The news that Qatar has won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup appears to have been met with widespread cynicism and criticism by The West; from the allegations of bribery and corruption to concerns over the tiny Arab state’s strict laws, extreme heat, and lack of football heritage. Whilst there are clear concerns that need to be addressed, this is a rather simplistic view of what should in fact be a genuinely intriguing occasion.

The successful bid has been supported and fronted by some of football’s biggest names, so it should come as no surprise that they have emerged victorious. Zinedine Zidane has featured in a television advert for Qatar 2022, which has been shown regularly all over the world. Some of the other ambassadors for the Qatari bid include Pep Guardiola, Ronald De Boer and Sami Al-Jaber, whilst many other famous faces have appeared in Doha recently to show their support – Sir Alex Ferguson, for example. Regardless of their motives, these superstars have helped introduce a much-needed sense of glamour and accessibility to Qatar, and have helped transform the bid into a far more realistic proposition. Recent friendly matches have demonstrated that they’re already more than capable of putting on an impressive show. Brazil have played matches against England and Argentina over the last year, and the Khalifa International Stadium has been a more than worthy venue for these high profile games, with its luxurious executive seating areas and a huge arch over the eastern section of the ground, which can be used as a platform to launch fireworks from.

Qatar in general has undergone significant social changes in recent years, meaning many visitors’ concerns can largely be put to rest. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly for the typical football supporter, Qatar is not an alcohol-free state. Whilst it is true that drunken behaviour in public can get you into a spot of bother, it is perfectly legal to consume alcohol in private and at your hotel bar. There will also be specifically-created fan zones in the various regions of Qatar during the tournament, in which alcohol can both be bought and consumed freely. This one action is a clear example of the compromises the government are willing to make for the World Cup, and they don’t stop there. Israel, should they qualify, will be granted entry, as will members of the Jewish faith in general. The dress code has become far more relaxed in recent years, regardless of the World Cup. For example, it is perfectly acceptable to wear short sleeves and shorts now, whilst women will be under absolutely no pressure to wear burqas or any other form of head-dress. In the relative privacy of hotel swimming pools, swimwear is also perfectly acceptable. Kissing in public should not be a problem, and homosexuals will not be arrested on site. Rest assured, the Qataris will be desperate to avoid controversy whilst it is attracting the attention of the whole world.

The heat will clearly provide a significant stumbling block, but it is not a problem that has been ignored. Temperatures are likely to reach the mid-high 40s in June and July, but the bid team claim they will have technology available to ensure temperatures inside the stadiums will never exceed 26 degrees Celsius. This technology is supposedly entirely green, as solar panels will be used to convert sunrays into the electricity they require to cool the stadiums. Any excess energy created will be transported back to the power grid for future use. The explanation of the technology, itself, may not excite you hugely, but the actual output will come as a tremendous relief to all concerned. Without it, the World Cup almost certainly wouldn’t be heading to Qatar. A criticism of several world cups in the past has been that the heat has all but ruined many of the matches, but ironically, it seems that one of the hottest ever host nations will provide some of the most comfortable playing conditions.

I will allow you to look at the planned stadiums in the video (skip to 3.25 to avoid the generic tourism imagery) at the top for yourselves rather than tediously describe every last detail, but they undoubtedly look impressive, and many of them will be extremely relevant to the region too with the references to the dhow boats and the seashell right beside the Arabian Gulf. This is a key advantage of hosting the tournament in a country like Qatar – the architects effectively have a blank slate to work with, which in many ways is more exciting and can lead to more diverse opportunities than world cups in more established football-playing nations.

There is no great football history or heritage in Qatar – in fact, the most their football team has ever achieved is two Gulf Cup wins on home soil. This is a source of attraction for FIFA though, as they are intent on bringing the World Cup to new regions and cultures in order to create a permanent legacy all over the globe, and Qatar 2022 will surely be a World Cup like absolutely no other before it.

The concern at the news of Qatar hosting the world cup is not at all surprising, but that is exactly why they have already started to work so hard towards creating a positive image of the oil and gas-rich state. For several years now, they have been attracting big names in sport; through the domestic football league, motorsport and tennis. Now they have the icing on the cake, having finally secured the biggest competition in sport. There will, of course, be challenges; they will have to find a way to deal with legions of drunk, rowdy half naked football supporters, and they will have to come up with ways to ensure the comfort of fans in the heat outside of the stadiums. Just like the U.A.E. though, Qatar is a hugely ambitious state and simply will not allow itself to deliver a poor world cup.

Now we just have to wait for 11 and a half years to see it…

The winners of the last two World Cups, Germany will begin their defence of the trophy on home soil against Canada next June. The draw (Group A alongside Canada, Nigeria & France) will buoy the hosts as they have absolutely destroyed both Canada and Nigeria in recent friendly matches. Showing exactly why they are the two-time holders, Germany crushed Nigeria 8-0 just 5 days prior to the draw and they managed an equally-impressive 5-0 win over Canada – who had finished fourth in the 2003 World Cup.

2009’s beaten (by Germany, of course) European Championship finalists, England will also be pleased with their draw. Placed in Group B along with Japan, New Zealand and Mexico, things could have been far worse for the lone British representatives. As well as Germany, they have avoided two-time champions, USA and a couple of tricky sides in Group D, which features former champions Norway and the ever-improving Brazilians. That is not to say Group B will be easy for England, however, as Mexico have already proven their strength by beating USA in qualifying.

As mentioned, Group B will provide some of the best entertainment. Norway traditionally do well in World Cups, having won the competition in 1995, finishing second in the first ever World Cup in 1991 and finished fourth in the 1999 and 2007 finals. Despite that impressive World Cup calibre, Brazil will probably still be favourites when the two nations clash next June. They looked extremely impressive in the 2007 finals, finishing runners up to Germany, and are currently ranked 3^rd in the world – behind USA and Germany, whilst Norway currently sit 7^th. Australia are even lower in the rankings – in 12^th – but they are well capable of providing anyone with a tough match. They battled to a respectable 2-1 loss to Germany last month, and managed an impressive 3-1 win over Mexico 3 days earlier. Spare a thought for Equatorial Guinea though. The central Africans are competing in their first ever World Cup and sit all the way down in 62^nd in the world rankings. Group B is not an ideal draw for them, to say the least.

The U.S. won’t necessarily be especially pleased with their draw. Their recent form hasn’t always been totally impressive, and Korea DPR and Sweden will present considerable challenges. Amazingly, USA have been placed in the same group as Korea DPR in each of the last three World Cups, and Sweden have often faced both sides too. This familiarity will only add to the tension, but ultimately, the U.S. are still perfectly capable of topping the group if they can hit the ground running. Colombia are the fourth team in Group C, and will be able to play in the knowledge that there is very little expectation on their shoulders.

The Draw in Full:

Group A – Germany, Canada, Nigeria, France

Group B – Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, England

Group C – United States, Korea DPR, Colombia, Sweden

Group D – Brazil, Australia, Norway, Equatorial Guinea

A well deserved retirement

The world of football has shed a collective tear today, after it was revealed that Paul the octopus, from Germany, is ready for the quiet life, by retiring from the psychic business. Paul the psychic octopus has become as much a talking point in some countries as vuvuzelas, and his incredible predicting abilities have made him not only loved by many, but also severely hated by millions of people. Take for example, Argentina, who blame him entirely for their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Paul’s beloved Germany and attempted to gain revenge by publicly blending an octopus live on their TV network. There are a number of nations who Paul predicted against (including Germany) that have sent in death threats and even octopus recipe suggestions aimed at the poor prophet. Hell, anti-psychic octopus chants have also been rumoured.

Paul’s desire for mussel based treats forced him to use his powerful abilities and predict 8 out of 8 correct World Cup results and he is now one of the most sought after acts in the world. There are a number of options open to the sea creature, including Golden Palace Casino, the IPL cricket league and even Bollywood film writer. Don’t rush into a decision Paul, although maybe you should make an instant decision – as you probably already know which path is the correct one. One thing that could slow things down for Paul, however, is a three nation tug of war that is occurring between Germany, England and Italy, who all claim that he is a son of their nation. In actual fact, Italy claim that he is in actual fact Paolo “the psychic” octopus – only adding to his legend.

I’d wish you luck in whatever you do Paul, but you don’t need it considering your incredible powers. The world of football will miss your amazing predictions and if you ever find yourself wanting to relive old times, you’re welcome to come see me in England and who knows – maybe we’ll put an accumulator on…

FIFA dodged a massive security threat Sunday night after the World Cup Final when a man ran across the pitch and attempted to put a hat on the World Cup trophy.

The pitch intruder was detained by security officers and whisked away. However, this raises questions about stadium security. Luckily the intruder seemed only intent on drawing attention to himself and the company he was promoting. But it could have easily been a dangerous incident if the intruder was intent on injuring someone.

More pictures after the jump:

It was a long and tense World Cup Final. Spain kept on creating chances up front and rifling shots after shots at the Netherlands, but the Dutch kept the Spaniards out of the game until late in extra time. It only seemed like a matter of time before Spain would score, and score they did with a well-taken goal by Andres Iniesta.

Here are photographs of Spain celebrating the 2010 World Cup win. Congratulations Espana and commiserations to Netherlands on a game well played. More pictures after the jump:

Wherever you live in the world, how will you be experiencing the World Cup Final today? Will you be watching it at home? And if so, have you prepared anything special for the game such as beers, food or rituals such as watching World Cup games before the final kicks off.

For me, I’ll be spending the morning with my family before heading to Wowies in Boca Raton this afternoon. On the way to the sports bar, I’ll stop by a drug store to pick up some packs of the Panini World Cup stickers. And I’ll let my daughters put the stickers in the album, which they love doing. Then I’ll probably order a beer and sit with friends and family to watch the World Cup Final. And will keep my fingers crossed that it’ll at least be an entertaining one for the sake of all of the non-believers who will be tuning in to give soccer another chance.

Share your stories of what you’re planning on doing in the comments section below.

Times have gotten so bad for England and the Football Association that they’ve launched a new England home jersey that features, for the first time, sponsorship on the front of the shirt.

The Football Association is in such deep financial trouble that they had to resort to not one, but three different sponsors to buy space on the front of the jersey. A spokesman close to the deal said that the sponsors represent the dawn of a new age in English football.

Thanks to Griff for the news tip.

Michel Platini has been rushed to the hospital in South Africa after a suspected heart attack forced him to keel over while having dinner with guests including Gerard Houllier and Andy Roxborough.

According to reports from The Guardian, Platini was understood to be conscious.

Platini last suffered a heart problem in 2001, which kept him out of the game for six months.

UPDATE: Reuters is reporting that Platini’s aide has ruled out a heart attack and is blaming Platini’s collapse to low blood sugar.

Ben Shires and the Wrapped Up team are back to wrap up the round in which four teams became two – the 2010 FIFA World Cup semi finals. There’s a trippy recreation of the Van Bronckhorst goal with commentary from a couple of Dutch stoners, PLUS we see why nobody would refuse an offer from Fabio Capello, and more.

Enjoy!

If you live in South Florida and you’re looking for somewhere to watch the World Cup Final, Wowies Sports Grill in Boca Raton is the place to be. The modern sports bar will be televising the final between Spain and Netherlands live on Sunday at 2:30pm. Plus, Wowies will also be showing the Third Place Playoff Final between Uruguay and Germany on Saturday at 2:30pm.

Here are 7 reasons why South Florida residents should watch the final two World Cup games at Wowies:

1. During both games, we’ll be running free raffle drawings where you have a chance to win, courtesy of Nike, official replica jerseys from Brazil (home), Portugal (home), Slovenia (home), Croatia (away) or Slovenia (away); Plus, we have a US men’s national team training top and sweatshirt to give away,
2. We’re giving away in the raffle drawing, again courtesy of Nike, the following soccer cleats/boots: Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly 2, Nike Zoom and Nike Tiempo Legend Elite,
3. Thanks to EA Sports, we have five copies of the 2010 FIFA World Cup video game to give away (two for Sony PS3 and three for Xbox 360). 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa video game is in stores now and it enables you to take your favorite nation to World Cup glory. It is available on Wii, PS3, x360 and PSP,
4. Wowies features a 123″ projection TV and 31 big screen TVs so no matter where you sit, you can watch the World Cup Final in style; Wowies also has three big screen TVs in the outside covered patio if you want to watch the game and get some fresh air at the same time,
5. Wowies is the official World Cup Viewing Party headquarters for World Cup Buzz. I’ll be there for both games, so stop on by and say hello. I’ll also be taking pictures and video as well as interviewing some of the soccer fans there about the World Cup, so it’s your chance to be featured on World Cup Buzz,
6. Download the flyer from our sister site at www.worldcupbuzz.com/wowies and bring it in for a free Sierra Nevada or Red Stripe Lite during any of the World Cup games. Plus, Wowies features Happy Hour from 12-7pm everyday and has three full-liquor bars,
7. Last but not least, Wowies features the beautiful Wowies Girls who will be wearing the colors of Spain and Netherlands (red and orange) to celebrate the final and to serve you drinks and food throughout the games.

Based on how popular the World Cup games have been at Wowies this summer, I’d highly recommend that you get to the sports bar as early as possible to get a good seat. Come early for lunch and spend the afternoon there. Wowies is a family friendly establishment, and there is no cover to get in to watch the games.

Nothing beats watching the World Cup at a soccer-friendly bar with friends and strangers. If you live in South Florida, I look forward to seeing you at Wowies this weekend.