Written by Cherie Getchell
Much has been made about the strength of South Africa’s infrastructure to host a successful World Cup. To that end, South Africa is considering beefing up their capabilities in providing the best World Cup possible by legalizing prostitution.
It was South African police commissioner Jackie Selebi who first proposed the idea, arguing that if prostitution is legalized, it would free up police to deal with more pressing security issues, but last Wednesday, at an Arts and Culture Department meeting on its plans for social cohesion for 2010, the proposal was presented again, this time from ANC MP George Lekgetho. “It is one of the things that would make it [the tournament] a success because we hear of many rapes, because people don’t have access to them [women],” Lekgetho stated during a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture in Parliament.
Not everyone was as keen on the idea as Lekgetho, some seeing it as a joke, and others as an offense. Lekgetho’s idea is supported by many of the same arguments that have been thrown around before. Theoretically so long as it’s legal, it will be easy to license, regulate, and tax. It would provide money for the country, establish some guidelines and safety precautions for the workers and their patrons, and generally allow the prostitutes more organizational capabilities, providing more safety and empowerment. There is also the issue of HIV. Legalizing prostitution could pave the way for regulations on mandatory testing for HIV and other STD’s, making it safer for both the prostitutes and their patrons. Said Lekgetho, “If sex working is legalised people would not do things in the dark. That would bring us tax and would improve the lives of those who are not working.”
The remainder of the meeting focused on the customer service in South Africa, but the topic of legalizing prostitution for the 2010 tournament was left for further consideration, with another ANC MP, Christopher Gololo suggesting the topic be an issue given to the public to debate. However, DA MP Sydney Opperfman pointed out the danger in “commercializing” the relationship, stating, “You cannot attach a price to the deepest union between a man and a woman and link it to our tax base.”
On the other hand, the issue of human trafficking and abuse cannot be ignored as football fans across the globe flock to the fragile nation for football and all the other accessories that go with the game. Alcohol and sex seem to be as big a part of many fans’ experience as watching the matches itself. Legalizing prostitution may make fans safer, and make their access to prostitutes a little bit cleaner, but South Africa is correct in realizing that their country’s long-term identity will not be defined solely by 2010, and weighing the detriments compared to the benefits of such a drastic policy shift may spell disaster for the country in the long run, if the country isn’t ready for it.
Instead of pondering these profitable but theoretical possibilities, South Africa should look at what they projected they’d be able to produce when they were initially awarded the tournament, and legalizing prostitution was probably not in that dossier.
Its natural for South Africa to refer back to 2006, as Germany served as a fantastic host. The legalized public drinking and prostitution probably helped that along, and to that end, replicating Germany in terms of legalized prostitution makes sense to debate, but Germany also had readied stadiums and roads and transportation. Cart before the horse, really.
World Cup 2010 with Legal Prostitution
2010 FIFA World Cup
After UEFA EURO 2008 over now time to wait
World cup.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, an international tournament for football, that is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. It will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by a nation in the Confederation of African Football, leaving the Oceania Football Confederation as the only FIFA Confederation never to have hosted the event.
Johannesburg ready for 2009
With almost six months left before the opening game of the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, the spotlight has now shifted to Johannesburg, the city that will host the tournament's opening game between the hosts and Asian champions, Iraq on 14 June.
Now preparations are underway by the city to create a lasting impression to the scores of visitors who are likely to make the trip to the tip of the African continent to watch the eight top teams as they battle for supremacy in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
So much, rightly or wrongly, has been said and written about Johannesburg but the FIFA Confederations Cup will afford the city a unique platform to market and position themselves as a favourable destination to the scores of visitors expected to flock in the country to watch the world's biggest sporting extravaganza.
"We want to change the misconception some people have about our city, we want showcase to the rest of the world exactly what Johannesburg is capable of doing. I'm confident that we will make the right impression to our visitors," Johannesburg 2010 executive director, Sibongile Mazibuko told FIFA.com.
A double opportunity
It seems as though there is a dual incentive to do well in ‘Joburg'. Bafana Bafana are hoping to win the game against Iraq to give the team greater confidence, while the city also wants to show the world what it is capable of achieving.
Although the recent draw for the Confederations Cup held at Sandton City in Johannesburg went without any hitches, its citizens will realised that they will be even more under the microscope come June 2009.
"People of Johannesburg are very excited about both the Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We understand the work that goes behind organising an event like the Confederations Cup and we are therefore preparing for all situations," said Mazibuko.
"We have already identified places where we will have public viewing facilities because we know that not everyone will get a ticket inside the stadium. This is an African event and we want to make sure that our people get to experience both events."
A vibrant city
Johannesburg is home to the country's biggest football outfits, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
The city has attracted some major international events over recent years, including the forthcoming Miss World gala, something the organisers believe will raise Johannesburg's profile to the rest of the world as its official seek to bolster its claim as being South Africa's main city during the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events.
Last week, Johannesburg hosted the Soccerex exhibition attended by hundreds of footballing executives from different countries and in the past, Johannesburg has played host to both the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
football home - Bloemfontein: SA
‘Welcome to Bloemfontein, the city of roses,' reads a bold signage as you approach the beautiful artistic city in Mangaung.
The introduction's irony is, besides the dry vegetation that is paraded along the roadside, the only blossoming flowers you are likely to encounter are in the city centre - and even there, they are in a clear minority.
But maybe the signage's creators had their mind on the city's colourful football supporters, often clad in green-and-white hoops of Bloemfontein Celtic, who you will encounter on almost every street corner, irrespective of whether it is a match day. Such is the penchant for the sport that it is, locals will attest, firmly part of the culture.
Situated at the heart of the country, Bloemfontein has transformed itself into a preferred football destination over the past few years, and South Africa will be banking on the excitement consistently generated there to flavour the FIFA Confederations Cup in six month's time. Indeed, Bloemfontein is one of four Host Cities for the competition, along with Johannesburg, Rustenburg and Pretoria/ Tshwane.
Plans are already afoot to raise Bloemfontein's appeal, which include engaging locals in adopting some of the teams who will play their games at the replenished Free State Stadium. "We are satisfied with the upgrading of our stadium and we are looking forward in hosting the football giants and our Bafana Bafana," George Mohlakoana, Mangaung's CEO for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, told FIFA.com.
"Recently we hosted the tour of the world agencies and the feedback we got was very positive. Everyone was impressed with what we have achieved so far. We are not resting, we are working around the clock to make sure we meet all stipulated demands, including IT&T services required for the stadium media centre and outside broadcasting."
Bloemfontein is the capital of the Free State province and also acts as the judicial capital of South Africa. Its city hall is a magnificent sandstone building built by Sir Gordon Leith, and Bloemfontein also has an inner game reserve. The Free State is bordered by four of South Africa's nine provinces, and the country of Lesotho. It has a wealth of culture and history, reflected by its rich architectural heritage, numerous museums and monuments.
The Free State Stadium has hosted major football and rugby union matches before, and Bloemfontein's natives are renowned for their passion for both sports. While the former played second fiddle to the latter for decades, football's popularity explosion - aided by the emergence of Bloemfontein Celtic - is changing this.
The Celtic fans are known as Siwelele, a Sotho term. Sotho is one of the 11 official languages in South Africa and, along with Afrikaans, the most-spoken in the Free State, although English is also widely used. Free State Stars, formerly Qwa-Qwa Stars, are another established team from the area.
Fairy tale endings still open
Major contenders such as Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco and continental champions Egypt look well placed to progress to the last phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ preliminaries, but there might yet be a fairy tale or to two to tell after Sunday's contests in the Africa.
Swaziland, for example, are aiming to reach uncharted territory by beating Togo, while Burkina Faso aim to finish ahead of mighty Tunisia in their section, underlining once again the unpredictability of football in Africa. FIFA.com continues its focus on the weekend's matches, across the 12 groups, with a preview of games in groups seven to 12.
Group 7: It would be one of the biggest upsets in the history of FIFA World Cup qualifying in Africa were Côte d'Ivoire to be beaten in their last group game and have their chance to take top spot stymied. A home encounter against Madagascar is likely to deliver the point that the Elephants need to win the group, given they beat the islanders 6-0 at home last year. Chelsea ace Didier Drogba misses the match again through injury but there is still an overwhelming amount of attacking talent available to the Ivorians. Botswana and Mozambique chase second place when they meet in Gaborone. Both sides can still progress to the next phase but it is a must-win encounter for both the Mambas and the Zebras.
Group 8: With the expulsion of Ethiopia, the group has been reduced to three and Rwanda have completed their campaign with a credible nine points from a possible 12. However, they are still likely to be usurped at the head of the standings by Morocco, who host Mauritania in Rabat in the final game on Saturday. A single-goal win would be enough for Morocco to take top place in a successful start to the reign of veteran French coach Roger Lemerre.
Group 9: Burkina Faso and Tunisia are both likely to advance to the next stage, as either group winner or among the best-placed runners-up. The Burkinabe will seek to finish in a morale-boosting first but play away from home in Bujumbura against Burundi while Tunisia seek a goal fest in their game against Seychelles, who have lost all five of their qualifying games to date. Injury-hit Tunisia are to start Saturday's match at Rades with Racing Lens striker Issam Jomaa in attack alongside newcomer Mohamed Selliti.
Group 10: Mali sit in the driving seat in the group, sharing top place with Congo, but with potentially a much easier finish. Mali's star-studded squad, including the Spanish-based trio of Frederic Kanoute, Mahamadou Diarra and Seydou Keita, host bottom-placed Chad in Bamako on Saturday and should finish top. Congo are away at Sudan, who are three points behind in third place and can still grab second spot from their visitors if they win by two goals. Mali coach Stephen Keshi told FIFA.com: "This generation has the potential to provide Mali with what they have been looking for for the last 30 years. A place in the World Cup finals."
Group 11: Tiny Swaziland are living a dream, hoping they will get further than ever before in the FIFA World Cup preliminaries. The southern African kingdom can take top place in the group if they beat Togo in their final match, being played on neutral turf in Accra, Ghana. The odds are in their favour, with Togo's star Emmanuel Adebayor continuing his one-man boycott of the side. Swaziland's performances, meanwhile, have gone from strength to strength since Ephraim Mashaba took over as coach.
Group 12: Egypt are almost certain to finish top of the standings as they take on lowly Djibouti in their final game in Cairo on Sunday. It leaves Malawi and Congo DR to chase second place in Saturday's meeting in Blantyre. Malawi's Flames have home advantage and their two foreign-based strikers Russel Mwafulirwa and Esau Kanyenda return after missing their last game through injury. The Leopards, however, are also a formidable side, with a rich tradition in qualifying.
Tim Howard: There's no perfect game
Tim Howard's rise to the top tier of club and international football has been nothing short of meteoric. Plucked from the semi-pro leagues as a teenager in New Jersey, the spring-heeled keeper became an icon in New York with the MetroStars (now Red Bulls), went on to succeed Fabien Barthez at Manchester United before settling in at Everton.
Now 29, the undisputed USA No1 sits down for an exclusive chat with FIFA.com ahead of a decisive qualifier with Cuba on Saturday. Touching on the Americans' perfect start to qualifying and the Toffees' troubled start to the current campaign, Howard is ever hopeful, never satisfied and wise beyond his years.
FIFA.com: The US is top of their group with three wins from three games. Obviously the results are right, but how do you feel about the way the team's been playing?
Tim Howard: You can't complain about results like those, but all coaches and players are perfectionists and we know we can always play better. After each game, we sit down and dissect it and find ways to improve. There is no perfect game; you can always make improvements.
How hard is it to get focused and ready to play with only a week of preparation, and with everyone jetting in from their clubs?
Obviously the longer we're together, the better it is. The easiest answer is that it's hard to get yourself prepared in such a short space of time. The responsibility falls on the coaches, but also on the players. We, as players, need to forget about everything that's going on at our clubs and leave our English, French, Spanish mindsets behind, and come and perform for our national team. This team gets along really well on and off the field, so that helps too.
Can you comment on the defence's performance so far? You have not conceded a single goal.
As a goalkeeper, you're only as good as the defenders in front of you. Carlos (Bocanegra) and Oguchi (Onyewu) have been amazing in the games so far, but so have our midfielders and forwards. We've been defending in packs and pushing the other teams into positions they don't want to be in. We've been clicking defensively and doing well to not let our opponents get comfortable.
Clicking, that's a pretty good way to describe the last performance, a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in Chicago on 10 September.
It was our best game so far. It's the perfect example of keeping a team off-balance and away from the danger zones.
A win against Cuba in DC this weekend would put you in the final round of North, Central American and Caribbean qualifying. Do you enter a game like that with a special mindset?
We'll be playing Cuba for a second time now, and at home, so the onus is on us to take the game to them. We know what's at stake, but at the same time we can't get consumed with it. We just need to dictate the pace of the game and aim for the three points.
From the days of Tony Meola, through to Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, the USA always seems to produce strong goalkeepers. Why do you think this is?
(Laughs) I get this question a lot, and I don't really know the answer. We have managed to do well exporting players in the goalkeeper position. I think at the end of the day it's about producing good athletes in America, and good athletes tend to become good goalkeepers.
Being a fellow Jersey boy, was your boyhood idol Tony Meola?
I didn't really have a soccer idol growing up. It wasn't like it is today, where you have soccer on TV all the time. I had to take my sporting heroes from other sports.
It's been a long road for you, from semi-pro ball in New Jersey, to (MLS) to Manchester United and now Everton, it's all happened pretty fast. Do you now look back and put it all in perspective?
While it was all happening, it was hard to really focus on what was going on. It was all I could do to keep my head above water and survive and try to improve enough to keep my place. Things just kept happening year after year. But now, in my third season with Everton, I can look back on just what a wild ride it's been. And to be honest, I am pleased with where I am right now, with my development and the level I'm at.
Speaking of Everton, it's been a rough start, eliminated from the UEFA and League Cups and without a home win. All this after two years of sustained success.
It's true, we're having a rough start to the season. In the top leagues in the world, you have to get off to a good start, and we haven't. Now we need to fight our way out of it and we have the guys to do it. We all understand that we have no divine right to finish fourth or fifth, and we are going to have to sort out a way to get out of this. But we have the spirit, as we've shown in the last two seasons.
Lastly, you've not had the chance to be the No1 at a FIFA World Cup. Do you let yourself look that far ahead, maybe to South Africa?
Inevitably, yes. I think about it just like you write about it. But there are a lot of things between now and that opportunity. First, we have to qualify; I have to keep my spot. Nobody in our team is untouchable; no one has a right to their spot. And that's a great thing. Playing in a World Cup is a great goal of mine and it's something I'm working toward, but it's important to keep your feet on the ground.
MLB Sport Merchandise
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NFL Show
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Manchester United Videos - Sexy Soccer
Manchester United Videos - Sexy Soccer
Love them or hate them, Manchester United Football Club is probably the most famous soccer club in the world and one of the richest and most successful. The club's fan base is, quite literally, world-wide and it invariably plays to sellout, capacity crowds wherever it performs. The club's success is due partly to its free-flowing, attacking tradition initiated by its great manager of the 50's and 60's, Sir Matt Busby, and which continues to this day with great flair players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, and Wayne Rooney.
Based at Old Trafford Football Ground, Manchester, the club is one of the most successful English football clubs, having won the FA Premier League/Football League fifteen times, FA Cup eleven times, the League Cup twice, the European Cup twice and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the majority of the past fifty seasons. In 2005/06, their average attendance was 68,765.
Man United 7 Roma 1 - 2007
Glory days
Recent heroes - Cantona, Beckham, Rooney
Ronaldo - watch and admire
1999 Champions League final
A big season for...Michael Tonge - football
No longer merely a promising youngster, midfielder Michael Tonge enters the new season at Sheffield United with nearly 300 appearances under his belt for the Blades.
Now 25-years-old, Tonge came to prominence during an unforgettable 2002/03 season at Bramall Lane as part of the United side that reached two cup semi-finals (netting twice against Liverpool in the league cup semi-final 1st leg) and also came within one game of reaching the Premiership.
Since then his name has regularly cropped up in the transfer gossip pages, something that has not changed this summer with Sunderland in particular named as a potential suitor.
Tonge remains in South Yorkshire however and although his loyalty to the Blades is commendable, the nagging doubt remains that no top-flight club has been sufficiently convinced of his qualities to make a bid that cannot be turned down.
His one season in the Premier League of course saw Sheffield United relegated and like a number of his team-mates, Tonge appeared to be feeling the hangover of that during the first-half of the 2007/08 campaign.
The arrival of Kevin Blackwell revived his fortunes to an extent although a return of only 1 goal during the season was a disappointment.
Now approaching what should be his peak years as a footballer, Tonge will be expected to spearhead a promotion push at Bramall Lane this time around and ensure, whether that is succesful or not, that he is playing top-flight football in the 2009/10 season.
Teething troubles for Rangers ahead of European return
Luton Town go into 2008/09 with a 30 point deduction, unless any of their appeals fall on sympathetic ears. If that penalty stays it begs the question of who would part with money to watch the Hatters next season?
The Football League hierarchy might not have noticed the credit crunch but it's a fair bet that most Luton fans- and crucially their casual followers -have. With spending constricted how many irregular football fans are going to spend their cash watching a team effectively condemned to the drop from August?
Simple geography makes it plain that Luton is in a position to offer many other football options- indeed the League itself plonked a rival club up the road in Milton Keynes.
No one doubts that there were irregularities at Kenilworth Road but the penalties being paid are positively draconian. The League are giving no incentive to the consortium that have taken over the club- or what was left to take over. Presumably the League administrators are cushioned by the knowledge that there are many full-time professional outfits in the Blue Square Premier these days, only too happy to step into the breach.
Luton fans are innocent in this, as were Leeds and Rotherham fans before them, yet they are expected to turn up and pay hard-earned money to watch a competition stacked against them from the start. The diehards wll be there but the next generation and the occasional supporter will be somewhere else every Saturday- and promising young players won't sign contracts with the Hatters, threatening their long-term stability.
Brian Mahwinney claims to protect the 'integrity of their competitions' but in what sense are Luton, now consigned to League Two, trying to gain an advantage at the moment? The 20/20 group is trying to save soccer in Luton not trying to flout rules and extract money from the game.
If the League falls back on the 'rules are rules' argument then the rules are stupid if they continue to penalise a club years after the initial errors were made and the perceived attempt to gain an unfair advantage was happening Luton are two divisions down from where they were so it's hardly been a cunning master plan.
If the League are indifferent to Luton's plight and are sanguine that another club can just be admitted to replace them then they should just say so and we can be spared any crocodile tears about balancing the needs of fans against wider considerations.
The fact is most football fans- even those whose clubs can benefit from the deduction- believe the punishment of Luton has gone too far and is making a farce of the competition whose integrity the league is defending.
If the League is concerned at the number of clubs falling into financial adminstration it might look back on the part it played in ITV Digital fiasco when any knowedgable fan could have told them that the sums promised to clubs from that deal were ridiculous and bound to break down.
Draw a line under the saga from here on in, put an amnesy in place for the current crisis clubs and limit deductions to 10 points in future, or relegation for more serious situations. At least then the demoted sides have a chance to survive and the 'integrity' of the competition is preserved.
Teething troubles for Rangers ahead of European return
Just a matter of weeks after their epic UEFA Cup run ended in defeat at the hands of Zenit St Petersburg, Rangers are back in European action at the end of July with a Champions League qualifier against either Kaunas of Lithuania or Santa Coloma, the champions of Andorra.
Walter Smith moved quickly after the double blow of defeat in Manchester and Celtic's SPL title win to beef up his side's attacking options, signing Kenny Miller from Derby County, Kyle Lafferty from Burnley and former Hearts striker Andrius Velicka.
The transfer trail has since gone cold however with Rangers' status in Scotland and on the European stage counting for little it seems against the backdrop of an increasingly wealthy Premier League and Championship in England.
Fulham's £4m valuation of midfielder Steven Davis has halted progress on a deal for the Northern Ireland man while Watford's Danny Shittu talked himself out a move to Ibrox this week with some hefty wage demands.
That leaves Smith short of bodies in midfield and at the back, a situation worsened by the pre-season injury blow suffered by skipper Barry Ferguson.
And although his options have increased in attack, the return of Miller to his former club (via Celtic) has caused problems, with reports of a negative reaction from some fans during the pre-season tour of Germany.
Star men such as Allan McGregor and Carlos Cuellar remain though, with one of the financial upshots of last season's heroics being that Rangers have not had to fend off too much interest in their key men.
McGregor and Cuellar will again be important figures while David Weir will again be asked to defy his age at the heart of the defence.
Early progress in the Champions League shouldn't be too much of a mission but Smith knows his side need a fast start in the SPL to blow away the demons of the final few weeks of last season.
Increasing the size and quality of his squad is a must if that aim is to be squared with matching Celtic's achievements in reaching the last 16 of the European Cup.
Euro 2008 Top 10 Goals
Here is one fan's opinion of the top goals from this year's Euro 2008 tourmanent won by Spain over Germany. Some good stuff here. The video comes courtesy of AOL Fanhouse, which goes into more detail about what it all means, including the techno song (is that the right term?) accompanying the highlights. Definitely could have done without that one. If you want better quality, you can try double clicking on the video to open the YouTube page and then clicking the "watch in high quality" link below the video.
Here's someone else's compilation though it's interesting that there's not one goal on this list by a player from the Netherlands. There is some overlap though:
They think it’s all over… It is for the time being!
Euro 2008 is over, pre season transfers have begun in earnest, and as the footballing brains of Europe settle down to the domestic season, and the distant thoughts of qualifying for World Cup 2010, it is with some reluctance we leave behind the fervour of the last few weeks. We’ve seen some magnificent football, skills that would befit any of the world’s great stages, and some truly breathtaking solo performances.
One can only relent that the fluid, free-flowing football of the Dutch was cut short in the Quarter Finals, but who could deny the plucky Russians their dues. Turkey summed up the spirit of do-or-die heroic comebacks, and Spain led from first to last with a sublime team of precociously talented individuals.
It’s been hectic, but on behalf of myself and Tom, I can thoroughly say we’ve enjoyed every minute of this tournament. We’d like to thank you all for getting involved with us over the last few weeks. From the casual reader email, to the comment hungry amongst you, those who have posted about us, or simply downloaded the wall-chart – thanks!
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Aragonés gets it right for overdue win
Change of attitude
First, factor in a magnificent coach. Many will forget that Spain entered the finals with their media grumbling about the nature of two friendly victories over Peru and the United States. All the while, however, Luis Aragonés was refining his team, deciding that Marcos Senna, not Xabi Alonso, would start, and continuing the process of educating his troops. The message was: if you can play well and win, all the better, but if you cannot play well for any given reason, then win anyway. When that lesson was put into practice it produced a seismic shift in Spanish football – achieved by a 69-year-old who knew better than everyone else.
'Not much football'
When Sir Bobby Robson was coach of FC Barcelona, he would always cite the day his side scored seven times in a home win only to be greeted by the headline: "Lots of goals but not much football". It was endemic in Spanish soccer that winning was not enough and so the national team often defeated itself in search of style to go with victory. Aragonés taught differently and Spain bought the logic. Next came the realisation that if you are more technically skilled, fitter and more united than your opponents – and have the game already won – then you can add the brio and dash which Spain supplied in buckets and which prompted claims they now play 'total' football.
Right decisions
The engine for Spain's mighty victory in Vienna came from a run of 22 unbeaten matches since 2006, with confidence and attitude growing by the month. But this had to be fuelled by Aragonés making correct decision after correct decision. The starting lineup was always right, with the substitutes wisely chosen and introduced at the appropriate time. For example, midfielder Cesc Fàbregas was one of the players of the tournament yet he started only two games. And even though this was at the end of a long, hard club season, Aragonés chose to use double training sessions every three or four days – was it a coincidence, then, that Spain finished more strongly than every opponent?
Sweet harmony
Moreover, in an echo of Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph, an already harmonious atmosphere in the camp was enhanced by the courteous treatment of the press and the symbiotic relationship that developed out of this. Central to everything, though, was the unity within Aragonés's 23-man selection – whether it was because of those that were absent, or just pure luck that the group were perfectly suited to one another, their togetherness was the spring to success at crucial moments.
Perfect blend
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas and midfielder Xavi Hernández had told euro2008.com that the intense pressure of delivering for the senior national team could undo a Spanish title charge, as so many times before. Here in Austria and Switzerland, however, La Furia Roja turned potential into power, and this strength proved irresistible. There was harmony in the squad, the coach was the unquestioned leader, the media were onside, and the nation understood that Spain would play the Aragonés way. And here, the coach was fortunate to have wonderful individual players to bring his own work to fruition: Casillas, the leader and penalty saver; Fernando Torres, the worker who made the difference in the final; David Villa, the tournament top scorer; the inimitable Fàbregas; and talented youngsters such as David Silva, Andrés Iniesta and Santi Cazorla.
Golden boys
Some had honed their skills in the UEFA Champions League, others had toughened up in England's Premier League. However they got there, though, they formed a golden generation for Spanish fooball, with plenty more vibrant young talents already knocking at the door. This could be just the beginning, and if so, what a wonderful way to start.
