The third ticketing phase for the World Cup 2010 begins on Saturday, 5^th Dec.

The third phase of ticket sales for the World Cup will begin on Saturday, the day after the draw for the finals is made. About one million tickets for all the 64 matches will be made available, including a limited number for the opening game and final.

“It’s traditionally by far the most important sales phase,” Horst R Schmidt, the chairman of the Ticketing Sub-Committee said. “As the world’s football fans will by then know who will be playing whom in the group matches,” he added.

You can apply for the tickets online through Fifa’s official website, while the South African residents can also apply by filling out the forms at the FNB branches across the country. The last date for ticket applications is 22 January. An electronic random draw would be used to decide ticket winners for oversubscribed games.

“We’re confident that our preparations for the tournament are going extremely well,” said Danny Jordaan, the chief executive officer of the World Cup organizing committee. “Now, it’s time to focus on the teams and the stars coming to South Africa 2010, for the global football world to see who their teams will be up against and for our Host Cities and residents to gear up to welcome the teams that will be heading their way. We encourage fans in South Africa and around the world to grab this chance to get tickets for what will be an unforgettable event.”

So far, a total of 674,403 tickets have been sold, corresponding to 90% of the tickets made available till now. Of those tickets, almost 53.6% have been purchased by South African residents. Fans from the United States have bought the second-most (84,103 tickets), followed by those in the United Kingdom (48,388), Germany (25,112), Australia (17,876), Canada (11,662), Switzerland (11,045), Japan (10,558) and Brazil (8,006).

All 32 participating member associations will be allocated 12% of all purchasable tickets in the stadiums where their three group games will be played. These tickets will be available through individual websites operated by the member associations.

Surprises are an integral part of soccer World Cups. In the past World Cups there have been non favorite teams which sprung huge surprises and left the fans baffled with their extraordinary performance. Croatia in 1998, Bulgary in 1994, Cameroon in 1990, Turkey in 2002 – who would be the surprise element in 2010?  Here is our pick of four teams to watch out for:

1- Chile

Pitted against soccer giants like Brazil and Argentina in the South American qualifying section, Chile managed to book its World Cup berth with ease. Chile won 10 of their matches in the qualification rounds and Humberto Suazo remained the top scorer for them.

2- Cameroon

Cameroon topped their qualifying group with 13 points. Matching up against Gabon, Togo and Morroco, Cameroon started slowly in the qualification round, losing to Togo and drawing with Morocco, but later they went on to win the rest of their matches. Captain and star player Samuel Eto’o remained Cameroon’s top scorer with 8 goals, and the Inter Milan striker will be their player to watch out in the World Cup.

3- USA

In the fourth and final round of qualifying, six nations were battling it out for the three automatic 2010 World Cup spots. USA finished top of the group, thanks to 6 superb goals from their top scorer and Hull City striker Jozy Altidore.

4- Uruguay

The might be the last one to qualify for the World Cup, but their acumen cannot be doubted. Uruguay missed the 2006, but this time they are back with a bang. 1-1 home draw with Costa Rica booked Uruguay a ticket to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate win.

Who out of this would be the 2010 surprise element? Share your views on ‘The Wall’ of ifotbol.com

The road to South Africa 2010 is getting narrower. The last four berths to the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the European Zone are set to be booked by Wednesday, 18 November. Everything remains possible across the board, with none of the teams involved leading by more than a single goal!

Algeria and Egypt face a sudden-death play-off in Sudan on Wednesday to decide the last of Africa’s four places at the World Cup finals. Reportedly, thousands of Algerian and Egyptian fans have arrived into Khartoum for a decisive World Cup qualifier between the two Arab rivals.

Slovenia, Russia would also play their key game for World Cup spot on Wednesday. The comfort of playing at home gives a unique advantage to Solvenia as it takes on Russia for a place in the 2010 gala.

Slovenia, which made its World Cup debut in 2002, scored a late away goal on Saturday on the artificial surface in Moscow, losing 2-1. A 1-0 win at home in Maribor would give Slovenia a spot at the tournament in South Africa.

Uruguay and Costa Rica also face off for the 32nd and last spot in South Africa on Wednesday. The second leg match between the fifth placed South American team and fourth place CONCACAF side will mark the end of a qualifying phase that has lasted over two years.

With a narrow one goal difference between the teams, the tables can turn to any side. Wednesday, 18 November would be a crucial day for the teams vying for a world cup spot as fans await the final results with bated breaths.

The teams who have already qualified for the World Cup are:

South Africa (CAF – as hosts)
Japan (AFC)
Australia (AFC)
South Korea (AFC)
Netherlands (UEFA)
North Korea (AFC)
Brazil (CONMEBOL)
Ghana (CAF)
England (UEFA)
Spain (UEFA)
Paraguay (CONMEBOL)
Cote d’Ivoire (CAF)
Germany (UEFA)
Denmark (UEFA)
Serbia (UEFA)
Italy (UEFA)
Chile (CONMEBOL)
Mexico (CONCACAF)
USA (CONCACAF)
Switzerland (UEFA)
Slovakia (UEFA)
Argentina (CONMEBOL)
Honduras (CONCACAF)
New Zealand (OFC)
Nigeria (CAF)
Cameroon (CAF)

Nani has spilled the beans about the tyrannical reign of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

(Source: Sun Sports)

In a revealing interview, to the Portuguese paper I, the Portugal winger has charged Fergie for breaking promises and not giving him enough time on the pitch.

End of his career?

Ferguson’s reign under controversy again

During the interview, Nani also admitted that Fergie’s selection policy has left him baffled and his shredded his confidence to pieces. He insists that he has no plans to leave United, though it remains to be seen what Fergie thinks after this stunning flare-up.

“Ferguson is a very complicated man. He’s tough. If things are all right, then they are all right. But when he thinks something is wrong, everything is screwed. He can go from complimenting you to just plain trashing you in a matter of minutes. Has it happened to me? Hell, yes! He’ll say ‘Nani, how could you miss this or this?” Nani told the paper.

Nani further added: “He shouts at players in front of everyone. No one escapes, everybody is the same. Giggs and Neville suffer most, because they have more experience. It is ‘F**k’ here and ‘F**k’ there.”

Nani has taken his ire out; however, this could spell the beginning of the end for a player who has failed to emerge from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo.  Past incidents prove that Ferguson has ruthlessly ditched players who spoke out of turn.

Dutch defender Jaap Stam was flogged to Lazio for £16.5million soon after he published his controversial autobiography in 2001. In 2003, David Beckham was sent packing to Real Madrid after a hugely-publicized spat with the Scot.  Then, in 2005 Roy Keane left the club to join Celtic for the last six months of his playing career, after going public with his criticism of the team – a move that left Fergie fuming.

Jaap Stam	David Beckham	Roy Keane

Ferguson’s other ‘victims’

(Ref: BBC News)

Tributes have been placed at the scene of Robert Enke’s death.

Germany and Hannover 96 goalkeeper Robert Enke has died after being hit by a train in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, police have confirmed. Enke, 32, was fatally injured at a level crossing north west of Hanover.

The German football federation (DFB) said in a statement: “The German team has learned of the death of Robert Enke with great shock.”

A statement released by the German indicates a suicide- “The victim is apparently national team goalkeeper Robert Enke from Hannover 96. The first police indications are that it was a suicide.”

Enke was reportedly struck by a regional train travelling between Norddeich and Hannover at a railway crossing in Neustadt am Rubenberge and died on the spot.

Enke had played eight times for Germany and also for clubs Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife, before returning to the Bundesliga with Hannover in 2004. He made his international debut aged 29 and became Germany’s number one keeper after Jens Lehmann retired from internationals at the end of Euro 2008.

Robert Enke

Born: 24/8/77, Jena, East Germany
Debut: 1995-96
Clubs: Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce, Tenerife, Hannover 96
Germany debut: 27/3/07 versus Denmark Caps: 8

As the countdown begins for the football World Cup 2010, excitement is building up in all corners of the world. As players and teams get ready for the big face off, all eyes are now on the young Turks who may create history with newer achievements during the tournament. Ronaldo did it in 2006. Who can be the next?

Ronaldo

The Brazilian soccer whiz kid remains unbeaten with his historical 15 goals in the 2006 World Cup.

Watch his 15 golden goals here:

World Cup 2010 is expected to surface fresher talent that may take soccer to greater heights in future. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo , Kaka, Lionel Messi, Torres, and David Villa are all set to unleash an unprecedented display of soccer skills.

Whom, out of these players do you think might break Cristiano’s record? Share your opinion now!

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kaka

Messi

Torres

In a desperate bid to increase their chance of victory at the impending FIFA 2010 World Cup, the South African FA has startled the football fraternity by replacing Brazilian coach Joel Santana with compatriot Carlos Alberto Parreira.

With time ticking fast for the World Cup 2010, South Africa seems to be in the preparation over drive to save country’s honor. No wonder, the disastrous reign of Brazilian coach Joel Santana has been brought to an abrupt end. More surprising is the appointment of compatriot Carlos Alberto Parreira, the Brazilian World Cup winning coach.

The surprise announcement was made by the president of the South African FA (SAFA), Kirsten Nematandani, at a press conference following a lengthy SAFA National Executive meeting held at the OR Tambo Airport. Rumors are rife that SAFA’s decision to reappoint Parreira, and not Hunt was influenced by FIFA, who are concerned about the current state of the 2010 host nation’s senior side.

SAFA’s decision to reappoint the man who led his country to their fourth World Cup title in 1994 has sparked a new round of controversies centered on selecting a “foreign” coach instead of a local one.

Joel Santana	Alberto Parreira	Gavin Hunt

Africa has faced a run of eight defeats in nine matches under Santana, and after such a drubbing, the football fraternity in the country were strongly vouching for an African coach for Bafana Bafana. Former African coach Clive Barker strongly recommended Gavin Hunt as the local man to guide the African soccer team.

“SAFA might think Parreira gives us the best opportunity to do well next year but I wouldn’t agree,” said Clive Barker, perhaps the best man to judge having led the country to African Nations Cup glory in 1996.

Considering the team’s low morale after continuous defeats, Bafana Bafana needs a man who can revive their confidence and gear them up for the big action.

“The key to international management is being able to motivate the players that you are working with and Gavin is a master of that,” Barker added.

To appease the enraged fans, SAFA is most likely to bring Hunt into the African camp as an assistant in a move that is meant to groom him to take over the reins as the coach after the World Cup.

Clarifying his selection, the newly appointed South Africa head coach Parreira has said that he accepts the fact that after guiding Bafana Bafana to the World Cup finals he will make way for a locally born coach.

“That is only natural that South Africans want a local coach to be in charge of their team,” Parreira said in an interview with Brazilian website Globoesport.com.

As for now, Bafana Bafana are stuck with an all new coach, and with only eight months left for the football gala, getting used to newer ways of grooming and delivering victories would be a tough race against time. How Parreira and the team would fare at the World Cup 2010, only time would tell.

With the world cup just around the corner, the football fan club is rife with speculations about who would take the trophy home this time.

After Greece’s spectacular and unexpected with at Euro 2004, relying in past trends to predict a winner would not suffice. Moreover, the 2010 World Cup promises to be one of the most diverse in history for not all the great teams are guaranteed a place in the South African finals and this maybe the year that someone unexpected lifts the glorious trophy.

England, who remain undefeated in their group and Brazil having lost only one of their 16 qualifying games are predictably the two popular tournament favorites. Spain, the number one team in Europe and second to Brazil in the World rankings, also features amongst the favorites for a slot in the 2010 finals.

While Italy, who is yet to confirm qualification but Marcello Lippi’s men cannot be undermined, the German pedigree in World tournaments also cannot be ignored and, although they face a battle with Russia to secure automatic qualification, their presence is highly expected.

In our honest view, it’s quite hard to see past Brazil for the event winners but there could be some surprises for the semis and quarters. We don’t envisage any of the African or Asian teams in the latter stages, although Ghana and the Ivory Coast are undefeated in their qualifying groups and with the likes of Michael Essien and Didier Drogba in their respective squads, they could definitely cause a few upsets in the group stages. USA and Mexico are expected to qualify from the North American party but, apart from playing attractive, attacking football, we don’t predict them to get past the first two weeks.

Here is our prediction for the final 8 teams:

Brazil – Winners
England – Finalists
Italy – Semi Finalists
Spain – Semi Finalists
Germany – Quarter Finalists
Netherlands – Quarter Finalists
Russia – Quarter Finalists
France – quarter Finalists

PS: If Argentina manages to qualify then all bets are off!