South Africa’s World Cup organising chief Danny Jordaan may ban vuvuzelas from inside stadiums after complaints from broadcasters and supporters. The constant sound of the high-pitched horn-like instrument has so far drowned out much of the atmosphere-generating singing usually associated with games. And Jordaan, when asked if he would get rid of them, told BBC Sport: “If there are grounds to do so, yes. “We did say that if any land on the pitch in anger we will take action.” France captain Patrice Evra has already blamed the noise generated by the vuvuzelas, which has been likened to the drone of thousands of bees, for his side’s poor showing in their opening group game against Uruguay, which finished goalless.
He said: “We can’t sleep at night because of the vuvuzelas. People start playing them from 6am. “We can’t hear one another out on the pitch because of them.” Jordaan conceded that while the noise was irritating for some people, they were doing all they could to minimise the impact. “We’ve tried to get some order,” he continued. “We have asked for no vuvuzelas during national anthems or stadium announcements. It’s difficult but we’re trying to manage the best we can.
“We’ve had some broadcasters and individuals [complaining] and it’s something we are evaluating on an on-going basis.” Jordaan admitted he was not a huge fan of them himself. “I would prefer singing,” he said. (BBC Sport)
Fingers crossed these things will be banned. Its bad enough hearing them on televised coverage one can only imagine just how annoying they are in the grounds. I strongly believe that its something real football fans can do without. Since when did it become compulsory to make irritating noises for 90 minutes? Whats wrong with a good drummer in the stands? Or how about a good chant? Or a song?
Who wants Vuvuzela’s banned? And who wants to keep them? By the way if you own a shop that sells them or you have shares in any companies that have a vested interest in Vuvuzelas you are not allowed to register your opinion!
Roll up, roll up and welcome to today’s World Cup column on Soccerlens.
The tournament in South Africa is now in full swing and I was really enjoying being immersed in football all day, every day- that was until about 8:10pm yesterday evening.
Thank you Mr Robert Paul Green of Chertsey.
Here’s the best (and worst) of what the World Cup has to offer…
(If you would like to subscribe to this column – and others like it on Soccerlens – then please feel free to follow this link.)
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria…
Diego Maradona’s side got their World Cup off to a winning start after recording a deceptively narrow win over Nigeria in the opening match of Group B.
Former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze notched Argentina’s only goal after just six minutes – dispatching Juan Veron’s corner with an impressive flying header.
Nigeria certainly had their chances to score but, in truth Argentina should have won by a much bigger margin after dominating for large periods of the game yet failing to convert a raft of chances – with Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama almost single-handely (literally at times) keeping his side in it.
(Very) selected highlights…
You can read Andy Ryan’s match summary for Soccerlens here.
South Korea 2-0 Greece…
As well as Maradona’s men, South Korea also got their tournament underway with surprisingly confident showing against a compact but unadventurous Greece side in Port Elizabeth yesterday.
The 2004 European champions created little against an energetic South Korean outfit, who sealed the win through goals from Kashima Antlers centre-back Lee Jung-Soo and Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung.
Highlights…
You can read Jonathon Feyerherm’s match report for Soccerlens here.
England 1-1 USA…
As you may be aware, goalkeeper Rob Green dropped a pretty sizeable b*ll*ck last night as England kicked off their World Cup campaign with an underwhelming 1-1 draw against the USA in Rustenburg.
Newly-appointed captain Steven Gerrard gave Fabio Capello’s men the perfect start after prodding home Emile Heskey’s pass with only four minutes on the clock, but England failed to press their early advantage – which would end up costing them a potentially crucial two points.
On a night when none of Capello’s selection gambles would prove to pay off, James Milner, obviously still weary from his recent bout of sickness, was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips after just half an hour.
England seemed to be holding on to their slim one-goal advantage in relative comfort until, five minutes before half-time, Green allowed Clint Dempsey’s generous back-pass to squirm through his wet vermicelli fingers and over the line as the West Ham man scrambled – in vain – to recover.
Injury-plagued centre-back Ledley King was then replaced at the break by Jamie Carragher after the Tottenham man suffered a groin injury in the latter stages of the first-half.
The second half proved to be a slightly more fertile affair from England’s perspective, with a handful of chances falling to the likes of Heskey and Wright-Phillips – both men duly displaying their limitations in front of goal by firing shots straight at US stopper Tim Howard’s midriff, when presented with ample opportunity to do otherwise.
However, the American side also had chances to nudge their noses in front, most notably when Jozy Altidore steamed into the area past a flagging Carragher, only to see his angled shot somewhat fortuitously pushed on to the post by Green.
As the game wore on, England noticeably (and more so, worryingly) ran out of ideas, eventually leaving Bob Bradley’s side celebrating a well-deserved point.
“Sometimes a forward misses, sometimes a keeper makes a mistake – that’s football. The second half [Green] played very well, but the mistake remains a mistake.”
England coach Fabio Capello. I could be wrong, but I think we may be seeing Joe Hart getting a run out in the Algeria game!
“It hit the outside of one of my thumbs, do that again 1000 times and I will save 999.”
Said Rob Green himself. It’s just a shame that those other 999 times were in training.
“It was unfortunate. These balls are moving about. I don’t know how much the ball moved. It is unfortunate for keepers, They are the last line and, when they make a bit of a boob, it gets picked out.”
If there is such a thing as back-handed sympathy, then Frank Lampard has mastered it…
“I’d love to join the goalkeepers’ union and find an excuse – an awful pitch or the ball – but there was nothing. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
…However, former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson hasn’t.
“Of course I feel for him. He has made a couple of really good saves and, as we have been saying all week, this ball is doing silly things.”
Green’s opposite number Tim Howard proudly declares himself to be a card-carrying member of the goalkeepers’ union.
“To the Boston Tea Party and Belo Horizonte, the Royal Bafokeng stadium can almost be added.”
The Sunday Times’Jonathon Northcroft gets a little swept away.
“The Hand Of Clod.”
You can always rely on The News Of The World for a subtle summation.
It pays to advertise…
Remember this?
Well consider this…
…and think on.
Quote of the day…
“According to Opta statistics, Rob Green made more errors leading to goals than any other player in the Premier League last season.”
From the BBC Sport website. Good to see that the West Ham ‘keeper has carried his domestic form on into the World Cup.
Rino calls it a day…
Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso confirmed at a press conference yesterday that he intends to retire from international football after this summer’s World Cup – and also outlined his plans to one day manage his country.
The 32-year-old holding man, who was part of the Azzurri side that won the tournament in 2006, has admitted that he is now feeling the effects of age and therefore intends to move aside to allow younger players a chance to break into the national team;
“It is only right, for the way I see football, that at the age of 33 I step aside and give more space for players who have better physical stamina.
As a player, it will be my last World Cup, but then I have a dream of one day leading the Nazionale to this tournament as a coach.”
Gattuso suffered with a string of injuries last season, but the former Rangers man is ready to repay his national team coach for the faith he has shown in him;
“I wake up without pain now and can train regularly. Undoubtedly I had a very tough campaign with Milan, but Marcello Lippi gave me this chance and I must be ready.
If I don’t start then I’ll cheer on my team-mates. It is an honour for me to wear the Azzurri jersey and there’s nothing better. I would’ve come to South Africa just as a water boy.”
Good lad. There are a few more quotes Rino’s press conference here.
Del Bosque: ‘Iniesta will start’…
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has told a Spanish television programme that he is confident that midfield maestro Andres Iniesta will be fit enough to start for La Furia Roja in their opening World Cup game against Switzerland on Wednesday.
Del Bosque told La Siete;
“Iniesta will play and he will be in the starting line-up, tomorrow he will train with the ball and there are still 72 hours left.”
Well, that seems pretty definitive to me.
And in other news…
FIFA have blamed transport issues for the varying degrees of empty seats visible at the 2010 World Cup so far. (Sporting Life)
Whilst it’s not strictly ‘World Cup news’ as such, the agent of Serbian winger Milos Krasic has admitted that Inter Milan (rather than Juventus, as was first thought) are leading the race to sign his client. (F365)
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has admitted that he is ’scared’ of the threat posed by Serbia and that his side are ‘not even thinking about Germany and Australia’ as a result. That doesn’t sound like a particularly strong tactic to me Stephen. (BBC Sport)
The current Germany side have shaken off the image of an aging team, and have some vibrant and creative young players, who have their first opportunity to show the world what they can do.
Like England, every German squad member plays in their home country. However, the Bundesliga isn’t the most watched football league globally, despite it being one of the most entertaining leagues to watch. Very few people outside of Germany have seen what the likes of Marko Marin, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller can do. However, the world gets the first glimpse of the new-look German side as they face Australia tonight.
Ozil is the most promising young German. The Werder Bremen midfielder had been strongly linked as Franck Ribery’s replacement at Bayern Munich, should the Frenchman have chosen to leave Munich over the summer. Ozil’s Bremen team mate, Marko Marin may not feature much in this World Cup, but is ceratinly one for the future.
Per Mertesacker is only 25 years old. It is phenomenal such a young player has featured so heavily in the always-strong German defence since 2004. Thomas Muller rarely features for Bayern Munich, but is a deadly finisher when given the opportunity to shine. The twenty-year-old may find it hard to break into the German first eleven, with Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez alos in the squad, but Muller certainly deserves his chance.
Germany always seem to peak at the right time. With Michael Ballack injured and other older players retiring, Germany have a lot of strength in depth. With a relatively easy group, confidence will be high. Germany are never underdogs, and South africa could show us a new type of German football – entertaining and full of energy.
According to the Milan sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Argentina had 20 shots on goal, 65 percent of possession, and completed 87% of their 512 passes at Ellis Park against Nigeria. But with goal difference one of the tie-breakers in group round play, the Argentineans may regret their lack of finishing ability despite the stellar display by Nigerian keeper, Vincent Enyeama.
Maradona After the Game
“Hoy nos perdonaron. Se terminó sufriendo. En estos partidos, cuando errás tantos goles lo terminás empatando. Es la ley del fútbol. Es un paso muy importante el que dimos. Aunque hay que mejorar en un montón de cosas para crecer como equipo y llegar al séptimo partido. Estamos en un Mundial, donde todo pasa como un Fórmula 1. Si errás, te vas. Ganamos un partido valiosísimo y estamos en el buen camino, pero no podemos perdonar más en el arco de enfrente.”
Maradona greets Juan Sebastian Veron
“Today they let us off the hook. We suffered in the end. In these games, when you miss so many goals you end up with a draw. It’s the law of football. It is an important step that we took. Even if there are a pile of things to improve to grow as a team and arrive at the final game. We are in a World Cup where everything goes by like in Formula 1. If you make a mistake, you pay. We won a valuable game and we are on the right road. But we can’t leave more chances in the opponent’s box.”
Vincent Enyeama was massive in goal for the Nigerians
Messi on Enyeama
“El arquero estuvo un fenómeno. Lo importante es que creamos las ocasiones. Estamos muy bien, terminamos perfectos, contentos.”
“The goalkeeper was phenomenal. The important thing is that we created chances. We are fine and ended the game perfect and content.”
Leo Messi takes on Haruna Lukman
Juan Veron on Messi’s Performance
“Hizo un partido extraordinario. Hizo jugar al equipo, creó situaciones, le faltó el gol. Tuvo una tarde increíble. Estoy contento porque él se merecía este tipo de partidos.”
“He had an extraordinary match. He made the team play and created opportunities. He only lacked a goal. He had an incredible afternoon. I am glad because he deserved this type of game.”
Javier Mascherano
“El resultado terminó siendo mentiroso. Hay tiempo para seguir mejorando cosas. Contento por como vamos.”
“The result ended being deceptive. There is time to continue making things better. I am pleased for how we are doing.”
Gabriel Heinze scores on a spectacular header from a corner kick
Carlos Tevez
“Pudimos meter el cabezazo y después erramos muchos goles. A lo último teníamos miedo, porque en el contraataque podíamos perder los puntos. Es muy importante que el equipo gane. Ahora a descansar y después veremos como enfrentamos a Corea.”
“We were able to score on the header and after we didn’t finish many goal-scoring chances. At the end, we had fear because on the counterattack, we could drop points. It is very important for the team to win. Now we can rest and later we will see how to take on South Korea.”
Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He writes the World Football Commentaries blog. He has written for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Football Media, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens.
No arguments about who is the “underdog” here. On paper (and if you look at the odds on any betting website), this match should be a one-sided affair.
And the Germans appear all to keen to remind their Australian counterparts of this fact. None more so than the usually quietly spoken coach Joachim Löw. No longer is winning enough. He said:
“We want to be able to embarrass opponents with our playing skills.”
Further, seemingly baiting the Aussies to play a more open style, Löw branded the Australian style of football “boring”, such that:
“Australia can be expected to offer anything but a great spectacle.”
Ironically, the Aussies couldn’t agree more.
Captain Lucas Neill has been criticised for acknowledging that Germany were “a superior team to Australia” and favourites to win the match. Neill said:
”
If it’s a draw, then it’s a fantastic result. If we can cause an upset by winning the game, then we’ll have shocked the world.”
Talisman Tim Cahill, however, was non-plussed about the comments.
“Let them throw stones, we’ll just cop it on the chin… It doesn’t bother us at all that they don’t rate us. We will just do our own thing, stay compact defensively and hit them on the break when the opportunity arises.”
The fact is that the Aussies enjoy and relish the underdog tag. Aussies simply love to get behind the little guy, the ugly duckling, the dark horse, or in fact, any other oddly-shaped, odd-looking or simply odd character that manages to triumph despite adversity. Not only in football, not only in sport, but it is an attitude deeply entrenched in the nation’s collective psyche.
From the shores of Gallipolli to the shores of Durban, the Aussies will be channelling their “backs-against-the-wall” mentality more than ever given the recent tragedy of squad goalkeeper, Brad Jones, who was forced to pull out earlier this week due to his four year old son being diagnosed with leukemia.
When Germany steps out onto the pitch in Durban, they may not face anyone who dribbles and creates like Özil or flies up and down the wings like Lahm but one thing is assured. They will come nose-to-nose with a bunch of gritty, determined battlers who will work for each other, and simply refuse to admit defeat.
It is no fluke that four out of Australia’s five goals in Germany 2006 came in the 79th minute or later. The Socceroos have a knack of scoring late goals. None are more dangerous than serial goal-poacher Cahill.
You can watch Germany v Australia live online through our partners at Live Sport Network. Click here to sign up.
Can Australia’s defence hold up?
Set-up by coach Löw in a structure that will offer Germany a multitude of attacking options – especially in wide areas – Australia’s aging defence will need to be on high alert if the Socceroos are to take any points away from this tie.
Germany’s inexperienced but massively talent midfield of Schweinsteiger, Khadira and Özil should provide plenty of service for the strikers, with further support from the flying full-backs, Badstuber and Lahm. In particular, Germany are likely to target the relative slowness of Australia’s full-backs, Chipperfield and Wilkshire, as an area of weakness.
However, the Aussies will be encouraged by Germany’s out-of-sorts strikers, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. Both have had a poor club season, managing only five goals in total for their respective clubs. However, put them in a Die Mannschaft shirt and parade the World Cup trophy in front of them, and they seem to become different players.
Defensively, Germany looks relatively weaker on the left, with the 21-year old Badstuber supported by Podolski, not known for his defensive duties, tracking back. So expect Blackburn star Brett Emerton or in-form Richard Garcia to loop in some crosses.
However in real terms, Australia’s biggest goal threat will be from set-pieces and Cahill’s weaving late runs into the box.
Watch Germany v Australia Live Online
You can watch Germany take on Australia live online as well as all other World Cup matches, plus hundreds of football games from around the world. Read our live World Cup football page for more details.
Instead he's got two good winger, neither of whom can finish. Lennon had a chance. Instead of shooting, he tried to cross. If Theo did that, he'd be caned.
Then Wright-Phillips came on. Could he do better than Theo on the left. No.
So basically, England's two speed merchants contributed very little. Theo must be scratching his head. How could I be left out?
Even Sol Campbell must be soul or Sol searching. King didn't live up to his name. Carragher got done for pace and could have got booked. He wasn't too bad,
but Campbell would have been better, I reckon.
And Green. Please, don't sign him Arsenal. I've been saying it for ages, but he's clearly not good enough.
David James is the best England keeper. He's put his calamities behind him now. He's a bit too old, but if we must get an English keeper, he's the one.
But Schwarzer is a better bet.
Anyway, as Capello says, the Americans only shot once at England's goal. Erm, I thought I saw more shots than that. What about the lucky near post save? That's two shots, right?
Capello's a great manager. I'm not disputing that. But if he thinks the Yanks only shot once, he's kidding himself. Maybe that's why he left Sol and Theo out of his squad.
He may be 37 years of age and perhaps past his prime, but with 133 caps for the Azzurri, he is a legend. This will be his last international tournament. Next season, he will play for Al-Ahli in Dubai. He has featured at the following senior level tournaments: World Cup 1998, Euro 2000, World Cup 2002, Euro 2004, World Cup 2006, Euro 2008. He has been the Azzurri captain since the retirement of Paolo Maldini in 2002.
Ball Boy at World Cup 1990
Fabio grew up literally a stone’s throw from the Stadio San Paolo in Naples. He was a ball boy during the games in Naples during the World Cup. Fabio witnessed Diego Maradona and Argentina eliminate the Azzurri in the semi-final round on penalties. He may be the only ball boy in world football history to raise a World Cup.
Encountered Diego Maradona at Napoli
Fabio entered the Napoli youth ranks at the same time that Maradona starred at the club. Here was an interesting anecdote from that period:
“Relentless in his man marking, Canna once found himself given the opportunity to mark his Argentine hero in training. So eager to impress, the Neapolitan took to the challenge like a duck to water. Persistent and ruthless, he wouldn’t let Maradona out of his sight until a member of the coaching staff asked him to ease off the star player.
Nobody idolised Maradona more than Cannavaro, yet not even the Argentine legend could intimidate the short centre back. Leaving the stadium, Maradona once noted that every time he came across this little starlet, he knew he had just witnessed a phenomenon.”
Here were a few of his thoughts from South Africa:
Cannavaro hopes for seven more caps with help from his friends
No Superstars on the Azzurri
“Non abbiamo una stella come Ronaldo, Messi o Rooney. I fuoriclasse in Italia non ci sono e il tecnico fa scelte diverse. Noi non potremo mai giocare come brasiliani, spagnoli e portoghesi. Come loro non potranno mai difendere come noi. Noi abbiamo in dovere di crederci, fino in fondo“.
“We don’t have a star like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Wayne Rooney. There aren’t superstars in Italy and the manager makes different team selections. We will never play like Brazilians, Spanish and Portuguese. Just as they will never be able to defend as we do. We have the will to believe in ourselves from start to finish.”
“Il fuoriclasse magari non è solo chi fa una giocata ma chi dà continuità alla propria azione, chi sa creare gruppo e aiutare i compagni. vedo gente come Di Natale, Iaquinta, Gilardino che da anni dimostrano il loro valore a livello internazionale e possono dare contributi fondamentali. E poi mi piace anche Pepe, per come sta crescendo. Se ritorna quello spirito che c’era in Germania penso possiamo fare qualcosa di importante. Sono altri i nostri valori“.
“The superstar isn’t only one who makes a play but who gives continuity to his own action. One who knows how to create a group and help his mates. I see players like Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta, and Alberto Gilardino who for years demonstrate their value at the international level and can give fundamental contributions. And then I also rate Simone Pepe for how he is developing. If the same spirit that we had in Germany returns, I think we can do something important. Our strengths are other things.”
Cannavaro training under the watchful eye of Marcello Lippi in South Africa
The Difference from Germany 2006
“Certo di quella difesa che c’era 4 anni fa manca qualcuno. Ma Lippi sta lavorando proprio sulla fase difensiva. Negli ultimi anni si era un po’ perso un certo modo di difendersi e il nostro c.t. sta cercando di riproporlo. Chiellini a sinistra? Non so ancora chi e come giocheremo, sta provando diverse soluzioni. Poi troverà quella giusta. Nel 2006 venivamo da tante partite che eravamo sempre gli stessi, ora stanno crescendo nuove generazioni“.
“Surely, our defense lacks something compared to four years ago. But Marcello Lippi is working right now on the defensive phase. In the last few years, a little was lost in our defensive style and our manager is looking to bring it back. Giorgio Chiellini on the left? I don’t know yet who and how we will play. He (Lippi) is trying different solutions. Then he will find the right one. In 2006, we came from so many games that we were always the same. Now we are building new generations.”
Cannavaro in action against Giovanni Dos Santos of Mexico last week
On His Transfer to Al-Ahli
“Vado a Dubai, perché dopo l’anno che ho passato è giusto cambiare per me e la mia famiglia. Tornare a giocare dopo in Italia? No. Ho 37 anni e non ci penso più. L’esperienza all’estero ti arricchisce, l’ho già fatta. Di sicuro mi mancherà la Nazionale. Penso il segno di averlo lasciato comunque. È sempre qualcosa di speciale. Quando scendo in campo e canti l’inno ti senti un Paese alle spalle.”
“I’m going to Dubai because after the last year that I spent (at Juventus), it is right to change for me and my family. To return to play afterward in Italy? No. I’m 37 and that will be it. The foreign experience enriches you (not monetarily but in character) and I’ve already done it. Surely, I’ll miss the national team. I think it has left a mark. It is always something special. When I walk out onto the pitch and sing the anthem, you feel the country on your shoulders.”
Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He writes the World Football Commentaries blog. He has written for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Football Media, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens.
The World Cup, coming as it does once every four years, provides an insane amount of anticipation and hype in the build-up, but like anything that you wait four years for, can be a damp squib more often than it is a gorgeous orgy of climax after climax.
But who the hell cares? It’s a time to enjoy football safe in the knowledge that everyone around you has at least a passing understanding of what football is (they’re supposed to, because, you know, the WORLD CUP is on TV) and your mood swings, violent outrages and unintelligible mutterings are considered perfectly acceptable, if only for a month.
Enjoy it.
One thing we won’t see this summer is any brilliantly tactical innovation (although if the North Korean keeper suddenly charges up the pitch to try and score a goal, you’ll know why) – but if one of the 32 teams tries anything half as funny as the kids in the video below do, it’ll be the most-talked about thing for the whole month.
Unless England win the World Cup of course. Then we’ll probably have to scrap the damn thing.
They’d eventually be offside, but kudos to the team to try it in the first place.
Will we see any tactical innovations at this World Cup? I’d settle for the ‘no-groin-stamps’ strategy, and fingers crossed that Lampard doesn’t…go Lampard this time around.
