The Official 2010 Football & World Cup Thread

While waiting for the next qualifying round (10 October), I was wondering about the next places for the World Cup.

Atkingani wrote: Next qualifier matches (Europe, South America, Concacaf, Africa): 10 October 2009 Asia is closed: Australia, Japan and the 2 Koreas are already qualified.   Bahrain to decide with New Zealand (from Oceania) who's who; 1st leg: 10 October 2009.

Edited by Atkingani - October 07 2009 at 23:00

The plucky Irish were dashed at the last by those invariably unerring Italians after a 2-2 draw (No matter how boring they are or how badly they perform, the Azurri somehow keep just doing enough to get there in the end - I give them grudging credit for that at least - how many times have they nicked a goal in the last minute in crucial games ?) At least the Republic will get a chance via the play-offs. Speaking of which it seems FIFA are terrified that the European 'big boys' currently struggling to qualify automatically might not eventually make it to South Africa. So to give them a hand up (and ensure the media revenues from these richer nations continue to fill FIFA's coffers) they have, with zero consultation of their members, decided to seed the teams who make the play-offs !!!
How can you change the rules of the biggest soccer competition in the world half way through the tournament and expect to earn credibility for pity's sake ? Sepp Blatter, you are the anti-christ and probably eat your own snot to boot.

As for South America, Argentina now need a minor miracle to even make the 5th play-off spot (they should trounce tail-enders Peru but as for Uruguay away in the last game - keep your pets indoors that day folks) Expect to see at least three red cards, a couple of pitch invasions, alien landing-craft in the centre circle and lurid allegations of political chicanery from Maradona and his credulous disciples. One of the most fantastic players the world has ever seen certainly, but one of the most repugnant personality cults ever engineered by a managerial nonentity. Diego has no track record in team or man management to date, so apart from toadying to the popular press, why did the Argentine FA appoint the little chubby oink in the first place ?

To end on a cheery note, the pampered and unrepentant poofs aka England lost in the Ukraine to relinquish their 100% record in qualification. Not that it matters a jot, with the overpaid jessies having already qualified but from what I have seen of the highlights, they may have a defensive problem that lies in wait like a ticking time-bomb. Wait for the explosion in South Africa and the fall-out back in Italy for Fabio Capello. David James, John Terry, Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole will individually and collectively always be exposed by those with world class.

So whose gonna lift the bauble then ?

Favourites: Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Netherlands
Dark Horses: Ghana, Serbia, Russia, Germany
Shetland Pony: England

PS Scotland's Wives and Toddlers Group lost a friendly international on Saturday to Japan by 2-0. Our manager George Burley is a nice guy who always conducts himself with great dignity in the face of intense media speculation about his future BUT....his appointment is testimony to how low our stock has fallen in the world game that no-one of any proven calibre is willing to take the job on.

Due in part to my national team's incompetence, and in part to blatant theft, Ecuador is almost out of SouthAfrica 10.

A timely defeat for England, even though for them the result mattered not......good preperation Well done Ukraine

Denmark it trought - beating Sweden 1-0 last night.

Yeah - Germany beats Russia 0:1    ... and therefore is already qualified now 

the match against Finland on Wednesday does lose weight as for that ...

crimson87 wrote:   EPIC!!!!

crimson87 wrote:   But man , doesn't that demonstrate how the rest of Latin America (and Spain as well) want so bad our failure? What difference would a tie make for Peru anyway? We want JUSTICE, it's unfair that a team who plays terrible football (we are worst) goes to the cup throwing out a country as Uruguay or Ecuador who deserve it better. Your reply is depressive, it means that because Perú doesn't need the tie, it's ok to STEAL a game? Argentina will go because it's business for the FIFA, and it's ok for them to call a retired referee who doesn't see two penalties and a goal in offside. The teams must go to the cup because they deserve it (just in case, Perú didn't deserve it either), not because the FIFA decides it's better business. I am somewhat sick of the hispanic world bashing us without any reason. ( last sentence being a bit off topic) Anyway this match alone demonstrates that South America has the best football matches in spite of their lack of money. PERU with their full squad would get to the WC if they played in European qualifiers. Same as every other South American team. Perú with  Claudio Pizarro: Second foreign scorer of Germany history (sonn will be the first Jefferson Farfan: Scorer in Schalke 04 Andrés Mendoza: Scorer in  Russia, Mexico and Istambul Santiago Acasiete: Captain of Almeria Paolo Guerrero: Scorer and key player in Hamburg Juan Vargas: Star in Fiorentina Rengifo: Scorer in Lech Poznan Poland Nelinho Quina: Westerlo Belgium Johan Fano: Scorer in Colombia Would had given the fight in South America, but a young coach like Del Solar with little experience banned the first fourbecause he decided they had a party after the tie with Brazil, something that was never proved and the courts decided they had never been in the party, but because he was afraid of the press, decided never to call them again. He never called Quina, only made Rengifo play the last two games and he scored a goal in both games, his greatest achievement was to forget Rengifo in Colombia, never went to his room took the plain to Perú and Rengifo was sleeping. This is depressive, we have a great team, but the best players are never called. Iván

Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - October 11 2009 at 13:00

harmonium.ro wrote: crimson87 wrote: I want both Argentina and Uruguay in the WC , Ecuador deserves to qualify as well but FIFA goes after the big bucks and they would rather prefer lots of European teams in their tournament. That's interesting, since we Europeans have been complaining about FIFA and especially Blatter because he's dilluting the WC competition with more and more places for Oceanic, Carrabean, African and Asian teams and less places for European and South-American teams. They say it's a movement aiming the spread of football in all the world but many see this as a conspiration scenario: the FIFA bosses are bribing third rate federations with places in the WC for their votes, making it possible for the bosses to overrun the main federations' interests with the votes from the minor federations. (The same thing is happening with Platini, the new UEFA boss being supported by the small Eastern European federation). I assume the truth is somewhere at the middle...