Vuvuzela South Africa

Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Parreira on Thursday (04 March) announced a 29-man squad to travel to Brazil for a month-long training camp. The camp is in preparation for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup, and is one of three before the start of the tournament in June. The two other camps will be in Germany in April and in South Africa in May.

The squad is made up mainly of players doing duty in the ABSA Premiership, with just two who are overseas-based – Daylon Claasen as well as Kermit Erasmus.

On the Safa Website Parreira says it was a difficult period trying to put together the schedule for the Brazilian Camp.

“The Brazilian League is in full swing and it proved very difficult to put this whole exercise together. But the highlight of the camp should be a match against local first division club Cruzeiro on the 17th of March. But before that we will play another club Volta Redonda on the 13th. Both are training matches. We have also secured an international friendly match against Paraguay in Paraguay on the 31st of March,” said Parreira.

Confirmed Matches for Brazil Camp

Matches confirmed for the Brazil Camp:

• BB VS Volta Redondo – 13 March (Kickoff at 15h30)
• BB VS Fluminense – 14 March (Kickoff at 15h30)
• BB VS Cruzeiro – 17 March (Kickoff at 21h50)
• BB VS Botafogo – 20 March
• INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: BB VS Paraguay – 31 March (Kick off at 19h30)

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The Beverly Hills in Umhlanga Rocks where the Greece Team is based.

FIFA  announced the 32 base camps that the 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists will be using earlier this week . amid rumors and grumblings from some coaches about the facilities.

Host Bafana Bafana will be based at the Southern Sun Grayston Hotel in Sandton and train at Sandown High School, north of Johannesburg.

Bafana have two more training camps outside the country, one in Germany and another in Brazil.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be based in Hempshire, KZN Dolphin Coast, along with Cameroon who will be based at the Oyster Box close by in Durban. Teams also camping in KwaZulu Natal are Paraguay at Woodridge Country Lodge, Algeria at Zimbali Lodge and Greece at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Chile is so far the only team which will be based in Mpumalanga at Ingwenyama Conference Centre.

Teams that will be based in the North West include, Korea Republic at the Hunters Rest Hotel, England at the Bafokeng Sports Campus and Spain at the Potchefstroom University (North West Campus).

Bafana’s opponents in Group A, Uruguay, will be the only team with a training camp in the Northern Cape at the Protea Hotel in Kimberley.

Three teams that will have base camps in the Western Cape are Japan at the Fancourt Hotel & Country Club, Denmark at Simola Hotel Country Club and France at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa.

Gauteng will have the privilege of hosting Netherlands at the Hilton Sandton Hotel, Brazil at the Fairway Hotel, Mexico at Thaba ya Batswana, Honduras at Indaba Hotel, North Korea (Korea DPR) at the Protea Hotel Midrand.

Serbia will be based at the Sunnyside Park Hotel, Australia at the Kloofzicht Lodge, while defending world champions, Italy, will be based at the Leriba Lodge.

USA will be based at Irene Country Lodge, Ivory Coast will be based at Riverside Hotel and Conference Centre, while Switzerland will be based at the Emerald Resort and Casino.

Germany will set up camp at the Velmore Hotel, Portugal at the Alley Hotel, Ghana at the Rhoode Valley, New Zealand at the Serengeti Estate and Slovenia will be based at the Hyde Park Southern Sun Hotel.

However, the list of base camps, according to FIFA, is subject to change.

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Moses Mabhida Stadium

SuperSport United defender Morgan Gould has been withdrawn due to injury  from the Bafana Bafana squad to face Namibia in an international friendly on Wednesday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban according to Kickoff.com

His teammate and captain at United, Bongani Khumalo, will take his place. Gould suffered the injury in his club’s 1-2 League defeat to Bidvest Wits on Wednesday.

The South Africa vs Nabmiba match is part of the 100-day countdown celebrations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The match kicks off at 8.30. Tickets are available at Computicket at Checkers.

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Engen Santos and Ajax Cape Town will inaugurate the world class Cape Town Stadium in Green Point today (Saturday, January 23, 2009).  Kickoff is at 4pm.

Like the inaugural match of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in December, this is a test run and only 20 000 tickets were sold.

Cape Town Derby Thriller

It is only fitting that the city of Cape Town chose a classic Cape derby to launch this beautiful 68,000-seat stadium. And football fans can expect a hot contest as The People’s Team try to pull a hat-trick of Cape derby wins, having already defeated the Urban Warriors 2-0 (away) and 1–0 (at home) earlier this season.

We know this is only a friendly so, only bragging rights are up for grabs, but this match at the Cape Town Stadium looks like a real Cape Derby Thriller

Cape Town Stadium – Green Features

The multi-purpose Cape Town stadium boasts special “green” features that is aimed to be completely environmentally-friendly, ensuring optimal water and energy saving.

Engen Santos – Proud to Be Part of History

On their website, Engen Santos captain Mogogi Gabonamong comments, “ Looking at pictures of the new stadium I am sure the game will generate a fantastic atmosphere and as we are playing against our neighbours we are very optimistic that this will become a great event in the history of the city.”

Sharing his sentiments, Engen Santos coach Boebie Solomons said, “ I feel very good (to play first on the new Cape Town Stadium) and with the excellent opposition, I am glad we were invited. I’m proud to be part of history being made with the team playing on such a fantastic surface.”

Sail Stadefrance said from the first press interview that only 20 000 tickets will be available for the opening of the Cape Town Stadium when Ajax Cape town play Santos.

This is an all ticket affair but the organisers did not expect to put up sold-out signs 10 days before the event.

Ajax Cape Town – Cape Town is Fanatical About Football

Shooz Mekuto the Ajax Cape Town PRO said on their website, “We are not surprised by the demand for more tickets. Cape Town is fanatical about football and when Ajax and Santos faced each other in the ABSA Cup final in 2007, the Athlone Stadium was packed to the rafters. This just shows that the support for local football is as passionate as ever.”

Billed as the Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival, the event is hosted by the City of Cape Town and organised by the stadium’s operators, Sail Stadefrance, and includes live music from top South African Afro-fusion band, Freshlyground.

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Well we know how the Final Draw turned out – terrible for South Africa but here are the groups for the 2010 World Cup, in case anyone doesn’t know yet. And the Official Match Schedule.

France and Uruguay are two former World Cup winners and Mexico is known as a very strong team, but South Africa will have to rely on the wide experience of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and the passion and skill of Bafana Bafana if we want to avoid the humiliation of becoming the first host team in World Cup history to get knocked out in the first round.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana,
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

South Africa’s Matches

11 June 2010 4.00 pm South Africa v Mexico at Soccer City, Johannesburg
16 June 2010 8.30 pm South Africa v Uruguay at Loftus Versveld, Pretoria
26 June 2010 4.00 pm South Africa v France at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
26 June 2010 4.00 pm Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B at Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth
27 June 2010 8.30 pm Runner up Group A v Winner Group B at Soccer City, Johannesburg

Matches at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Sunday  13 June Group D Germany v Australia
Wednesday 16 June Group H Spain v Switzerland
Saturday 19 June Group E Netherlands v Japan
Tuesday 22 June Group B Nigeria v South Korea
Friday 25 June Group G Portugal v Brazil
Monday 28 June Round of 16 Winner Group E v Runner Up Group F
Wednesday 7 July Semi Final Winner Quarter Final B v Quarter Final D

Official Match Schedule of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

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