World Cup 2006 - Football

What do you guys think about this team:

As much as I love my country, I know Mexico is not going to be the champion. But I find as my favourites Czech Republic, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Czech Republic with the return of the best player in the world, in my opinion, Pavel Nedved, will guiide them to the victory way, with other great players like Poborsky, Koller, Smicer and Baros. Brazil  is the logical favourite, because they seem invencibles, with greats such as Ronaldinho, Kaká, Adriano and a thousand more. Netherlands, I think is their final chance, they got to take advantage of the great players they have like Van Nistelrooy, Robben, Van Bommel and Van Der Vaart. Germany because they´re in their home, and they have Ballack, Deissler, Frings and Klose.  And finally Italy, with one of my favourite players in the world like Del Piero, Zambrotta, Nesta, Gilardino, Totti, Cassanno, and many more. That´s what I think. I really love soccer.

I hope Italy naturally but...I would like to see an African team to reach at least the finals. I like the way Africans play football

Angola, totally. Their flag is just too beautiful.

Otherwise, my votes go to the Czechs, the Brazilians or the Swedes (Well, one gotta hope...)

Germany (home advantage) or Brazil/Argentina (the best teams) will probably win it.

I'd love to think England could do it. They have the players but will no doubt go out in the quarter or semi-finals, on penalties or because one of the hotheads gets himself stupidly sent off. Either Beckham will throw his hair band at the ref or Rooney will lose it and twat someone.

Either way I can't wait for it to start. Whatever the commercial cynicism involved it beats the Olympics as the greatest sporting event in the world IMO.

Brazil vs.Trinidad & Tobago? Italy vs.Togo? Bring it on, four weeks of footballing bliss!

Edited by Drachen Theaker

Trotsky's thoughts in blue

Tony R wrote: Guzzman wrote: 1. Why is this called World Cup, when almost half of the teams are from Europe? Qualification and common sense.The best teams are from Europe and S.America. I would like to see Europe give up one more place to Africa, but unless the North American and Asian teams start performing well regularly (and don't quote me South Korea's semi-final appearance) ... it's hard to justify a better balance ... and that's even though I joke that Europe keeps inventing new nations just to justify its large slice of the pie! 2. Winners will be FIFA and the sponsors. The winners will be all the football-loving viewers who dont have to pay to watch it on TV. FIFA are corrupt jerks no doubt about it ... but by God, I get chills just thinking about the World Cup ... something special about it 3. It doesn't matter, which teams are in the final, because getting there is very much a matter of luck and being in the right group from the start, as previous tournaments have shown. Why do you think Germany as host and Brazil as current title holders will be in different groups? Just because the sponsors and FIFA would lose big money, if those two teams would meet too early and one - certainly Germany - would be out of the tournament at an early stage.Germany and Brazil will be seeded to miss each other,which makes sense.There is no luck involved in winning the World Cup. The seeding makes sense to me too, who wants a first around group with Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Italy and another one with Trinidad & Tobago, Iran, Australia and Togo. 4. For all I know, you can't predict who'll win, but you know who will be the losers: the fans. They'll face maximum rip-off of money, if they ever get a chance to get a ticket. Why do most of the tickets go to the sponsors and to officials, anyway?Now that's a different matter and a problem that affects every event that is "ticketed".... I agree that football is ripping off its fans and putting money in the pockets of those who probably don't need it ... it's called capitalism   Such cynicism....

I must add though that Europe's behaviour in terms of rotating the hosting of World Cups is disgusting (is it coincidence that no European team has ever won a World Cup out of Europe?)

Edited by Trotsky

Unfortunately we know that in the end, soccer itself and fans themselves will be the great losers and FIFA will be the winner - with its sponsors.

Things are not fair with soccer since the end of the 70s/beginning of the 80s. Until that date, at least here in South America, clubs were able to afford their players. Pelé played 17 of his 20 years of career only in Brazil; other great players like Brindisi, Pedro Rocha, Figueroa always played in South America (in fact we had a good interchange here among our nations).

So suddenly every good (and many not so good) player was aiming to go to Europe. It's obvious that money counts but several of them are going in a situation worse than they have here. Even stars like the Ronaldos and others complain about the absence of many technical and medical facilities they had here, in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, etc. Recently Ronaldo Lima (from Real Madrid) hurt and he came to Brazil to be treated stating clearly that the conditions for recovery are better here than in Madrid.

The fact is that FIFA is an European entity and is trying to make UEFA a kind of NBA. Agents and promoters that see only money own FIFA and earn a lot of money with the transfers (players have a percentage - and it is the great reason for them accepting the transfers). After paying a fortune for the players, European clubs have to make a big effort to have money back and they engage some of them (the real stars) in the celebrity circuit or start a vicious circle of selling/purchasing of people that reminds me the slavery time - several players after being discarded by clubs end their days working as masons, street sellers even scavengers, etc.

I believe that weakening other continental federations may be good for the FIFA's owner wallets but terrible for the sport.

Another matter is getting some kids ages 14-15, take them to Europe and nationalize some of them in order they could play for European national teams. Is it fair? One thing is a kid that went very young as a real immigrant like Gullit and others but this is not the case for Deco, Asamoa, Oliveira, etc. What to do? Can someone imagine a French or German national team composed by Brazilians, Nigerians, Colombians, Koreans and whatelse?

SORRY IF I COULDN'T EXPLAIN BETTER!!!

 

Edited by Atkingani

1. Why is this called World Cup, when almost half of the teams are from Europe?
2. Winners will be FIFA and the sponsors.
3. It doesn't matter, which teams are in the final, because getting there is very much a matter of luck and being in the right group from the start, as previous tournaments have shown. Why do you think Germany as host and Brazil as current title holders will be in different groups? Just because the sponsors and FIFA would lose big money, if those two teams would meet too early and one - certainly Germany - would be out of the tournament at an early stage.
4. For all I know, you can't predict who'll win, but you know who will be the losers: the fans. They'll face maximum rip-off of money, if they ever get a chance to get a ticket. Why do most of the tickets go to the sponsors and to officials, anyway?
 


Edited by Guzzman

Here are the teams that are in, but of course, I'm going to bold the teams that have at least a 0.1% chance of winning.

Angola (ANG)	08-Oct-05
Cote d'Ivoire (CIV)	08-Oct-05
Togo (TOG)	08-Oct-05
Ghana (GHA)	08-Oct-05
Tunisia (TUN)	08-Oct-05

 

 

 

Brazil - 40%
Germany - 20%
England - 12%
France - 10%
Argentina - 8%
Netherlands - 6%
Italy - 3%
Anyone else - 1%

Brazil, enough said.

Germany purely based on will power and home advantage. Their quality is lousy. But they were lousy 4 years ago and went to the finals.

England can go all the way, if Ericsson (or someone else) can forge a team out of some of the best players in the world. And IF Rooney does not lose it and gets sent off. This could be Rooney's tournament, positive or negative.

France is always in with a chance on pure class alone. Argentina too. The Netherlands has a great team spirit (the best in decades) but does not have the experience or the sheer class to have a higher chance of winning. Italy is always an outider.

I honestly cannot see anyone else win the tournament.