, who turned in another powerful display to overwhelm Bolivia 4-0 in Santiago. The man they call El Loco looked on with satisfaction as his side eased to victory with goals from Jean Beausejour, Marco Estrada and two from Alexis Sanchez, who paid tribute to Chile legend Marcelo Salas after scoring his second. La Roja have now gone seven games without defeat, an impressive run that has put them on the verge of qualification for the finals.
Another side celebrating an important win were Ecuador, who moved up to fifth in the table after defeating Argentina 2-0 in Quito. El Tri rode their luck at times, particularly in the first half, when Carlos Tevez missed a chance to put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot.
Walter Ayovi's spectacular header after the interval put Sixto Vizuete's men on the road to victory, though, and Pablo Palacios sealed the points to give them a genuine chance of automatic qualification. The Argentinians now lie just one place and two points above them, having gone winless in their last six games on the road and having also failed to win back-to-back matches since the opening two matchdays. Worryingly for them, group leaders Brazil are up next in September.
Radamel Falcao Garcia scored his first goal of the competition to give Colombia three crucial points over Peru, who almost snatched a point in a late rally but remain bottom of the section, their hopes of qualification having long since gone. Victory ensured Los Cafeteros remain seventh in the table, just three points behind Ecuador in the play-off slot.
In the week's other game Venezuela and Uruguay played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in Puerto Ordaz. Goals from in-form duo Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan helped La Celeste into the lead after Giancarlo Maldonado had put the hosts ahead early on. But Juan Manuel Rey's superb free-kick and a miraculous late save by Vinotinto keeper Renny Vega ensured a draw that pleased neither side, with the Uruguayans dropping out of the play-off place and into sixth, and Venezuela slipping down to eighth.
Player of the day
Marcelo Elizaga (ECU)
The Argentina-born goalkeeper was the key man in Ecuador's vital win over La Albiceleste, stopping a first-half penalty from Carlos Tevez and somehow keeping out Fernando Gago's point-blank header after the break.
The stat
7 - The number of consecutive defeats Peru have now suffered in the qualifying competition. The Peruvians went down 1-0 in Colombia on Wednesday and last won on 6 September 2008, when they beat Venezuela by the same scoreline.
What they said
"This a cycle that is producing some very promising results and on top of that we are starting to mature as a team. We're excited but we haven't qualified yet. That's why we remain cautious." Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa refuses to get carried away after his side's big win over Bolivia.
Results:
Ecuador 2-0 Argentina
Colombia 1-0 Peru
Venezuela 2-2 Uruguay
Chile 4-0 Bolivia
Brazil 2-1 Paraguay
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Match Schedule Download
Official Schedule
With anticipation growing ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, the official Match Schedule has been released. To find out where the games will be played in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Tshwane/Pretoria between 11 June and 11 July 2010.
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Match Schedule Download »
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This is the contest detail : WMP CONTEST
World Cup 2010 - Count down widget
Keep up to date with the latest developments and countdown to the world’s largest sporting event, and win! It’s simple.
Add either the countdown clock or the news application to your:
• Facebook profile,
• Myspace page,
• iGoogle page,
• website
• or blog.
Then send a screenshot of the Shine 2010 application to competitions@shine2010.co.za to enter the lucky draw to win a copy of FIFA 09.
You could also send a link to your site with the application to competitions@shine2010.co.za to stand in line to win.
Alternatively subscribe to the weekly Shine 2010 newsletter and automatically stand in line to win a copy of FIFA 09 every month!
Zakumi - a World Cup 2010 Mascot with attitude
Zakumi - a World Cup 2010 Mascot
So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!
Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.
Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.
He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.
Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!
He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.
Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent
The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.
Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.
"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.
Zakumi the World Cup 2010 Mascot
Zakumi the World Cup 2010 Mascot
Zakumi is a leopard with green hair wearing a shirt saying South Africa 2010. Zakumi's green and gold colors represents South African national sports' teams colors. His name comes from "ZA", the ISO 3166 code for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages.
2010 FIFA World Cup™ - Official Logo
2010 FIFA World Cup™ - Official Logo
The 2010 identity is unique, vibrant and dynamic, graphically encapsulating the African continent while more intimately dipping into South Africa's rich and colourful heritage for inspiration.
The graphic figure strikes a resemblance to the earliest rock art paintings for which our country is also famous. This figure is caught in mid-action performing a bicycle kick - a style of play that captures the flair of African football.
The figure is lucid, energetic and indirectly illustrates an inherent passion for the beautiful game. It is kicking a football upwards - an invitation from Africa to other nations of the world to join the game.
The actual ball is a modern representation of a football, suggesting that it belongs to FIFA. And for the first time ever, this ball that has traveled across the globe will touch African soil.
The colourful backdrop behind the figure represents the South African national flag. The ‘swishes' extend upwards, from south to north, reaching out to the world. They embody the energy, diversity and fiery passion of our country, and they symbolise the rise of the rainbow nation.
The typeface is an original creation. It reflects our personality and reinforces the idea that in South Africa we do things uniquely. It is playful, naïve and free-spirited. It is also bold, welcoming and friendly.
The logo is celebratory in nature and energetic in its feel.
MIlan baros and Tereza Franková sexy Calendar
The Czech WAG wanted to give her man a present that he could appreciate for his birthday, but struggled to find something that a fabulously wealthy footballer doesn’t already possess. Tereza was aware that Baroš owned a lifestime supply of chest wax, so instead opted for the brilliant idea of celebrating Milan’s 27th birthday by posing for a sexy calendar.
Tereza isn’t the only model whom Baroš intended to marry - he also enjoyed a serious relationship with Miss Europe 2005 Edita Hortova.
Tereza Franková celebrating Milan Baroš birthday with sexy calendar
Milan Baroš is lucky enough to be engaged to Tereza Franková, a lady who is not only extremely good looking, but also very thoughtful.
The Czech WAG wanted to give her man a present that he could appreciate for his birthday, but struggled to find something that a fabulously wealthy footballer doesn’t already possess. Tereza was aware that Baroš owned a lifestime supply of chest wax, so instead opted for the brilliant idea of celebrating Milan’s 27th birthday by posing for a sexy calendar.
Beatiful Tereza Frankova huge Milan Baros
Tereza Frankova, center, girlfriend of Czech Republic's Milan Baros, waits for the beginning of the group A match between Czech Republic and Portugal in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at the Euro 2008 European Soccer Championships in Austria and Switzerland.
Tereza Franková The Sexy Fiance for Milan Baroš
After Edita Hortova, Milan Baroš (Galatasaray, Czech Republic) is lucky to have Tereza Franková as her fiancée. The Czech beauty wanted to give Baroš a birthday present but she couldn’t find anything that a rich footballer doesn’t own. So, Tereza found the second best thing in the world to give his fiancé and that was a sexy calendar. I wonder what a million other people are doing with it!
Lindsay Tarpley : The two time Olympic gold medal winning forward hottie:
Full name: Lindsayy Ann Tarpley Snow
Date of birth: September 22, 1983
Place of birth: Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Height: 1.68m (5 ft 6 in)
Playing position: Forward
Plays for: Chicago Red Stars, United States
Official website: http://www.lindsaytarpley.com/
The Sexy and Pretty Lindsay and the U.S. Women’s National Team Defeat Brazil 1-0 for the Gold Medal at the 2008 Beijing
Lindsay Tarpley grew up in Michigan and attended Portage Central High School. She took her team to the state semi-finals which was followed by an undefeated season and the state championship. She received many honors during her time there.
In 2002, she went to the University of North Carolina and continued with her out-standing performances and then in 2003, she was chosen to represent her country, the United States. She has scored some of the most important goals in US soccer history like scoring the winning goal in US’ first ever world title for youth women (FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship).
