2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

[CielOnTap]

It's raining during the bronze medal match: 1-1 so far. Just saw a German fall on his backside and spin while trying to reach a lobbed ball by a teammate.

*Update: Uruguay scored a second goal before 52 minutes. Germany evens the score about 3 minutes later.

**Getting mean on the field-sliding challenges x 3 between Uruguay and Germany in short order. Tempers showing.

Germany scored its third goal at 82 minutes. And it's still raining.

The octupus was right-the bronze is Germany's. Uruguay's last free kick into the third minute of extra time hit the crossbar. D'oh.

[fishandchips]

What a competition in the rain. Sort of mimic's the first week of play when the World Cup started-wet and slippery field added to the difficulty in handling the soccer ball.

Will local children get to keep the official game soccer balls after the matches are over?

[CielOnTap]

There's an interspecies conflict over who will win the World Cup final. Introducting Mani, the parakeet from Singapore:

While Paul is no doubt the world's most famous animal oracle these days, he is facing competition. In Singapore, Mani, a World Cup-forecasting parakeet, predicted a different outcome of Sunday's final match.

Creeping out of his small wooden cage and choosing between two white cards — one hiding a Dutch flag, the other Spanish — the bird predicted the Netherlands will win its first World Cup championship, setting up a Mani-Paul showdown for Sunday.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/article/833995--octopus-predicts-spain-will-win-world-cup-final

This remains a soccer game. It will be grand if FIFA announces what projects that its ad revenues will support in South Africa after the World Cup closes.

[fishandchips]

Less than two hours left until the last game starts. CBC's showing images of the coastline and city life. It looks like a place to visit but I feel sorry for the citizens if they have to get back to waiting for things as part of normal life. Like court cases taking long times to get heard. The World Cup court must still seem like a novelty.

[CielOnTap]

Closing ceremony had a great light show, following the Winter Games' use of the floor as the screen for graphics. Also, who was that handsome MC who rapped and sang throughout the 1h show? Music and dance was very South Africa, though the women had less fabric than the men? It's winter there.

Final game is underway. The athletes' buses were arriving after the closing show finished.

[CielOnTap]

They seem to be challenging each other sideways at the ankles-two yellow cards given out so far.

*The sports narrator is audibly inhaling on his microphone today. Had not heard this before.
**No goals by half-time, but lots of free kicks.

I hope both teams take off their yellow-carded players and put new faces on the field, preferably ones that have only been on the bench. Share the final around the team, as it were.

[CielOnTap]

Spain's goal came 116 min into the game. Netherlands could not catch up. Octupus trumps parakeet for win!

**What's Jacques Rogge doing in the medal distribution at Johannesburg?

Emirates must have paid for the medal ceremony-their staff are holding the trays with medals.

[CielOnTap]

Articles in South Africa's news for the last match and related stories:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article545028.ece/Mandela-wows-fans-ahead-of-World-Cup-final
I had read that Mr. Mandela was pressured into making an appearance at the final game.

Who earned what at the World Cup
Jul 12, 2010 12:18 AM | By Sapa-AFP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spain collected a record $30-million for winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,

Winners ($30-million): Spain

Runners-up ($24-million): Holland

Semi-finalists ($20-million each): Germany, Uruguay

Quarter-finalists ($18-million each): Argentina, Brazil, Ghana, Paraguay

Second round losers ($9-million each): Chile, England, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, United States

First round losers ($8-million each): Algeria, Australia, Cameroon, Denmark, France, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Ivory Coast, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article545223.ece/Who-earned-what-at-the-World-Cup

So that is the reason that famous soccer players are eager to play for their home countries: there is big money given out for playing and if one's team does really well, more money. I think this is the first time I knew of the money connection, beyond what host nations and hotels had to do to provide for each team's needs. And it is not just about national glory...($366 M in prize monies...that explains why everything is sponsored.)

Forlan scoops Golden Ball award
Jul 11, 2010 11:49 PM | By Andy Cawthorne, Reuters

Uruguay’s Diego Forlan won the best player of the tournament award on Sunday after lighting up the World Cup with some wonderful goals that helped his team become South America’s only semi-finalist.

The blond-locked striker won legions of admirers — not least among South African women — for his fantastic play on the pitch and courteous attitude off it where he always made time to sign autographs and chat with fans or journalists.

Forlan took 23,4% in the “Golden Ball” poll organised by world soccer body FIFA and voted for by journalists. Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder was second with 21,8% and Spain’s David Villa third on 16,9%. http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article545197.ece/Forlan-scoops-Golden-Ball-award

The Dutch had an octupus at home that had a different prediction from the other octupus for their match outcome:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article542490.ece/Now-Pauline-the-octopus-gets-in-on-the-act

[CielOnTap]

S. Africa holds education summit before WCup final
DONNA BRYSON, Associated Press Writer
Published: 10:25 a.m., Sunday, July 11, 2010
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's president read fellow leaders a lesson before heading out with them to Sunday's World Cup final.

Just hours before the Dutch-Spanish final, President Jacob Zuma convened leaders from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Togo, Mozambique, the Netherlands and neighboring Zimbabwe at an education summit in the capital.

At the meeting, he urged African leaders to ensure parents don't have to pay school fees or buy uniforms, costs that can keep children out of school. He also called on leaders from developed countries to honor pledges to support education in poor countries.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/S-Africa-holds-education-summit-before-WCup-final-572910.php

Look who attended this summit--the irony:

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was among those at the summit. Post-independence Zimbabwe's education was once widely praised, preparing graduates for high-level jobs across southern Africa and in the West. But with the nation's economic collapse blamed on Mugabe's policies and its international isolation because of his poor human rights records, young Zimbabweans are dropping out of school and leaving the country to work or beg.

Zimbabwe is also having winter and how are its citizens doing this year? To think that the country's president has no shame for the suffering of his people, yet would go to South Africa to get some attention.

Here's a link to FIFA's 1GOAL campaign-sorry, I cannot find out yet how much money FIFA is contributing from its coffers.
http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=1092726.html

[Smitty]

I was going to dial into the world championship, & did when suddenly Shaw cable cut it off around 10 or 30 minutes to the end with no reason. Next to come on was a ruddy commercial & then whatever went on in the big handshaking of the Spanish of the Officials. That told me Spain had won.

Fortunately I could dail in in good road racing events of m/c pros.

Mind you after Uganda & it planted bombs to hit the largest group of spectators sort of told me even if someone else payed then do no go to a soccar game. Just pick up what you can by TV if it is still there.

Okay I know soccar is quite a sport to a lot of people, but when women are running into fast motor traffic with the main reason they cannot stand the LOSS of their team. Something is wrong with the spectators or something. Strange thing is possibly it is the cold weather, but you do not find hockey fans doing the same thing in final play offs & home team loosing nor even in baseball games with the home team loosing.

I have been at major Cdn Championship m/c racing events & never heard of the spectators going out & committing themselves to death or close to it in charging acros busy traffic.

So seems as if one should not become so excited at the home team. I thought the home team were the ones we would be proud of even if they LOST.