world cup

World Cup Qualifying

2009-03-26T05:16:00.006+07:00

Qualifying ,for the next World Cup is now in progress across the globe in the race to join South Africa in the finals.

Again there will be 32 participating nations. South Africa will be joined by five other African nations, plus 13 from Europe, four from South America and Asia and three from Concacaf. There will also be two places decided by an Oceania/Asia play-off and a Concacaf/South America play-off.

EUROPE
The nine group winners qualify automatically. The best eight of the nine runners-up will play a two-legged play-off to qualify.

As in previous years, Conmebol qualifying is on a single league basis of the ten nations. The top four qualify automatically with the fifth place team playing off against a nation from Concacaf.

After Bhutan and Guam withdrew, Kuwait and Indonesia were given a bye into the second round. In round one, there were 17 two-legged ties. From the qualifying 19 nations, the top 11 ranked teams automatically moved into round three. The eight lowest ranked nations played another two-legged play-off. This took a total of 15 teams into round three.

Australia, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iran were joined in the third round by Uzbekistan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, China, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Thailand, Kuwait and Indonesia from the first round games.

The four victorious second round nations were Turkmenistan, Syria, Thailand and Singapore.

The 20 nations were drawn into five groups of four teams playing on a round-robin basis. The top two teams in each group qualify for the fourth round.

In Round Four, the ten nations were drawn into two groups of five. The top two teams will qualify for the World Cup.

The two teams which finish third will then play-off and the winning nation then faces a further play-off against a country from Oceania for a place in South Africa.

Play-off dates: October 10, 2009 and October 14, 2009. Then November 14, 2009 and November 21, 2009.
AFRICA

The preliminary round was to feature the ten lowest-ranked nations but São Tomé & Príncipe and the Central African Republic both withdrew meaning Swaziland and Seychelles received a bye.

That meant there were three matches remaining, of which Somalia-Djibouti was played as a one-off match while Madagascar-Comoros and Sierra Leone-Guinea-Bissau were two legged.

Swaziland, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Djibouti qualified for the first group stage in which 48 nations were drawn into 12 groups of four. The 12 group winners and eight best runners-up will go through.

The second group round sees the 20 remaining nations drawn into five groups of four. The group winners will qualify. The qualifers will also double up for the 2010 African Nations Cup finals. The top three teams in the final group will qualify for this.

Qualifying will be the same as for 2006. The first round saw 11 preliminary matches between the lowest ranked nations.

The rest of the nations joined qualifying in the second round when they were seeded again based on FIFA World Ranking. The winners of the 12 two-legged ties will move into round three.

The next round is done on a league basis, with three groups of four countries. The top two teams in each group advance. This phase was completed on November 19.

The final stage sees one, six-team group from which the top three will qualify. The fourth placed team earns a play-off against a nation from South America.

The first stage of this region was completed in September 2007 as New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu made it through to the next stage.

Also part of the 2007 Pacific Games, ten nations were drawn into two groups of five. The top two went through to the semi-finals. Both finalists qualified for the next stage of World Cup qualiying along with the winner of the 3rd/4th place play-off.

Those three nations joined New Zealand in round two. This was also the 2008 OFC Nations Cup. The four countries play on a league basis with the group winner playing off for the right to take on the qualifying nation from Asia. The group stage was completed with New Zealand the winners.

2009-03-22T18:04:00.008+07:00

Women's World Cup final

Nicky Shaw, a late replacement for the injured Jenny Gunn, was the unlikely hero, claiming 4-34 as the Kiwis were dismissed for 166 in 47.2 overs.
Openers Sarah Taylor (39) and Caroline Atkins (40) calmly took England to within touching distance of the target.
England wobbled slightly - losing five wickets for 40 runs - but won with relative ease despite a nervy finish.
Discuss England's victory on 606
It was left to player of the match Shaw (17 not out) and Holly Colvin to steer the team over the finishing line, with the former hitting two timely boundaries to ease the tension when the pressure had seemed to be getting to England.
However, had it not been for the plucky Lucy Doolan, who hit a swashbuckling 48 for New Zealand and claimed 3-23, then England's victory would arguably have been trouble-free.

Taylor, Atkins and captain Charlotte Edwards (10) all fell prey to the 21-year-old's off-spin as Doolan added a touch of intrigue to a match which, for the most part, seemed like an England procession.
Aimee Mason's removal of Lydia Greenway and the sloppy run-out of Beth Morgan, which left England on 149-6, ensured it was not a totally nerveless win.
But England's success had been shaped in the field where the clinical fashion in which the Kiwis were dismissed allowed for some breathing space despite a batting blip.
Shaw, who only learnt of her inclusion in the team 10 minutes before play when Gunn pulled out because of a calf injury sustained during the warm-up, was particularly impressive.

The 27-year-old proved to be more than an able deputy as her burst of three wickets in her opening three overs set England on their way to an historic victory.
While it is the third time England have lifted the trophy, this win on a gloriously sunny day at the North Sydney Oval is the first time they have done so on foreign soil.

The triumph is the culmination of a golden year for England's women - which started with the retention of the Ashes down under last winter - and the manner in which it was achieved is testimony to the professionalism of the squad.

A superb opening spell by seamer Katherine Brunt ensured England held a firm grip on the game from the very start.

The first wicket to go was that of Kate Pulford , who cut Isa Guha straight to Claire Taylor, standing at gully, to leave New Zealand on 26-1.
But it was the introduction of Shaw which proved to be a turning point as she claimed two wickets in as many balls in her first over to leave the White Ferns reeling on 49-3.

Suzie Bates - the scorer of an astonishing 168 against Pakistan in New Zealand's previous match - was the first to go for just two, trying to hit over the top only to find Atkins at mid-on, while left-hander Amy Satterthwaite immediately followed, edging to keeper Sarah Taylor.
Shaw struck again in the 15th over with the wicket of captain Haidee Tiffen, who had looked dangerous before she was caught by Taylor for 30.
And, at 74-5, the Kiwis were in serious trouble as Sara McGlashan became Colvin's 50th one-day international victim.

The sixth wicket soon fell with Laura Marsh bowling Mason (13) before Brunt returned to the attack in the 29th over and found the edge to send Sarah Tsukigawa back to the pavilion.
Doolan and Nicola Browne brought some stability to the New Zealand innings, with Doolan carving some fine shots.
However, when Doolan was dismissed by Marsh in the 45th over the wickets tumbled, with Edwards trapping Sophie Devine lbw for a duck and Shaw getting Browne (25) lbw.

England's next test is the Women's World Twenty20, which takes place on home soil in June - alongside the men's competition. Aimee Lewis All reserved

Stadium Nelson Mandela Review

2009-03-20T05:52:00.004+07:00

Following an intensive procurement process, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has announced that Access Facilities and Leisure Management (Pty) Limited is the preferred stadium operator bidder for the new Nelson Mandela Bay Multi-purpose Stadium.

The stadium operator contract is being finalised and negotiations to this end (between the NMBM and AFLM) start this week.

The operator will be required to operate, manage and market the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, which is situated at the North End lake, as well as its surrounding urban precinct, which could include the upgrading of the area. The Stadium will host 8 matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, including a quarterfinal and the 3rd/4th place play-off. It is scheduled for completion in April/May 2009, and activities at the Stadium could take place from as early as May.

According to Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Executive Mayor, Cllr Bicks Ndoni, "The multi-purpose functionality of the stadium and its world class facilities will ensure its legacy, sustainability and long-term success. By attracting world class sporting and recreational events, before and after the World Cup, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will provide a major boost to the economy of the surrounding precinct and the Bay at large. The stadium operator, through its experience and expertise in a wide range of disciplines, must ensure, in partnership with and on behalf of the Municipality, that these objectives are indeed reached."

"We have now started negotiations with Access Facilities and Leisure Management so that we reach agreement on the various areas of responsibility relating to the management and commercial aspects of the stadium operations."

Nelson Mandela Bay 2010 World Cup Director, Errol Heynes says, "Appointing an operator is the next big step in ensuring the stadium is running successfully in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and also in making sure that it remains sustainable in the long term. We felt that Access Facilities and Leisure Management displayed the qualities we were looking for in a multi-disciplinary stadium operator, as they have a thorough knowledge and experience of stadium management in respect of football, rugby, other sports, and events; property development and national and international marketing expertise."

The stadium operator procurement process, which began a year ago, was co-ordinated by the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA). Chief Executive of the MBDA, Pierre Voges, says: "The MBDA was established as the development arm of the NMBM and has a specific mandate to facilitate tourism and infrastructure development. We believe that the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has a large role to play as a catalyst in the revitalisation of the CBD and the areas surrounding the stadium - the North End Precinct. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will also attract people back into the city when they come to watch big sporting events that will inevitably happen there. Revitalizing a city is really all about getting people to want to come back into the city centre, and to enjoy being there."

World Cup Soccer in South Africa 2010

2009-02-16T17:39:00.000+07:00

South Africa is not exactly one of those places where people plan a vacation and, therefore, with the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament to take place in South Africa, a great deal is being done to help prepare for an onslaught of visitors to the area. World Cut Soccer is, on many levels, something like the Olympics and baseball's World Series rolled into one; teams from around the world are already counting down and competing with their eyes on the World Cup in 2010 and fans are already looking into learning more about places to stay and even driving rules in South Africa.

All of this - fans looking into lodging and travel, teams playing for a shot at making the tournament - is already taking place. Even with almost two years to go before the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament in South Africa, the official web site is documenting the way that teams are playing and that features a countdown to the event (with well over 600 days to go). So far, there are two hundred teams that have entered into the competition; two hundred teams that are aiming to be one of the thirty-one teams that will compete.

South Africa 2010
Teams from Spain, England, France, Germany and Italy are all competing as representatives of European nations. Africa has a total of fifty-three teams that are working their way through the preliminaries, with Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Zambia, Swaziland, Togo and other nations participating. Asian nations that hope to be in thirty one teams who will compete for the 2010 World Cup Soccer title in South Africa include Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia. New Zealand and Fiji are both vying for a position from Oceania.

On the other side of the globe, teams from North and Central America as well as the nations of the Caribbean are competing and preparing for a spot in the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament in South Africa. So far, teams from the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras are leading the way. From South America, thus far, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have taken the lead.

While it is far too soon to tell which nations will ultimately be among the thirty one spots in the 2010 World Cup tournament finals in South Africa, one thing is sure: each of the preliminary matches is grabbing the interest of soccer fans worldwide - all of whom are hoping that their nation or their favorite team will ultimately be represented. Photos of matches are available online, match details have been made available and these are just the first steps: the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will also offer live streaming coverage of the matches that are played; likewise, some preliminary matches will be aired live online.

The road to the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament in South Africa is still long and winding, however that does nothing to slow down the ways in which players and fans have planned to travel it to reach their destination.

Every four years a World Cup will come along and occupy a football fan’s thoughts and time for weeks. Game after game, the best footballers in the world will parade their skills in front of thousands at the stadium and millions watching on the TV back in their homes.

Players

Players generally make the World Cup what it is. If there were not great players we would certainly not be watching this tournament in the vast numbers that we do. In previous World Cup finals we have seen the emergence of some great talents, talents that we would not normally be able to see.

History

Which players did the world discover after displaying their skills in previous World Cups? There would be far too greats many to be able to list in detail and there has always has always been heated discussions about who is the greatest player of all time, with two players always at the forefront of the debate.

Lets look at these players’ credentials.

Diego Armando Maradona [Argentina]

[World Cup Honours : 1982, 1986 (winner), 1990 (2nd), 1994]

Maradona is a flawed genius, no-one has ever had his sublime talents and been able to hit the self destruct button with such great effect. Never before has a player been credited with winning the World Cup trophy single handed as he did in Mexico 1986. Even in the infamous 1986 quarter final and scoring what is widely regarded the best goal that has ever been scored in the Finals. After picking the ball up in his own half he managed to dribble hi way through a quality England side before slotting the ball past Peter Shilton, the England keeper on the day.

The Argentinean team that he played with in this tournament were all excellent players but possibly not quite good enough to lift the trophy. However, with Maradona at the height of his powers there could only be one team that could possibly win.

Maradona also helped his nation to the final of the World Cup in 1990 in Italy and only lost to a German penalty scored by Andy Brehme.

However, after failing a drug test in 1991 his career was on a downhill path and then came his final appearance on the greatest stage in the game of football.

In 1994, the World Cup in USA when he scored in Argentina’s first game against Greece anyone that watched his celebration knew that it was not only adreneline that powered the little magician. Eyes glaring into the camera, the hearts of all Argentineans knew that drugs were fuelling their talismanic captain. A drug test followed and the inevitable positive result ended Maradona’s tournament and effectively his career.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Pele

[World Cup honours : 1958 (winner), 1962 (winner), 1966, 1970 (winner)]

The only similarity between Pele and Maradona is that they hail from the same continent. Pele was the original World superstar, enjoying a career that can be regarded as a being a model professional.

Pele’s credentials are there for all to see, he set up goals, he was an instrumental leader on and off the field and he also scored goals. In fact the amount of goals that he scored is a substantial feat in itself.

His record is phenomenal, scoring five goals in a game six times, four goals 30 times and three goals 90 times. These are numbers the modern player can never dream of matching. In his illustrious playing career he scored a stunning total of 1283 goals. In his international career he scored an amazing 77 goals in 92 appearances. However, there was much more to Pele than ‘just’ goals.

He will also be remembered as being the only player in history for winning the world Cup on three occasions, a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated. Only an injury in 1966 in England stopped him from possibly winning the World Cup on four consecutive occasions, allowing a fine England side to become World Champions for the first time.

He was captain of the greatest team of all time, the 1970 Brazil side that won the tournament so convincingly in Mexico. Anyone who has watched the final game of that tournament, which Brazil defeated Italy by four goals to one, will be amazed at the skill and vision of the original total footballing side.

Given that Pele hung his playing boots up over 20 years ago and is still revered by football fans that never saw him in his prime is testament to the great man’s passion and skill for the greatest game of all.

Other Players

Many others have graced the greatest tournament that is the World Cup, but both of the players named above are by far heralded as the greatest two. But who would make the top ten complete?

Gordon Banks, Eusebio, Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Garrincha and the Johann Cruyff to name but a few. In fact many modern day critics may have Cruyff as the greatest modern player, a player who helped to mould the game into the style of play that you see today.

Then there are players that did not manage to show their talents in the World Cup, the most notable being the late, great George Best from Northern Ireland. The other most notable absentee is Alfredo Di Stefano. There are actually many Latin Americans that would hail the ‘Blonde Arrow’ Di Stefano as the greatest player that the world has ever seen.

Among those still playing, Czech Republic playmaker Pavel Nedved, of Juventus, Manchester United's Dutch predator Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ukrainian goal-machine Andrey Shevchenko, of AC Milan, would top the list. But all three will appear at Germany 2006, barring late injuries, and will probably write some new headlines too.

We look forward to this year’s event with great enthusiasm and hopefully it will be remembered as being one of the greatest tournaments of all time. Let us all hope!