2010 World Cup South Africa Guide.

ana — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:58:23 +0000

This is amazing info, not a joke – and for the record this is not a sponsored post as it may seem.

I received this 2010 World Cup South Africa Guide this morning and it is absolutely awesome. This chap Russel cold emailed me it and it will definitely come in handy for those of us planning on attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It has info from airports, to accommodation, to restaurants, car rentals. Really a lot of useful info.

From Russel: This outstanding 77 page document is packed with essential, topical and up-to-date information, with advice and contact details on Lodging, Tours, Safety, Medical, Insurance, Consulates, Airports, Airlines, Visas, City Guides, Car Hire, Route Descriptions … plus lots of info and stats on Teams, Stadia, Schedules and Personal Predictions etc. That makes it the Ultimate 2010 Travel Guide for Soccer Fans!

I would have to agree. You should DOWNLOAD YOURS HERE . It’s free and will be very useful (link goes to PDF directly).

World Cup Attractions: Johannesburg

ana — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:14:58 +0000

So Brazil will be spending a whole lot of time in Johannesburg, and we need to start planning what to do apart from the games. I found some interesting stuff but I thought to maybe get some tips via the site. So far on my list:

Lion Park: I really want to play with some baby lions. Come on! It’s South Africa! more info >

Nelson Mandela House

~~District 9~~

Give us the goods: where to eat, where to go out, other attractions? Will be updating this page as we get more info.

Cheers!

Goodbye Becks?

ana — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:38:00 +0000

It’s been all over the place: David Beckham will probably not be joining England in South Africa after injuring his Achilles tendon. AC Milan’s midfielder is now heading to Finalnd to take care of the situation but it is highly unlikely Becks will be able to join Fabio Capello’s team in June. The Three Lions was already struggling with injuries thus far and this was really Beckham’s last chance at a World Cup.

Becks is 34 years-old. He went on to AC Milan to try and safeguard his spot with the national squad since Capello told him to go Europe or be gone.

All was going smoothly…

I personally wish he makes it to the World Cup as there is a slight chance of recuperation. The guy has played 3 World Cups and has a record as most capped outfield player with 115 appearances for England. And whether you like it or not, he has been a significant figure in World Football in the past 12 years.

It would be like Zidane getting hurt in 2006. Ok, not really – but almost.

Will injuries scupper England’s World Cup hopes?

john — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:02:50 +0000

The build up to any World Cup should be filled with optimism. Like the opening day of the league season fans are filled with a sense of expectation, with sides starting on a level footing anything can happen.

But with three months to go until the start of the tournament in South Africa, England’s preparations have been hit by a series of crippling injuries that could derail the team’s World Cup bid before it has even started.

Putting aside his highly public and controversial private life, Ashley Cole’s broken foot is a massive blow to England fans. Cole is by far the best left-back in the country but with him absent, and understudy Wayne Bridge unavailable for well-known reasons, Leighton Baines is set to play in the world’s biggest tournament with only one cap to his name.

Things aren’t much better on the right. Glenn Johnson was considered first choice – even though his lapses in concentration caused England to conceded sloppy goals during qualifying – but he has been injured for large chunks of the season. He made a comeback for Liverpool this week but it remains to be seen whether he can be back to his best by June.

So what about potential replacements? Well, Wes Brown looked soiled enough in the recent friendly with Egypt but has since broken his foot and will be out for six weeks. Full-backs are thin on the ground as it is and even Gary Neville could be in with a chance of making the squad.

In the middle doubts remain over the fitness of Rio Ferdinand, who has missed much of this season with a back injury, while the mental state of John Terry needs to be considered after he was stripped of the captaincy following revelations about his private life. Matthew Upson is a steady deputy, but a slip in the Egypt game once again highlighted his relative weakness compared to Fabio Capello’s first choice pairing.

Things aren’t much better when it comes to the goalkeeping situation either. David James has had an injury plagued season and at nearly 40 he might be considered too old for the World Cup. Beyond him, there isn’t much to choose between the likes of Robert Green, Joe Hart and Paul Robinson. All are steady ‘keepers on their day but they are prone to mistakes and seem to lack that international X factor. The World Cup is an unforgiving place – just ask David Seaman – there is no margin for error and even the smallest of mistakes could cost England the World Cup.

The World Cup 2010 football odds make England third favourites for the tournament, but with all these injuries they could struggle to justify this tag.

However, before you go and cry in a darkened room there is one glimmer of hope for the Three Lions – Wayne Rooney. The man is on fire at the moment and is carrying United’s title challenge almost on his own. He has the kind of star quality that can propel England to the latter stages of the world’s greatest football tournament. Anyone thinking of having a football bet on Rooney being top scorer at the competition can 12/1 on this happening, and he should certainly bag a few goals.

As long as he doesn’t get injured that is.

Photo: AC Milan Rooneyed.

ana — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:11:15 +0000

It’s bye bye AC Milan. No more Champions League. Manchester United crashed Milan today 4-0. Goals from Rooney (twice) Park and Fletcher.

Adriano. Lazy Ass MTF.

ana — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:55:25 +0000

Really, only in Brazil this sort of shit happens. And it kills me.

Adriano, who has the right to practice whenever his royal ass feels like, hasn’t showed up in Flamengo for the past 9 days. He got two free days before joining Brazil to play Ireland on March 2nd, got back to Brazil on Thursday, March 11th, and hasn’t been seen since. The worst of all (as I do not give a damn if he plays for Flamengo or nor that he gets the second highest sallary in Brazilian football) is that the punk is a starter for the Brazilian national team. And that is plain and simple f*ed up.

Dunga is really one stupid person. He keeps on calling Adriano and puts him as a starter, while there are some hard working players out there who could really contribute more to the national team. But no, dumb Dunga keeps lazy fat ass Adriano, who since World Cup 2006 has done absolutely nothing for Seleção.

And I bet Dunga will bring him to South Africa. Which is wrong in all possible levels. Lazy ass MTF – this guy should have retired for good.

Portuguese players should sport a moustache during the World Cup.

ana — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:29:52 +0000

The Portuguese team is not looking very Portuguese for some. That is the opinion of some Coimbra footy fans who decided to create the campaign “We want Portugal sporting a moustache in South Africa” (Queremos a Selecção com bigode na África do Sul). I personally think that would be total awesomeness.

The campaign’s creator, Ivo Lapa, initiated the effort via a Facebook page. He gathered some people and they bought tickets right behind the goal on the friendly match between Portugal and China so that they could get TV attention and some press. The effort paid off and the page has around 2k fans. I just hope it could actually reach the players…

Imagine how cool: Carlos Queiroz and his entire squad sporting moustaches? Especially C. Ronaldo…

Photo: 100 days until World Cup South Africa

ana — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:49:34 +0000

Ohhh yeah baby! Only 100 days until we got nuts in South Africa! We are getting all things ready to show you everything that is going on down there. Get ready to follows us daily. Just 100 days to go.

Brazil 2 – 0 Ireland.

ana — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:44:25 +0000

Brazil played its last match before going to the World Cup in South Africa. Dunga’s team did its job by beating Ireland 2 – 0 with two oals from Robinho, but some things are still clearly wrong.

To start, Brazil’s left midfield, which hasn’t been working since Roberto Carlos left in 2006. So many have been there yet the best option seems to be Dani Alves, a right midfield. And the one who deserved better chances at it, Real Madrid’s Marcelo, has only played a few matches with Seleção.~~Oh yeah, that seems to be the position for manager’s money~~

Another issue is Robinho, who is a total punk and plays well only once every 2 years. Today he did well (after months and months of not doing shit) so we hope he decides to put in some effort while in South Africa… chances are Dunga will play him as a starter.

Now back to the match, it was a good one. Second goal was amazing – Robinho you punk! Kaká did just ok, still a good asset. Graffite is a better option then Adriano up front, but the again, a lot of other forwards are (Pato or Nilmar, for example). Maicon completely owns the right wing as he should. And defense boys Juan and Lucio are as solid as they can be.

Is Brazil ready for the World Cup? Here are the goals.

Rooney is England’s best player of 2009.

ana — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:22:47 +0000

A day after helping Manchester United take the Carling Cup title, Wayne Rooney took home the award for England’s best player in 2009. Rooney got over 40% of votes of a poll promoted by the FA.

Do you htink he deserved it?