tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74011124548202340152024-02-18T21:44:32.860-08:00World Cup 2010 South AfricaThis blog is blog about world cup 2010 South Africa, history of the world cup, providing all the information, prediction scores, results, news on the football competition. stars football wallpaper, goal, news, tickets, players, profile teams, squad List, coach teams, matches and much more.Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-235104900666982752010-06-20T01:15:00.000-07:002010-06-20T01:16:47.516-07:00technorati775HRR9SWBTXDjenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-34063469823892715872010-06-20T01:00:00.000-07:002010-06-20T01:02:01.788-07:00All-Injury Team<div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TA6QacpPNUI/AAAAAAAAB8o/FTv9Fpuiwf0/s400/A+collar+bone+injury+means+Nani+will+not+play+for+Portugal+in+the+World+Cup+in+South+Africa.jpeg" alt="All-Injury Team" title="All-Injury Team" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480476580596626754" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3 days to go</span> and can Friday come any sooner?<br />I'm tired of waiting! Let's start the 2010 World Cup already!<br /><br />No idea where I'm watching the first match between South Africa and Mexico.<br />I'll have more on that tomorrow.<br /><br />For now, 3 posts today. So make sure to come back and check out the other material after reading this entertaining, enlightening post.<br /><br />Today's big news concerns <span style="font-weight: bold;">Portugal winger Nani</span>, who's been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup with a collar bone injury.<br /><br />Nani, who plays for English side Manchester United, suffered the injury in a training session with his national side in Portugal, before leaving for the tournament.<br /><br />Bad news all around, as Nani is a wonderful talent.<br /><br />But this tidbit got me to thinking: <span style="font-weight: bold;">How many star players are going to miss the World Cup?</span><br /><br />Take a look at this list of the injured and the doubtful ... You could field a nice team with all these guys. Also, lots of Germans and Chelsea players on this list, eh?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MICHAEL BALLACK, Germany</span><br /><br />The German captain was ruled out of the Cup with an ankle injury after a late challenge during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in May.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RIO FERDINAND, England</span><br /><br />The England captain will miss the finals after injuring his knee in his country's first major training session in South Africa on Friday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MICHAEL ESSIEN, Ghana</span><br /><br />The Ghana midfielder suffered a knee injury at the African Cup of Nations in January and has failed to recover in time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">JOHN OBI MIKEL, Nigeria</span><br /><br />The midfielder was forced out of the tournament with a badly bruised ankle suffered in Nigeria's first full contact training session in South Africa on Friday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">LASSANA DIARRA, France</span><br /><br />The holding midfielder will not play in South Africa after being told he needed an extended rest because of persistent stomach pains which began during France's week-long training camp in the French Alps last month.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DAVID BECKHAM, England</span><br /><br />England's most capped player ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for AC Milan in March.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RENE ADLER, Germany</span><br /><br />Germany's first-choice goalkeeper underwent surgery on a rib injury in May and will play no part in the finals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SIMON ROLFES, Germany</span><br /><br />The midfielder ruled himself out of the World Cup after saying he was short of match fitness following knee surgery in January.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CHRISTIAN TRAESCH, Germany</span><br /><br />The midfielder, who was considered a possible replacement for captain Michael Ballack, is out after injuring his ankle in a friendly at the squad's training camp in Italy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HEIKO WESTERMANN, Germany</span><br /><br />The defender will miss the tournament after fracturing a bone in his foot during a warm-up win over Hungary last week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MIROSLAV KARHAN, Slovakia</span><br /><br />Slovakia's most capped player has a hamstring injury and will miss his country's first World Cup appearance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Doubtful</span><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TA6Qy8ULXYI/AAAAAAAAB8w/v4f5tcOomEY/s400/didier_drogba2.jpeg" alt="All-Injury Team" title="All-Injury Team" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480477001415089538" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DIDIER DROGBA, Ivory Coast</span><br /><br />The Ivory Coast's fearsome striker underwent successful surgery on an injured elbow on Saturday but remains a doubt for the finals. Drogba picked up the injury in a World Cup warm-up against Japan on Friday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ARJEN ROBBEN, Netherlands</span><br /><br />The Dutch winger needs a scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury he suffered in a 6-1 friendly thrashing of Hungary on Saturday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ANDREA PIRLO, Italy</span><br /><br />The Italian midfielder will miss the defending champions' opening game of the tournament against Paraguay, and possibly the whole tournament, after injuring his calf in Thursday's 2-1 friendly defeat by Mexico.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HARRY KEWELL, Australia</span><br /><br />The Australian winger has hardly played since December because of a troublesome groin injury.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TIM BROWN, New Zealand</span><br /><br />It is unknown if the New Zealand vice-captain will recover in time from surgery on a fractured shoulder suffered in the friendly defeat to Australia last month.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HUMBERTO SUAZO, Chile</span><br /><br />Chile's leading striker will reportedly miss their opening World Cup match against Honduras and possibly the second game with Switzerland because of a hamstring injury.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">LEE DONG-GUK, South Korea</span><br /><br />The South Korean striker was named in the final 23-man squad despite concerns over a thigh problem which is expected to keep him out of their opening game against Greece on June 12.</div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-50733470374095271392010-06-20T00:59:00.000-07:002010-06-20T01:00:43.564-07:00The 5 Best Games of the First Round-worldcup 2010<div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TA1P6nNSfzI/AAAAAAAAB8g/fZzf6v4VoyY/s400/usa-uk-flag.jpeg" alt="The 5 Best Games of the First Round-worldcup 2010" title="The 5 Best Games of the First Round-worldcup 2010" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480124189955489586" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4 days left</span> and the 2010 World Cup gets underway!<br /><br />There's SO much news on the internet, magazines, newspapers, television, etc.<br />I'm but a lowly blogger trying to carve his niche in the big, bad soccer media world.<br /><br />Having said that, I'm BEYOND excited for the Cup, even if I can't make it to South Africa.<br />I'm making lemonade out of lemons, looking forward to enjoying the Cup in New York City!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So what are the 5 biggest matches of the first round?</span><br /><br />1 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">USA vs. England</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (June 12, 2:30pm)</span><br /><br />Call this the teacher vs. the student, if you wish. It's the colonial power against the formerly subjugated. The football powerhouse against the budding superstars.<br /><br />USA-England has all the drama of a Spanish soap opera.<br /><br />Most prognosticators give USA little chance against the magic of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.<br /><br />Having said that, USA's not as bad as many pundits think. They're scrappy, they're quick and with Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley, they have pace and vision.<br /><br />Expect a tough one before the USA succumbs to the English brawn and power.<br /><br />2 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11, 10 a.m.)</span><br /><br />Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg will be rocking for the opening match of the 2010 Cup. South Africa's not a strong team, but Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has provided the squad with much needed structure.<br /><br />Mexico is consistently one of the quickest, most offensive sides in the world, so this should be a show stopper and a fancy way to open the Cup.<br /><br />3 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Argentina vs. Niger</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">ia (June 12, 10 a.m.)</span><br /><br />The unstable Diego Maradona guides the likes of world player of the year Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain into a match against one of Africa's powerhouses. Who knows what'll happen here?<br /><br />Expect a raucous atmosphere. It's one of Africa's best hopes of advancing out of the first round against a perennial power, coached by the greatest player of all time.<br /><br />Must See TV, anyone?<br /><br />4 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brazil vs. Portugal (June 25, 10 a.m) </span><br /><br />Brazil is the co-favorite to win it all. Portugal boasts the world's most expensive player in Cristiano Ronaldo and a fast, loose style.<br /><br />Both teams will be looking to finish first in the group, as the second-place side settles into a likely match with co-favorite Spain. So expect a knockout, drag-out fight by these two Portuguese-speaking nations<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">5 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ghana vs. Germany (June 23, 2:30 p.m) </span><br /><br />Who will feel the injury bug the most: Ghana, who is missing Michael Essien? Or Germany, who is missing Michael Ballack?<br /><br />The Ghanaians will be hard pressed against the efficient Germans, but their freewheeling style may cause fits of anxiety for the former World Champions.<br /><br />The pro-African crowd may play a part in this.<br /><br /><br />All in all, five games that will entertain and excite. <span style="font-weight: bold;">What do you think?</span></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-49725225280907550222010-06-20T00:57:00.000-07:002010-06-20T00:59:16.262-07:00Ronaldinho Pressing Questions<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 324px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TAxC2gJXLbI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/prDFoLCAghM/s400/ronaldinho.jpg" alt="Ronaldinho Pressing Questions" title="Ronaldinho Pressing Questions" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479828350712622514" border="0" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ronaldinho-Brezil</span><br /></div><br />Instead of inundate you with 2010 World Cup news a mere 5 days before the first game (South Africa-Mexico), let's ask the <span style="font-weight: bold;">top 5 questions for the contenders before the start of the Cup</span> (courtesy of Jesse Spector, <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Daily News</span> although I added some too) ...<br /><br />1 - Which big-name team is in the most danger of a first-round exit? Brazil? Italy? Portugal?<br /><br />2 - Can a European team find success on another continent? Favorites Spain, England, Germany and Italy will all try to become the first to win a World Cup outside Europe.<br /><br />3 - Was Brazil right to leave <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ronaldhino</span> out?<br /><br />4 - Can <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lionel Messi</span> play for Argentina like he has for Barcelona?<br /><br />5 - Which African team will go farthest in the 1st World Cup on the continent? Ivory Coast? Nigeria? Cameroon?<br /><br />6 - Which team will feel the impact of a players injury the most? Ivory Coast and Didier Drogba? Germany and Michael Ballack? England and Rio Ferdinand?<br /><br />Things that make you go <span style="font-weight: bold;">HMMM</span> ...</div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-30625396179354403352010-06-20T00:55:00.000-07:002010-06-20T00:57:54.452-07:00The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to World Cup 2010 on the Web<div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TA6U9gw-qNI/AAAAAAAAB84/Q20IcZfnbBU/s400/fifa-world-cup-trophy.jpeg" alt="2010 World Cup" title="2010 World Cup" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480481581044771026" border="0" /><br />This is a cool guide to the 2010 World Cup on the web, courtesy of First and Goal.<br /><br />You'll find links to relevant news sites, wikis, games, phone apps, video sites and Twitter accounts!<br /><br />Is that enough for you?!?<br /><br />Make sure to check out the link and bookmark it. It's one you'll be going back to often during the World Cup.</div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-39478467861353512312010-06-13T10:34:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:35:40.367-07:00South Africa: Football and Culture<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RrIL1ndcTlI/AAAAAAAAAak/TsYPFDxMQxM/s400/soccer-fans.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094147144262897234" border="0" /><br />I found this post on the popular soccerblog.com website.<br /><br /><em>We all recognize soccer for the beautiful game that it</em><br /><em>is. And for its power to unite a country as in Cote</em><br /><em>D'Ivoire and inflame passions between countries, in El</em><br /><em>Salvador and Honduras (The Soccer Wars).</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>But it is also the one sport that has seen an intimate</em><br /><em>connection and is intertwined in the struggle against</em><br /><em>apartheid and South Africa's freedom.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The polarization in the races between the White</em><br /><em>Afrikaaners and the Blacks, Indians, and the Coloreds</em><br /><em>was reflected in the choice of sports. Cricket and</em><br /><em>rugby for the colonials and soccer and boxing for the</em><br /><em>indigenous. The formation of the Orlando Pirates in</em><br /><em>the 1930's and in the next decade their rivals, the</em><br /><em>Moloka Swallows saw the first organized attempts at a</em><br /><em>soccer league for the blacks. It was a form of escape</em><br /><em>from the grinding poverty and regular harrassment of</em><br /><em>the police. The muddy grounds of the squatter camps</em><br /><em>and a ball, was all you needed. And the migration of</em><br /><em>thousands of people to the outskirts of Johannesburg,</em><br /><em>Durban, Cape Town looking for jobs provided the</em><br /><em>audience and the players. The British form of soccer</em><br /><em>was soon transformed and Africanized by incorporating</em><br /><em>traditional customs practised by the Zulus, Xhosas,</em><br /><em>Ndebeles, and the Coloreds. Soccer became a dynamic,</em><br /><em>protean form of entertainment and social release for</em><br /><em>them.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The 1950's and 60's saw soccer being thrust into the</em><br /><em>forefront of apartheid politics. The White colonials</em><br /><em>made it impossible for the indigent population to</em><br /><em>secure playing fields. This led to the resistance of</em><br /><em>many workers to the strict control of their lives</em><br /><em>through the colonial and capitalist demands of the</em><br /><em>white overlords with respect to their wages, working</em><br /><em>hours, and social practices. In 1951 Africans,</em><br /><em>Coloureds, and Indians came together to form the South</em><br /><em>African Soccer Federation, which opposed apartheid in</em><br /><em>sport. 1961 to 1966 saw the rapid expansion of teams</em><br /><em>under the anti- racist South African Soccer League.</em><br /><em>Their efforts to isolate the apartheid regime led to</em><br /><em>the succesful international sports boycott of the</em><br /><em>world with South Africa from 1961 to 1992 until the</em><br /><em>fall of apartheid.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>With this development, FIFA welcomed South Africa back</em><br /><em>into world soccer on 3 July 1992. On 7 July 1992, at</em><br /><em>Durban's King's Park stadium, South Africa played its</em><br /><em>first official international contest in three decades.</em><br /><em>An integrated national team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana</em><br /><em>(Zulu for The Boys'), defeated Cameroon 1-0, thanks to</em><br /><em>a Doctor Khumalo penalty kick.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The world will see the new South Africa in WC 2010.</em><br /><em>Implicit in this, is the world's recognition that</em><br /><em>soccer played a transformative role in ending decades</em><br /><em>of apartheid rule and providing succour to thousands</em><br /><em>of people during those dark days.</em><br /><br />A wonderful comment on the impact the game can have.<br /><br />For an in depth look at soccer and its role in ending<br />apartheid, read Dr. Peter Alegi's thought<br />provoking book 'Laduma! Soccer, Politics and Society in<br />South Africa' (Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu<br />- Natal Press, 2004).<br /><br />Has anyone read it? Please post opinions.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-36271490508942875662010-06-13T10:33:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:34:40.722-07:00Baghdad Welcomes Weeping Soccer Stars<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RrOHV3dcTpI/AAAAAAAAAbI/fEDu4db30B4/s400/capt.98650fce0a724d8f95cd8876fb390877.correction_emirates_iraq_national_soccer_team_xkj101" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094564413220605586" border="0" /><br /><br />Weeping tears of joy and pride, Iraq's soccer champions arrived home on Friday to celebrate the Asian Cup victory that inspired their nation, but heavy security meant few Baghdadis were able to join the party.<br /><br />"There is no happier moment," goalkeeper Noor Sabri told Iraq state television, choking back tears as other players behind him sobbed.<br /><br />"I don't know what to say. All I can say is congratulations to the mothers of the martyrs," he said, paying tribute to victims of his country's conflict.<br /><br />Player Ali Rahima said: "We hope that this unity will not be only for football. We hope everybody will unite to bring happiness to the Iraqi people."<br /><br />After nightfall the team was driven to the heavily fortified "green zone" government and diplomatic compound, where Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki kissed each player on both cheeks and placed rings of flowers around their necks.<br /><br />They were greeted inside the walled compound by a marching band and a throng of government officials, before being ushered in to the ceremony with Maliki and President Jalal Talabani.<br /><br />"You have brought the smile back to the lips of Iraq," Maliki said. "You are an example of our unity."<br /><br />Officials chanted and clapped, and a poet in robes took a microphone to shout verses in the team's honor.<br /><br />The players passed the trophy they had won to a woman whose son was killed by a suicide bomber while celebrating the team's semi-final victory last week. She passed the trophy on to the prime minister and the president.<br /><br />Earlier, hundreds of Iraqis had managed to negotiate a series of security checkpoints in blistering summer heat to reach the airport, hoping for a glimpse of their heroes.<br /><br />"People have been dancing and chanting and singing all day. We haven't gotten tired," a government employee who was at the airport said shortly before the team arrived.<br /><br />But most of the city remained locked down in a weekly curfew for the Muslim day of prayer. The majority of Iraqis would see the players only on television.<br />Some of the players -- including captain Younis Mahmoud who scored the goal that clinched the championship -- stayed away, citing other commitments or the danger of coming home.<br /><br />"It's a shame that this team brought us the happiness of our lives, and we still cannot celebrate them properly," said Baghdad resident Ammar Hussein, 33. He said he did not dare take to the streets for safety reasons.<br /><br />The team, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, triggered nationwide euphoria with their against-the-odds victory last Sunday. After the final whistle in their 1-0 defeat of heavily favoured Saudi Arabia, at least seven people were killed by stray bullets as joyous Iraqis fired rifles into the air.<br /><br />Iraqis have hailed the team -- a snapshot of the country's religious sects and ethnic groups -- as proof Iraq could overcome the divisions that have led to bloodshed.<br /><br />Newspapers and TV commentators contrasted the players with the country's feuding and ineffective politicians.<br /><br />(Thanks to Mussab Al-Khairalla of Reuters for this report.)</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-35523536370141140322010-06-13T10:32:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:33:52.805-07:00Confederations Cup Round-up<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rrcw03dcTqI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/ScDG2zfnk6U/s400/Confr21029MIDIUM.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095595188191776418" border="0" /><br />The African Champions League took place this week but we're going to focus instead on the 'little brother' of African continental competitions, the Confederations Cup.<br /><br />Here's a quick re-cap of this weekend's African Confederations Cup action, thanks to our friends at the BBC.<br /><br />A Nigerian club coach had to be rescued by police and another quit on a disastrous weekend for the country in the Confederation Cup.<br /><br />Police smuggled Kwara United coach Kafaru Alabi away from the Township Stadium in the central town of Ilorin as supporters vented their anger at a 1-1 Group B draw with Ismailia of Egypt.<br /><br />Dolphin were humiliated 6-1 in the same pool away to Al-Merreikh of Sudan, prompting coach Ifeanyi Onyedika to resign while travelling to the team hotel in Khartoum.<br /><br />CS Sfaxien of Tunisia appear the team to beat in Group A after whipping Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa 4-0 with Ivorian striker Blaise Kouassi scoring twice.<br /><br />And the deadliest finisher in African club football, Mbuti Mapi from TP Mazembe of the DR Congo, raised his goal tally to 15 by scoring twice in a 2-1 home win over Astres Douala of Cameroon.<br /><br />Merreikh lead Group B with four points followed by Dolphin (three), Ismailia (two) and Kwara (one) while it is even closer in Group A with Sfaxien (four) just ahead of Mazembe and Sundowns (three each) and Astres have one.<br /><br />Group winners after the six-round mini-leagues advance to the final and early form suggests Merreikh and Sfaxien could contest the US$300,000 first prize over two legs in November.<br /><br />Edward Weng gave Kwara a first-half lead only for Mohamed Fadl to level 15 minutes from full-time and although the visitors lacked sacked French coach Patrice Neveu they came close to securing maximum points in a frenetic finish.<br /><br />When the final whistle sounded police raced to protect Alabi and took him away in a heavily guarded truck as Ilorin once again witnessed the ugly side of African football.<br /><br />Kwara defeated Mouloudia Alger of Algeria and Union Douala of Cameroon in ill-tempered qualifiers at the Township Stadium with match officials attacked by visiting players.<br /><br />Former Dolphin stars Endurance Idahor and Efosa Eguakun sparkled as a multi-national Merreikh team guided by Togo 2006 World Cup coach Otto Pfister ran riot in the second half to score three times within five minutes.<br /><br />After cutting the deficit to 2-1 via a Victor Ezeji header two minutes after half-time, Dolphin had leading scorer Bola Bello sent off for elbowing an opponent.<br /><br />Merreikh captain and Sudan international Faisal Ajab led the goal charge with two and Mujahid Mohamed, Musa al-Tayeb, Idahor and Mohamed Ali were also on target.<br /><br />Sundowns did not know what hit them in the Mediterranean city of Sfax with Kouassi scoring after 90 seconds and Blaise Mbele from the DR of Congo adding a second in the eighth minute.<br /><br />Kouassi took advantage of slack marking to head a third Sfaxien goal with 29 minutes gone and second-half pressure Sundowns was thwarted by goalkeeper Lotfi Saidi before Naby Soumah added the fourth in stoppage time.<br /><br />Mabi gave Mazembe a first-minute lead in Kinshasa, Amia Ekanga levelled midway thorugh the first half and the prolific Congolese scorer hit the 61st-minute winner.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-73847455152207224092010-06-13T10:31:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:32:26.021-07:00South African Crime Could Hurt 2010 Attendance<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqTF0lJYH0I/AAAAAAAAAYc/YcuP4SFFpY8/s320/65214510.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090410985950814018" border="0" /><br />We recently discussed the state of the police force in South Africa. The country expects upwards of 360,000 foreigners to attend the month-long 2010 World Cup.<br /><br />Police have said that there will be about 20% more police officers in uniform for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that's not enough as it's anticipated that fear of crime may be keeping more than 22 million tourists from visiting South Africa. The high levels of crime could also deter foreign investment in Africa's biggest economy and derail its chances of hosting a successful World Cup.<br /><br />Although considered one of the most desirable destinations for tourists because of its natural beauty and luxury resorts, South Africa has battled to reassure visitors they will be safe from criminals in its cities, at the seaside and in game parks, especially during the World Cup.<br /><br />The country has one of the world's worst murder rates, and its incidence of rapes, carjackings and assaults also are extremely high, with some of the most violent types of crime rising last year despite efforts to beef up police forces.<br /><br />In a speech in Cape Town, Tourism Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said 2005 research by SA Tourism, which promotes South Africa internationally, showed more than 22 million people overseas were afraid to visit due to crime, SAPA news agency reported.<br /><br />"Crime is, therefore, an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our target of 10 million arrivals by 2010," Van Schalkwyk was quoted as saying at the National Conference of the Southern African Association the Conference Industry.</div> </div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-40507898663619447242010-06-13T10:30:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:31:29.633-07:00Iraq in Asian Cup Final<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqdXLXdcTVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/q_N42C5PCHE/s400/capt.sge.fdu20.250707133002.photo00.photo.default-512x335" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091133756553317714" border="0" /><br />An update on the Iraqi national team playing in the Asian Cup.<br /><br />Jubilation for Iraq today as they advanced to the Asian Cup Final virtue of their penalty-shootout victory over South Korea, 0-0 and 4-3 on penalties.<br /><br />Congratulations to the Iraqis on their spectacular run to the Final. They'll play the winner of the Saudi Arabia-Japan game, which is being played now.<br /><br />For more on the game, read the Guardian Unlimited's report here.<br /><br />According to the New York Times, 'In South Korea, the defeat will be overshadowed by news of the killing in Afghanistan of a South Korean held hostage by Taliban extremists. In Iraq, recent victories of the national team have been met with spontaneous street celebrations, although a penalty-kick victory in the quarterfinal over Vietnam was marred by the deaths in Baghdad of at least two Iraqis by stray gunfire, after celebrants fired weapons into the air.'</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-57876625493058174802010-06-13T10:29:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:30:33.628-07:00Iraq in Asian Cup Final Update<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqegbHdcTXI/AAAAAAAAAY0/zm3LodtuRoU/s400/r1526925527.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091214291485085042" border="0" /><br />It's Iraq-Saudi Arabia after the Saudi's 3-2 victory over two-time defending champions Japan.<br /><br />The tournament final will be played on Sunday in Jakarta. It will be Iraq’s first-ever trip to the Asian Cup championship game. The Saudis won it in 1984, 1988 and 1996.<br /><br />According to the Associated Press, 'Heavy celebratory gunfire rang out across the Iraqi capital and thousands of fans gathered in the central Baghdad district of Karradah to celebrate by dancing, beating drums and chanting ‘Iraq, Iraq.’ Elsewhere in the city, traffic snarled as drivers honked their horns — Iraqi flags flying from their windows — amid hundreds of fans.'<br /><br />After the final penalty kick was taken, AFP reported, 'Iraqi players rushed to their supporters to grab national flags as other players wept with joy when the realisation hit that they had won.'<br /><br />Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira said: “This victory is for the people of Iraq because they deserve it. It also also for the boys because they worked very, very hard. … Korea are a good team and I thought we neutralised them well. We were better than Korea on the fitness side. Is is a game that we will never forget.”<br /><br />Unfortunately, according to Reuters, 'A car bomb exploded near a group of soccer fans celebrating Iraq's Asian Cup victory over South Korea on Wednesday, killing 10 people and wounding 20, police in Baghdad said.<br /><br />Police said the blast took place in the capital's western Mansour district. One police source said the bomb was placed in a parked car.<br />A second source said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber.'</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-57012848581907209332010-06-13T10:28:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:29:26.923-07:00Best Feet Forward - Drogba and the Ivorian Civil W<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpGendcTdI/AAAAAAAAAZg/E0hSSOdA6Aw/s400/fifa_elephants.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091959820498259410" border="0" /><br />As the latest Vanity Fair article on the Ivory Coast and Didier Drogba suggests, football can heal a wounded nation.<br /><br />Drogba and his compatriots are the subjects of a massive article in the American magazine of culture, fashion, and politics about their latest African Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar.<br /><br />It's the latest in a line of articles depicting Drogba and mates as a soothing tonic to the national problems in the Ivory Coast, which is battling a civil war.<br /><br />As author Austin Merrill points out in the article, '... victory, per se, wasn't so much the point. You didn't have to look hard to see that there was much more at stake than just a soccer match. On this day, the Beautiful Game had reunited a country. ... To everyone in the stadium, and to millions of others across Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba had just ended his country's civil war.'<br /><br />Big words for a big player. Take the time to read the article about the healing power of the Beautiful Game. It's well worth your time.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-82270502597788207212010-06-13T10:26:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:28:08.626-07:002010 Political Cartoons<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpV2HdcTgI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/HinOpkXXp-Q/s400/001.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091976716899601922" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />I found these political cartoons on the Project 2010 website, one of our friends from South Africa actively promoting the good of the game pre-2010.<br /><br />They're by an artist called Jonathan Shapiro, also known as Zapiro. He is an internationally-respected cartoonist who has won numerous top awards. His satire highlights numerous social issues in South Africa and around the world. Zapiro has been a keen follower of the football scene since before South Africa won the games. Check out these insightful political cartoons.<br /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpWEHdcThI/AAAAAAAAAaA/H43HPvPFH7o/s400/02.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091976957417770514" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpWOHdcTiI/AAAAAAAAAaI/2NP-zHO1Byw/s400/14.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091977129216462370" border="0" /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpUbndcTfI/AAAAAAAAAZw/4eJS1LnWJo0/s400/12.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091975162121440754" border="0" /></div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-75714415039597917652010-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:002010-06-13T10:26:16.165-07:00Best African Players Comment About Censorship<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rq-QvndcTjI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/3nj1mk8lugw/s320/KANU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093448851300044338" border="0" /><br />A few days ago I posted about the greatest African player ever. A post like this gets noticed and many people commented with their opinion.<br /><br />I also managed to get readers from the Big Soccer forum and Xtratime.com community.<br /><br />Here, I share some of the best comments.<br /><br />Reader Chxta said: <em>'As with most things African, this is a topic that would be quite controversial, for example a lot of the titles won by Egyptian clubs have always been hotly debated. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>For me it is a straight fight between Milla, Hassan and Kanu. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Milla shone on the world stage, but never got to the pinnacle of club football.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Kanu has shone on the world stage, but arguably in youth competitions (Olympics for example), however truth be told is that he is, the most decorated player in the English Premiership at the moment, and the most decorated African player ever. However, he hasn't even scored a Nations Cup goal much less win the tournament.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>I'd probably give it to Hassan on the strength of the impact he had on his country's game.'</em><br /><br />BigSoccer poster Cazlon said: '<em>Unfortunately there is little point in a ranking like this.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Who outside of their respective country still knows about Abdul Razak, Thomas N'Kono, or even the legendary Kalusha Bwalya ? </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>European/American tabloids don't, certainly not if you limit the selection to the last decade.</em><br /><br />Fair enough.<br /><br />Xtratime reader Andy Christ said: '<em>It's between Weah and Eto'o and the Cameroonian will probably edge it after another 3-4 good seasons. Drogba might also come close to Weah's legend if he stays in the form he showed last season. Kanu and Okocha have never been world class and Milla never did enough in Europe. Hassan is somebody who is an unknown factor outside Africa but I doubt if that many Africans outside Egypt seriously rate him above Weah or Eto'o.</em><br /><br />He may be right. Only time can tell.<br /><br />The issue isn't settled and only time will tell who really is the greatest African player ever. Kanu? Milla? Eto'o in a few years? Or someone unknown to the masses, as Cazlon pointed out? Let the debate continue.<br />***************************************************<br /><br />A few days ago, we posted a story about censorship and FIFA's attempts to discourage use of their brand. We noted the case of Anton Vosloo, who ran the wildly successful www.2010-soccer-worldcup.com. FIFA ordered it shut and the site was closed within days.<br /><br />This comment comes in from Anton Vosloo himself: '<em>They said the actual domain name was the problem and not so much the content. There are already much more than 7 sites out there.I think it was more the group of us that had a high page rank on google. My site was a free directory for travel related sites in Southern Afica.</em><br /><em></em><br /><br />I think it's sad that FIFA has come to this, but maybe they're right? Maybe they do need to protect their assets? What do you think?<br /><br />Read the article and the posted link in the article to learn more about this story.<br />******************************************<br /><br />Kudos to the Iraqi soccer team on their Asian Cup victory. Once again, football uplifts and transforms a nation. The power of a ball. It's incredible ...</div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-39139949936900100952010-06-12T20:42:00.000-07:002010-06-12T20:42:00.329-07:00South African Crime Could Hurt 2010 Attendance<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqTF0lJYH0I/AAAAAAAAAYc/YcuP4SFFpY8/s320/65214510.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="South African Crime Could Hurt 2010 Attendance" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090410985950814018" border="0" /><br />We recently discussed the state of the police force in South Africa. The country expects upwards of 360,000 foreigners to attend the month-long 2010 World Cup.<br /><br />Police have said that there will be about 20% more police officers in uniform for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that's not enough as it's anticipated that fear of crime may be keeping more than 22 million tourists from visiting South Africa. The high levels of crime could also deter foreign investment in Africa's biggest economy and derail its chances of hosting a successful World Cup.<br /><br />Although considered one of the most desirable destinations for tourists because of its natural beauty and luxury resorts, South Africa has battled to reassure visitors they will be safe from criminals in its cities, at the seaside and in game parks, especially during the World Cup.<br /><br />The country has one of the world's worst murder rates, and its incidence of rapes, carjackings and assaults also are extremely high, with some of the most violent types of crime rising last year despite efforts to beef up police forces.<br /><br />In a speech in Cape Town, Tourism Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said 2005 research by SA Tourism, which promotes South Africa internationally, showed more than 22 million people overseas were afraid to visit due to crime, SAPA news agency reported.<br /><br />"Crime is, therefore, an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our target of 10 million arrivals by 2010," Van Schalkwyk was quoted as saying at the National Conference of the Southern African Association the Conference Industry.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-32852594046791697342010-06-12T20:41:00.000-07:002010-06-12T20:41:00.350-07:00Iraq in Asian Cup Final<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqdXLXdcTVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/q_N42C5PCHE/s400/capt.sge.fdu20.250707133002.photo00.photo.default-512x335" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Iraq in Asian Cup Final" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091133756553317714" border="0" /><br />An update on the Iraqi national team playing in the Asian Cup.<br /><br />Jubilation for Iraq today as they advanced to the Asian Cup Final virtue of their penalty-shootout victory over South Korea, 0-0 and 4-3 on penalties.<br /><br />Congratulations to the Iraqis on their spectacular run to the Final. They'll play the winner of the Saudi Arabia-Japan game, which is being played now.<br /><br />For more on the game, read the Guardian Unlimited's report.<br /><br />According to the New York Times, 'In South Korea, the defeat will be overshadowed by news of the killing in Afghanistan of a South Korean held hostage by Taliban extremists. In Iraq, recent victories of the national team have been met with spontaneous street celebrations, although a penalty-kick victory in the quarterfinal over Vietnam was marred by the deaths in Baghdad of at least two Iraqis by stray gunfire, after celebrants fired weapons into the air.'</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-87987254495863269172010-06-12T19:39:00.000-07:002010-06-12T19:39:00.780-07:00Iraq in Asian Cup Final Update<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqegbHdcTXI/AAAAAAAAAY0/zm3LodtuRoU/s400/r1526925527.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Iraq in Asian Cup Final Update" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091214291485085042" border="0" /><br />It's Iraq-Saudi Arabia after the Saudi's 3-2 victory over two-time defending champions Japan.<br /><br />The tournament final will be played on Sunday in Jakarta. It will be Iraq’s first-ever trip to the Asian Cup championship game. The Saudis won it in 1984, 1988 and 1996.<br /><br />According to the Associated Press, 'Heavy celebratory gunfire rang out across the Iraqi capital and thousands of fans gathered in the central Baghdad district of Karradah to celebrate by dancing, beating drums and chanting ‘Iraq, Iraq.’ Elsewhere in the city, traffic snarled as drivers honked their horns — Iraqi flags flying from their windows — amid hundreds of fans.'<br /><br />After the final penalty kick was taken, AFP reported, 'Iraqi players rushed to their supporters to grab national flags as other players wept with joy when the realisation hit that they had won.'<br /><br />Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira said: “This victory is for the people of Iraq because they deserve it. It also also for the boys because they worked very, very hard. … Korea are a good team and I thought we neutralised them well. We were better than Korea on the fitness side. Is is a game that we will never forget.”<br /><br />Unfortunately, according to Reuters, 'A car bomb exploded near a group of soccer fans celebrating Iraq's Asian Cup victory over South Korea on Wednesday, killing 10 people and wounding 20, police in Baghdad said.<br /><br />Police said the blast took place in the capital's western Mansour district. One police source said the bomb was placed in a parked car.<br />A second source said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber.'</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-5983947909579351992010-06-12T18:37:00.000-07:002010-06-12T18:37:00.300-07:00Turmoil in Iraq<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's hope nothing like this happens in Africa during the 2010 Finals.<br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rqeup3dcTaI/AAAAAAAAAZI/rYGyr07pzhc/s400/19238703.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Turmoil in Iraq" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091229938050944418" border="0" /><br /><br />Let's hope nothing like this happens in Africa during the 2010 Finals.<br /><br />A day of joy and jubilation was marred by violence, as extremists used the Iraqi's march to the Asian Cup Finals to propagate their agenda.<br /><br />This report comes to us from the Associated Press. The pictures are courtesy of the New York Times.<br /><br />'BAGHDAD (AP) -- Two suicide car bombings struck soccer fans in Baghdad as they were celebrating Iraq's victory in the Asian Cup semifinal on Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.<br /><br />The victims were among the thousands of revelers who took to the streets of the capital after the country's national soccer team beat South Korea to reach the tournament's final against Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.<br /><br />The first attack took place about 6:30 p.m. when a bomber exploded in a crowd of people cheering near a well-known ice cream parlor in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Mansour, according to police and hospital officials. At least 30 people were killed and 75 were wounded, an Interior Ministry official said.<br /><br /><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rqeu9ndcTbI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/iGa3fllfM_I/s320/19236855.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Turmoil in Iraq" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091230277353360818" border="0" />Another suicide car bomber detonated his payload about 45 minutes later in the midst of dozens of vehicles filled with revelers near an Iraqi army checkpoint in the eastern district of Ghadeer, killing at least 20 people, including two soldiers, and wounding 61, according to the ministry official.<br /><br />All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information.<br /><br />The second attack occurred as Iraqis of all ages were packed on top of cars, pickups and minibuses, waving Iraqi flags and shirts, while others danced in the streets near the checkpoint. Men put towels over their heads or sprayed cars with water for relief in the hot summer weather.<br /><br />Thousands of fans also gathered in the central district of Karradah to celebrate, dancing, beating drums and chanting ''Iraq, Iraq.'' Elsewhere in city, traffic snarled as cars, Iraqi flags flying from their windows, moved slowly amid hundreds of fans. Motorists honked their horns.<br /><br />The successful run in the Asian Cup has been a cause of much joy in this wartorn country, with Iraqis saying the mixed makeup of the team showed the country's rival ethnic and religious factions can unite despite years of sectarian violence.<br /><br />Preliminary police reports said one person was also killed and 17 wounded by celebratory gunfire.<br /><br />More than an hour after Iraqi goalkeeper Noor Sabri made the crucial save to win the match, gunfire could still be heard in many parts of the capital.<br /><br />State television broadcast a warning from the Iraqi military urging residents not to engage in celebratory gunfire. But the warning appeared to have been ignored.<br /><br />Five people were killed in the celebratory gunfire that followed Iraq's win over Vietnam in a quarterfinal match played in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday. But no other violence was reported in those celebrations.<br /><br />Iraq and South Korea played to a scoreless draw through 90 minutes of regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. But Iraq won a penalty shootout 4-3 to advance to Sunday's final in Jakarta.'<br />A day of joy and jubilation was marred by violence, as extremists used the Iraqi's march to the Asian Cup Finals to propagate their agenda.<br /><br />This report comes to us from the Associated Press. The pictures are courtesy of the New York Times.<br /><br />'BAGHDAD (AP) -- Two suicide car bombings struck soccer fans in Baghdad as they were celebrating Iraq's victory in the Asian Cup semifinal on Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.<br /><br />The victims were among the thousands of revelers who took to the streets of the capital after the country's national soccer team beat South Korea to reach the tournament's final against Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.<br /><br />The first attack took place about 6:30 p.m. when a bomber exploded in a crowd of people cheering near a well-known ice cream parlor in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Mansour, according to police and hospital officials. At least 30 people were killed and 75 were wounded, an Interior Ministry official said.<br /><br />Another suicide car bomber detonated his payload about 45 minutes later in the midst of dozens of vehicles filled with revelers near an Iraqi army checkpoint in the eastern district of Ghadeer, killing at least 20 people, including two soldiers, and wounding 61, according to the ministry official.<br /><br />All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information.<br /><br />The second attack occurred as Iraqis of all ages were packed on top of cars, pickups and minibuses, waving Iraqi flags and shirts, while others danced in the streets near the checkpoint. Men put towels over their heads or sprayed cars with water for relief in the hot summer weather.<br /><br />Thousands of fans also gathered in the central district of Karradah to celebrate, dancing, beating drums and chanting ''Iraq, Iraq.'' Elsewhere in city, traffic snarled as cars, Iraqi flags flying from their windows, moved slowly amid hundreds of fans. Motorists honked their horns.<br /><br />The successful run in the Asian Cup has been a cause of much joy in this wartorn country, with Iraqis saying the mixed makeup of the team showed the country's rival ethnic and religious factions can unite despite years of sectarian violence.<br /><br />Preliminary police reports said one person was also killed and 17 wounded by celebratory gunfire.<br /><br />More than an hour after Iraqi goalkeeper Noor Sabri made the crucial save to win the match, gunfire could still be heard in many parts of the capital.<br /><br />State television broadcast a warning from the Iraqi military urging residents not to engage in celebratory gunfire. But the warning appeared to have been ignored.<br /><br />Five people were killed in the celebratory gunfire that followed Iraq's win over Vietnam in a quarterfinal match played in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday. But no other violence was reported in those celebrations.<br /><br />Iraq and South Korea played to a scoreless draw through 90 minutes of regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. But Iraq won a penalty shootout 4-3 to advance to Sunday's final in Jakarta.'</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-87160320008550232412010-06-12T18:30:00.000-07:002010-06-12T18:30:00.880-07:00Road to 2010 to Shut Down<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rqeze3dcTcI/AAAAAAAAAZY/4jz7QlTy0DY/s320/Andrea%2520-%2520Censorship.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Road to 2010 to Shut Down" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091235246630522306" border="0" /><br />If FIFA has their way, I may have to 'suggest' I'm going to South Africa for some big event and not out-and-out say I'm off to the FIFA World Cup.<br /><br />This smells of censorship ... A report in the Times of South Africa states that the world football governing body has ordered about seven websites to shut down or face legal action.<br /><br />Seems FIFA said organizing the 2010 World Cup is “extremely expensive” and that its successful staging hinges on the significant financial investment from their sponsors and licensees.<br /><br />David Murray, FIFA’s senior legal counsel, defended the ultimatum to the websites saying the sites could cause the public to believe their firms provided “this official service ... which is not the case”.<br /><br />In a letter to Anton Vosloo, who ran the wildly successful www.2010-soccer-worldcup.com, Murray said: “We appreciate that you may not have been aware that companies such as yours, which do not have a formal licence to Fifa, cannot use the infringing signs. For this reason, we are writing to explain this to you and to politely request that you immediately refrain from using the domain name and the infringing signs.”<br /><br />Vosloo shut down his site within days.<br /><br />So what's the big deal if some people write about the upcoming games?<br /><br />Maybe I'm not getting this. Anyone care to interject?<br /><br />You can read the entire article here. Let me know what you think ...</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-4071474117914844012010-06-12T17:29:00.000-07:002010-06-12T17:29:00.702-07:00Best Feet Forward - Drogba and the Ivorian Civil War<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpGendcTdI/AAAAAAAAAZg/E0hSSOdA6Aw/s400/fifa_elephants.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Best Feet Forward - Drogba and the Ivorian Civil War" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091959820498259410" border="0" /><br />As the latest Vanity Fair article on the Ivory Coast and Didier Drogba suggests, football can heal a wounded nation.<br /><br />Drogba and his compatriots are the subjects of a massive article in the American magazine of culture, fashion, and politics about their latest African Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar.<br /><br />It's the latest in a line of articles depicting Drogba and mates as a soothing tonic to the national problems in the Ivory Coast, which is battling a civil war.<br /><br />As author Austin Merrill points out in the article, '... victory, per se, wasn't so much the point. You didn't have to look hard to see that there was much more at stake than just a soccer match. On this day, the Beautiful Game had reunited a country. ... To everyone in the stadium, and to millions of others across Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba had just ended his country's civil war.'<br /><br />Big words for a big player. Take the time to read the article about the healing power of the Beautiful Game. It's well worth your time.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-36007653928097902982010-06-12T16:26:00.000-07:002010-06-12T16:26:00.469-07:002010 Political Cartoons<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpV2HdcTgI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/HinOpkXXp-Q/s400/001.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="2010 Political Cartoons" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091976716899601922" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />I found these political cartoons on the Project 2010 website, one of our friends from South Africa actively promoting the good of the game pre-2010.<br /><br />They're by an artist called Jonathan Shapiro, also known as Zapiro. He is an internationally-respected cartoonist who has won numerous top awards. His satire highlights numerous social issues in South Africa and around the world. Zapiro has been a keen follower of the football scene since before South Africa won the games. Check out these insightful political cartoons.<br /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpWEHdcThI/AAAAAAAAAaA/H43HPvPFH7o/s400/02.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="2010 Political Cartoons" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091976957417770514" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpWOHdcTiI/AAAAAAAAAaI/2NP-zHO1Byw/s400/14.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="2010 Political Cartoons" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091977129216462370" border="0" /><br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RqpUbndcTfI/AAAAAAAAAZw/4eJS1LnWJo0/s400/12.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="2010 Political Cartoons" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091975162121440754" border="0" /></div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-50070293456815291672010-06-12T15:21:00.000-07:002010-06-12T15:21:00.681-07:00South African Football<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 272px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/RrIJYHdcTkI/AAAAAAAAAac/f8h8qcSzFew/s400/psl_logo_27022007.gif" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="South African Football" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094144438433500738" border="0" /><br />We all know the World Cup is coming to South Africa in 2010.<br />What we don't talk much about is the South African domestic game.<br /><br />The South African season opens on August 4th with the Charity Cup, an exhausting four-team event that traditionally attracts crowds over 70,000.<br /><br />Four clubs, voted for in a month-long telephone poll, will compete in two morning semi-finals with the winners given just a short break before returning for the final, later the same day. Talk about a double dip.<br /><br />The country's two most popular teams, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, have been drawn against each other a week after they clashed in a pre-season tournament won by English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.<br /><br />Saturday's opening match pits Bloemfontein Celtic against Silver Stars, last year's league runners-up.<br /><br />Usually 75,000 fans pack into Johannesburg's Soccer City for the tournament but that stadium is undergoing a major overhaul ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals. The tourney has been moved to Mmabatho, a town near the Botswana border whose stadium has a capacity of 59,000.<br /><br />Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns were one of the original four teams picked for the tournament.<br /><br />The reigning South African champions were voted in second place but due to a clash with their commitments in the Confederation Cup were unable to compete in the tie.</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-8801871051105262292010-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:002010-06-12T14:26:50.993-07:00Best African Players A Comment About Censorship<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/Rq-QvndcTjI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/3nj1mk8lugw/s320/KANU.jpg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="Best African Players A Comment About Censorship" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093448851300044338" border="0" /><br />A few days ago I posted about the greatest African player ever. A post like this gets noticed and many people commented with their opinion.<br /><br />I also managed to get readers from the Big Soccer forum and Xtratime.com community.<br /><br />Here, I share some of the best comments.<br /><br />Reader Chxta said: <em>'As with most things African, this is a topic that would be quite controversial, for example a lot of the titles won by Egyptian clubs have always been hotly debated. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>For me it is a straight fight between Milla, Hassan and Kanu. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Milla shone on the world stage, but never got to the pinnacle of club football.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Kanu has shone on the world stage, but arguably in youth competitions (Olympics for example), however truth be told is that he is, the most decorated player in the English Premiership at the moment, and the most decorated African player ever. However, he hasn't even scored a Nations Cup goal much less win the tournament.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>I'd probably give it to Hassan on the strength of the impact he had on his country's game.'</em><br /><br />BigSoccer poster Cazlon said: '<em>Unfortunately there is little point in a ranking like this.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Who outside of their respective country still knows about Abdul Razak, Thomas N'Kono, or even the legendary Kalusha Bwalya ? </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>European/American tabloids don't, certainly not if you limit the selection to the last decade.</em><br /><br />Fair enough.<br /><br />Xtratime reader Andy Christ said: '<em>It's between Weah and Eto'o and the Cameroonian will probably edge it after another 3-4 good seasons. Drogba might also come close to Weah's legend if he stays in the form he showed last season. Kanu and Okocha have never been world class and Milla never did enough in Europe. Hassan is somebody who is an unknown factor outside Africa but I doubt if that many Africans outside Egypt seriously rate him above Weah or Eto'o.</em><br /><br />He may be right. Only time can tell.<br /><br />The issue isn't settled and only time will tell who really is the greatest African player ever. Kanu? Milla? Eto'o in a few years? Or someone unknown to the masses, as Cazlon pointed out? Let the debate continue.<br />***************************************************<br /><br />A few days ago, we posted a story about censorship and FIFA's attempts to discourage use of their brand. We noted the case of Anton Vosloo, who ran the wildly successful www.2010-soccer-worldcup.com. FIFA ordered it shut and the site was closed within days.<br /><br />This comment comes in from Anton Vosloo himself: '<em>They said the actual domain name was the problem and not so much the content. There are already much more than 7 sites out there.I think it was more the group of us that had a high page rank on google. My site was a free directory for travel related sites in Southern Afica.</em><br /><em></em><br /><br />I think it's sad that FIFA has come to this, but maybe they're right? Maybe they do need to protect their assets? What do you think?<br /><br />Read the article and the posted link in the article to learn more about this story.<br />******************************************<br /><br />Kudos to the Iraqi soccer team on their Asian Cup victory. Once again, football uplifts and transforms a nation. The power of a ball. It's incredible ...</div></div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-7963852294046131872010-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:002010-06-12T14:19:59.498-07:001 Day To Go: Whos Winning the 2010 World Cup?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-size:85%;" >2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/TBEbqFdmaRI/AAAAAAAAB9o/Ilc2FM4FvEQ/s400/preparing_for_the_world_cup.jpeg" alt="2010 World Cup, football, soccer, USA, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Slovenia, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea DPR, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Portugal, USA, Uruguay, Switzerland, Honduras, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Nigeria" title="1 Day To Go: Whos Winning the 2010 World Cup" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481192631321389330" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Less than 24 hours to go ... </span><br /><br />All the hype and hoopla ends tomorrow when Mexico kicks off against host nation South Africa in the first match of the 2010 World Cup ... (check out some INCREDIBLE photos of South Africa in the run-up to tomorrow's opening match, courtesy of boston.com)<br /><br />Once the ball starts rolling, it doesn't stop until someone lifts the FIFA World Cup Trophy on July 11th.<br /><br />So who wins it? Let's find out!<br /><br />First, the groups. The teams in bold are in the order I think they'll finish.<br /><br />Group A - France, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa.<br />Group B - Nigeria, Argentina, South Korea, Greece.<br />Group C - England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia.<br />Group D - Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia.<br />Group E - Holland, Cameroon, Denmark, Japan.<br />Group F - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia.<br />Group G - Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal, North Korea.<br />Group H - Spain, Chile, Switzerland, Honduras.<br /><br />So, that gives us these matchups in the round of 16.<br />First team listed is my winner.<br /><br />Argentina-France<br />England-Australia<br />Holland-Paraguay<br />Brazil-Chile<br />Nigeria-Mexico<br />Germany-USA<br />Italy-Cameroon<br />Spain-Ivory Coast<br /><br />That gives us these quarterfinal matchups. Same as before. Winner goes first.<br /><br />England-Argentina<br />Brazil-Holland<br />Germany-Nigeria<br />Spain-Italy<br /><br />Ok, semifinals. Same rules as before.<br /><br />Brazil-England<br />Spain-Germany<br /><br />The Final pits Spain against Brazil.<br /><br />Wow ... imagine that matchup. The two favorites fighting it out for the championship of the world!!!<br /><br />The winner?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SPAIN</span><br /><br /><br />I can't wait! Let's get this started!!<br />See you soon!</div> </div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7401112454820234015.post-33589907798344295962010-06-10T16:40:00.000-07:002010-06-10T16:40:00.092-07:00And I Thought the Super Bowl Was a Big Deal: More Ghana-Nigeria<div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dvsbBl7nnLY/R6e0zVswLXI/AAAAAAAAA0g/pXVke3yunf4/s400/r2950607436.jpg" alt="And I Thought the Super Bowl Was a Big Deal: More Ghana-Nigeria" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163294291894742386" border="0" /><br />The Super Bowl was an amazing game for gridiron fans.<br />Drama.<br />Intensity.<br />A story line of good vs. evil that couldn't be believed.<br /><br />Still, this pales in comparison to the match-up that took place in Ghana on Sunday between Ghana and Nigeria.<br /><br />Here, a taste from Jeff Klein of the New York Times' Goal blog about the fall out from Ghana's 2-1 victory over Nigeria.<br /><br /><blockquote>There were two Super Bowls happening in the world on Sunday — the one in America with the Giants of gridiron football, and the one in Africa with the two giants of African football: Ghana vs. Nigeria. Both games were amazing.<br /><br />No rivalry anywhere on the continent is as intense as the one between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Super Eagles of Nigeria, and when they met Sunday at a packed Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, a berth in the African Cup semifinals was on the line. Nigeria went ahead 1-0, but Ghana rallied on goals from Chelsea’s Michael Essien and, while down a man, from Nottingham Forest’s Junior Agogo to beat the Super Eagles for only the second time in tournament history, 2-1. Highlights are here:<br /><br />The victory was not only huge for Ghana in the tournament, it was huge in the Ghanaian imagination. As the Accra Daily Mail put it, “Wow!“, and within hours of the Black Stars’ triumph over their West African rivals, this song was cooked up (“These Nigerian suckas think they can come here and score, so we discipline them”). That was a response to this Nigerian joint, which was recorded before the game and told how “When Nigeria catch Ghana we go hammer them”.<br /><br />As it turns out, it was the Super Eagles who got hammered, or, as The Guardian of Lagos put it, the Super Chickens.<br /><br />Meanwhile back in Ghana the celebrations went on unabated. In Tamale, according to Ghana News Agency, citizens “of all ages went into joyful celebration with the noise pervading the air as though the people of Dagbon were celebrating their annual fire festival“, even as, elsewhere in the country, “Fans go gay in Sekondi”. Finally, if you think Ghanaian news organization are above gloating over knocking off Nigeria, have a look at this page and think again.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I tell you, I am falling in love with the majesty of the African game. It's intense on so many different levels than the European or even South American game is.<br /><br />From my uneducated perspective, African football is on the verge of making a MAJOR breakthrough. I'm not saying a 2010 World Cup victory. But more fans will be more aware of the quality of this continent's football. It's right around the corner.<br /><br />I hope I can shed even a small light on the beauty that is African soccer.</div>Djenar Asmaragamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745481813472168687noreply@blogger.com0