Pitso Mosimane fired, but was it justifiable?

For many, this was written on the wall for ages, and unlike the King of Babylon who needed Daniel's help to interpret it, Pitso Mosimane had 48 million seers in the South African public.

The criticism ranging from poor team selection, substitutions, knowledge of the rules or the tournaments to the tactics of the day, even a man-sized ego could never be immune.

For starters, the South African national team coach was never friends with both the media and fans from day one.

Mosimane deputise Carlos Alberto Perreira leading to the South Africa FIFA World Cup, and a noble act was to continue with the team after understudying the coaching legend over two stints.

Learning from the best and implementing the tactics became two different things. Besides, even during the best times, Mosimane lacked the luck that goes with the job.

For most of the time, he was faced with the dilemma of injuries and injustices of the decisions that were not his own.

So many times he contended with off-form players who either warmed the bench overseas or underperformed locally. There is never a red-hot player in South Africa these days; not even in Zimbabwe, to really talk about.

The not-so-good ABSA Premier League was expected to produce sharp-shooters who could mesmerise tight African defences while they could not breach mediocre locals even at lower league.

The top strikers in the league are never close enough a talent to consider in any league in Africa or around the world. They are over-rated. They cannot beat goalkeepers over 20 times in the whole year.

The Bafana Bafana coach fumbled his way through his tenure with arrogance and sometimes ignorance, but then, how many people know the politics of the administrators' arrangement in availing players for his service?

While the coach would be expected to call the players and liaise with the club coaches where the players ply their trade, it never is the case with local coaches, given the narrow scope of trust.

National association bosses always crave for the limelight, always wanting to be known to be talking to Steve Pienaar or Knowledge Musona. That leads to the rapport either being built around the bosses and leaves the coach out in the cold.

The contracts being drawn for national team duties get rarely revealed to the coach, and the players' agenda on the pitch never translates to the manager's expectation.

This two-camp phenomenon is a result of a colonial mentality that expatriates are better off in leading teams. Sad and pathetic as this may be, it is so true and logical as was seen in years gone by in Zimbabwe.

At their brightest moment, the Zimbabwe Warriors were mentored by the late Reinhard Fabisch of Germany. That incredible Dream Team did not play football for Zimbabwe. They played for Fabisch. In turn, Fabisch did not serve the Zimbabwe Football Association. He served his players.

That rapport never existed, or was never allowed to be built between Pitso and his players. At any national team in Africa, any budding relationship of that nature is nipped out in the bud before it can be anything 'mercenary' to the leadership.

Foreign coaches enjoy the liberty to stretch their luck and get away with it as most of the issues are tied down on the contract. Pitso must have had a good contract of course, but always carried that monkey of favouring certain players he was claimed to 'own' so he could 'sell' to overseas markets.

To me, that was media fabrications that were unwarranted. The coach's influence on the affairs of the team was never promoted by his employers. The players never played for the coach and but fought against the leadership, albeit on the pitch.

National success to Katlego Mphela, Simphiwe Tshabalala never affected their careers in any way. It never impacted on their incomes. What was there for them really? In Itumeleng Khune, first team football at Kaizer Chiefs seems his priority, given that his deputy is a cut above him.

Frankly, I believe Arthur Bartman should be goalkeeping ahead of Khune. Moeneeb Josephs has reliability issues and inexperienced at national level, but who else is worth a second look?

Mediocrity became acceptable to all and even by the media. It must be noted that save for Everton's Pienaar, none of the internationals enjoyed first team football on a regular basis. Admittedly, Tshepo Masislela contended with injuries, but going one by one and case by case, it is possible to come up with some acceptable excuse.

The bottom line is that the coach has been fired for playing badly and losing. It is that the next coach can be local and foreign, but the same substandard material Pitso had at his disposal will be around for a while.

As usual in my space and yours, the great performances always get linked with the players while non-performance is always blamed on the coach.

I would agree on any day that Pitso could have done better, and that he should have gone at this point, but surely, I would disagree to take the same job with the same players, if the deal is that I must produce results.

FIFA must seriously look at this.

Have you ever calculated the cost of going to a football match? The trouble of organising transport, cost of calling friends to with, stress of anticipation, the beverages and the cost of the tickets. After all the sweat and cheers of all day, you suffer the tears of a loss or draw without witnessing a single goal. That is in the Major Soccer League they ensured there is a winner at the end of each match by penalty shootout. Fans need goals to cheer

Hopefully, I will be writing a book soon,  but meantime, I am thinking; How does FIFA come to the conclusion that there is more attack now in football as 'encouraged' by FIFA than we had a few World Cups back? The world football governing body are claimants that they enforce laws in a manner that encourages scores. They have said they will always give doubt to attacking players so that fans have a lot of moments to cheer about.

There has been nothing to suggest this is a philosophy the referees are encouraged to practise. Rather bizarre, there is this chorus of goal-line video technology cases seen at the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup, basically a result of negative officiating. A lot of offside calls were wrong. Tons of disallowed goals were the order of matches. Final analysis, there were few goals in this tournament than the previous tournaments. Verdict: witch-hunting. What a waste of our time.

I have called for 'no offside ' for anyone outside the penalty area. Actually, goalkeepers are having it both ways. They use both hands and feet. Feet should never be used by a goalkeeper, unless he is dispatching a ball he caught, but not even for a free-kick or a goal-kick. With this in force, do you know how many goals we could see? Take a good guess. Furthermore, it should be a serious offence for the goalkeeper to catch a cross. They must stay glued on the line.

There is serious need to modify the goal posts. The increase of the upright post height by half a metre, the width of the goal-mouth by a metre is just a few. International matches have to be played at the biggest possible size of the pitch.

There is an issue with yellow cards. A guy gets 2 yellow cards in a match and he is out. IFAB should be more universal by stipulating that any team conceding 3 yellow cards should take off a single player.

It is crazy to have a team like Holland, in which almost every player is cautioned and they remain unpunished. There is no fair play to protect the victims. A team that has a second player red-carded in the same match will also lose the goalkeeper simultaneously. Actually, the extra players should be chosen by the opposing team.

There was a rule that 3 consecutive corner-kicks led to a penalty. That rule must come back. It must stipulate 2 and not 3 this time. Additionally, if a goalkeeper punches the ball twice in a row, the referee should award a penalty.

Finally, no substitutions in the last 15 minutes of the game shall be allowed.

2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups; A piece of my mind.

Money talks, especially if it is a petro dollar, and I know. The Russians and Qatari nations will host good FIFA World Cups without much doubt, but the Russian political mysteriousness is a concern, as much as the Muslim extremists are to the Qatari bid. New frontier theory and other conspiracies might have given them an upper hand, but then, the justification of a less likely money maker winning over the best financial prospect boggles the mind, given that the 2010 South Africa World Cup has been shrouded by the revenue issues and 'empty' stadia that were full.

Qatar will do a different world cup and issues of terrorism need to be addressed in time. This Arabic and Muslim nation has never won any major tournament or are a powerhouse by any means. They have a passion for sport, proven by the Aspire Sports Academy. This well-funded project is true express of the necessary passion that the world needs to see. More so, the tradition and culture of the game has been taken away from the main stream of Africa and the Middle East and taken to Europe and the Americas.

Given that Africa hosted a record breaking FIFA World  Cup, Qatar should host it also and successfully. You need to look at the state of the art stadia they intend to build to comprehend what petro dollars can do. Frankly, the United Arab Emirates would have been a fancier candidate, given Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the World capital cities.

They must, however, shift a stance of women attending the football matches. It is standard to see a sea of white robes of Rabbis and Sheiks, without any blemish of black, a traditional women attire. This must change. Women like the sport and deserve to be allowed to watch the world's best players strutting their stuff on the turf. I would prefer to watch muscular figures in the presence of the fairer gender indeed.

England took everything for granted in their bid, given the Barclays Premier League is arguably the best globally attracting large live and TV audiences locally and abroad, and the passion of the game. Their major downfall was their 'holier than thou' attitude. Very soft and superfluous rewards for votes looked very modest and amateurish. They should have known someone would walk away with an oil well somewhere and they thought they had the bull with the horns. Guess who got gourded.

Their dislike of a vuvuzela did not help. You curse the vuvuzela you are doomed. Football is not a tennis match sport it is in England anymore. Not that the ear damaging noise is good, but there must be transformation to the singing and clapping of hands during the matches. Anyway, they had done some good homework in getting their 2022 bid off the way so they could fight against weaker European nations than the US and Australia. This freed the US to get their chance for the 2022 bid. All this strategy was ill-advised. Given that Europe won the 2018 bid, it made some sense as an after thought.

The other European bidding nations had still a hangover after the Germany 2006 World Cup as they are geographically close by. Russia is a little different from the normal trend or mainstream Europe, but then the weather is a big issue with me.They claim the summer temperatures were about 25 degrees centigrade, but we all know the truth. England was going to be the perfect set-up. If you look at the stadia, Wembely, the Emirates, the Goodson Park, the City of Manchester, just about any, in England, it would be folly to say they needed much renovation to meet the FIFA funny standards.

The United States of America, like England, were well poised for their second World Cup. They were confident of outdoing other favourites, Australia. There is no doubt the nation had the capacity to exceed their 1994 version, given the technology and the diversity of the people. The theory of the English game being too tired given they cannot win anything may have taken the crucial votes from FIFA members who voted by hearts. England may have won this bid, had they managed good results like a final berth in any of the tourney since 1966.

At the end of the day, my sympathy goes to the ill-advised England bid that was destroyed by journalists. The US, have trivial issues to solve and the Obama factor is on the negative, given the racist nature of his Presidency. Russia were never my bet, nor yours, but if we were voters, we may have offered double the support. As for Qatar, the World Cup in the desert was never my idea. The Doha International Airport is just a tiny pocket, but given the money and the 12 years to prepare, they will all the country urbanised.

All said and done, England will have the opportunity bto host the FIFA World Cup after North America (2026), Africa (2030), South America (2034) and Asia (2038) depending on whether they manage to change FIFA and force the rotation out of the way and arm-wrestle their way to glory. Malta, a nation of 300 000 citizens may even beat them by then. There is no guarantees as we have seen.

Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

Russia and Qatar will host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. The announcements of the historic events were made by FIFA President, Sepp Blatter in funfare and style. There was so much emotion and disbelief on the part of the nominated nations and their bidding teams. There was as much disappointment and sadness to the homeland of football as the heartbroken English realised the next time they will have a chance to do so will be in 2044 as the tournament will rotate the world continents.

Russia budgeted $4 billion for the stadia, of which 5 will be built from scratch. It will be new territory and history making as FIFA goes east Europe and the challenge is attractive enough for football as end of the monotony of the game will be the legacy of the FIFA President who promised radicalism cup on being elected, and he is not disappointing.

Qatar have crazy petro dollars and will be building the state of the art stadia with insane climate control technology for the extreme desert weather. The first Middle East and Muslim nation to host the FIFA World Cup, complete some crazy moments of the game ever. Just this year, Africa showed the world an incredible spectacle when South Africa hosted the first ever 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was an event that was met with scepticism from nay sayers, but then went on to break so many records and introduced the world to a different class of celebration.

The Russia and Qatar bids may not have been easy choices by any means, given that the historical custodians of the game, England had proved they will have 100% returns all round in financial terms. They had hosted the FIFA World Cup before in 1966. They had David Beckam, the football's most recognised and influential figure of all time. They had Prince William, heir to the Throne and charismatic Prime Minister, David Cameron in their powerful bidding team.

The way South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup was surely a catalyst in winning the bids for smaller nations. It was almost like, if Africa can do it, surely, why not Russia or Qatar. In all fairness, central Europe hosted the 2006 version in Germany. Given also the fact that the USA hosted the 1994, breaking new ground and crossing political and religious barriers, Qatar was a balanced option. Qatar also fell in love with the vuvuzela and I can promise a better version of the instrument or even better. That is the beauty of taking the game to other areas and traditions.

Frankly, the Qatari delegation will have sleepless nights pinching themselves. They surely thought they were making numbers. Nonetheless, they did a great job and believed in themselves. It was a bid they built from the bottom with nothing. In comparison,the English almost wanted to hold FIFA at ransom as the owners of the game. It was a valid point though, they somehow needed to host this tournament for once, but then, they seem to want to host it to win it.

I will not take anything away from the deserved winners of both Russia and Qatar. Congratulations.

Wayne Rooney Hits More Headlines With Fresh Rumours.

Notorious as it sounds, you cannot ignore a claimed interest of Spain's Barcelona in Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. Overseas Sunday morning tabloids reported a "highly placed Barca source" saying: "Rooney’s position is worth monitoring if things become increasingly difficult for him in England."

This is said to be made in reference to Rooney's struggle to cope with the spotlight amid allegations over his marital issues. There is even a rumour doing rounds about a Christmas party ban by Sir Alex. I think the reports are mischievous and prey  on the misfortune of the troubled star's difficult love life. He has enough on his plate to deal with external non core issues than rumours.

Rooney is trying to fix his life after scandals that are tearing him apart. John Terry and Ashley Cole have previously suffered the media and fans' wrath after their family matters were public consumption. Tiger Woods also recently divorced due to the same line of marital sins that the media seem to thrive on.

It is no secret that Wayne Rooney is a great footballer and that anyone would express the desire to have him. Reporting that teams like Barca and Real Madrid are interested is just trying to sell cheap news. It is like saying Barca want Cesc Fabregas. 

On the positive note, perhaps Rooney needs this as a better way to make headlines as he tries to put his life on track. In that case, it is a good job well done. Rooney has been off-form since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His private life just adds to the derailed performance that may be a result of dealing with the pressure Chelsea placed on Manchester United by winning the league last season.

As you can see now, Chelsea are not giving up and Rooney is not taking it down well. Do you think splashing footballers' scandals is good news?

Wayne Rooney Hits More Headlines With Fresh Rumours.

Notorious as it sounds, you cannot ignore a claimed interest of Spain's Barcelona in Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. Overseas Sunday morning tabloids reported a "highly placed Barca source" saying: "Rooney’s position is worth monitoring if things become increasingly difficult for him in England."

This is said to be made in reference to Rooney's struggle to cope with the spotlight amid allegations over his marital issues. There is even a rumour doing rounds about a Christmas party ban by Sir Alex. I think the reports are mischievous and prey  on the misfortune of the troubled star's difficult love life. He has enough on his plate to deal with external non core issues than rumours.

Rooney is trying to fix his life after scandals that are tearing him apart. John Terry and Ashley Cole have previously suffered the media and fans' wrath after their family matters were public consumption. Tiger Woods also recently divorced due to the same line of marital sins that the media seem to thrive on.

It is no secret that Wayne Rooney is a great footballer and that anyone would express the desire to have him. Reporting that teams like Barca and Real Madrid are interested is just trying to sell cheap news. It is like saying Barca want Cesc Fabregas. 

On the positive note, perhaps Rooney needs this as a better way to make headlines as he tries to put his life on track. In that case, it is a good job well done. Rooney has been off-form since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His private life just adds to the derailed performance that may be a result of dealing with the pressure Chelsea placed on Manchester United by winning the league last season.

As you can see now, Chelsea are not giving up and Rooney is not taking it down well. Do you think splashing footballers' scandals is good news?

Wayne Rooney Hits More Headlines With Fresh Rumours.

Notorious as it sounds, you cannot ignore a claimed interest of Spain's Barcelona in Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. Overseas Sunday morning tabloids reported a "highly placed Barca source" saying: "Rooney’s position is worth monitoring if things become increasingly difficult for him in England."

This is said to be made in reference to Rooney's struggle to cope with the spotlight amid allegations over his marital issues. There is even a rumour doing rounds about a Christmas party ban by Sir Alex. I think the reports are mischievous and prey  on the misfortune of the troubled star's difficult love life. He has enough on his plate to deal with external non core issues than rumours.

Rooney is trying to fix his life after scandals that are tearing him apart. John Terry and Ashley Cole have previously suffered the media and fans' wrath after their family matters were public consumption. Tiger Woods also recently divorced due to the same line of marital sins that the media seem to thrive on.

It is no secret that Wayne Rooney is a great footballer and that anyone would express the desire to have him. Reporting that teams like Barca and Real Madrid are interested is just trying to sell cheap news. It is like saying Barca want Cesc Fabregas. 

On the positive note, perhaps Rooney needs this as a better way to make headlines as he tries to put his life on track. In that case, it is a good job well done. Rooney has been off-form since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His private life just adds to the derailed performance that may be a result of dealing with the pressure Chelsea placed on Manchester United by winning the league last season.

As you can see now, Chelsea are not giving up and Rooney is not taking it down well. Do you think splashing footballers' scandals is good news?

Wayne Rooney Hits More Headlines With Fresh Rumours.

Notorious as it sounds, you cannot ignore a claimed interest of Spain's Barcelona in Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. Overseas Sunday morning tabloids reported a "highly placed Barca source" saying: "Rooney’s position is worth monitoring if things become increasingly difficult for him in England."

This is said to be made in reference to Rooney's struggle to cope with the spotlight amid allegations over his marital issues. There is even a rumour doing rounds about a Christmas party ban by Sir Alex. I think the reports are mischievous and prey  on the misfortune of the troubled star's difficult love life. He has enough on his plate to deal with external non core issues than rumours.

Rooney is trying to fix his life after scandals that are tearing him apart. John Terry and Ashley Cole have previously suffered the media and fans' wrath after their family matters were public consumption. Tiger Woods also recently divorced due to the same line of marital sins that the media seem to thrive on.

It is no secret that Wayne Rooney is a great footballer and that anyone would express the desire to have him. Reporting that teams like Barca and Real Madrid are interested is just trying to sell cheap news. It is like saying Barca want Cesc Fabregas. 

On the positive note, perhaps Rooney needs this as a better way to make headlines as he tries to put his life on track. In that case, it is a good job well done. Rooney has been off-form since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His private life just adds to the derailed performance that may be a result of dealing with the pressure Chelsea placed on Manchester United by winning the league last season.

As you can see now, Chelsea are not giving up and Rooney is not taking it down well. Do you think splashing footballers' scandals is good news?

The Official and Unofficial World Cup Car.

They say the South Africa 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP is  on WHEELS and on sale. The Hyundai i10, customised by car artist Andy Saunders to celebrate Hyundai's association with the 2010 World Cup, is up for sale on e-Bay charity's sake. Auction bidding is expected to start at USD 1995,00 and bidding will end 10th of August, 2010.



The owner of this one pictured in Mpumalanga, South Africa, would also make it available to the losing bidder, the way they do it for the 3rd and 4th place in the World Cup.

The Hyundai i10 is covered in turf with a soccer ball on its roof! It's one of the two i10 football cars. It has "grass" bodywork and interior, a giant soccer ball on the roof and goalposts fixed to the A-pillars .

The car also has had a "celebrity" past: before its conversion this was one of two i10's lent to Jeremy Clarkson Top Gear for his 2009 DVD "Duel".

Somehow, Ithink you have to mend your ways with traffic cops first. Which one is your pick?

The Official and Unofficial World Cup Car.

They say the South Africa 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP is  on WHEELS and on sale. The Hyundai i10, customised by car artist Andy Saunders to celebrate Hyundai's association with the 2010 World Cup, is up for sale on e-Bay charity's sake. Auction bidding is expected to start at USD 1995,00 and bidding will end 10th of August, 2010.



The owner of this one pictured in Mpumalanga, South Africa, would also make it available to the losing bidder, the way they do it for the 3rd and 4th place in the World Cup.

The Hyundai i10 is covered in turf with a soccer ball on its roof! It's one of the two i10 football cars. It has "grass" bodywork and interior, a giant soccer ball on the roof and goalposts fixed to the A-pillars .

The car also has had a "celebrity" past: before its conversion this was one of two i10's lent to Jeremy Clarkson Top Gear for his 2009 DVD "Duel".

Somehow, Ithink you have to mend your ways with traffic cops first. Which one is your pick?

The Official and Unofficial World Cup Car.

They say the South Africa 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP is  on WHEELS and on sale. The Hyundai i10, customised by car artist Andy Saunders to celebrate Hyundai's association with the 2010 World Cup, is up for sale on e-Bay charity's sake. Auction bidding is expected to start at USD 1995,00 and bidding will end 10th of August, 2010.



The owner of this one pictured in Mpumalanga, South Africa, would also make it available to the losing bidder, the way they do it for the 3rd and 4th place in the World Cup.

The Hyundai i10 is covered in turf with a soccer ball on its roof! It's one of the two i10 football cars. It has "grass" bodywork and interior, a giant soccer ball on the roof and goalposts fixed to the A-pillars .

The car also has had a "celebrity" past: before its conversion this was one of two i10's lent to Jeremy Clarkson Top Gear for his 2009 DVD "Duel".

Somehow, Ithink you have to mend your ways with traffic cops first. Which one is your pick?

2010 FIFA World Cup Standard Very High.

[caption id="attachment_925" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Viva the Champions."][/caption]

The 2010 FIFA World Cup football standards has been seen by many as below par. That is as ill-informed informed as people who first criticised the ball Jabulani because they perceived it to be a South African product, or those who waste their energy on anti-vuvuzela campaigns because the hear the buzz on Television.

By now, you know Germany's Adidas made the ball for FIFA and you saw how the Maanshaft scored with that ball. Crazy enough, the ball was made a year before the World Cup and no league bothered to enforce the use of the ball. South Africa had to use it in the last few games. Next time Associations make sponsorship deals with their ball suppliers, there must be a provision to use a World Cup ball in the year of the World Cup. The Vuvuzela issue, learn to blow one and you are addicted. 

There was so much improvement upwards in the game that those who watched the matches with their hearts and bias to their Superpower teams missed out. In comparison to other tournaments, the gap between the best in the world and the minnows was so huge that matches would be one-sided, making obvious entertainment to an ordinary fan.

In this year's tournament, one needs to look at the Asians teams in particular. They made it difficult for big brothers of the game to play, not by shaolin football of the Dutch, but by raised technical and tactical standards. Korea DPR made Brazil look very ordinary, losing 1-2. Japan almost got to the quarter-final, losing in a penalty shoot-out. South Korea gave excellent performances they can be proud of. New Zealand are the only team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup that did not lose a match. Incredible indeed.

If you look at how the small teams squeezed the results and ejecting big footballing nations off the driving seats, you understand how much of age they have come. Champions Italy, Brazil, Argentina, USA, France and England clearly meant business in their qualifiers until they arrived in Mzansi, but so did Ghana, Japan, Switzerland, Korea DPR and New Zealand.

With light weight Uruguay getting into the top 4, Diego Forlan, and not Messi or Ronaldo getting the Golden Ball and Asamoah Gyan of Ghana out-shooting all strikers are some of the things that must make one think about the level of competition.

When the standards improve, the small nations move up to catch up with those who had monopolised the game for so long. The fact that two teams that had never won the World Cup played the final is another testimony of the high standards of football. It would be nice to see the revolution of football especially in Africa forging ahead.

Where do you think the Asians got it right and what can Africa do to match the Ghana performance?

2010 FIFA World Cup Standard Very High.

[caption id="attachment_925" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Viva the Champions."][/caption]

The 2010 FIFA World Cup football standards has been seen by many as below par. That is as ill-informed informed as people who first criticised the ball Jabulani because they perceived it to be a South African product, or those who waste their energy on anti-vuvuzela campaigns because the hear the buzz on Television.

By now, you know Germany's Adidas made the ball for FIFA and you saw how the Maanshaft scored with that ball. Crazy enough, the ball was made a year before the World Cup and no league bothered to enforce the use of the ball. South Africa had to use it in the last few games. Next time Associations make sponsorship deals with their ball suppliers, there must be a provision to use a World Cup ball in the year of the World Cup. The Vuvuzela issue, learn to blow one and you are addicted. 

There was so much improvement upwards in the game that those who watched the matches with their hearts and bias to their Superpower teams missed out. In comparison to other tournaments, the gap between the best in the world and the minnows was so huge that matches would be one-sided, making obvious entertainment to an ordinary fan.

In this year's tournament, one needs to look at the Asians teams in particular. They made it difficult for big brothers of the game to play, not by shaolin football of the Dutch, but by raised technical and tactical standards. Korea DPR made Brazil look very ordinary, losing 1-2. Japan almost got to the quarter-final, losing in a penalty shoot-out. South Korea gave excellent performances they can be proud of. New Zealand are the only team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup that did not lose a match. Incredible indeed.

If you look at how the small teams squeezed the results and ejecting big footballing nations off the driving seats, you understand how much of age they have come. Champions Italy, Brazil, Argentina, USA, France and England clearly meant business in their qualifiers until they arrived in Mzansi, but so did Ghana, Japan, Switzerland, Korea DPR and New Zealand.

With light weight Uruguay getting into the top 4, Diego Forlan, and not Messi or Ronaldo getting the Golden Ball and Asamoah Gyan of Ghana out-shooting all strikers are some of the things that must make one think about the level of competition.

When the standards improve, the small nations move up to catch up with those who had monopolised the game for so long. The fact that two teams that had never won the World Cup played the final is another testimony of the high standards of football. It would be nice to see the revolution of football especially in Africa forging ahead.

Where do you think the Asians got it right and what can Africa do to match the Ghana performance?

World Cup Final Post-Mortem: Why Spain Became Champions.

Introduction.

To those who are not Spanish or indeed Barcelona fans, Spain stole this one.

[caption id="attachment_910" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption=""Spain; 'Catch Thief'.""][/caption]Spain became the first European country to win the World Cup outside Europe and  the third to hold both the European Championship and the World Cup. It was the first nation to lose the first match and win the Cup.  

Statistics.

Holland does not feature mutch in the data that matter. Germany seem to have strong claims in useful statistics provided by FIFA and Castrol.

Spain scored 8 goals and conceded 2, goals coming from 3 scorers, Villa, Iniesta (2) and Puyol (1) and the Netherlands netted the ball 12 times against 6. The Spaniards ran a total of over  767 kilometres passing the ball 4782 passes with an 82% pass completion rate compared to Germany's total 3948 with 2865 passes completed. Averagely, each player ran 9.9 km and touched the ball 62 times a game and an average ball possession of 58% a match. Uruguay were second here clocking 763 km.

Spain were the second least attacked team, for the teams that played 7 games. Germany were the least. However, Spain launched 107 attackes firing 121 shots at goal, 32 of them by David Villa. Torres did not manage even 5 shots though. Germany attacked 91 times and fired 102 shots.

Organisation.

Spain comes as an organised and efficient unit that fight tooth and nail for each component of their well oil machine. The disciplinary levels in terms of stategy were high, players keeping their positions and operating within strict tactical peripheries. They respected their roles and did not get attracted out of their comfort zones as did the Brazilians against the Netherlands.

Technique.

Spain's tactics were based on excellent technique of ball passing and reception. They trapped the ball dead at their feet in tight positions and played the ball off their feet with the first touch if given space. They did not lose possession cheaply and they kept on their feet when defending, without diving into tackles.

Tactics.

Their tactics were simply based on taking the game to their opponents, reducing the risk of attack by other teams. They moved the ball well and almost every time, moving left to right, back and forth probing for cracks in the opposition. The fact that they did not have to score lots of goals or have a lot of players on the score-sheet or taking shots other than than David Villa, shows that Villa was the only player assigned to attacking duties while the midfield was entrusted with clean supply of ammunition.

Opposition.

The World Champions were not convincing in the way they dispatched their victims on the way to the final. Honduras stood by to give Spain hope of going to the second round while Portugal froze in the quarter-final match. Paraguay were unlucky to fall to a last minute sucker-punch. Spain came to life in their semi-final game with Germany. The Dutch imploded in extra time when reduced to 10 men in the final, showing heavy legs just before the goal. One reason for this, was their high tempo matches from the first round till the end compared to Spain's several pedestrian performances. The 1-0 wins with last minute goals tells one simple story. Spain were the strongest mentally and psychologically, and that wins games above all else.

Referee.

Howard Webb was terrible. While the game was tense and physical, he went on to set the wrong tone in a bid to stamp his authority. Instead of taking control, things spiralled out of control, udoing his noble intenstions. Iniesta was not supposed to have lasted 90 minutes intha game. He finally got a yellow card though, for removing the shirt while celebrating the goal he should n't have scored.

Conclusion.

In football, a win is a win. Viva the Champions. Viva Espan'a.

World Cup Final Post-Mortem: Why Spain Became Champions.

Introduction.

To those who are not Spanish or indeed Barcelona fans, Spain stole this one.

[caption id="attachment_910" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption=""Spain; 'Catch Thief'.""][/caption]Spain became the first European country to win the World Cup outside Europe and  the third to hold both the European Championship and the World Cup. It was the first nation to lose the first match and win the Cup.  

Statistics.

Holland does not feature mutch in the data that matter. Germany seem to have strong claims in useful statistics provided by FIFA and Castrol.

Spain scored 8 goals and conceded 2, goals coming from 3 scorers, Villa, Iniesta (2) and Puyol (1) and the Netherlands netted the ball 12 times against 6. The Spaniards ran a total of over  767 kilometres passing the ball 4782 passes with an 82% pass completion rate compared to Germany's total 3948 with 2865 passes completed. Averagely, each player ran 9.9 km and touched the ball 62 times a game and an average ball possession of 58% a match. Uruguay were second here clocking 763 km.

Spain were the second least attacked team, for the teams that played 7 games. Germany were the least. However, Spain launched 107 attackes firing 121 shots at goal, 32 of them by David Villa. Torres did not manage even 5 shots though. Germany attacked 91 times and fired 102 shots.

Organisation.

Spain comes as an organised and efficient unit that fight tooth and nail for each component of their well oil machine. The disciplinary levels in terms of stategy were high, players keeping their positions and operating within strict tactical peripheries. They respected their roles and did not get attracted out of their comfort zones as did the Brazilians against the Netherlands.

Technique.

Spain's tactics were based on excellent technique of ball passing and reception. They trapped the ball dead at their feet in tight positions and played the ball off their feet with the first touch if given space. They did not lose possession cheaply and they kept on their feet when defending, without diving into tackles.

Tactics.

Their tactics were simply based on taking the game to their opponents, reducing the risk of attack by other teams. They moved the ball well and almost every time, moving left to right, back and forth probing for cracks in the opposition. The fact that they did not have to score lots of goals or have a lot of players on the score-sheet or taking shots other than than David Villa, shows that Villa was the only player assigned to attacking duties while the midfield was entrusted with clean supply of ammunition.

Opposition.

The World Champions were not convincing in the way they dispatched their victims on the way to the final. Honduras stood by to give Spain hope of going to the second round while Portugal froze in the quarter-final match. Paraguay were unlucky to fall to a last minute sucker-punch. Spain came to life in their semi-final game with Germany. The Dutch imploded in extra time when reduced to 10 men in the final, showing heavy legs just before the goal. One reason for this, was their high tempo matches from the first round till the end compared to Spain's several pedestrian performances. The 1-0 wins with last minute goals tells one simple story. Spain were the strongest mentally and psychologically, and that wins games above all else.

Referee.

Howard Webb was terrible. While the game was tense and physical, he went on to set the wrong tone in a bid to stamp his authority. Instead of taking control, things spiralled out of control, udoing his noble intenstions. Iniesta was not supposed to have lasted 90 minutes intha game. He finally got a yellow card though, for removing the shirt while celebrating the goal he should n't have scored.

Conclusion.

In football, a win is a win. Viva the Champions. Viva Espan'a.

FIFA World Cup Game 64: The World Has New Champions.

(Pic from Yahoo Sport)

European champions, Spain, are World Champions. The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Holland in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium closed down curtains to the World's best show. Spain who won 1-0, dominated the beginning of the match, David Villa drawing a fine save from Stekelenburg after only 4 minutes. England referee,  Howard Webb, dished about 15 yellow cards for a foul-littered match.

Sergio Ramos curved a way on the left of the Dutch defence, his cross-cum-shot being cleared to safety for a corner with 10 minutes played. Except for a Mathijsen miss after a Robben corner-kick from 12 yards out in the later part of the half, and a Robben low shot that made Cassilas make his first save of the final, there was not much to talk about.

The start of the 2nd half was a Spanish affair, Puyol miss-timing his jump from a corner-kick. Capdevilla should have complemented him by converting the his hit header, but he was completely flat-footed.  With 2/3 rd of the game played, Arjen Robben's free-kick was headed just wide by Heitinga. He had his best chance of the game 3 minutes later in a 1 v 1 with Cassilas, with the later stretching his right foot to save a sure goal.

David Villa failed to convert a simple tap-in from close-range in the 70th minute. Iniesta was always lucky to survive Howard Webb's free yellow cards a million times in the match. Spain began calling the shots, coming close with Villa and Ramos.

Robben wrestled with Puyol bulldozing his way out to another 1 v 1 with the goalkeeper with about 5 minutes to the normal 90. That was about it in regulation time of a typical final: boring without much flair or offence.

Spain were first off the block in Extra-time, penetrating in the middle and claiming a penalty, Cesc Fabregas coming face to face with the goalie who saved by his right boot and Iniesta taking his sweet time on the ball when he had a goalkeeper to beat. Van Bommel came all the way from the North Pole to dispossess him. Navas also came close bot found the side netting.

The Dutch showed signs of fatigue going forward as the match went on. Frankly, I expected Spain to show heavy legs, but they were pushing for a winner. 

Heitinga held back Iniesta, inviting the wrath of Webb who obliged with a second yellow for the defender who went for an early shower with 11 minutes of play remaining. Sniejder's free-kick deflected off Fabregas but the referee gave a goal-kick.

Spain won it through Iniesta  with 5 minutes of the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup final remaining. Iniesta will be the talking point of the final forever, many thinking he should not have been in the game after horrendous fouls committed in regulation time. There were tears of joy and tears of pain the world over as the finest show finally came to an end.

VIVA ESPANA.

FIFA World Cup Game 64: The World Has New Champions.

(Pic from Yahoo Sport)

European champions, Spain, are World Champions. The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Holland in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium closed down curtains to the World's best show. Spain who won 1-0, dominated the beginning of the match, David Villa drawing a fine save from Stekelenburg after only 4 minutes. England referee,  Howard Webb, dished about 15 yellow cards for a foul-littered match.

Sergio Ramos curved a way on the left of the Dutch defence, his cross-cum-shot being cleared to safety for a corner with 10 minutes played. Except for a Mathijsen miss after a Robben corner-kick from 12 yards out in the later part of the half, and a Robben low shot that made Cassilas make his first save of the final, there was not much to talk about.

The start of the 2nd half was a Spanish affair, Puyol miss-timing his jump from a corner-kick. Capdevilla should have complemented him by converting the his hit header, but he was completely flat-footed.  With 2/3 rd of the game played, Arjen Robben's free-kick was headed just wide by Heitinga. He had his best chance of the game 3 minutes later in a 1 v 1 with Cassilas, with the later stretching his right foot to save a sure goal.

David Villa failed to convert a simple tap-in from close-range in the 70th minute. Iniesta was always lucky to survive Howard Webb's free yellow cards a million times in the match. Spain began calling the shots, coming close with Villa and Ramos.

Robben wrestled with Puyol bulldozing his way out to another 1 v 1 with the goalkeeper with about 5 minutes to the normal 90. That was about it in regulation time of a typical final: boring without much flair or offence.

Spain were first off the block in Extra-time, penetrating in the middle and claiming a penalty, Cesc Fabregas coming face to face with the goalie who saved by his right boot and Iniesta taking his sweet time on the ball when he had a goalkeeper to beat. Van Bommel came all the way from the North Pole to dispossess him. Navas also came close bot found the side netting.

The Dutch showed signs of fatigue going forward as the match went on. Frankly, I expected Spain to show heavy legs, but they were pushing for a winner. 

Heitinga held back Iniesta, inviting the wrath of Webb who obliged with a second yellow for the defender who went for an early shower with 11 minutes of play remaining. Sniejder's free-kick deflected off Fabregas but the referee gave a goal-kick.

Spain won it through Iniesta  with 5 minutes of the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup final remaining. Iniesta will be the talking point of the final forever, many thinking he should not have been in the game after horrendous fouls committed in regulation time. There were tears of joy and tears of pain the world over as the finest show finally came to an end.

VIVA ESPANA.

D-Day, Spain vs Holland. 2010 FIFA WC Final.

[caption id="attachment_881" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Giant Ball Man and Ball at Johannesburg Carlton Centre."][/caption]

 

The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup gets officially closed at about 23:00 hrs Central Africa Time. Spain and Holland will play off to see who is inferior in footballing terms, and thank God, we don't need to remember the worst one.    By now you must be as tired about Paul the Octopus as I am. You are surely aware of the Spanish business people and the Dutch porn star.  The Spanish are tabling EUR 30 000,00 for Paul the Octopus. The Dutch actor of sin movies offers her professional services to her Twitter followers in the event of a Dutch victory. 

I usually try to make a point of my bad writing skills with a simple excuse that I am not a journalist. I will not be one. I don't want to be one. So let's get technical.

 These two teams bring nothing much to the think tanks of the game. It will be entertainment value for people of various opinions, (POVO), period. The coaches are likely to give their shortest, least animated and most friendly team talks of their lives today. Basically, the message is, everyone in the world is watching. (They have no clue my wife doesn't care at all). They will be asking the players to relax and enjoy, expressing themselves within a team frame-work. That is it.

 Coaches are likely to ask players to play as they have always done to reach this far. They will then wait for half time to come up with a strategy after observing those who are overwhelmed by the occasion, theirs or the opposition. That is what these guys are paid for. Coaches are there to help players solve their own problems on the pitch. They need to have a special eye to identify the problems as the match goes on.

 You have to forgive me for not understanding the effect and role of the calamari source mollusc, Paul. Well, it's all about faith. I believe in the maker of octopuses, not the product; the octopus. The way the teams have reached the World Cup final, I would not back either of them to win anything. If I was FIFA, I was going to cancel the match and give both of them the trophy, and then ask Brazil to play Japan, Argentina against South Africa or better still, Ghana and Korea DPR to fulfil today's fixture. This gives us the opportunity to study football, checking technique levels versus psychological effects and so on.

 Anyway, being in my position, and with the upsets we have seen thus far, I can not say Holland will win because they won all their games until now, or that Spain passes the ball well therefore they will hide the ball away from the Dutch for 93 minutes. Football does not have 'therefores'. Such things did not count in a lot of matches. It will not depend on anything anyone has seen. It is a new game today. Only for the sake of PAUL the octopus, I will predict that Holland will win this 2010 FIFA World Cup.

D-Day, Spain vs Holland. 2010 FIFA WC Final.

[caption id="attachment_881" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Giant Ball Man and Ball at Johannesburg Carlton Centre."][/caption]

 

The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup gets officially closed at about 23:00 hrs Central Africa Time. Spain and Holland will play off to see who is inferior in footballing terms, and thank God, we don't need to remember the worst one.    By now you must be as tired about Paul the Octopus as I am. You are surely aware of the Spanish business people and the Dutch porn star.  The Spanish are tabling EUR 30 000,00 for Paul the Octopus. The Dutch actor of sin movies offers her professional services to her Twitter followers in the event of a Dutch victory. 

I usually try to make a point of my bad writing skills with a simple excuse that I am not a journalist. I will not be one. I don't want to be one. So let's get technical.

 These two teams bring nothing much to the think tanks of the game. It will be entertainment value for people of various opinions, (POVO), period. The coaches are likely to give their shortest, least animated and most friendly team talks of their lives today. Basically, the message is, everyone in the world is watching. (They have no clue my wife doesn't care at all). They will be asking the players to relax and enjoy, expressing themselves within a team frame-work. That is it.

 Coaches are likely to ask players to play as they have always done to reach this far. They will then wait for half time to come up with a strategy after observing those who are overwhelmed by the occasion, theirs or the opposition. That is what these guys are paid for. Coaches are there to help players solve their own problems on the pitch. They need to have a special eye to identify the problems as the match goes on.

 You have to forgive me for not understanding the effect and role of the calamari source mollusc, Paul. Well, it's all about faith. I believe in the maker of octopuses, not the product; the octopus. The way the teams have reached the World Cup final, I would not back either of them to win anything. If I was FIFA, I was going to cancel the match and give both of them the trophy, and then ask Brazil to play Japan, Argentina against South Africa or better still, Ghana and Korea DPR to fulfil today's fixture. This gives us the opportunity to study football, checking technique levels versus psychological effects and so on.

 Anyway, being in my position, and with the upsets we have seen thus far, I can not say Holland will win because they won all their games until now, or that Spain passes the ball well therefore they will hide the ball away from the Dutch for 93 minutes. Football does not have 'therefores'. Such things did not count in a lot of matches. It will not depend on anything anyone has seen. It is a new game today. Only for the sake of PAUL the octopus, I will predict that Holland will win this 2010 FIFA World Cup.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Before The Final

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Johannesburg's Carlton Centre "][/caption]

There has been a sudden increase for backers of The Netherlands beating Spain in the World Cup Final, which is directly related to males applying for the Dutch citizenship recently. Holland guys get a free oral porn gift with a Dutch victory tomorrow. That will be a very long que and, while it is a noble gesture, more can be done about it though. OK, football.

Usually nobody remembers who came second, worse 3rd or 4th. For example, did you know Czechoslovakia played the FIFA World Cup final twice? It was in 1934 and 1962 losing to Italy and Brazil respectively.

Hungary, in 1938 and 1954 lost the FIFA World Cup to Italy and West Germany respectively. Sweden got there in 1958 against Brazil losing in a the finals they hosted.

One more sleep, the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup curtain comes down with Spain dating Holland in Jozi, but today, before final, there is 3rd/4th match - Uruguay vs Germany in Port Elizabeth. While it may be second-rate in competitive terms, it is a quarter a loaf. In Africa, it is better than nothing, it may not be the same in South America or Europe. I expect a committed input from both teams with Uruguay beating Germany.

Uruguay will make the Germany machine operate under unfavourable conditions. The Europeans usually exhibit mental strength, but I am not sure they have overcome the disaster of missing the final. We will have to wait to see how much is left in them. The coach will be hard pressed to shape them for the future.

The South Americas, by contrast,  will be relaxed in fulfilling just another fixture. The result will not be their concern and that will work in their favour.