Tottenham Hotspur would have cared less who they drew in the quarter final of the UEFA Champions League. The only problem is that I rate Spurs team with my heart and love Jose Mourinho with all my mind. Nine-time European champions Real Madrid coach will be lying if he said he has minimum respect for Spurs, but in all fairness, the Londoners, with all due respect to the team and my English favourite manager, Harry Redknapp, cannot compete at that level. They however have an insignificant advantage of playing the 2nd leg at White Hart Lane.
For Barcelona, drawing Shakhtar Donetsk and avoiding Manchester United, Chelsea (who meet each other) and Madrid, is a true blessing. Defending champions Inter Milan, face Bundesliga club Schalke 04. The winner of Chelsea v United will play Inter or Schalke.
Madrid have an impressive record of the Cup, a total of over 150 matches in 15 appearances while Spurs are debutants. That is why, by any measure, they would have chosen a preferred opposition. Spurs midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart who used to play for Madrid will relish the chance to show his former pay masters a thing or two.
The Man U – Chelsea match will always be tagged as a rematch or revenge-cum grudge match following a bitter 2008 Chelsea loss to United in Moscow. I think that counts for nothing and it is The Blues’s realistic chance to get something away from United. Time will tell.
Showing posts with label Ibumba International Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ibumba International Festival. Show all posts
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
If you care about what I think about the UEFA Champions League...
The UEFA champions league first legs in 2011 will be played on February 15 and 16 and February 22 and 23 with the return legs on March 8 and 9 and March 15 and 16. The final will be at Wembley Stadium on May 28.
Barcelona attracts Arsenal with alarming regularity in this tournament, and they even give them a hiding with the same consistancy. The reason is simple. Barcelona has men and Arsenal boys. Will we see boys turning to men? Not in our life-time. The Gunners can only go a gear up with a new set of players or a new manager. Barca blasted Gunners 6-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals last season and gunned them in the 2006 final. It was nice having Arsenal in the Champions League. There is still another season, next year, hoping Lionel Messi will not be eligible for the encounter then.
The same can be said of Tottenham Hotspur. They had an amazing run in the Champions League so far and my prayers were always that they draw a tough team to play. They had fantastic trips to the San Siro for the memorable encounter with holders, Inter Milan and now return there for a date with seven time champions, AC Milan. As an after thought, AC are better than Inter for now, and that is the tonic Harry Redknapp needs. I feel for the San Siro crowd. Gareth Bale will haunt them for life.Manchester United will spend much of their Champions League preparation time doing work for the Barclays Premier League. This ensures they regain the championship, but drawing Olympique Marseille, those who think they know, will tell you it is a plate of chips. This Manchester United is the worst side ever to take on Europe. While they has been praise of how well they began to defend and getting result without playing well, that is coming to an end. Marseille are a hard nut and it will be sad to lose for champions in such an easy fashion but like the Gunners, they will be concentrating on the league.
Chelsea are to play rookies, FC Copenhagen. Chelsea will make light work of the former Swiss heavy weights who have become very ordinary in recent years. Such teams make good prey for the ‘men at work’ attitude of The Blues, who are seeking a comeback. Copenhagen will suffer the indignity of meeting the team that will be ruthless in atorning for it’s recent dismal performances. Didier Drogba started the season playing a blinder after blinder without scoring but providing essential supply for Nicolas Anelka. No one has tried to return the favour and the team is badly suffering. The bosses did not help with firing the first team trainer, but that has now been water under Stanford Bridge.
European champions Inter Milan drew Bayern Munich. Bayern will seek to revenge the loss at the last season's final. Inter buried Bayern 2-0 in the final that was played in Madrid. Diego Milito was the double scorer in what turned out to be a simple workout for Inter to clinch their first European crown for 45 years. As it turns out, Inter struggled under Rafa Benitez and their qualification was an anti climax for the defending champions as they came second to Spurs. Bayern’s fortunes were different, as they ran rampant with their 5/6 win group stage record, and they will surely made a light meal of the Italians.
The real deal is the Real Madrid versus Olympique Lyon. Real have a good reputation in this tournament, lifting it 9 times winners. They have never been the same side that made it their annual habit to house the Cup with the big ears. Jose Mourihno has been trying to break all records, including winning this cup with 4 different clubs. The Special One lifted the Cup in Portugal with FC Porto, England with Chelsea and Italy with Inter Milan.
All eyes are on him after he transformed Madrid to a fluid playing side, though not to the level of Barcelona. Mourinho is smarting from the embarassment he suffered from the UEFA suspensions and fines for issues concerning evading player suspensions when he ‘ordered’ Xavi and Ramos to receive silly yellow cards to miss the dead rubber of qualification stages. Barcelaona hammered him for 5 and I pity Olympique Lyon, as hell hath no fury like Jose scorned.
AS Roma had a soft opponent in Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine. Shakhtar are a gifted side without a doubt, but they are easy meat and ready for the taking. I had prayed for teams like Spurs not to draw them as the attitudes would sink and the English would struggle against them. Arsene Wenger knows what I am talking about. It must be said that Roma are not the side of years back, but they have been dishing out some decent football and one can only hope they were not flattering to deceive.
Finally, Valencia gave Man U a torrid time and showed that they real mean business this season. They will play Schalke 04 of Germany and betting against them will be ill-advice for any invester and by that, it does not mean Schalke will give it up easy. It does not necessarily mean putting United on the back foot in the group stages is a licence to advance, given United were not upto scratch in technical terms, but psychologically, they are on cloud nine and they are the last opponents to draw at this stage.
THE DRAW
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke 04
Internazionale v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
Copenhagen v Chelsea
Tell us, where is it gonna go?
Friday, November 5, 2010
What exactly is Ibumba International Festival?
Introduction
Ibumba International Festival is an innovative programme which will see football and the arts come together to engage young people families and the community at large. The usually large annual gathering and engagements of arts, culture, theatre and football is set to finish the festival in a social manner. The event will take place on the morning and afternoon of Wednesday 22 December 2010.
History of Football at Ibumba
This high quality programme is part of Ibumba International Festival which was founded as "Ibumba Winter Festival" by the world travelled Siyaya Arts in 1996 as a way and means of giving back to the community their skills, expertise, successes and experiences. The name "Ibumba", meaning the "clay used to mould" was adopted as it reflects the spirit of which the founders strive, i.e. building a tomorrow for the arts, today. It is their continual belief that the festival will help to mould a future for the arts by impacting the individual, the family, the community, the country, Africa and the world. The festival strongly supports the work of local artists and the community as they continually allocate local artists and productions prime performance spaces even when they have international participation. Since inception, the festival has been primarily funded by Siyaya Arts through performances, sometimes with minimal support from the corporate world and donor world.
The Festival The Players
Invitations have already been sent to 8 different area/sector teams in Bulawayo. The defending champions, Team Makokoba are expected to give the aspiring teams a torrid time. Team Nguboyenja, Team Barbourfields and Team Mzilikazi will be looking to close loopholes that saw them lose out the last time around. Newcomers, Team Njube and surroundings and Team Nkulumane and Nketa are expected to come to add the flavour. They are known to have the talent that will keep fans entertained and even challenge for the honours. Of course, Team Artists and Team Media appear underdogs on paper, but then football is not played on paper. You will also remember how many artists and media personnel could have easily became professional footballers. Ezrom Nyandoro, Zimbabwe Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns performed arts for Siyaya as a youngster 14 years ago.
A community team has been tasked with the effort of putting together and registering a pool of 25 players per team to play in the festival tournament. The games will be open to anyone regardless of sex, age and profession as long as the players are willing to play as a team for social purposes and abide by the festival rules which will strongly based on the general FIFA football rules. Teams will also pay a nominal non-refundable registration fee of $20 per team. Organisers are also having finishing touches on a delicious list of prizes that will be announced on the Ibumba Festival website http://www.ibumbafestival.com/ when the programme is released.
The 2010 Festival Theme – "LOL"
LOL. Laugh out loud? Yes, here it is but "Live Out Loud" Asked about the idea, Simon Mambazo Phiri of Siyaya Arts, the brains behind 2010 Ibumba Festival said, "This is an expression of the way we expect our work, audiences, partners and the community to blossom as we aid the regeneration and branding of Zimbabwe and take a role in confirming that it is Time for Africa. This theme will be used to maximise freedom of expression as anything 'said out loud' has a bigger chance of being heard. We will shout out, and loudly" Already the publicity of the event is loud and they say the music will even be louder and the festival will be embracing for all and sundry. Unless you will be watching football anywhere else, here it will also play a role in making the noise for sure.
2010 Team Menu
The last two editions of the festival has seen football being played and special 2010 edition honours the historic first ever Africa hosted FIFA World Cup and comes in with promises of an improved programme of the world's beautiful game. Previous plans and executions will be retained and improved and the main focus is to make football part of the festival. As we "Live out Loud" at Ibumba 2010 we look forward to making the games more exciting and friendly.
Football matches were first played in 2008 at Robert Tredgold where four teams of Artists were drawn to play for the ultimate prize of a Floating Shield and some prize money. 2009 saw four teams consisting Siyaya Artists, Team Makokoba, Team Mzilikazi and Team Barbourfields and the games were played at Ross Camp and the Shield and prize went to Team Makokoba
Your Support
Such a huge and world class event will attract global attention. An exclusive commercial sponsorship package is being offered to all to consider being a partner or sponsor of Ibumba Festival Football Tournament and be associated with the festival’s diverse aspects, which are multi-cultural, inter-disciplinary, inter-racial, inter-sexual, celebratory and above all, community oriented. The generosity of the corperate world, individuals and well wishers will go a long way in making the block blaster of a show into a wild minster entertainment extravaganza.
The hire of Ross Camp Stadium is $100.00 while security will cost $200.00 to make it a truly save family environment. The match official fees will be $200.00 as it is intended to make football matches both entertainment and value with professionalism. At this point, prizes and awards are expected to be around $800.00 while balls and nets will take $100.00 of the budget. With a transport budget of $200.00, the minimum total sponsorship of $1600,00 is sought from all those who can help. More can be done for the benefit of the community. The sponsors and advertisers will be given publicity on this blog as well.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Asked about what exactly they expect from the sponsors, Mbazo said, "We are very flexible in our approach and welcome any new and interesting suggestions with regards to partnerships provided that they are in keeping with the ethos of the festival and add value to our event." He said they have in place an immediate decision making capacity on anything that people may require in terms of ideas or information, adding, "There are a number of different ways in which we see partnerships working but these are by no means set in stone and we are prepared to negotiate with interested parties at any time. Our door is always open." He expressed how keen they were to engage many stakeholders. Their biggest wish is that the partnerships they set up in 2010 are for the long term rather than simply for the 2010 event as this enables them to keep the momentum going.
What Sponsors Can Expect
Ibumba International Festival are prepared to offer promotional opportunity in return for various levels of spend or in-kind support like branding and naming rights for the whole football tournament, branding, logos and web addresses on all flyers produced and distributed throughout Bulawayo (via venues, tourist racks, shops, restaurants etc), via door drops to targeted households in the townships and suburbs, branding and web links within the official festival programme (as long as the partnership is confirmed before going to print) as well as logos and mentions on the Partners page on the www.ibumbafestival.com website plus addition of a direct link from the festival website and reference on their sister sites at www.sabelamusic.com and the www.siyaya-arts.com site. They will also be mentions in national media coverage through their media partners and through theirr press campaigns and mutual e-mailer to their client databases of over 5000 addresses to announce the partnership.
Conclusion
Also in the package is the tickets for hospitality and reduced price ticket offers for partners' own clients for other festival events. This list is not exhaustive and other suggestions can be discussed depending on your funding and desires. They offer an excellent opportunity for strong brand promotion and involvement in a niche arts market which targets and involves the young as well as the established artists and audiences. Ibumba Festival Community Football Tournament is an opportunity for artists, the young and families to create a unique home grown community engagement project, and a chance for companies and businesses to engage corporate sponsorship.
As you go to the arts and theatre festival and enjoy the diski, remember to make a difference in the community you so much love, but not for just your self, but for those growing up so they can have the same or even better opportunities that you had in times gone by. Wishing you a "Loud Festival" at Ibumba 2010! See you there.
Ibumba International Festival is an innovative programme which will see football and the arts come together to engage young people families and the community at large. The usually large annual gathering and engagements of arts, culture, theatre and football is set to finish the festival in a social manner. The event will take place on the morning and afternoon of Wednesday 22 December 2010.
History of Football at Ibumba
This high quality programme is part of Ibumba International Festival which was founded as "Ibumba Winter Festival" by the world travelled Siyaya Arts in 1996 as a way and means of giving back to the community their skills, expertise, successes and experiences. The name "Ibumba", meaning the "clay used to mould" was adopted as it reflects the spirit of which the founders strive, i.e. building a tomorrow for the arts, today. It is their continual belief that the festival will help to mould a future for the arts by impacting the individual, the family, the community, the country, Africa and the world. The festival strongly supports the work of local artists and the community as they continually allocate local artists and productions prime performance spaces even when they have international participation. Since inception, the festival has been primarily funded by Siyaya Arts through performances, sometimes with minimal support from the corporate world and donor world.
The Festival The Players
Invitations have already been sent to 8 different area/sector teams in Bulawayo. The defending champions, Team Makokoba are expected to give the aspiring teams a torrid time. Team Nguboyenja, Team Barbourfields and Team Mzilikazi will be looking to close loopholes that saw them lose out the last time around. Newcomers, Team Njube and surroundings and Team Nkulumane and Nketa are expected to come to add the flavour. They are known to have the talent that will keep fans entertained and even challenge for the honours. Of course, Team Artists and Team Media appear underdogs on paper, but then football is not played on paper. You will also remember how many artists and media personnel could have easily became professional footballers. Ezrom Nyandoro, Zimbabwe Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns performed arts for Siyaya as a youngster 14 years ago.
A community team has been tasked with the effort of putting together and registering a pool of 25 players per team to play in the festival tournament. The games will be open to anyone regardless of sex, age and profession as long as the players are willing to play as a team for social purposes and abide by the festival rules which will strongly based on the general FIFA football rules. Teams will also pay a nominal non-refundable registration fee of $20 per team. Organisers are also having finishing touches on a delicious list of prizes that will be announced on the Ibumba Festival website http://www.ibumbafestival.com/ when the programme is released.
The 2010 Festival Theme – "LOL"
LOL. Laugh out loud? Yes, here it is but "Live Out Loud" Asked about the idea, Simon Mambazo Phiri of Siyaya Arts, the brains behind 2010 Ibumba Festival said, "This is an expression of the way we expect our work, audiences, partners and the community to blossom as we aid the regeneration and branding of Zimbabwe and take a role in confirming that it is Time for Africa. This theme will be used to maximise freedom of expression as anything 'said out loud' has a bigger chance of being heard. We will shout out, and loudly" Already the publicity of the event is loud and they say the music will even be louder and the festival will be embracing for all and sundry. Unless you will be watching football anywhere else, here it will also play a role in making the noise for sure.
2010 Team Menu
The last two editions of the festival has seen football being played and special 2010 edition honours the historic first ever Africa hosted FIFA World Cup and comes in with promises of an improved programme of the world's beautiful game. Previous plans and executions will be retained and improved and the main focus is to make football part of the festival. As we "Live out Loud" at Ibumba 2010 we look forward to making the games more exciting and friendly.
Football matches were first played in 2008 at Robert Tredgold where four teams of Artists were drawn to play for the ultimate prize of a Floating Shield and some prize money. 2009 saw four teams consisting Siyaya Artists, Team Makokoba, Team Mzilikazi and Team Barbourfields and the games were played at Ross Camp and the Shield and prize went to Team Makokoba
Your Support
Such a huge and world class event will attract global attention. An exclusive commercial sponsorship package is being offered to all to consider being a partner or sponsor of Ibumba Festival Football Tournament and be associated with the festival’s diverse aspects, which are multi-cultural, inter-disciplinary, inter-racial, inter-sexual, celebratory and above all, community oriented. The generosity of the corperate world, individuals and well wishers will go a long way in making the block blaster of a show into a wild minster entertainment extravaganza.
The hire of Ross Camp Stadium is $100.00 while security will cost $200.00 to make it a truly save family environment. The match official fees will be $200.00 as it is intended to make football matches both entertainment and value with professionalism. At this point, prizes and awards are expected to be around $800.00 while balls and nets will take $100.00 of the budget. With a transport budget of $200.00, the minimum total sponsorship of $1600,00 is sought from all those who can help. More can be done for the benefit of the community. The sponsors and advertisers will be given publicity on this blog as well.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Asked about what exactly they expect from the sponsors, Mbazo said, "We are very flexible in our approach and welcome any new and interesting suggestions with regards to partnerships provided that they are in keeping with the ethos of the festival and add value to our event." He said they have in place an immediate decision making capacity on anything that people may require in terms of ideas or information, adding, "There are a number of different ways in which we see partnerships working but these are by no means set in stone and we are prepared to negotiate with interested parties at any time. Our door is always open." He expressed how keen they were to engage many stakeholders. Their biggest wish is that the partnerships they set up in 2010 are for the long term rather than simply for the 2010 event as this enables them to keep the momentum going.
What Sponsors Can Expect
Ibumba International Festival are prepared to offer promotional opportunity in return for various levels of spend or in-kind support like branding and naming rights for the whole football tournament, branding, logos and web addresses on all flyers produced and distributed throughout Bulawayo (via venues, tourist racks, shops, restaurants etc), via door drops to targeted households in the townships and suburbs, branding and web links within the official festival programme (as long as the partnership is confirmed before going to print) as well as logos and mentions on the Partners page on the www.ibumbafestival.com website plus addition of a direct link from the festival website and reference on their sister sites at www.sabelamusic.com and the www.siyaya-arts.com site. They will also be mentions in national media coverage through their media partners and through theirr press campaigns and mutual e-mailer to their client databases of over 5000 addresses to announce the partnership.
Conclusion
Also in the package is the tickets for hospitality and reduced price ticket offers for partners' own clients for other festival events. This list is not exhaustive and other suggestions can be discussed depending on your funding and desires. They offer an excellent opportunity for strong brand promotion and involvement in a niche arts market which targets and involves the young as well as the established artists and audiences. Ibumba Festival Community Football Tournament is an opportunity for artists, the young and families to create a unique home grown community engagement project, and a chance for companies and businesses to engage corporate sponsorship.
As you go to the arts and theatre festival and enjoy the diski, remember to make a difference in the community you so much love, but not for just your self, but for those growing up so they can have the same or even better opportunities that you had in times gone by. Wishing you a "Loud Festival" at Ibumba 2010! See you there.
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