Category: World Cup

Mexico Celebrates, France Crumbles

A day of opposite extremes, one that Mexicans around the world will remember for a long time, one the French will mark as one of the darkest moments of their sporting history. The match itself was not spectacular. France failed…

Argentina Rolls, Delivers Spectacle

On one of the best day of the World Cup thus far, the annoying buzzing of the vuvuzelas finally gave way to the marvelous chorus of chanting and the booming beat of the drums. Who else – Argentina, of course,…

Catch-a-Fire

Six days into the World Cup, every team has now appeared at least once and it is fair to say that, until today, the tournament has fallen short of the dazzling display anticipated. With the exception of Argentina – Nigeria,…

World Cup Predictions

The first ever World Cup to be hosted by an African nation, South Africa 2010, is on the verge of kick-off. In less than 24 hours, the home country’s Bafana Bafana will take on Mexico in the competition’s inaugural match.…

BarraBravas in Africa

A fascinating story has emerged during the past week concerning the arrival of Argentine supporters in South Africa, among them many leaders of supporter groups from various clubs in Argentina, effectively gangsters, referred to as Barrabravas at home. Incredibly, about…

Missing from the World Cup

World Cup rosters were announced during the past week to provide an indication of strategic insight, with a few teams effectively revealing their direction in South Africa. The most glaring provisional roster omissions came courtesy of France’s Raymond Domenech and…

Hold Up

Ivory Coast fired national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic last week, a little more than three months before the start of the World Cup. The move was not unexpected, following the team’s poor showing in the African Cup of Nations in…

Guus Kebab

Turkey pulled off a great move this past week by securing the services of Dutchman Guus Hiddink through the Euro 2012 qualifiers. If everything goes well, Hiddink will guide Turkey through the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. After reported links…

World Cup Draw – South Africa 2010

The groups are set for the first ever World Cup to be staged on the African continent. Here is a look at the match ups and group standings predictions. Group A – South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay The opening match…

Last Tickets to South Africa

Titi Henry is a sensible man and he will be tagged by this incident for a long time, or at least until he does something grander on a big stage. Hopefully his performance at the World Cup will re-validate his…

Sensational Match in Cairo

By far the best match over the week-end took place in Cairo between Egypt and Algeria. The match, played in an extremely tense atmosphere, at a frenetic pace and at a remarkable technical level, culminated dramatically. Egypt’s World Cup quest…

Roundabout

Three more places for the World Cup in South Africa were decided over the week-end, with the final six to be determined on November 18. Congratulations to African powerhouses Nigeria and Cameroon, who clinched on the last match day ahead…

World Cup Play-Offs

Ireland – France When you look at the French national team it is hard to understand how they manage to underachieve so much.

Still Bitter?

An uninspired Simon Kuper laid out some bizarre maxims in his recent Financial Times article about Diego Maradona’s Argentina.