Vuvuzela South Africa

When we think of the upcoming 2010FIFA World Cup South Africa, we are excited because it is the first World Cup on African soil. But we are well aware of the great legacy and long history of giants of the game this this tournament carries along with it. So it was exciting with The Telegraph carried a feature of the Top 50 World Cup Moments.

Top 50 World Cup Moments

We already know that included in those Top 50 World Cup Moments we will hear the names of Maradona, Pele, Bobby Moore, Cruyf, Zidane, Gascoigne, Michael Owen and a whole string of other superstars of the beautiful game and memorable moments caught on video – you can watch all these on YouTube.

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World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010 – The site for football news, views and build up information on the road to the World Cup Final is a United Kingdom Based Football blog. Mike Towers writes a guest post for us.

On the surface English football is gearing up for a long competitive season punctuated by twists and turns in the race for the various league titles and the occasional surprising FA Cup result.

Who Will Partner Rooney Up Front?

Scratch beneath the thin veneer which barely covers the subject and the picture is very different. Here you can see the tell-tale signs of a nation and its media preparing for months of frenzied debate about who will partner Rooney up front, which player is better suited to midfield defensive duties (Gerrard, Lampard or Barry), and whether the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) will embarrass themselves and England next summer.

Coach Fabio Capello

I’m not talking about the team or its taciturn coach, Fabio Capello. For the most part he and his players are trying to dampen down speculation. Of course there was the usual enthusiasm after qualification was secured courtesy of a 5 – 1 drubbing for Croatia. Capello then went on record to talk about reaching the final next year. But that’s probably the last we’ll hear on the subject from him until the summer.

World Cup Song

I’m referring instead to the now widespread speculation about the obligatory World Cup song. It’s part of our national DNA that a World Cup campaign must always be accompanied by a ditty about footy. England has produced some great songs over the years (Back Home, 1970, and World in Motion, 1990) and some truly rubbish ones (Vindaloo, 1998, and There’s No One You Can’t Beat, 2006, which was hastily retitled There’s No One You Can’t Beat Except The Team Which Just Put Us Out when England lost).

(Before any UK fans reading this start kicking up a fuss, Three Lions was written for Euro 1996 and didn’t become a World Cup song until later)

Noble England – Rik Mayall

While lots of fans are posting their songs on YouTube, pop guru Simon Cowell is reportedly contemplating getting involved in an official World Cup song. This already sounds like a terrible idea, one far less interesting than the Noble England song I announced on World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010 a few weeks ago.

Noble England will feature UK comedy legend Rik Mayall and lots of allusions to Shakespeare and beating the French. Sounds perfect to me and I’m already looking forward to hearing the song when it comes out next year.

By that time the UK media will be frothing at the mouth as the tournament in South Africa approaches. They do this every two (or four) years when England qualify for the World Cup or European Championships finals. They can’t help themselves. And here are some of the players who will be subjected to the traditionally intense scrutiny from ageing men in slippers who couldn’t trap a ball if you burst it for them.

The England World Cup Squad

Definites

Barring injury, the big names certain to make the 23-man squad are Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, and the Chelsea trio of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. These six players are the spine of the team.

Possible England Strikers

Rooney needs a partner up front. Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe started the season in blistering form for club and country. If he continues to score goals Defoe will probably become an automatic choice, relegating Emile Heskey (Aston Villa) and Peter Crouch (Tottenham) to the substitute’s bench. Carlton Cole (West Ham) and Michael Owen (Manchester United) could also be chosen, but the latter needs an injury-free goal-strewn season to stake his place.

Possible England Midfielders

Gareth Barry (Manchester City) and Michael Carrick (Manchester United) are definite midfield options. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Sean Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) and Theo Walcott (Arsenal) offer additional attacking/midfield alternatives. It remains to be seen whether Fabio Capello will extend David Beckham’s (LA Galaxy) international career beyond 2009. A rejuvenated Joe Cole (Chelsea) may be the more sensible option. Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United) may also make a welcome recovery from injury.

Possible England Defenders

Matthew Upson (West Ham), Glen Johnson (Liverpool) and Joleon Lescott (Everton) are certain to join Terry, Ferdinand and Cole as defending options. Johnson may have grabbed the right back spot for himself after a promising start to his Liverpool career. Wes Brown (Manchester United) and Micah Richards (Manchester City) will be considered for inclusion in the squad.

Possible England Goalkeeper

This is a problem position for England. Three from Rob Green (West Ham), Paul Robinson (Blackburn), David James (Portsmouth), Ben Foster (Manchester United) and Scott Carson (Aston Villa) will go to South Africa. On current form I‘d choose an armchair over any of these.

Take away the goalkeeper issue and I think England should be genuinely confident. Of course a lot may depend on where they play and at what time. Heat and exhaustion have a nasty habit of cutting England campaigns short. Colder nights may help the players. I think this means they will want to be based somewhere in the north east and away from the coast. Capello is rumoured to be considering altitude training to ensure the players can cope with this mountainous terrain.

English Soccer Fans

Wherever England are based and wherever they play, you can bet there will be thousands of fans cheering them on. Some sections of our media are genuinely concerned about crime and security; this may put some potential travellers off. Price rises for travel and accommodation may also have a negative impact on numbers. I don’t think we can even begin to estimate how many fans will go until after the December draw.

An England Victory in 2010?

Whether they will see an England victory is the big question. I can’t answer that right now. Ask me again in May and if the leading players are still fit I will have an answer for you!

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Yesterday, at the launch of the World Cup Trophy Tour, poor Sepp Blatter, once again had to launch a defence of South Africa’s security preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to the world media.

According to World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010, Blatter cited the successful Confederations Cup and the country’s staging of rugby and cricket World Cups and other international events as evidence that South African law enforcement organisations can cope.

“There was not one single incident in security [at the Confederations Cup] and still questions are coming ‘what about security’.”

Blatter seems to be getting increasingly irritated about questions of security and asked if anyone could tell him of one country anywhere in the world that is 100% secure.

“Please support us by saying let’s go there and trust the South Africans and South Africa. They are ready to organize the game and your security. But 100 percent security you will never find it anywhere in the world.”

High Level of Security at the 2010 World Cup South Africa

What is certain is there will be high-level security during the 2010 world Cup period in and around the 10 stadia in nine host cities, says worldfootballinsider.com.  The problem lies in ensuring the safety of the 450,000 visitors expected to attend matches. Nearly 50 people are reportedly murdered every day in South Africa, one of the highest murder rates in the world.

“There was not one single incident in security [at the Confederations Cup] and still questions are coming ‘what about security’,” said Blatter, adding that the country also welcomes more than 11 million tourists every year.

Patron Saint of the Vuvuzela

Well I guess we can be relieved that we were spared the Austrian’s concerns about vuvuzela violence this time around…  And Sepp Blatter, well I let us bestow on him the title of Patron Saint of the Vuvuzela – we will honour him with the blatter of of vuvuzelas throughout the World Cup.

And don’t they get it – we can’t understand what the world media is so freaked out about – they are not going to be staying in the shacklands and slums with the poorest of the poor and the wretched, where violence erupts in the blink of an eye – that Africa is something they might only photograph out of a taxi or bus window.

Visitors Will Move and Groove in “First World South Africa”

Where the visitors to the 2010 World Cup and the Media stay and where they shop and play, the crime and murder rates are probably comparable with most first world cities. They will move and grove in “First World South Africa”. And we are a really good tourism destination – we work  pretty hard at not having our guests murdered and mugged.

But I can tell you, while we are on the subject of violence, we are waiting for the English soccer hooligans – just let them try to mess with our new facilities!

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Today the solid gold FIFA World Cup Trophy will leave from Zurich to Cairo for the African leg of the World tour where it will visit over 53 countries to bring the REAL World Cup Experience to fans.

World Cup Trophy Tour

The Trophy Tour, which will begin its journey from the FIFA Headquarters today, September 21, 2009, will travel around the world before arriving in the host country of South Africa on May 4, 2010. The total distance the tour will travel is 134,017 kilometers (83,274 miles) or more than three times the circumference of Earth. The Tour was developed through an exclusive partnership between FIFA and Coca-Cola, a FIFA Partner and one of the organization’s longest-standing corporate partners.

Free tickets to the 2009/10 Trophy Tour will be made available to consumers via Coca-Cola promotions in countries on the route.  At events in each city, fans will have the opportunity to have a souvenir photo taken of themselves with the trophy, view a special 3-D movie showcasing memorable moments of the FIFA World Cup, participate in interactive displays, and enjoy other entertainment.

Arrive for World Cup Draw

The solid gold FIFA World Cup Trophy( below)  will arrive in Cape Town on 4 December 2009 in time for the World Cup Draw.

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A goal from a cross from Henyekane by Katlego Mphela in the 65th minute gave Bafana Bafana a 1-0 victory over Madagascar in an international friendly at the GWK Stadium in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon. Besides this good news, the rest of the match was a rather boring affair.

I think South African fans have a right to be worried, that our National Football Team looks so unmotivated and uncohesive, lumbering along. OK the surface was a bit bumpy, but come on; these are all really talented, professional soccer players. They just do not be able to seem to get it together as a team and they seem to have no real motivation or pride.

43rd Minute Penalty was not a Penalty

And that penalty in the 43 minute against Madagascar stopper Kandy – from where I was sitting it was clearly outside the goal area and in my books, that is not a penalty.

Kandy however was yellow carded by Botswana referee Joshua Bondo. Maybe justice was served when he saved the resulting penalty attempt from Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala. Is Tshabalala the best spot kicker in the team?

Lucky Win for Bafana Bafana

And we can count this win a bit lucky, because at seven minutes to go, the Madagascans hit the post late in a very close goal. A shot from the right eluded Baron and came back off the post, striking the arm of Siboniso Gaxa as a Malagasy striker chested the ball back towards goal, but curiously, referee Bondo signaled a foul that only he saw.

In the words of football365.co.za “As the match spluttered to an anti-climactic end, it once again became clear that this is a side light-years away from putting up a respectable showing at the World Cup. Bafana may have won, but the manner of the victory and yet another unconvincing performance will do very little to silence critics of Joel Santana. “

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