World Cup 2010

[Bobby Sands]

^^he got injured in Euro 2008 as well didnt he?

shame because that guy had good potential but injuries have fucked him up.

 

[Bobby Sands]

Dutch team doctor says that Robben will be fit for the opening game. might be wise for them to leave him out for it though i reckon

 

[DJ Manny]

we are jus less than 24hrs away frm the 1st match of the world cup comon i jus can't wait

 

[Flipmo]

^^he got injured in Euro 2008 as well didnt he?

shame because that guy had good potential but injuries have fucked him up.

Yeah. Very unfortunate since he had a good season at Dortmund and was expected to bring a lot to the Swiss team that year.

 

[Kobe]

This was a great piece by one of our continental sports anchors. I say 'continental' because Africa is covered by one satellite TV company, instead of every country having it's own. Anyway, the article takes a look at the stereotypes related to SA and Africa as a whole. Makes a good read.

Open letter to our Foreign Media friends - SuperSport - Football

 

[Flipmo]

Well written article. Liked it a lot. I won't lie I was skeptical about the games in S.A not because I think there are no cities or wtv, but mostly because of the treatment of people there and there was a bit of worries about the stadiums...and still am a bit, but I'm hoping to be proven wrong, and that it turns out to be a memorable event.

Here's an article on Football (Soccer) culture in the USA:

Nation's Soccer Fan Becoming Insufferable
June 4, 2010 | ISSUE 46•22

05.15.09 WILMINGTON, DE—

As the 2010 World Cup approaches, friends, family, and coworkers of 32-year-old Brad Janovich are growing less tolerant of the exuberant behavior of the United States' lone soccer fan.
"Who's got World Cup fever?" Janovich asked his officemates at Credit Solutions Friday, failing to notice their silent stares as he reported for work clad in the sole Team USA jersey sold this year. "I do! I've got World Cup fever!"
"Check out this World Cup wall chart I just bought," added Janovich, who is the only American citizen currently aware that the World Cup begins June 11.

According to sources only peripherally aware of the World Cup, Janovich's infuriating behavior first became apparent during a Super Bowl viewing party last February when he repeatedly used the phrase "American football" to describe the action on the field. In recent weeks, Janovich has also begun referring to the supposed suspense involved in choosing the players for the U.S. "side," and has struck up several extended but one-sided conversations concerning figures such as "Kaka" and "Ronaldinho," generally mystifying and alienating everyone he has come into contact with.
Yesterday Janovich sent an office-wide e-mail about the controversy surrounding the new World Cup ball, and the message was instantly deleted by all of his coworkers.

"Decorating his cubicle with World Cup stuff is fine, I guess," said coworker Greg Lafferty, who endured several elevator rides in which he politely listened to the lone American soccer fan evaluate international matchups before realizing that Janovich was discussing the outcomes of soccer games and not impending wars. "I myself have a Yankees pennant at my desk. But Brad has all these scarves draped all over everything. They hang into other people's areas, and when they ask him to move them, he responds by explaining what the scarf means. It's driving us nuts."

"Last week he was talking about how 'footy' was really heating up and asked me to come over for the 'friendly' against Turkey," said Janovich's friend Beth Gleason, who has known the only projected U.S. viewer of this year's World Cup broadcast since college. "I love Brad, I really do, but when he talks like that I want to punch him in the goddamn face. Especially because, when I asked him what he was talking about, he just said the same thing again, only slower. I was like, 'Brad, don't talk like that. People don't talk like that.'"

With only a week to go, Janovich's singular, almost unconscionable degree of soccer fanhood has only intensified. Credit Solutions employees reported that a crude "World Cup countdown calendar" appeared on the break room wall Friday, the same day that everyone in Janovich's division arrived to find him wearing Umbro soccer shorts and placing a World Cup bracket on every desk.
In addition, coworkers reported that it is not uncommon for Janovich to spontaneously start humming or singing repeated snatches of songs evidently composed exclusively of the sound "olé" while seated at his desk.

"I had absolutely no idea what 'FIFA South Africa 2010' meant," said Lafferty, who made the mistake of asking Janovich to explain. "When he told me that's where the soccer games were and that the time difference meant he'd be getting up early to watch them, all I could think was that maybe he'd be too tired to talk about them afterward."

Janovich has also extended invitations to everyone he knows to accompany him to the Newgate, a pub in downtown Wilmington that will be showing the World Cup live and is favored by British expatriates.
"It'll be nice to finally be among other fans," Janovich said. "And speaking as a fan, it's really great to see Hotspur and Arsenal and Aston Villa supporters all come together for the Three Lions, though I'm hoping the Yanks can channel the spirit of the 1950 shock horror. But that's not as important as uniting in our love of the Beautiful Game, as any football [sic] fan will tell you."
Newgate regulars agreed that Janovich's enthusiasm was unique.

"That American fan? He's harmless, I guess," bartender and lifelong Tottenham supporter Martin West said. "Though he gets pretty tiresome with all his footy rubbish, and he can really get annoying when we're all just trying to watch in peace. Thank Christ he's the only one."

lol. Poor Brad Janovich.

 

[Flipmo]

So, predictions for tomorrow?

I say:

South Africa 1 - 0 Mexico (Mphela to score winner)

Uruguay 2 - 2 France

Which will makes things nice and interesting.

 

[Kobe]

South Africa and Uruguay FTW, no score predictions from me.

Ha! That article about Brad, how much hate can you give a co-worker over football? Even the guy at the pub just seems to think of him as a pest more than anything. He's just a true fan.

 

[Kobe]

Man, this sure puts a cloud over the World Cup for Mandela

Nelson Mandela great-granddaughter killed in car crash - ESPN Soccernet

 

[2Pax]

SA 1 - 1 Mexico

Uruguay 1 - 2 France

 

[Bobby Sands]

Thats awful about Mandela's great grand daughter and i saw on the news that one of the drivers is being arrested on suspicion of drink or dangerous driving.

im gonna go for South Africa 1 Mexico 2 in the first game

and i think that France will beat Uruguay 2-0

 

[Flipmo]

He won't be attending the first game either, it's a shame, but understandable - he's in mourning...

 

[Bobby Sands]

jesus this noise is unbearable.

how can you go to a football match and stand with your back to action blowing continuously into a trumpet? Its gonna be like this for every game so we wont even hear the chanting or the Brazilian samba drums for example. why should they be allowed blow into these things in games that dont involve South Africa?I accept them doing it for their own country because its the atmosphere their team is used to but they should respect the other countries involved and give it a rest for those games. The countries that are involved in the games wont be able to create their atmosphere for their team because it will be completely drowned out by this bullshit. It wouldnt be as bad if they go some sort of a tune going but its just continuously blowing into those trumpets. a fucking joke really.

 

[DJ Manny]

^ i agree with you man it's doing my headin lol

 

[Bobby Sands]

^^its understandable that they should do it for their own games. i have no problem with that but its not fair on the supporters of other countries if they are going to be blowing into the trumpets for every single match. its a farce really.

 

[2Pax]

I agree they are irritating after a while, however I'd prefer them to a silent crowd and no atmosphere.

 

[Bobby Sands]

I agree they are irritating after a while, however I'd prefer them to a silent crowd and no atmosphere.

thats not what im saying at all

of course i dont want a silent crowd and i can tolerate them doing it for their own teams matches

but what right have they go to Brazil v Portugal game for example, and drown out the atmosphere being created by the Brazilians (a trademark of every WC) and the Portuguese with that awful noise? and thats all it is, continous noise. there is no effort in that. its not a good atmosphere at all

 

[Bobby Sands]

the english have their own band which you hear playing away at the England matches. those guys wont be heard now either.

 

[Duke]

I hope I'll get used to it soon, haha

 

[2Pax]

thats not what im saying at all

of course i dont want a silent crowd and i can tolerate them doing it for their own teams matches

but what right have they go to Brazil v Portugal game for example, and drown out the atmosphere being created by the Brazilians (a trademark of every WC) and the Portuguese with that awful noise? and thats all it is, continous noise. there is no effort in that. its not a good atmosphere at all

I totally agree, I think you misunderstood me.

Shit, what a goal by SA.