Without being  philosophical, it must be said that every individual is entitled to an opinion and to simply ridicule it  without substantial support would be unfair. Having listened to the Group C Podcast, there are a  few comments about the main topics being discussed.

- The Top Teams: Every team does have a flaw or will have one during the World Cup. One must  consider the pressure of competing in the world's biggest stage with reputations made and destroyed in a single match or round. Injuries, inconsistent form, suspensions, officiating and coaching decisions will all affect the results. One does not have to be a supporter of Brazil to acknowledge the Selecao would probably have 8 titles by now if the winner is crowned purely based on talent while Spain would at least have one. Winning the World Cup  is not just about talent but the combination of variables which are quite intricate and can easily tip the balance to one side or the other.

As for Group C which is stirring up debates and discussions, below are some general comments based on watching and tracking certain teams and their players:

ALGERIA: They will not be advancing from this Group and it might be difficult for them to even get a point. Unlike other African teams, this North African country does not have the physical presence of a Cameroon or Ghana or Ivory Coast. By physical presence one is implying they are not as fast or strong physically. They can play tough and be rough but they are not a superior physical team. They are missing a crucial player in Mourad Meghni who is out injured and will lose to England, USA and Slovenia. At best, they might snatch a draw against either USA or Slovenia. If anyone watched the team's campaign in the African Cup of Nations, then it would be fair to state the Algerians are not on the same talent level as the Egyptians. However, Algeria deserved to get to this stage because they managed to beat Egypt in the play-off match in Sudan but they remain inferior talent wise to Egypt. This is a clear case of how talent does not necessarily prevail as Egypt did dismantle Algeria 4-0 in the African Cup of Nations. Without going into detail, the Egyptians have had a psychological barrier and intense pressure which have prevent the side from performing up to their talent level causing them to miss on the World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010.

SLOVENIA: Many pundits and football fans underestimate this team. Slovenia is not as good as Croatia was in France 1998 but they are a solid team. What they lack in sheer talent, they make up by effort, team work and some individual skills. As a team they are not very talented but on an individual basis they have a couple of decent players. They simply work well together as a unit and they will most likely beat Algeria while troubling USA to the extent of getting a draw or even beating USA. Against England, Slovenia might get a result depending on how many points the Three Lions have prior to the match. However, if logic prevails then Slovenia will fight with the USA for the second spot leaving Algeria to occupy the bottom place in Group C.

ENGLAND: If you check  the piece on who will win the World Cup, it originally excluded England as an option because  the team is not deep enough to make a run beyond the quarter-finals (check www.worldcupbuzz.com/which-team-will-win-the-2010-world-cup/) but in an updated article England was added (please check www.worldcupbuzz.com/world-cup-2010-update-on-tournament-favourites/) and there is a reason for this.

Fabio Capello is a capable manager and he is one of the best in the world. If he wins the World Cup with England then he certainly will be amongst the best three coaches. Capello was in charge of Milan when they shredded the great Barcelona side in the Champions League final of 1994 with a score of 4-0. He won league titles with Roma, Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid. This shows he has the winner's mentality and it does not matter if you are coaching in England or elsewhere because you can still take with you the winning mentality.

The problem here is Capello can sometimes go too far when considering certain aspects such as the overall good of the team and achieving results because in doing so he sometimes restricts talented players and their ability to perform. Luckily for England he does acknowledge the need to free Wayne Rooney to excel and strike fear into opponents but  Capello on the bench and Rooney on the pitch alone cannot win it for England. The Three Lions do have other quality players but none are on Rooney's level regardless of their position. England's journey will likely end  in the quarter-final or perhaps the semi-final at best when facing Brazil (or another quality team).

USA: The United States is by far one of the most improved sides in the last few years as shown by their performances in the Confederations Cup last year. To beat Spain, who were on a historic  streak, is a great achievement and the United States went on to test Brazil's resolve and talent to the end. There are several variables at play in this situation such as the American desire to always excel and be better in sports when compared to others, but one must keep in mind soccer is behind NFL, MLB, NBA and even NHL. This does have a negative effect on the progress of the national team. The United States was one of the toughest games for the Azzurri in Germany 2006 and they severely tested the Italians with their grit and determination.

The American can still compete and have a considerable chance of going through this group. The US will likely beat Algeria and will either settle for a hard fought draw with Slovenia or perhaps even win the match considering the Slovenia clash will be the decider. As for the much anticipated England vs USA match, Capello and Rooney will make sure England will do the utmost to win. Capello will demand the England players do not underestimate the US and Rooney still has something to prove after World Cup 2006. When healthy and nearing top form, Rooney is close to unstoppable with his sheer desire to win and his talent.

One Note: The English media will sometimes fall into the trap of giving teams a certain tag but it is often done to sell stories or provide motivation for England's players. In other cases it has the adverse effect of  piling unnecessary pressure on England's players or providing excuses for an unlikely defeat. In general the press, even in the US, concentrates on selling a story or creating a storm in order to have increased audience. One man who exploited the English media till the end is the self-proclaimed "Special One" Jose Mourinho who often manipulated the English press to satisfy his craving for attention and to serve his purposes.

He did leave Inter so he can challenge for La Liga with Real Madrid but there are other main factors behind his decision: his long-time hatred for Barcelona who never gave him the chance to take over after Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, and his failure to win over the Italian press. The media in Italy often slammed Mourinho and did not fall for his tricks (but did rightfully salute him at the end for winning a historic treble with Inter). Mourinho became aware he could not manipulate the Italian press as easily as the English one so that is another reason why he opted to leave. Of course Mourinho knew it would be hard to replicate this season's success and with Real knocking on his door, he knew he had the perfect opportunity to join an extremely promising situation.

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The African Cup of Nations will witness an intriguing and much-anticipated clash between two countries which went through a bruising qualifying campaign for South Africa 2010. While Algeria was able to edge out Egypt for the World Cup ticket, the Pharaohs are being referred to as the slight favourites for winning this match to continue in the right path towards retaining their title as African Champions.

During the current tournament the Algerians failed to impress in the group stage yet they have bounced back with style to overcome one of the favourites in the event the Ivory Coast in a thrilling 3-2 victory. The North Africans succeeded in drawing level after falling behind on two occasions to the Ivorians. They will be looking to prove their critics wrong by showing their qualification to South Africa 2010 at the expense of Egypt was not a fluke.

On the other hand, the Egyptian are highly motivated and emotionally charged to beat the Algerians in order to avenge the loss of the World Cup ticket to their rivals. The two countries will be meeting for the fourth time in less than a year in a competitive match which is being likened by Egypt's Mohamed Zidan to a war! The striker who plays in the German League was visibly fired up as he assessed the match claiming it will be like a matter of "life and death" which is quite alarming considering the chaos, violence and political crisis caused by the last two clashes between the two countries.

While some in the Egyptian camp were playing down the need to avenge the 1-0 loss in Sudan which cost the Pharaohs a place in South Africa, the Egyptians have shown a great desire to put one over their fellow North African Arabs. The fiery message by Zidan is a clear indication of how much this match means to his fellow countrymen and their homeland in general.

The two sides met twice in November with Egypt winning 2-0 to force the play-off match which was duly edged by Algeria. The initial encounter between both countries took place in Algeria in June 2009 with the home side triumphing 3-1. The two countries were tied on points, goal difference and head-to-head meetings.

The hope is for the public to enjoy a spectacle free of any violence given the tragic incidents involving the national team of Togo and the previous clashes between the fans of Egypt and Algeria which prompted FIFA to order an investigation into the events. Keeping in mind the tense moments and adverse repercussions of the Egyptian win which forced the decisive match in Sudan, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Algeria were on the phone on Tuesday to urge calmness, wise actions and setting the previous incidents aside to overcome their differences.

Hopefully the players and fans from both nations will take heed in order for the clash to proceed without any negative incidents. The focus should be on enjoying the heated encounter between two rival countries but without compromising public safety and fair play. Having been on the receiving end when the two countries last met in November, Egypt's players will be raring to go and itching to put one over the Desert Foxes. Will the Egyptians have the opportunity to compensate for failing to making the World Cup or will the Algerians once again end the Egyptian dream?

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Below is a list of teams with some quality players which will unfortunately miss the World Cup next summer:

Ireland- The Irish team may not be the most talented to miss out on qualification but certainly was unjustly eliminated by France. The Ireland squad is not as deep as other but has talented players such as Aiden McGeady who plays as a winger and/or forward for Celtic. The Irish can also count on the goals of experienced scorer Robbie Keane and the consistency of goalkeeper Shay Given. The team is coached by the shrewd Italian Giovanni Trapattoni who has won league titles in a number of countries.

Mali- the African nation boasts Frederic Kanoute who scores regularly for Sevilla, Mohamed Sissoko who is the Juventus midfield general and Barcelona's Seydou Keita who has already scored six goals in 10 league games. Mali may not have the football pedigree of the likes of Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria when it comes to Africa football but with the aforementioned players and Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra can certainly form a well acclaimed side.

Russia- The team includes Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin and Chelsea's Yuri Zhirkov but failed in the play-off stage against Slovenia after losing on the away goal rule. The Russians won 2-1 at home only to lose 1-0 in Slovenia. Arshavin is one of the most entertaining players when he is at his best.

Bosnia- The Portuguese were missing Cristiano Ronaldo and yet were able to overcome the Bosnians after two identical 1-0 wins. The Bosnia- & Herzegovina team has quite the the talent with names such as Edin Dzeko, Vedad Ibisevic, Zlatan Muslimovic and Zvjezdan Misimovic. The Bosnians were beaten by a more experienced team with the likes of Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Deco, Nani and Simao. The Bosnians formed an entertaining and high-scoring team which ironically failed to find the net against Portugal. (Please refer to a previous article dated November 5, 2009 and titled Will Portugal Overcome Bosnia Without Ronaldo for more coverage on this topic)

Sweden- The World Cup next summer will not feature one of the most gifted big man in the shape of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Barcelona forward has audacious talent considering his size and has so far notched seven goals in just nine la Liga games for the Catalan club. Ibrahimovic was one of the main reasons behind Inter's domestic domination in Italy prior to his summer move to Barca.

Egypt- Egypt receives a mention because of two hotly contested matches with Algeria which occurred in a space of four days. The two countries are the only ones to play each other three times during the World Cup qualifiers to determine which side makes it to South Africa. The team from the land of the Pharaohs was able to beat Algeria 2-0 in Cairo to force a play-off match in Sudan which was ultimately won by Algeria 1-0. The team is led by Al-Ahly's star player Mohamed Aboutrika and counts on the goals of striker Amr Zaki who played for one season with Wigan Athletic (On loan last season). Other notable names include Mohamed Zidan who plays for German side Borussia Dortmund and Ahmed Hossam Mido (who played in England and has not featured in the recent matches for Egypt).

The other national teams which will be missing on South Africa 2010 do not contain the same star-name appeal though the likes of Togo (which boasts Manchester City's Adebayor), Morocco and Tunisia failed to qualify from Africa while in Europe all the big guns have qualified after the France-Ireland fiasco. The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, England and Spain have all booked their place in next summer's World Cup.

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Following the controversial decision to allow France's goal to stand as Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball prior to assisting William Gallas, it is only normal to have increased complaints and ever growing displeasure at the level of refereeing. Some may attribute this to a conspiracy which necessitates the presence of France in South Africa 2010 at the expense of the Irish.

Others will point to the hotly contested Egypt versus Algeria play-off match which took place in Sudan (Egypt's preferred location) and not Tunisia (location chosen by the Algerians) after controversial pre-match incidents when the two sides met in Cairo over the weekend. Algeria's bus was subjected to rough treatment to say the least and under other circumstances the match would have been postponed or Egypt would have been forced to forfeit the match if proof of injury was given. In either case, the match went on and the Egyptians, with some claiming they were favoured by FIFA, succeeded in getting the necessary 2-0 win to force a play-off match. Obviously, the match in Sudan ended in Algeria's favour to dispel any claims that FIFA was going to have the Egyptians in next summer's World Cup.

Going back to the important point about key refereeing decisions, the error made yesterday was obvious since Henry blatantly handled the ball and it is hard to believe the linesman could not spot that infringement. However, if one is to look at this Youtube.com clip featuring some unacceptable and appalling behaviour from a female athlete during a college soccer game in the United States, it is unbelievable how she managed not to get sent-off on at least five of those violent occasions. It is inconceivable to think that a referee, at any level, cannot notice such abuse inflicted by this supposed sportswoman on the opponent's players.

In addition, how far has football and sports in general deteriorated and taken a step back at the expense of achieving success on the pitch, satisfying hungry sponsors or feeding the deeper pockets? Even at the amateur level where sportsmanship should be engraved and highlighted, this case, despite being quite unique with this particular female player endangering the career and well-being of her opponents, shows that some would go quite far to achieve success and/or their objective at any expense.

No one is comparing Henry to this female because he does not have the reputation of a dirty player but what happened against Ireland may have earned him the reputation of a cheat. Earlier this season there were different incidents involving two Premier League players though the circumstances were quite different. In one case, Emmanuel Adebayor was involved in two ugly and controversial incidents in the clash against his former team Arsenal. Adebayor ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans after scoring for Manchester City and he also stamped on Robin van Persie's head. Indeed, football has become a highly charged profession but what excuses Adebayor's unacceptable behaviour as a professional who gets paid ridiculous sums to perform for the public?

In the second situation, Arsenal's Croatian player Eduardo da Silva was accused of simulation in the Champions League when he won a penalty against Celtic. Since that incident, doubts have surfaced whenever Eduardo fell in the penalty area. There is no guarantee that players from opposing sides will begin to feel suspicious whenever Henry takes a dive or does something they deem inappropriate. Henry may have helped France qualify but he did damage his reputation along the way.

Have a look at the clip and decide for yourself! Sometimes decisions are really down to mistakes done by referees in a split-second but this goes beyond any comprehension of the basic rules of officiating.

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