This past weekend the group draw for the FIFA World Cup 2010 was staged in Cape Town, South Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The ceremony was presented by South African actress Charlize Theron, assisted by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. The results of the draw had mixed response internationally. It seems that the whole world is in FIFA World Cup football fever now.

Here are the results of the draw.

Group A:

• South Africa
• Mexico
• Uruguay
• France

Group B:

• Argentina
• Greece
• South Korea
• Nigeria

Group C:

• England
• United States
• Algeria
• Slovenia

Group D:

• Germany
• Australia
• Ghana
• Serbia

Group E:

• The Netherlands
• Denmark
• Japan
• Cameroon

Group F

• Italy
• Paraguay
• New Zealand
• Slovakia

Group G

• Brazil
• North Korea
• Côte d’Ivoire / Ivory Coast
• Portugal

Group H:

• Spain
• Switzerland
• Honduras
• Chile

This really was an interesting FIFA World Cup draw. There could be some surprise results in the group matches of the tournament which kicks off on the 11th of June 2010 in Johannesburg. Only time will tell who will make it into the knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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Roberto Baggio was born in 1967 in Caldogno, Italy. He represented Italy in 56 games between 1988 and 2004. He scored 27 goals for his country in his career (the fourth most in Italian Football history). He played in 3 different FIFA World Cup tournaments for Italy. Roberto Baggio is also the only Italian player in history who has scored goals in 3 different FIFA World Cup tournaments. He played 488 games and scored 218 goals for various football clubs in Italy. He played in games for Vicenza, Florentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, Internazionale and Brescia during his career (between 1982 and 2004). In 1993 Roberto Baggio was named European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the year, a truly remarkable achievement. Brazilian football legend Pele named him as one of the 25 greatest living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list. In his career Roberto Baggio scored 9 goals in FIFA World Cup tournaments, 32 goals in European competitions and 78 goals from 91 penalties (highest in Italian football history). It’s that fans won’t see him play in next year’s FIFA World Cup in SA. He truly is one of Football’s greats.

Related Links:
Roberto Baggio – Fansite
Roberto Baggio – Official Website.

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Gary Lineker was born in 1960 in Oadby, Leicester, England. He played for Leicester City during his youth footballing career between 1976 and 1978. He moved on to play for Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur in England. He also played for Barcelona in Spain and Nagoya Grampus in Japan in his professional football career (between 1978 and 1994). He scored 239 goals in the 461 he played in professional. He was the top scorer in the English Football league in 1985, 1986 and 1990. But that’s not all. He also played in 80 matches for the English National Football team. He scored 48 goals for England in those matches. 10 of those goals were scored for England in FIFA World Cup Tournaments (In 1986 in Mexico and 1990 in Italy). He truly is one of the best footballers who has ever walked on the face of the earth. Nowadays Gary Lineker is a sports broadcasting for the BBC and Eredivisie Live. During his career as a footballer he was never cautioned by a referee for foul play with a yellow or red card. For this achievement he received the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1990. It’s unclear if Gary Lineker will be part of the BBC’s broadcasting team for next year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but it would be great to have one of football’s greats on African soil.

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Fernando José Torres Sanz was born in 1984 in Madrid, Spain. He’s a professional footballer currently signed to the Liverpool football club in England. Before moving to this club he played for Atlético Madrid in Spain between 2001 and 2007. He scored 82 goals in 214 matches for Atlético Madrid. In 2003 he made has debut for the Spanish national football team. He’s played for Spain in the UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008 tournaments. He scored the winning goal for Spain against Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 final. In 2009 he played for his country in the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in South Africa. He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into the match against New Zealand in the Confederations Cup. He clinched the record for the fastest hat trick ever scored by a Spanish player. Fernando Torres is definately one of the players to watch in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He’s definately talented and has proved to be one of the best players for his current club, Liverpool. He’s been named Premier League player of the month in England a few times since his move there in 2007. Yesterday Fernando Torres scored 1 of the 2 goals against rivals Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool helping to break the biggest losing streak in 22 years for the club. So far he’s scored 23 goals for Spain in 70 matches. He’s also scored 47 goals in 66 matches for Liverpool. Truly worthy of being featured as one of the Famous Footballers on this blog.

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The Italian national football team have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Italy is currently ranked at #4 on the FIFA rankings. The country will be playing in their 17th World Cup Tournament in history in 2010. Italy have won the FIFA World Cup 4 times, in 1934 (In Italy), 1938 (In France), 1982 (In Spain) and 2006 (In Germany). Italy will be looking to win their 5th title next year. Italy have played in 7 European Championships as well. They have one European Championship title on their belt (they won the competition in 1968). Italy have been runners-up twice in the history of the FIFA World Cup. The first time in 1970 (In Mexico) and the 2nd time in 1994 (In the United States). Earlier in 2009 Italy played in their first ever FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. They were knocked out in the first round. Marcello Lippi is the current coach of the Italian National Football team (since 2008). The current Italian national football team captain, Fabio Cannavaro is also the most capped player in Italian football history. He’s played in 130 matches for his country since 1997. Luigi Riva is top goal scoring Italian footballer in history. He scored 35 goals in 42 matches between 1965 and 1974 (almost averaging a goal a match). I had the privilege of watching Italy take on the United States in a FIFA Confederations Cup match at Loftus Versveld Stadium in Pretoria earlier this year. They won the match by 3 goals to 1. They’re still one of the favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in my opinion.

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Côte d’Ivoire have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This will be the 2nd time that the country also known as the Ivory Coast will compete in a FIFA World Cup Tournament. At the moment the country is ranked at #19 on the FIFA Rankings. Vahid Halilhodžić (a former Yugoslav footballer) is the current coach of the Ivory Coast national football team. Didier Drogba is the current captain of the Côte d’Ivoire national football team. He’s also the top scoring player and the most capped player in Ivory Coast football history. He’s scored 41 goals in 75 matches for Côte d’Ivoire. Drogba plays for English Football Club Chelsea. The country has been represented 17 times in the Africa Cup of Nations since 1965. Côte d’Ivoire won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1992. The country also competed in 1 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in 1992 and ended in 4th place. Côte d’Ivoire promises to be one of the most interesting teams in next year’s FIFA World Cup. This will be the 2nd time a team from the Ivory Coast will play in a World Cup in South Africa. In 1995 the Côte d’Ivoire rugby team played in the IRB Rugby World Cup (which was hosted by South Africa).

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The Netherlands have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The country will be participating in its 9th FIFA World Cup. The country played in its first FIFA World Cup in 1934. The Netherlands were runners-up in 2 FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1974 and 1978. The Netherlands national football team is currently ranked at #3 on the FIFA rankings. The team is also referred to as Holland by fans all over the world. The Netherlands have also participated in 8 European Championships over the years and won the competition in 1988. Edwin van der Sar is the most capped played in Dutch football history. He played in 134 matches for the Netherlands between 1995 and 2008. Patrick Kluivert is the highest scoring footballer in Dutch football history. He scored 40 goals in 79 matches between 1994 and 2004. Bert van Marwijk is the current Dutch head coach. He took over from Marco van Basten in 2008. Giovanni van Bronckhorst is current team captain of the Netherlands national football squad. The team is managed by the Royal Netherlands Football Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbal Bond). This association was founded in 1889. Soccer is very popular in the Netherlands and fans of the Dutch team are easily identifiable by their orange shirts. The Netherlands are definately a team to watch at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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Mexico have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The country will be playing in its 14th FIFA World Cup. The made it to the Quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup in 1970 and 1986. Mexico hosted the competition in 1986. The country has also played in 5 FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments since 1995. They won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1998. In 1987 Mexico beat the Bahamas 13 – 0 (the country’s biggest win in history). In 1961 they lost 8 – 0 against England (their biggest loss in history). Claudio Suárez is the most capped footballer in Mexican Football history. He represented Mexico in 178 matches between 1992 and 2006. Jared Borgetti is the top scoring player in Mexican football history. He’s scored 46 goals in 89 appearances so far. He’s still part of the Mexican national squad. Earlier in 2009 Javier Aguirre (from Mexico) took over from Sven-Göran Eriksson (from Sweden) as the Mexican National Football team coach. Soccer is the most popular sport in Mexico. They will be definately be a team to keep an eye on in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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The Swiss National Football team have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Switzerland is currently ranked at #15 on the FIFA rankings. They will play in their 9th FIFA World Cup next year. Switzerland have reached the Quarter final stage of the FIFA World Cup 3 times in history, in 1934, 1938 and 1954. Switzerland have also appeared in 3 European Championships over the years (the first in 1996). Switzerland co-hosted the European Championships with Austria. Ottmar Hitzfeld (from Germany) is the current coach of the Swiss National Football team (since 2008). Heinz Hermann is the most capped player in Swiss football history. He represented his country 117 times between 1978 and 1991. Alexander Frei is the top scoring Swiss football player in history, he’s scored 40 goals for Switzerland in 71 games from 2001 and is still currently active. Switzerland set a record in 2006 at the FIFA World Cup in Germany for being the first team in history to be eliminated from the competition without conceding a goal against them. They lost against the Ukraine in a penalty shootout which knocked them out of the competition. The Swiss Football Association was founded in 1895. It’s still unsure which city Switzerland will be based at in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, could be Cape Town or Johannesburg, who knows?

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The Chilean National Football team has qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Chilean is the 2nd oldest South American Football federation (founded in 1895). Chile is one of the original 13 national teams that competed in the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. Chile will be playing in their 8th FIFA World Cup in 2010. It will be first time since 1998 that Chile will be playing in the tournament. This was the result of a controversial incident before the 1990 FIFA World Cup. On 3 September 1989 Brazil were playing against Chile in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier. A Chilean defeat would mean that they would not play in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. In the 67th minute of the game the Chilean goalkeeper, Roberto Rojas claimed that he had been hit by a firecracker (thrown by a Brazilian spectator) on his forehead. Rojas was carried off the pitch and the Chilean team claimed that conditions were too unsafe for the game to continue. The match did not end. Brazil was ahead by 1 – 0. After an official investigation it was found that the firecracker did not make contact with Rojas. FIFA awarded Brazil with a 2 – 0 victory. Rojas was banned for life. Chile was banned from the 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification. It seems that Chilean football has finally recovered from this incident though. Chile has also appeared 35 times in the Copa America (since 1916), but have never won the competition. They have finished as runners-up in 1955, 1956, 1979 and 1987 though. They also reached 3rd place in the 1962 FIFA World Cup (which was hosted by them). Chile is currently ranked at #21 on the FIFA rankings. Leonel Sanchez is the most capped player in Chilean Football history. He represented Chile 75 times and scored 23 goals between 1955 and 1967. Marcelo Salas is top scoring Chilean footballer in history, he scored 37 goals in 70 games for his country between 1994 and 2009. It will be interesting to see how Chile will perform in next year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa. At this stage it’s still unknown in which South African city Chile will be based, could be Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban or Cape Town. Who knows?

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Denmark has qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They gained entry into the tournament by beating rivals Sweden on the 10th of October. The Danish National Football team is currently ranked at #16 on the FIFA Rankings. The country will compete in it’s 4th FIFA World Cup tournament in 2010. Denmark made it into the round of the last 16 teams in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and 2002 FIFA World Cup which was hosted South Korea / Japan. The country also made it to the quarter finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France (their best performance ever in a FIFA World Cup tournament). Denmark has appeared in 7 European Championship tournaments (since 1964) and have won it once (in 1992). They also achieved victory in the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup (beating Argentina 2 – 0). Morten Olsen has been the coach of the Danish National Football team since 2000. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel is the most capped Danish footballer in history. He represented Denmark 129 times between 1987 and 2001. Poul Nielsen is the highest scoring player in Danish football history. He scored 52 goals in 38 matches between 1910 and 1925. Denmark has been a solidly competitive side in international soccer since the 1980s. I expect that they will do well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They will probably make the round of the last 16 teams.

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The United States of America have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This will be the 6th consecutive and 8th overall FIFA World Cup that the country competes in. The United States played in its first FIFA World Cup in 1930. They managed to reach 3rd place in that year’s competition (the best they’ve ever done in the FIFA World Cup tournament). Soccer is not the most popular sport in the United States but it has grown in popularity since the 1970s. The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The final of that year’s tournament was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The United States have competed in 4 FIFA Confederations Cup and achieved their best result in history this year. They reached the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, but lost to Brazil in the final at Coca Cola Park Stadium in Johannesburg. The United States are currently ranked at #11 on the FIFA Rankings. The country is part of CONCACAF, the North American Soccer Confederation. The team is currently coached by Bob Bradley (since 2006). Cobi Jones is the most capped player in United States soccer history. He represented his country 164 times between 1992 and 2004. Landon Donovan is the top goal scorer in United States soccer history. He’s currently still an active player and has scored 42 goals in 115 matches. Landon Donovan has been involved in US soccer since 2000. The United States National Soccer team are also referred to as “The Yanks”, “The Stars and Stripes”, “The Red, White, and Blue”. I’m sure that the United States will be one of the teams to watch in South Africa when they play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The US has really improved it’s soccer in the last few years.

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FIFA recognizes South Korea as Korea Republic. South Korea have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They are part of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation). Huh Jung-Moo is the head coach of the South Korean National Football team. He took over from the former coach Pim Verbeek (from the Netherlands) in December 2007. 4 different Dutch coaches have coached the South Korean National Football team over the years. South Korea have won the Asian Cup 2 times (in 1956 and 1960). They made their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1954. South Korea will compete in their 8th FIFA World Cup in 2010. South Korea ended in 4th place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The country co-hosted the competition with Japan in that year. They made history by being the first Asian team in history to reach the Semi Finals of the FIFA World Cup. The 2002 South Korean FIFA World Cup team was coached by Guus Hiddink (from the Netherlands). Since 2002 Football has become very popular in South Korea, even surpassing Baseball as the sport in South Korea which pulls the most spectators. South Korea qualified for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup but were knocked out in the first round. In 2003 South Korea achieved their biggest win by beating Nepal 16 – 0. They suffered their biggest defeat when they played against Sweden in 1948, losing 12 – 0. South Korea is currently ranked as at #49 on the FIFA Rankings. Hong Myung-Bo is most capped player in South Korean Football history, he represented his country 136 times. The is also known by fans as “Jeonsa” (Taegeuk Warriors), “Reds Devils” and the “Tigers of Asia”. It will be interesting to see how South Korea will perform in next years FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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Japan have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The country will be playing in their 4th FIFA World Cup Tournament. Japan played in their first FIFA World Cup tournament in 1998 in France. They were co-hosts with South Korea for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and made it into the round of the last 16. Japan also competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The country has also played in 4 FIFA Confederations Cup Tournaments (in 1995, 2001, 2003 and 2005) and in various Asian Cup Tournaments (which they’ve won 3 times). Japan has competed in 8 Olympic Games. In 1968 Japan won the Bronze medal for Football at the Olympic Games in Mexico. FIFA currently ranks Japan as the 40th best team in the world. Masami Ihara is most capped player in Japanese football history, he represented Japan 123 times between 1988 and 1999. Kunishige Kamamoto is the top goalscorer in Japan football history, he scored 75 goals for them between 1964 and 1977. In Japan the team is known as “Soccer Nippon Daihyō”, translated as the “Japanese representatives”. The current Japanese football coach is Takeshi Okada. The team is currently captained by Yuji Nakazawa. It’s still unsure if Japan will play in Cape Town, Johannesburg or another South African city in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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This is the last in my series of posts about the stadiums that are to be used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. I hope you all have found this quite interesting. Today we will be covering 2 more stadiums, 1 in Nelspruit (in Mpumalanga province) and 1 in Pretoria (the capital of South Africa).

Here are few more facts about South Africa:

• The country gained independence from Great Britain on the 31st of May 1961.
• More than 70% of South Africans live in urban / metropolitan areas.
• A South Africa, Dr Chris Barnard was responsible for the first successful heart transplant in history.
• The swimming pool vacuum cleaner (generally referred to as the Kreepy Krauly) was invented by Ferdinand Chauvier, a hydraulics engineer who came to South Africa from the Belgian Congo in 1951.
• Pratley’s famous glue is the only South African invention that has been to the moon. In 1969 the putty was used to hold bits of the Apollo XI mission’s Eagle landing craft together.

Mbombela Stadium: This stadium is one of the newly-built stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Mbombela stadium takes it’s name from the local municipality which incorporates the city of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Mbombela means “many people together in a small space.” The Mbombela stadium has a seating capacity of 46,000. The signature feature of the stadium are the 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes. The multi-purpose stadium is expected to host key soccer and rugby matches in the future and will also be equipped for conferences. The Mbombela stadium will host 4 first round matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s located 7 km from the Nelspruit city center and 12 km from the Kruger-Mpumalanga Airport. The stadium is also within driving distance from a few game parks and other tourist attractions. Before the construction of the Mombela Stadium Nelspruit had no top football venue to host international matches. Nelspruit is a buzzling city with more than 220,000 inhabitants. Nelspruit is situated 330 km East of Johannesburg. Nelspruit was founded in 1905. The city is a major stopover point for tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park and to Mozambique.

Related Links:
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga – Wikipedia
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit – SA Venues

Loftus Versfeld Stadium: This stadium needs no introduction in South Africa. It’s situated in the heart of South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria / Tshwane. The stadium was first known as the Eastern Sports Ground. In 1932, Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, a sports administrator, suffered a heart attack on the Eastern stand and died. In tribute to him, the stadium was renamed. Loftus Versfeld stadium has been used for major sporting events in South Africa since the early 1900s. It’s one of the oldest sport stadiums in South Africa and has been upgraded more than once over the years. The stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000. Loftus Versfeld stadium was slightly upgraded before the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. A roof was added over the Eastern pavilion. Loftus Versveld stadium was a key venue in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 1996 African Cup of Nations. The stadium is currently the home of the Blue Bulls rugby team (2007 and 2009 Super 14 champions), Supersport United FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC (teams in the PSL in South Africa). Pretoria / Tshwane is situated 50 km from Johannesburg and has a population of more than 2.3 million.

Related Links:
Pretoria – Wikipedia
Loftus Versfeld – The Stadium Guide

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A few teams from Africa will be playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Today we are featuring the first one. The Ghana National Football team is commonly known as the Black Stars. Before Ghana gained independence from Great Britain, Ghana played football as the Gold Coast. In 2006 the country played in their first ever FIFA World Cup in Germany. Ghana has won the Africa Cup of Nations 4 times though, in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982. The Ghana Olympic Team, the Black Meteors became the first ever African country to win a medal for Football at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Ghana is currently ranked by FIFA as the 32nd best team in the world. The country won the award for Most Improved Team in 2005. The Ghana Football Association was founded in 1957, a year before the country’s independence. Ghana achieved their biggest win against Kenya in 1965, beating them by 13 – 0. Brazil was responsible for Ghana’s biggest loss in 1996 when they beat them 8 – 2 in Brazil. Abédi “Pelé” Ayew is Ghana’s most capped player and he also holds the record as the top goal scorer for the country. He scored 33 goals in 73 matches. Milovan Rajevac (from Serbia) is the current Ghana football coach (since August 2008). Ghana will definately be one of the African contenders to watch in next year’s FIFA World Cup (which kicks off in Johannesburg on 11 June 2010).

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The Australian National Football team is nicknamed the “Socceroos”. They will be playing in their 3rd FIFA World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. Australia played in their first FIFA World Cup in 1974. Australia reached the round of the last 16 teams at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. FIFA ranks Australia as the 14th best team in the world. They were one of the first countries to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The first Australian National Football team was constituted in 1922. Australia holds the world record for the biggest win in an international match. They beat American Samoa 31 – 0 in 2001. In 1955 Australia suffered their biggest loss in history against South Africa (8 – 0). They’ve played 62 matches against New Zealand over the years. Alex Tobin is the most capped player in Australian soccer history. He played in 87 matches for his country between 1988 and 1998. Damian Mori holds the record for the most goals scored by an Australian player. He scored 29 goals in 45 matches between 1992 and 2002. Australia could be responsible for one of the upsets at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, who knows? Australia faced the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts, South Africa in a friendly match in 2008 which resulted in 2 – 2 draw. In 2005 Australia also played against South Africa in Durban, Kwazulu Natal and drew 1 – 1. The Australian National football team has been coached by Pim Verbeek (former player from the Netherlands) since 2007.

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Spanish football is controlled by Real Federación Española de Fútbol. The Spanish National Football team is commonly known in Spain as La Furia Roja or The Red Fury. Spain have qualified for next years FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They are the current European champions, they won the UEFA European Championship in 2008. This is the 13th time that Spain will be playing in the FIFA World Cup. They reached 4th place in the 1950 tournament, the best they’ve performed to this blogger’s knowledge. In July 2008 Spain was ranked at #1 on the FIFA World Ranking list. Spain is definately one of the favorite teams to win next year’s FIFA World Cup. It would be an amazing achievement for the team if they pull it off. In 2009 Spain obtained the world record for 15 consecutive wins. This winning streak was broken when they lost to the United States in the Confederations Cup Semi Final in South Africa. They ended 3rd in the tournament after beating the hosts in the 3rd/4th place playoff. Vicente del Bosque is the Spanish National Football team’s current manager. I predict that Spain could be one of the teams to play in one of the quarter finals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be played in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. So watch out for Spain, they might be lifting the trophy next year.

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England is one of only 7 nations who have won the FIFA World Cup. They did so in the 1966 when the tournament was hosted by them. Since then England have only managed to reach the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup which was hosted in Italy. England have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in South Africa. The English National Football Team is the oldest Football team in the world and was formed in 1870. England joined FIFA in 1906 but had a bumpy relationship with the governing body which resulted in them leaving in 1928. England did rejoin FIFA in 1946. The result of this was that England only competed in their first FIFA World Cup in 1950 in Brazil. England have rarely dropped off the list op top 10 FIFA rankings. They are definately not be underestimated. It’s hardly likely that England will make it into the final 16 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will be the 13th time that England competes in the FIFA World Cup. England are 1 of 13 European teams that will feature in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. If England plays in Johannesburg or Durban theres bound to be a significant amount of English support in the stadium.

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Over the years Brazil has been the most successful nation in the FIFA World Cup. So far, they are one of two teams from South America who have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Brazil is the only nation that has played in every FIFA World Cup tournament. They have also won the tournament a record 5 times. Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1950. They lost in the final against Uruguay in that year though, but won their first title (with the help of the legend, Pele) in 1958 in Sweden. Brazil has also won the Confederations Cup 3 times (most recently in 2009 in South Africa) and the Copa America 8 times over the years. Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri (commonly known as Dunga) is the current coach of the Brazilian National Football Team. He took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira in 2006. I would consider Brazil as one of the favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Brazilian team are well-known for their flamboyant and almost creative playing style. “The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it” is a common football quip amongst fans. Only time will tell if they will be victorious in next year’s tournament.

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This is the 4th post on Sports Fanatic dealing with the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be hosted in South Africa next year. So far, we’ve covered the stadiums in Johannesburg, Polokwane and Rustenburg. Today we will cover 2 more stadiums that will used as venues for matches in next year’s tournament. For those of you who didn’t know, South Africa has 11 official languages, 9 provinces and an estimated population of about 49 million people. Today’s stadiums are located in the Eastern Cape and Free State provinces of South Africa. The Eastern Cape Province is 3rd most populated province in the country with a population of more than 6 million people (behind Gauteng and the Western Cape). The Free State Province is the 8th most populated province in South Africa, with a population of just under 3 million people.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium: The venue is set on the shores of the North End Lake, located in the Port Elizabeth area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The stadium is named after South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela. The Eastern Cape province border the Kwazulu Natal province. This is the first soccer / football dedicated stadium in the city of Port Elizabeth and its surrounding areas. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was newly-built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was completed in May 2009, on schedule. The venue will host 8 matches in the tournament, including the match for third place and 1 of the quarter final matches. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium is a multi-purpose venue with a unique roof-structure and a spectacular view overlooking the North End Lake area. Before the construction of this venue, all international football matches were played at the EPRU (Eastern Province Rugby Union) Stadium. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium features a natural grass playing surface with an artificial turf outer / surrounding area. The stadium has a seating capacity of 48,000. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium has hosted a few events since it’s completion. The venue was used for a rugby match between the British & Irish Lions and the newly launched Southern Kings team in June 2009. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium also hosted the 2009 edition of the Premier’s Cup and match between Orlando Pirates FC and Kaizer Chiefs FC in the Vodacom Challenge in July 2009.

Related Links:
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium – Official Website
Nelson Mandela Stadium – Wikipedia

Free State Stadium: Situated in the city of Mangaung / Bloemfontein in the Free State Province of South Africa. The Free State province is situated in the central part of South Africa. The province borders the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal Provinces. The Free State Stadium is being used for rugby and football (soccer). Bloemfontein Celtic FC and the Free State Cheetahs call this stadium home. The seating capacity of the Free State Stadium was upgraded before the 2009 Confederations Cup. The stadium now has seating available for 45,000 fans. The Free State Stadium will host 5 first round matches and 1 second round match in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Free State stadium has a good record of safety and security, ample parking and excellent corporate hospitality. Bloemfontein sports fans are well-known for their enthusiasm. This venue promises to be very enjoyable one in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The original Free State Stadium was built in 1952.

Related Links:
Free State Stadium – Wikipedia
Free State Stadium – SA Venues

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This is the next installment about the stadiums that will be used in South Africa next year during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. So far we’ve covered the stadiums in Kwazulu Natal, the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces. All the previously mentioned stadiums are in the major metropolitan areas of South Africa. Today we will cover 2 stadiums which are situated in smaller metropolitan areas. For the record, more than 70% of South Africa’s population is urbanized.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium: The Royal Bafokeng Stadium is situated 12 km outside the city of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa. The Royal Bafokeng stadium is only a 30 minute drive from Sun City and the Pilanesberg. The stadium has been upgraded to seat 42,000 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The roof of the main stand was upgraded as well for about $45 million. The Royal Bafokeng Stadium also has a new electronic scoreboard, new seats, upgraded floodlights and an upgraded public. This address system. This stadium has hosted many Professional Soccer League matches, despite the fact that Rustenburg does not even have a team in the competition. This multi-purpose venue hosted its first rugby international in 2006, for the Tri Nations competition. In the match South Africa beat New Zealand 21 – 20. The stadium has also hosted matches for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The stadium is named after the Bafokeng people who live in the area around the stadium. The Bafokeng people won a legal battle in 1999, entitling them to 20% of the platinum being mined on their historic land. Rustenburg is just over 1 hrs drive from South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria / Tshwane. The Royal Bafokeng Stadium will host first and second round matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Related Links:
Royal Bafokeng Stadium – SA Venues
Royal Bafokeng Stadium – Engineering News

Peter Mokaba Stadium: This stadium is situated in Polokwane (formerly known as Pietersburg) in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Polokwane is about 3 hours drive from Pretoria / Johannesburg. The Peter Mokaba Stadium is named after one of the sons of the struggle and emancipation against the apartheid regime in South Africa. This is being newly built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and is situated just East of the old Pietersburg Stadium in Polokwane. The stadium is about 5 km from the Polokwane city center. When completed in early 2010, this stadium will seat 46,000 people. The city of Polokwane is home to more than 500,000 people. The Peter Mokaba Stadium will host 4 matches in the first round in next year’s FIFA World Cup. This promises to be a very interesting venue.

Related Links:
Peter Mokaba Stadium – Polokwane Website
Peter Mokaba Stadium – Go 2 Africa

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup will kick off in South Africa on the 11th of June next year. 3 million tourists are expected to make their way to South Africa for this event. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is expected to inject more than R20 billion ($2.6 billion) into the South African economy. 15,000 volunteers from around the world will be required by FIFA to host the event in South Africa. FIFA announced in early September 2009 that it has received nearly 70,000 applications from volunteers around the world. Interviews for volunteers will begin in December 2009. A survey released earlier this week indicated that 87 percent of the South Africans in the survey were convinced that South Africa would be ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Today we will be covering 2 more stadiums which will be used as match venues in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Both of these stadiums are situated in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The province only comprises 1.4% of South Africa’s total land area, but has a population of more than 9.5 million (according to estimates in 2005), making it the most populous province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the largest city in Sub-Saharan Africa and has a population of almost 4 million people. The South African public generally refers to Johannesburg as “Joburg” or “Egoli” (meaning place of gold). In 1886 gold was discovered in the area and people from all over the world flocked to the site of the present day city.

Coca Cola Park: Also known as Ellis Park Stadium. This stadium was first built in 1928 to be used for rugby. In 1982 it was rebuilt for the same reason. Ellis Park Stadium was named after a Johannesburg city councilman, J.D Ellis, who approved the land for the stadium (a full 13 acres). This stadium holds a special place in the hearts of South Africans. The Springboks beat New Zealand on this ground in 1995, winning the Rugby World Cup. Coca Cola Park is also the site of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final between Brazil and the United States. The stadium was upgraded before the tournament, increasing its seating capacity from 57,000 to 62,000. The stadium also features top notch media facilities, team whirlpools, top notch VIP areas for dignitaries, accessibility for disabled fans, a new pitch and a state-of-the-art audio visual setup to keep fans informed, occupied and entertained. The stadium is also the home of 2 local sports teams, The Golden Lions rugby team and Orlando Pirates FC football team. The venue is also regarded as one of South Africa’s premier concert venues. The Rolling Stones performed here in the early 1990s. Coca Cola Park Stadium promises to be one of most memorable venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Related Links:
Coca Cola Park Stadium – Official Website
Coca Cola Park – Wikipedia

Soccer City Stadium: This stadium has long been considered as the home of South African Football / Soccer since it was first built in 1987. Soccer City is situated in the South Western part of Johannesburg. It was first known as the FNB stadium with a capacity of about 80,000 people. It was also the first international football stadium to be constructed in South Africa. For the 2010 FIFA World Cup the stadium, now known as Soccer City Stadium, is being upgraded. The amount of suites in the stadium will be increased from 99 to 184. The upper tier of Soccer City Stadium will be upgraded to increase seating capacity. The stadium will be able to house 94,700 people comfortably. An encircling roof, new changing room facilities and new floodlighting were also added to the list of upgrades. The ground’s new design resembles an African pot known as a calabash. Soccer City Stadium was the venue for the first mass rally for Nelson Mandela after he was released from prison in 1990. Thousands of mourners also lamented Chris Hani’s assassination at the stadium in 1993. In 1996 Soccer City hosted the CAF African Cup of Nations final in which South Africa beat Tunisia 2 – 0. Soccer City will host the opening match and the final for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The atmosphere in this stadium promises to be very electric and vibrant.

Related Links:
Soccer City Stadium – Wikipedia
Soccer City Stadium – Official Website

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All eyes will be on South Africa next year. Less than a year from now South Africa will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This will be the 19th World Cup tournament held in history. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay. South Africa will be the first African country in history to host the FIFA World Cup and only the 2nd country in history to have hosted the Cricket, Rugby and Soccer World Cups (a truly remarkable achievement). Today we will be covering 2 of the venues where the games will be played in next year’s competition. The 2010 FIFA World Cup promises to be showcase of world class soccer (or football for the British out there who despises the word). It will only be right to have these games take place in world class stadiums. Construction of new stadiums and upgrades to existing stadiums has been steadily progressing over the last 2-3 years and is nearing completion. The games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be played in 10 different stadiums, all around South Africa.

Green Point Stadium: Situated in the city of Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, this stadium will host one of the Semi-Final games in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Green Point Stadium is being upgraded currently and construction should be complete by December 2009. The stadium should be able to seat +/- 70,000 people and have a retractable roof when upgrades are finished. Cape Town has another stadium which is primarily used for rugby games, Newlands. Green Point Stadium will probably house local professional football outfit, Ajax Cape Town after the tournament. This truly promises to be a remarkable venue and promises to be a stadium that will be admired, enjoyed and remembered by spectators.

Related Links:
Green Point Stadium – Visitor’s Center Website
Green Point Stadium, Cape Town – Cyber Cape Town
Green Point Stadium, Cape Town – SA Venues
Green Point Stadium – Wikipedia

Moses Mabhida Stadium: This stadium is currently under construction in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban which is situated in the Kwazulu Natal province of South Africa. In late 2006 the old Kings Park Soccer stadium was demolished to make space for this stadium. The Moses Mabhida Stadium will have a seating capacity of 70,000 and was designed to be a multi-purpose venue and amphitheatre. This stadium will feature a massive 350 m long free and 105 m high span arch will hold up the roof. The top of the arch will rise to 106 m above the pitch. The arch will consist of 5 x 5 m steel hollow box and will weigh 2,600 tons. Visitors will be carried from the North side to a viewing platform at the top of the arch by a funicular and enjoy breathtaking, panoramic views of the nearby city and ocean. There will be a 550 step adventure walk on the South side. The stadium is named after a former commander and recruiter of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC (African National Congress). This Moses Mabhida Stadium will be the crown jewel of the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in the shadow of the ABSA Stadium, home of the local rugby team, The Sharks. This stadium will host one of the semi-final games in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Related Links:
Moses Mabhida Stadium – Wikipedia
Moses Mabhida Stadium – SA Venues
Moses Mabhida Stadium – Ethekwini Online

I’m sure that there will be plenty of persons advertising their properties, services and goods in the classifieds or other publications in order to attract tourists and visitors (if they have not started to do so already). The 2010 FIFA World Cup is bound to bring economical upliftment to the people of Cape Town and Durban which will be good for South Africa in general.

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