| Days of Glory - FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa Preview |
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| Features | |
| Sunday, 06 June 2010 | |
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It started on August 25th 2007 in the South Pacific when New Caledonia’s captain Pierre Wajoka scored a ninth minute penalty against Tahiti in the first qualifying game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; it will end on July 11th 2010 at Soccer City, Johannesburg. The World Cup is the show piece of the global game; it is the people’s game because of its simplicity! All that is needed is an open space and anyone of any shape or size can play it! South Africa is set to stage probably the greatest show on Earth! So from June 11th to July 11th expect a significant downturn in work, bleary eyes, frenzied joy, national celebrations / mourning, empty streets and one long party; yes the four year cycle is complete; 204 national teams entered the 2010 tournament and now only 32 are left standing. Get out your Vuvuzela (plastic horns) as ‘Bafana Bafana’ (South Africa) kicks off the tournament first………. All Eyes on Africa……. FIFA awarded the World Cup to South Africa in the confidence that staging a global event could give the continent confidence in its ability, in turn boosting investment and social-economic development. South Africa is beset with social issues, this is a great chance to prove to the world that they can unite and put on a great show. Still ‘Bafana Bafana’ has to get their act together or face the embarrassment of not getting out of their tough group! Cameroon and Ghana will have a majority of Africans rooting for them while Algeria’s journey to the finals only concluded after a play off against fierce (hated!) rivals, Egypt. All of Africa will be cheering on their continent’s teams! Who will take home the greatest prize? Hot favourites, Brazil and Spain are in the mix but nothing in life is ever certain especially with dubious refereeing decisions! Contenders include an ageing Italian team, an inexperienced German team now without talisman Michael Ballack, an England team with the weight of expectations, an underachieving Ivory Coast team and a scandal hit French team with an astrology loving manager; but as football is now quintessentially a level playing field so absolutely anything can happen! Any of the 32 teams can make a significant impact. Argentina and Maradona! The Perfect Match? Many eyes will be focused on Argentina, normally amongst the favourites, but now reduced to dark horses with their imbalanced squad and eccentric but legendary manager, Maradona, at the helm. Normally untouchable, Maradona behaviour and squad choices have raised a few eye brows! Aside from swearing at press conferences and running over journalists, squad wise, Maradona has used over 100 players and has ignored Inter Milan star defender Zanetti and dynamo Cambiasso much to the disbelief of many. Of course, if Argentina wins the World Cup, Maradona actions and selections will be vindicated and he will be able to resume his mantle of a living god beyond criticism and judgment! The Pride of Asia……. The Asian flag will be flown by a misfiring Japan, strong S.Korean and Australian sides and unknown quantity North Korea whose star striker Jong Tae Se, interestingly was born to 2nd generation South Korean parents in Japan! J-league based Jong swore allegiance to North Korea after attending North Korean funded schools. N. Korea are in the fascinating ‘Group of Death’ with Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast; most N. Koreans will not be able to watch the game as most matches will be censored and delayed! Cool Weather….Dark Horses……… The cool weather in South Africa will no doubt benefit some of the European teams. Dark horses such as the Netherlands and Denmark both have passionate fans and strong squads; while Slovakia, Switzerland and Slovenia will make sure there are not just there for the ride. Serbia will try and eradicate memories of a disappointing 2006 run while Greece will hope their defensive / counter attack style will reap dividends. Portuguese hopes will depend on their icon Ronaldo who will have the hopes of his nation on his shoulders. CONCACAF will be represented by mainstays Mexico and a United States team ready to emulate their 2002 run. Paraguay and Uruguay will also be looking to bring South America honour after their long journey to the finals. Cinderella Stories…………. Cinderella stories will no doubt abound! New Zealand, reaching their first world cup since 1982, will have many neutrals supporting them while hoping for the Haka! Sentimental favourites, Chile, hope to bring happiness to their earthquake shattered nation. Honduras made US defender Jonathon Bornestein, whose goal against Costa Rica ensured Honduras qualification, a national hero and declared a public holiday. Bornestein was personally invited by then interim President Micheletti for an all expenses free holiday for bringing long suffering Hondurans such joy! And The Winner is…………… Aside from Brazil and Spain; an imbalanced squad, an eccentric manager, strange selections, media scrutiny with the better players discarded will mean Argentina have the recipe for total disaster or incredible team unity! With the help of superstar Lionel Messi, they might just go all the way! If Ivory Coast can get out of their group and actually play to their potential, with or without Drogba, expect them to fly the African flag along with Ghana who sadly are without their star Essien. ‘Bafana Bafana’ with their passionate home support could surprise everyone and again unite the nation. Needless to say, we will all find out soon! New heroes will rise, old ones will fade away, nations will unite, villains scorned, emotions will be rampant and youngsters from Oceania, the middle east, Asia Pacific to Africa across to Europe and Latin America will be allowed to dream…..Roll on June 11th and all its endless possibilities…………….. By Christopher KL Lau Biography: Christopher KL Lau "Sleepy East Anglia was the launch pad for Chris to live and work all around the world including Beijing, London, Toronto and Hong Kong. Exposure to both the Chinese and British cultures allowed him to see the strengths and flaws of both from a young age. A charity worker and writer by trade, Chris has many interests ranging from travel to cinema to sports and can write comfortably on a range of subjects. Already a keen observer of the Asian Football Confederation, after randomly watching a Beijing Guoan versus Shanghai Shenhua Super League match in 2004 at the Workers Stadium, a greater interest in Chinese football developed. Like many of the Diaspora, he wonders when the next time the China national team will qualify for the World Cup......he hopes it will be within his lifetime!"
The author in a desert somewhere in the Middle East.............. |
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