Let the Games begin: 11 June – 11 July 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup _ South Africa | Let the Games begin: 11 June – 11 July 2010
We are less than a week away from the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet _FIFA World Cup 2010. When South Africa were awarded the staging rights a number of parties held grave concerns over a number of different issues. Contrary to all the gloomy predictions, South Africa is well prepared for the World Cup Soccer. All that anticipation will crystallises into one moment on Friday night, when Bafana Bafana (South African national soccer team) emerge from the tunnel into the cacophony of Soccer City to take on Mexico in the opening game of the tournament. The World Cup football is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, where an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.
[Download FIFA World Cup 2010 WallChart | Simple A4 or A3 Chart | Optus (all charts in Australian Time)]
Socceroos definitely need a win in one of those games and I think our best chance is against the Serbia. A draw against the Germany or Ghana is not beyond them. And with golden boy Harry Kewell on the mend, X-Factor Tim Cahill to score, and one of the best goalkeepers in Mark Schwarzer, things are beginning to look a lot bright and positive now.
Australia will play their first match against the most consistent team Germany on 14th June (Monday) at 4:30 AM (Queens BDay holiday). They will play against African Champion Ghana on 20th June (Sunday) at 12 midnight. Australia will play their last group match against Serbia on June 24 (Thursday) at 4:30 AM.
The Jabulani ball is the official ball of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. It has created many concern and controversy among the footballers. Specially, all the goalkeepers are most vocal critics of the lightweight Jabulani ball. They complained the new ball is not decent, not just for goalkeepers but for everyone. Its trajectory is unpredictable.
In all, 76 nations have played in at least one World Cup. Of these, seven national teams have won the World Cup With five titles, Brazil are the most successful World Cup team and also the only nation to have played in every World Cup to date. Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only nations to have won consecutive titles. Brazil and Germany have both made the most appearances in the final, with seven, while Germany have made the most appearances in the top four, with eleven.
A “naked“ promise !! _Flamboyant Argentina coach Diego Maradona has made an astonishing promise to run naked through the centre of Buenos Aries if his team wins the World Cup this year. Looking forward to 11th July !!!
FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil _ If there is one country that unequivocally deserves to host a FIFA World Cup, it has to be Brazil. The South American nation lives and breathes the game with a religious intensity. Australia has submitted to win the right to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, we will wait till December 2010.
Favourites
Six teams (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Italy and England) are regarded as genuine contenders to lift the trophy on July 11, 2010. Of these, only Spain has failed to win the World Cup, while Brazil has won it a record five times, Italy is the current Champion, having won the tournament in 2006.
Finally, fastened your seat belt, hold on to the remote control for many sleepless nights and expect color, expect passion, noise, upsets but most of all let the party begin………… Go the Socceroos, if not then Brazil.
Records and statistics
Two players share the record for playing in the most World Cups; Mexico’s Antonio Carbajal and Germany’s Lothar Matthäus both played in five tournaments. Matthäus has played the most World Cup matches overall, with 25 appearances. Brazil’s Pelé is the only player to have won three World Cup winners’ medals, with 20 other players who have won two World Cup medals.
The top goalscorer in World Cups is Brazil’s Ronaldo, who scored 15 goals in three tournaments. West Germany’s Gerd Müller is second, with 14 goals in two tournaments. France’s Just Fontaine, holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup. All his 13 goals were scored in the 1958 tournament. Brazil’s Mário Zagallo and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer are the only people to win the World Cup as both player and head coach. Zagallo won in 1958 and 1962 as a player and in 1970 as coach. Beckenbauer won in 1974 as captain and in 1990 as coach. Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo is the only coach to ever win two World Cups.
As of the end of the 2006 tournament, Brazil and Germany have both played 92 matches, the most by any nation, with Brazil scoring the most goals, 201. The two teams have played each other only once in the World Cup, in the 2002 final.
• Germany is the most consistent team who have played 16 World Cup andreached Semi-final on 11 ocassions.
• Germany conceded the most goals in the World Cup – 112 goals.
• Brazil played most finals – 7 times, and won 5 times
• Argentina conceded the most Yellow cards – 88
• Diego Maradona played twice in the final as a Captain (1986, 1990).
• England’s goalkeeper Peter Shielton and Fabian Berthez did not concede any goal in 10 consecutive matches.
• Germany played most matches in a draw – 19 match.
• Brazil won most matches in a single World Cup _ 7 match
• Youngest player to appear at a World Cup – Norman Whiteside (Northern Ireland, 1982) – 17 years, 41 days.
• Oldest player to appear at a World Cup – Roger Milla (Cameroon, 1994) – 42 years and 39 days.
• Highest match attendance in a World Cup match – 199,854, Uruguay v Brazil, 16 July 1950, Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winner. In 1970, Brazil’s third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently.
• After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb).
• The Golden Ball for the best player, determined by a vote of media members (first awarded in 1982); the Silver Ball and the Bronze Ball are awarded to the players finishing second and third in the voting respectively.
• The Golden Boot will be awarded for the top goalscorer (first awarded in 1982); most recently, the Silver Shoe and the Bronze Shoe have been awarded to the second and third top goalscorers respectively.
• 32 teams will play in the final. But total 204 teams played to qualify for the final 32 spots.
Nawshad Shah, Sydney, June 2010 Nawshad765@hotmail.com
