2022 World Cup will be in Japan

Tokyo  – FIFA officials who examined the Japanese candidacy to host the 2022 World Cup gives thumbs up at the main soccer stadium outside Tokyo, according to the chairman of Japan’s candidacy. Five-member team from world soccer’s governing body had visited the 64 000 seat stadium in the satellite town of Saitama, north of Tokyo, after being two days in the city of Osaka. Saitama Stadium, which has been used in the nine-year-old World Cup 2002, organized jointly by Japan and North Korea, and became the headquarters of J-League club, Urawa Red Diamonds, who won the Champions League Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2007.

Fifa’s team, led by President of the Chilean Football Federation Harolds Mayne-Nicholls, check out the stadium, which is one of the 13 stadiums are included in the nomination list of Japan, about an hour and check the condition of the field, seating, and locker room.

“They check everything is rincidan seemed very impressed,” said President of the Japan Football Association, Motoaki Inukai, who led Japan’s nominating committee, told reporters. FIFA inspectors arrived in Japan Monday for a four-day visit. The visit is the first visit of the tour two months to nine candidates for World Cup 2018 and 2022.

A total of 24 officials of the FIFA executive will choose the host on December 2 in Zurich. In Osaka, they used a helicopter to inspect the field the former central railway station of the city, a place that will build the stadium with a capacity of 83 000 seats and will use solar-powered electricity and will be used for the opening and final matches in the year 2022.

They also attended the presentation of the candidacy of Japan, including a plan to serve football fans around the world to watch live matches are broadcast in three dimensions. In Tokyo, they visited the convention center in downtown, The Tokyo International Forum, before meeting with Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

The next visit was to South Korea, Australia, Holland and Belgium jointly nominate, Russia, UK, Spain, Portugal, the United States, and Qatar. Japan, South Korea, and Qatar only nominate for the 2022 World Cup, while the lainnnya tried to nominate himself for the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.(AFP)

Spain's progress to their first World Cup final

Spain’s progress to their first World Cup final was seen by local media on Thursday as another vindication of their elegant brand of attacking football.Their 1-0 victory over Germany, who had been considered the most impressive side in South Africa to date, had Spanish newspapers praising Vicente del Bosque’s side and talking up their prospects for Sunday’s showdown against Netherlands.”The best in the world (and on Sunday the champions of the world)” sports daily Marca blared from their wraparound front page over a photo of the players celebrating Carles Puyol’s winning headed goal in Wednesday’s match in Durban.El Pais wrote: “If football is art and heroism, Spain is the team to follow. In their game against a fearsome and dazzling Germany they had everything, they were sublime in their play and knew to roll up their sleeves when required.”It was the manner of the victory, Spain’s best performance in the tournament so far, that was most commented on.

“Spain didn’t just win, they put on an exhibition, they played with evening suits on,” wrote daily El Mundo.”Once upon a time it was the Brazil team of 1970. Soon it will be Spain 2010 who will be talked about as the ultimate in a sport converted into one of the beautiful arts by the likes of Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta, (Xabi) Alonso and the other magicians.”Spain’s asphyxiating grip on the game may have been down to their ball-playing ‘artists’ in midfield but it was the shaggy-haired, old warhorse Puyol who was the center of attention in the papers and on the television news.The Barcelona center back, 32, is better known for his last-ditch tackles, flailing locks and never-say-die spirit than for his scoring prowess. He had only netted twice in 88 internationals before popping up with Wednesday’s vital goal.

SUPERMAN PUYOL“Was it Michael Jordan jumping near the penalty spot… or was it superman? No it was simply Puyol, with springs in his calves, and a cape of invincibility.” said El Mundo.Spanish left back Joan Capdevila told reporters: “It was time a defender scored a goal. I’m all for him shaving his head if we win the World Cup. If we win I’m going to try (to convince him).Del Bosque’s bold decision to leave out striker Fernando Torres and play winger Pedro instead had been a hot topic of conversation among fans before the kickoff but it was widely praised as an astute move.

“Del Bosque knew that he had to do something to surprise the Germans yesterday, and he did it. He surprised them and the whole world,” sports daily Mundo Deportivo wrote.Images of fans decked in red and gold, celebrating in bars, on the streets and in squares around the country on Wednesday night, filled the papers.”Spain is one big party,” wrote sports daily AS. “None of us have experienced anything like this not even the oldest of the old. It’s the first time the Spanish national team is going to play the final of a World Cup.””The whole country has been touched by the contagious enthusiasm of this group of players, the best we have ever seen. (After Sunday) it could be yet even greater.”(Reuters)

2014 World Cup head says plans now on track to Brazil

JOHANNESBURG  Preparations for the 2014 World Cup are back on track just two months after FIFA publicly criticized organizers for missing deadlines, Brazil’s top soccer official has said.”There are no problems,” Brazil soccer federation president Ricardo Teixeira said as the tournament’s official logo was launched Thursday.He acknowledged uncertainty over Sao Paulo’s role as a host city after Morumbi Stadium was removed from the project last month – despite repeated denials it would have to be dropped.FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke previously described Brazil’s lack of progress as “amazing.”FIFA awarded the 2014 World Cup hosting rights six years ago, but Brazil has barely begun building and renovating the 12 stadiums it needs.

Teixeira said that “the situation is completely different” to when Valcke spoke.”Some of the stadia have commenced building. We have already defined exactly what’s going to be happening in terms of budgets for the construction up to December,” he said through a translator.He did not cite any specific details, however.Teixeira said construction work at Belo Horizonte and Salvador had begun, but there were doubts over the status of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, and Curitiba as hosts.”We will come up with a definition about what role Sao Paulo will play in the World Cup,” Teixeira said. “Will there be a stadium built or not? How will they participate as a city?

“The issue with Sao Paulo will have to be solved as quickly as possible. Curitiba Stadium is facing some financial constraints, but once financial guarantees are in place construction will begin.”Brazil also must upgrade airports essential to moving teams, fans and officials around such a large country.

“The three main priorities we have are airports, airports, airports,” Teixeira said.Organizers also are considering dividing the 12 host cities into four regions to limit travel.Teixeira also admitted that Brazil, which has a reputation for high urban crime, has issues guaranteeing security.”It’s not surprising – this is a problem that’s not linked to any specific country,” he said. “We have sent a huge security group to South Africa, they were here for a few days and they had to analyze the situation and pick on those issues that needed to be sorted.”(AP)

Fiorina town hall reaches out to Latinos

Reporting from Sacramento Reaching out to a key voting bloc, Republican Senate nominee Carly Fiorina held a Latino-themed town hall Saturday afternoon in Sacramento, heaping praise on California’s Latino community for representing “the best of who this nation is.””Bienvenidos,” Fiorina beamed to the crowd of less than 20, who were nearly matched in size by her staff in a downtown Mexican eatery.

The event, paired with Fiorina’s launch of a new Spanish-language website, Amigos de Carly, is part of an ethnic outreach tour for the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive in her bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Last weekend, Fiorina took a spin through a predominantly African American Juneteenth festival in South Los Angeles. The moves represent a sharp shift in rhetorical emphasis, though not policy positions, after a GOP primary in which Fiorina hewed to the political right.

On Saturday, she laced her stump speech with anecdotes that recount her ascent from secretary to chief executive – “the American dream,” as she put it — with new references. “The Latino community is a foundation for the American dream going forward,” she said.

Fiorina’s direct appeal to Latinos follows in the footsteps of her GOP counterpart in the governor’s race, former EBay chief Meg Whitman, who began advertising on Spanish-language TV stations during the World Cup. Most political analysts believe that any statewide Republican must garner a substantial chunk, perhaps one-third, of the Latino vote to win in November.”The Latino community is big, and therefore it’s important,” Fiorina said.But Fiorina faces one barrier Whitman does not: her support for the new anti-illegal immigrant law in Arizona. She made no mention of it during the town hall, but told reporters afterward, “I do support the law, and I think it was a tragedy the law was necessary.”

Riverside County Dist. Atty. Rod Pacheco, the chairman of Fiorina’s Latino-outreach efforts who attended the town hall, seemed to acknowledge that the Arizona law could be an albatross. But, he said, “it’s better to be firm on your position, know where you stand than be wishy-washy.”Boxer called the law “divisive” in Los Angeles on Friday. “In the Latino community there is tremendous opposition to it,” she said.

State Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), a leading Latino legislator, said the GOP overtures to Latino voters demonstrated their power. “What a dramatic change from the time period of Proposition 187, when you could simply openly attack the Latino community and there wouldn’t be a political consequence to that,” he said, referring to the 1994 initiative that sought to cut public services to illegal immigrants.

Cedillo, a liberal, said Latinos tend to be socially conservative and distrustful of government and, therefore, are “poised to be Republicans.” But with Republicans’ anti-immigrant rhetoric in the recent primary, he said, they “may have dug themselves in a hole that’s too difficult to dig out of.”One issue Fiorina is seeking to exploit among Latinos is the fallout from environmental restrictions. Water deliveries have been severely cut to Central Valley farmlands by the federal Endangered Species Act, which protects the Delta smelt, a small fish. Fiorina wants to carve out an exemption to the landmark environmental law to increase the water flow; Boxer does not.

“Tens of thousands of Latinos lost their jobs,” Fiorina said of the effect of the water cutbacks, one of several times she mentioned the issue. “Fish are not more important than families.”She pledged that working to overturn the limits would be the “first thing I will do,” if elected.The Fiorina event ended much the same way it began: in Spanish.”Muchas gracias,” she concluded, to applause.

Thieves steal cash at Greece team at 2010 World Cup

Thieves stole large amounts of cash from Greece World Cup hotel base in South Africa, police and a team spokesman said on Thursday.Although the team has declined to press charges the team spokesman confirmed that around 1,500 euros in cash had been taken from players’ rooms at the hotel in Umhlanga, north of Durban.A police spokesman said that the theft had taken place two days ago and that officers had tried to persuade the team to file a formal report so that they could launch an investigation.

“They refused to open a case but we have sent a high-level delegation of detectives to interview them and try to pursue an investigation,” Colonel Vish Naidoo told the SAPA news agency.News of the theft comes on the eve of the tournament and a fortnight after the Colombian team, which was not one of the World Cup qualifiers, also had a similar amount of cash stolen while staying in a hotel in Johannesburg.(AFP)

world cup 2010 match preview: England vs United States

When England entered their first World Cup in 1950, they went down to a famous 1-0 defeat at the hands of the amateurs of USA in a match that became known as the ‘Miracle on Grass’.The game has come a long way in America since that match and, while most firmly expect an England victory in Rustenburg on Saturday, an upset would hardly be viewed as miraculous.England have mixed feelings going into the 2010 tournament. While Fabio Capello has turned the team around following the failure to qualify for Euro 2008, winning all but one of his competitive matches, the disjointed performances in the warm-up games for South Africa have done little to inspire confidence.

USA, though, have also struggled to convince during their warm-up matches, and it is largely the memories of last year’s 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup that will provide hope of a win in what represents a huge match for both countries.”For the last six months, all we’ve seen is US-England, so if you’re a casual sports fan at home you might think this is the World Cup final,” USA star Landon Donovan said in his press conference ahead of the game.

“We’re not like Brazil where if they don’t win the World Cup soccer is still the biggest thing in anyone’s mind, but this is a great opportunity to grow the sport.”USA could adopt a 4-5-1 formation for the match with Jozy Altidore as a lone striker, with Japan enjoying success against England using the same formation as they dominated the midfield battle. With Donovan and Clint Dempsey out wide, the tactic would not be overly defensive.England have largely used 4-4-2, and a change seems unlikely at this stage, but it was only when Joe Cole was brought on as a substitute against Japan that England were able to compete in the middle, so Capello’s hand may be forced.USA coach Bob Bradley has said all 23 players in his squad are ready to play the full 90 minutes, although Oguchi Onyewu’s lack of match practice in recent months remains a concern. For England, Gareth Barry’s absence could prove problematic given the lack of an alternative holding midfielder in the squad.England player in focus: Aaron Lennon. England’s right winger has often been central to hopes of unlocking opposition defences and, while Joe Cole should offer creativity from the left, Lennon could become the focus if his team struggle. He’ll come up against an experienced opponent in USA captain Carlos Bocanegra, the former Fulham man who now plays in Ligue 1 with Rennes, so Fabio Capello will hope the Tottenham man can rediscover his pre-injury form on the big stage.USA player in focus: Landon Donovan.

This pacy attacker is very much the star of the USA team and he can provide a real threat out wide, frequently swapping flanks with Fulham’s Clint Dempsey. The English defenders will be fully aware of his capabilities following his loan stint with Everton earlier this year, and Ashley Cole may be a little wary of facing the man whose tackle nearly ruled him out of the tournament. If Donovan gets a chance to play on the left flank, Glen Johnson will need to curtail his natural instinct to support the attack.Key battle: Wayne Rooney v Oguchi Onyewu. Rooney finally ended an international goal drought with his strike in the warm-up match against Platinum Stars, but he may have the chance to really kick-start his England career on Saturday. USA centre back Onyewu, the former Newcastle loanee, joined AC Milan from Standard Liege last summer but made just one appearance in Serie A after suffering a knee injury on international duty. USA coach Bob Bradley believes Onyewu is fit to play the full 90 minutes but, as he has not appeared in any of the warm-up games, it is essential that he gets back up to speed from the off.Trivia: England boss Fabio Capello gave USA coach Bob Bradley some help and insights into the world of management during his time at AC Milan in the 1990s.Stats: Wayne Rooney was involved in more goals than any other player in Europe during the qualification campaign, with nine goals and five assists. USA have not kept a clean sheet in a World Cup finals match since beating England 1-0 in 1950.Odds: England (1.50), the draw (4.20), USA (7.00) with Bet365. USA are 15.00 to win 1-0, which could be worth a flutter.Prediction: USA showed they are capable of causing shocks in the Confederations Cup last year, and their experience in South Africa may give them an advantage in terms of adapting to the altitude. However, England are firm favourites for the match and should have enough to clinch a victory.

Mexico enter the cooking pot for Cup start

The once-improbable dream of a World Cup in Africa kicks off on Friday when Mexico face the home team in the deafening cauldron of Johannesburg’s 90,000-seat Soccer City stadium.The Mexicans will have to contend not only an army of jiving supporters in a frenzy of patriotic fervor but an ear-splitting blast from the biggest array yet of vuvuzela trumpets, the loudest fan instrument on the globe, which severely curtails communication between players and coach.The stadium, biggest in Africa, has been shaped like a calabash or cooking pot and the Mexicans may feel they have been put on the fire when they meet Bafana Bafana, South Africa’s much improved national team.

Once mocked by even their compatriots as hopeless under-achievers, and still one of the lowest-rated World Cup hosts, at 83rd in the rankings, South Africa come off a run of 12 unbeaten matches and are new national heroes.Their performance has added to an unprecedented rush of nationalistic excitement in South Africa, which was tormented for years by negative and even domestic pessimism that the world’s most watched sporting event was too big for Africa to handle.

That pessimism has been transformed in recent weeks, encouraged by FIFA’s belated decision to sell tickets for cash, and South Africans of all races can scarcely contain their excitement and pride at being in the world spotlight.Successfully hosting this tournament for the first time in Africa will mean much more for the hosts than just sport.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION

Racial reconciliation, the affirmation of an often troubled post-apartheid nation, future investment and millions of tourist dollars are at stake.African leaders believe this tournament, a massive logistical undertaking, will enable the continent to overturn stereotypes of disaster, conflict and failure and prove it is a vibrant can-do region ripe for investment and development.

A string of comparatively minor crimes against journalists and three Greek players in recent days have been reminders that security in one of the globe’s most violent countries outside a war zone is one of the tournament’s biggest concerns.And six people were injured in a crowd crush at Cape Town’s main World Cup fan zone on Thursday when thousands of people tried to get in.But none of this will dent South African euphoria.

The weight of expectation and the joyful street parades of the last few days could however undermine South Africa’s concentration.Their Brazilian manager, Carlo Alberto Parreira, said on Thursday they had expected calmness and focus but he could understand the distracting party on the streets.

“I don’t want my players to be affected by all of that. Now we have a World Cup game…we want to make this country proud.”If they can hold their nerve in the midst of the noise and atmosphere — Soccer City’s bowl design is likely to boost the sound levels — Mexico do not intend to be a pushover.

Manager Javier Aguirre told reporters they would love to spoil the giant party. “My team has come here to play football, not make friends and do some sightseeing,” he said.

But the history book favors South Africa. Mexico have a poor record in opening games, while the two previous starting matches featuring African teams resulted in shock triumphs for Cameroon over Argentina in 1990 and Senegal over France in 2002.

CONFIDENCE BOOST

Mexico’s confidence has been boosted by a win over defending champions Italy in Belgium last week and good performances against England and the Netherlands in other recent friendlies.The opening match, starting at 1400 GMT (10 a.m. EDT), is likely to see both teams going forward to end a tradition of cautious and dull starts to the tournament.

In Friday’s other game, France are likely to make a nervous start against Uruguay in Cape Town after a series of unimpressive warm up games which ended with a worrying 1-0 defeat by China. They look a far cry from the dominant team that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European trophy two years later.Uruguay on the other hand, though one of the tournament underdogs, have had an impressive warm-up with wins against Switzerland and Israel.(Reuters)

World Cup helps ESPN's expansion plans

NEW YORK ESPN marketers will fan out to bars in ethnic enclaves during World Cup matches to pass out schedules and posters, just one way the sports network is using the quadrennial event to build new audiences in both the U.S. and internationally.The network’s large presence of 300 staff members in South Africa for the soccer tournament could also be seen as a dry run to help a future Olympics bid.

Either ESPN, ESPN2 or corporate sister ABC is televising every one of the 64 scheduled matches in the first year the company has the American television rights to the tournament. ESPN leased rights to televise some games in 2006, covering some of the matches with announcing teams based in a Connecticut studio.

“We think it’s a chance to advance the notion that we are a global entity,” said John Skipper, the network’s executive vice president for content.One way to do that is to start at home. ESPN will promote itself heavily in areas where the network’s emphasis on American sports makes it less interesting to residents. The Greek enclave in Queens, N.Y., San Francisco’s Italian section, Boston’s Portuguese neighborhoods and Los Angeles’ Korean communities – all with fans keen on rooting on ancestral homelands – are among the areas that will get special attention.

Besides sending people to gathering places where the games are being watched, ESPN commissioned a South African artist to make posters honoring each of the participating countries, mixing historical and soccer themes. The U.S. poster, for example, commemorates George Washington crossing the Delaware, with soccer players standing in for his troops.

The network has equipped food trucks with a giant TV on the roof, passing out specialty foods from some of the participating countries in New York and Los Angeles, said Seth Ader, the network’s sports marketing senior director.Online and on ESPN Radio, the company will give fans the option of hearing broadcasts in different languages, including Chinese, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese.

In the U.S., Univision has the rights to Spanish-language broadcasts of the matches. Although ESPN can’t offer Spanish-language broadcasts of the matches, it is moving into the territory by offering 10 hours a day of studio-based Spanish content on its ESPN Deportes network.

Getting an identification as a destination for soccer fans “is a long-term business proposition for us,” Ader said. Showing the World Cup telecast can drum up interest in U.S.-based professional soccer, which ESPN has rights to televise. World Cup soccer is also expected to be a draw for ESPN’s mobile business, too.

Soccer is also key to ESPN’s efforts to expand in international markets. The network made a big move last year by purchasing the rights to show some games in England’s Barclays Premier League.”In order to get a foothold in a number of international markets, they need to get soccer content,” said David Joyce, an analyst for Miller Tabak & Co.

Having a home team helps ESPN but isn’t vital to success, the network’s executives believe. ESPN’s experience covering the European championship in 2008 was instructive: There was no U.S. team for which to root, but ethnic pockets of fans helped the network draw a strong audience, Ader said.

For ESPN, there’s another important audience that will be watching. Following NBC’s coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, rights to future games are up for grabs, and ESPN is expected to be interested. A strong performance at the World Cup could show doubting Olympics officials that ESPN would be up to covering a large, multifaceted event.

“I never think of this as a dress rehearsal,” ESPN’s Skipper said. “We think this entity is special enough as itself to merit this sort of attention. If there were no such thing as the Olympics, we would do the same thing. Having said that, we do believe this will demonstrate to people what we can do with a big quadrennial event. That’s an ancillary benefit.” (AP)

Mexico is looking to break South African hearts on Friday when the World Cup spectacular kicks-off

Mexico is looking to break South African hearts on Friday when the World Cup spectacular kicks-off with the much-awaited match between Bafana Bafana and the South American giants. Fresh from a victory over Italy, the Mexicans arrived in South Africa this past weekend.

Mexico is one of Latin America’s strongest teams, ranked 17th in the world. This is their 13th World Cup appearance. They have never advanced past the quarter-final stage – they reached the last eight in 1970 and again in 1986 – both on Mexican soil.Now they have introduced a new breed of players for the 2010 tournament such as striker Carlos Vela who plays for Arsenal, while Barcelona’s Rafael Marquez will be key to “El Tri’s” campaign.

“It is the first time Mexico has so many players playing outside of Mexico in Europe. So that is very good, so they expect that this will and should be Mexico’s best ever showing at the World Cup finals because of the depth they have with the international players,” says Mexico’s left wing, Andrés Guardado.Star defender Rafael Marquez and striker Guillermo Franco’s have been declared fit for the opener against Bafana Bafana. News that no doubt will boost team morale.

South African split on Mandela's attendance at opening

JOHANNESBURG South African soccer fans are split whether Nelson Mandela should attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.Mandela, who emerged from 27 years in prison under the former government’s oppressive apartheid system to eventually become president, is expected to make an appearance at Soccer City on Friday ahead of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

“It is important for our country (that he attend) as he is the one that united our nation, especially through his attendance of the 1995 Rugby World Cup,” said Lardus Bosman, a 21-year-old university student in Pretoria. “And as he might be reaching the end of his life, it is important that he should attend this historical South African event.”Mandela took over as president in 1994, four years after being released from jail, and will be remembered for his role in changing the fate of many South Africans by fostering democracy in the country.

His attendance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, when South Africa surprisingly beat New Zealand following years of exile from international sport, was seen by many as the moment when South Africans were truly united – partly because “Madiba” congratulated former captain Francois Pienaar while wearing a green Springboks shirt.But some people are more concerned about the 91-year-old Mandela’s health, and believe he should not travel to Soccer City if he is too frail.

“The Bafana team should rather visit him at his house before the opening match so that he can wish them good luck,” said An-Li Pretorius, a 23-year-old professional cyclist.Rebecka Lesedi, a 49-year-old domestic worker, agreed that Mandela should stay indoors and watch the ceremony at home.

“He’s too old,” Lesedi said.Hanco Kaggelhoffer, another professional cyclist, suggested that Mandela should appear at the ceremony via satellite. And Mmathapelo Zondo, an 18-year-old university student, agreed that a video message would be OK if the former president can’t make it on his own.

“If his health is not good, he should not be pushed to attend the ceremony, and a live message from him to the South African team should rather be broadcasted,” Zondo said.FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday he did not know if Mandela would be at the ceremony, but if not, “his spirit will be present.”

Mandela has a reputation for inspiring teams to victory with his presence, known as the “Madiba magic.” A year after the Rugby World Cup, he wore a Bafana Bafana shirt before their triumph in the 1996 African Cup of Nations – still South Africa’s only major soccer title.

But Mandela, who stepped down as South Africa’s first black president in 1999, has rarely appeared in public since 2004. He did, however, make a surprise appearance last year at an ANC rally before the national election, and was photographed with the World Cup trophy last month.

The World Cup is being in held in Africa for the first time, and Mandela was a key factor in South Africa’s winning bid. But Johannes Segeri, a 25-year-old waiter, said the raucous African atmosphere that is sure to mark the festive occasion could cause problems for Mandela.”The loud vuvuzelas and the excitement of the crowd will be too much for him to handle,” Segeri said.(AP)