Fans Stampede At World Cup Warmup

Police and ambulances were called to Makhulong Stadium when fans stampeded trying to get into a warmup match featuring Nigeria and North Korea.

Fifteen people were hurt, including one policeman, and were taken to the hospital for treatment. Makhulong is a northeast suburb of Johanesberg and has a huge Nigerian population. The match was announced only hours before kickoff and was free to the public.

According to a man injured by the stampede interviewed by ESPN’s Rob Stone, the gates were opened 15-20 minutes before the match was to start with only one gate being used. There were no police or security officers ushering the crowd inside resulting in thousands of fans pushing and shoving in a hurry to grab the best seats.

Because this was a warmup match FIFA had no oversight over the ticketing, security or stadium management. “FIFA and the OC [local organizing committee] would like to reiterate that this friendly match has no relation whatsoever with the operational organization of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which we remain fully confident,” FIFA said in a statement.

Robben, Drogba Possible For World Cup

The avalanche of injury news over the past few days has rule out many of the world’s top stars but some good news has been released regarding Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Holland midfielder Arjen Robben.

Drogba underwent emergency surgery in an attempt salvage his World Cup following a broken arm suffered during a friendly. The surgery was described as successful but no timetable has been set for his possible return. “He’s not at all out of the World Cup. He can still play. We don’t know if he will be able to play the first game — that depends on the verdict of the medical team. But he’s definitely not out [of the tournament],” said a statement on the Ivory Coast’s website.

Roben, who was taken to a hospital following a hamstring injury sustained during The Netherland’s 6-1 friendly victory over Hungary, had his World Cup outlook significantly improved when Holland declined to call up a replacement substitute. “I want to give him every chance to still participate in the World Cup,” said Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk.

South African Authorities Detain Argentine Hooligans

The South African police are beginning to follow through on their promise to crack down on hooliganism. Police detained 10 Argentinean hooligans on charges of planning acts of violence at the World Cup. The 10 men are Argentina citizens and one is out of jail awaiting trial for murder.

“Intelligence indicated that these persons would commit acts of public disorder, engage in acts of violence and provoke conflict with certain fans of opponent teams and other groups from Argentina during the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” a statement from the South African police said.

The men will be deported back to Argentina in the next few days.

Drogba Out - Big Blow to Africa

The 2010 World Cup created quite a lot of excitement, mainly due to the fact it was the first World Cup to be hosted in the continent of Africa, and the most suitable venue was South Africa, due to it having a rather strong economy. There are always hiccups in the process, and the odd scare thrown out by the media in order to sell a few papers, but in terms of building the stadiums, promoting the tournament and creating an exciting atmosphere, South Africa has done itself proud and with one week to go, we are ready for the World Cup. This cup is unofficially billed as Africa 2010, as many people see this as a chance for the whole of Africa to get involved and show how much they love football. Yet a number of stories are starting to appear that are taking the shine off an African World Cup, and many problems are coming out that appear to be diminishing the excitement from the African nations themselves:

Essien and Drogba – out:

News has just broken that Didier Drogba has become a real doubt for the World Cup after fracturing his arm in a warm up match with Japan. This is a terrible shame for many fans of football, as truth be told, if you had to chose another nation to win the World Cup rather than your own this summer, you’d like to see an African nation lift the trophy, and Ivory Coast probably stood the best chance of any of this years African competitors. Drogba is a World Class player and not only the Star of Ivory Coast, but one of Africa’s best players in general. Add this to Michael Essien’s unfortunate absence and this really takes a shine off how great African football has become in the past several decades. Essien is a huge star in Africa and many saw him as the player to lead the way for the African countries at South Africa, but without him at the tournament it takes a lot of the excitement surrounding African Nation’s chances at this World Cup. There is one major hitter still going with the African Nations…

Samuel Eto’o Spits His Dummy Out:

…If he wants to. Samuel Eto’o has bizarrely claimed, days before the final squad announcements, that he “doesn’t need to go to the World Cup” and made a threat to withdraw himself from consideration after Roger Milla was critical of his performances for his country. Truth be told, there is no way Eto’o would really withdraw from this World Cup in particular, no matter how big his ego is, he has a chance to shine in the continent of Africa and represent his country at one of the greatest sporting tournaments in the world. I don’t care if the Prime Minister and the Queen were critical of my performances, I’d still put on a shirt for England at a World Cup if they asked me to go. Eto’o has just reacted in the worst manner possible, and now there is probably a divide in Cameroon over whether they side with their long time hero Milla, or Eto’o who will spearhead their attack at this World Cup. Thank god he is going though, without Drogba and Essien, this World Cup needs Eto’o. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing players in Africa, just that they’re the big three really for this summer.

Neutrals and Contest Winners Set To Support The Africans:

This is absolutely ludicrous and one of those situations where money should be no issue. South Africa will have a vibrant and lively support no doubt, as Fifa was keen for even the poorest to get a chance to see their country player this summer by offering a number of schemes in which money accumulated so they could afford the ticket. Fifa did not however decide to consider that this situation might be the same beyond the borders of South Africa, as at this point, the other five African Nations have, in total, 40,000 supporters going to this World Cup. That’s less than 10,000 supporters per nation, and that doesn’t mean to say that this will be balanced out evenly. I love the African supporters, they love to dance and don’t stop cheering for the whole 90 minutes. I remember at the Confederations Cup, one South African supporter had a pair of big glasses and an Oxford’s English dictionary in his hand! What’s all that about? I don’t know but I love it! So what should be the most accessible World Cup to some of the poorest nations in the world will instead see fewer people travelling to South Africa from some of the nations that truly matter this summer. I only hope there is a big surprise when we actually get to the African games that are not South Africa, and we have a sea of fantastic supporters singing their hearts out.

Is It Going To Be Trouble?

Many people are quite worried about a number of issues this summer regarding this particular World Cup. The USA doesn’t just bring a large contingent of travelling support, but also a wariness of terrorist threats, particularly in the game against England. It’s true that South Africa is hugely different from Germany, Japan, South Korea and France who have hosted the most recent World Cup’s and the divide between economic classes has lead to a number of social and criminal problems in the nation. There is a chance of trouble at any major football event, and South Africa have spent a lot of money on preparing their police efforts for this tournament, and I would say that we’re unlikely to experience anything major at this tournament. South Africa has tried to promote the feel good and party attitude of the South African people, and I think that many of the visiting nations will fall into this and have a good time. But the problem still remains – yes – there will be crime at this tournament as there is at many major events, but it depends largely on how under control the South African police can keep it under control. I really hope that after this tournament we’re not all talking about major crime at the tournament as the World Cup brings a lot of positive social and economic benefits with it that African Nations could really benefit from. I know football will be the focus, but that lingering thought in the back of my mind that says something will go wrong would be a disaster for African football.

Pepsi has unveiled one of their new TV adverts for the 2010 World Cup which star Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Andrei Arshavin and Kaka.

Sit back and enjoy the video.

The countdown to South Africa 2010 may have started but there is still plenty of time for surprises to take place in terms of team selections and final squad lists. Coaches may spring a surprise or two and call upon unfamiliar names or perhaps the likes of the erratic Raymond Domenech will pick some unknown players.

Setting aside unforeseen events, injuries, suspensions or lack of form, a considerable number of players are all but guaranteed a spot o their national team’s roster heading to South Africa. It is perhaps early to confirm who has already scored his ticket to the World Cup but a few names will always surface when considering the most likely top scorer of the tournament. The top scorer does not have to be a striker so a number of attacking midfielders and wingers will be included on this potential list as shown below:

- Wayne Rooney: The English forward is still a young 24-year-old star player who will be the focus of Fabio Capello’s attacking schemes come next summer. Rooney scored 12 goals in 30 league appearances last season for Manchester United but he has already managed seven strikers in 11 games this season in the Premiership. The young forward has scored 25 times in the 55 matches he has played for his country. His last goal came in the World Cup qualifying destruction of Croatia (5-1 home triumph) back on 9 September 2009.

- David Villa: The striker has an impressive record with both Valencia and Spain. He has found the net on 35 occasions in just 54 appearances. This implies the talented player has a better strike ratio than a goal every two games. Villa has scored a remarkable nine goals in 10 la Liga games this season. He forms a frightening partnership with fellow attacker Fernando Torres.

- Fernando Torres:The Liverpool striker does not have Villa’s impressive scoring record but he is still a very dangerous man inside the box. He has netted 23 goals in 71 international appearances for Spain. His scoring tally with Liverpool is impressive as he notched 24 goals in 33 league appearances in his first season at Anfield and followed that with 14 strikes in 24 matches in the Premier League. This season Torres is amazingly on 10 goals in just 10 games.

- Didier Drogba: The Ivory Coast striker is one of the most lethal players at the international level having notched 41 goals in only 60 caps for his country. Drogba has been in great form this season for Carlo Ancelotti as he has found the back of the net nine times in 12 league appearances. Drogba is a nightmare for defenders when on form due to his strength, pace and scoring abilities.

- Luis Fabiano: His goal tally stands at 25 in the 36 times he has represented Brazil. He scored twice in the important 3-1 victory over Argentina in Rosario on September 5, 2009. Luis Fabiano was top scorer in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 with five goals, including a double against the Unite States in the final. He has five goals to his credit this season in just seven la liga appearances.

- Lionel Messi: The talented player is considered by many as the best player in the world at the moment. He has only managed 13 strikes in 41 appearances for Argentina but he has been in stunning form for Barcelona. He led the club to a treble last season after scoring 38 goals in 51 total appearances for the club while also providing assists on 18 other goals. He had 23 goals in 31 league appearances last season and he is on course to match or even beat the impressive figure having already scored seven times in just 10 la Liga matches. Messi is a delight to watch as he takes on defenders while making it look easy.

- Kaka: The former Milan icon has scored 26 times for Brazil in 73 appearances. He was instrumental in Milan’s success in Europe during the 2006-07 season as the club won the Champions League on the back of his incredible performances. He would finish top scorer in the European competition that season with 10 goals. He is now part of Real Madrid’s second Los Galacticos era since the turn of the century. The talented Brazilian has only managed three goals in 10 matches in la Liga as he tries to adjust to life after Milan.

- Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese missed Portugal’s play-off triumph over Bosnia but he should be back for South Africa 2010 barring any injury. The current Real Madrid star has managed to find the net 22 times in 68 matches for Portugal. He has scored five goals in just five appearances for Los Blancos as he is out injured. His scoring record with Manchester United was remarkable having scored 17 goals in 34 matches in the league during the 2006-7 season and then followed it with a stunning 2007-08 season capped by his 31 goals in 34 appearances in the Premiership. In his final season with United, he scored 18 times in 33 matches in the league. He won the European Golden Shoe during the remarkable 2007-08 season as the leading scorer across all the top divisions in Europe.

- Thierry Henry: Currently the man behind the most controversial use of his hand to contribute to a goal! His handball assist to William Gallas eliminated the Irish and sent France to South Africa 2010. The striker was extremely lethal during his spell with Arsenal but his scoring tally with Barcelona is quite respectable as he managed 19 goals in 29 matches last season. He has played 117 times for France and scored 51 goals.

Chelsea and Côte d’Ivoire striker Didier Drogba has set his sights firmly on World Cup glory with his home nation.  The powerful striker, regarded by many as the best frontman in the world, scored the equalising goal that secured the Cote d’Ivoire’s place in South Africa and admitted he has grandiose plans for the tournament next summer.

“It is going to be a challenge,” explained Drogba. “To make it to the final will not be easy because there are great teams like Brazil and Germany who have won the World Cup for many years.

“But my team-mates and I want to make history and want to change the way the world sees African football.

“I hope that we’ll be the team that is going to go to the final and win the competition.”

If any African nation is going to emerge victorious in South Africa chances are it will be the Cote d’Ivoire.  They have the one of the best strikers in the world in Drogba and a true star is almost a requirement if you are to win the greatest prize in World football (though Germany and Italy may disagree with that statement).  Drogba’s considerable talent is backed up by the lies of Chelsea team-mate Solomon Kalou, Barcelona’s Yaya Toure and Manchester City’s Kolo Toure who are all top quality players.  Midfielder Emmanuel Koné is also a decent player, while youngster Cheik Tioté has impressed at Dutch side FC Twente.  They have quality in their squad but I’m not sure they have the strength in depth to win the World Cup.

Drogba is an extremely driven player and I have no doubt that he would love to challenge for the World Cup but in all honesty I think it will still be some time before we see an Africa nation as serious contenders for the most prestigious of prizes.  The Cote d’Ivoire may surprise a few people but getting to the final may be one step too far.  You would expect Brazil to be the tournament favourites, or Euro champions Spain, while England, Germany, Italy and Argentina (should they make it!) will also be amongst the favourites.  It would be romantic for an African nation to win it the first time the competition is held in the continent but I can’t see any of the African nations upsetting the apple cart and taking the trophy at the end of the competition personally.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer promoting Irish racing tips and World Cup betting picks for Betfair.