Excerpt from the new spoof film, “15 Minutes that Shook the World,” that uncovers what really happened in the Liverpool dressing room at half time during the Champions League Final, 2005 (when Liverpool came back to beat AC Milan in Istanbul, Turkey).
From Reuters:
CAPE TOWN, Sept 17 (Reuters) – South Africa faces a funding shortfall of 2.3 billion rand ($315 million) for six new stadiums built for next year’s Soccer World Cup, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday.
South Africa, in its first recession in 17 years, is the first African country to host the world’s most watched sports spectacle, starting next June.
“National Treasury has informed me of the projected shortfalls for the 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums. The total shortfall on the six new stadiums is 2.33 billion rand as of July 2009,” Gordhan said in a written response to a question in parliament.
The funding shortfall comes on the back of accommodation, transport and security concerns raised by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
Gordhan said contractual responsibility rested with South Africa’s 10 host cities to deal with rising costs, and it would be “clearly unreasonable” for national government to take full responsibility for reimbursement of rising costs. “Only one of the new stadiums is likely to be completed within budget,” he said, without specifying which stadium. Soccer City, where the finals will be played in Johannesburg, accounted for almost half of the total shortfall at 1.26 billion rand, he said.
Croatia have qualified for three successive World Cups since Independence, reaching the Semi Final in 1998. It’s a remarkable record for a nation of 4 Million. It could be about to end.
Croatia may have been resurgent under Slaven Bilić, qualifying emphatically for the EURO 2008 tournament, pimping McClaren’s England along the way, but 2007-8 was a long time ago. Croatia seem not to have recovered from Eduardo’s broken leg and losing on penalties to Turkey in the EURO 2008 quarter final in Vienna.
Qualification is no longer in Croatia’s hands. Although Croatians can be quietly confident of England issuing a beating to Ukraine, Croatia may be less sure of themselves in their “must win” in Kazakhstan or advancing beyond the 2nd place playoff where they could face France, Germany or Russia, or even Bosnia-Herzegovina. The latter would be an intriguing fixture to say the least.
(So to Group 6. Andorra and Kazakhstan will not feature here. Andorra belong in a preliminary stage, as discussed earlier. And Kazakhstan are better served keeping Australia company. Belarus will return as a more dangerous dark horse in qualification for Brazil 2014.)
Ukraine are two points behind Croatia, but have a game in hand and finish their campaign in Andorra. Pre-Capello conventional wisdom would have pointed to an already qualified England getting turned over in Dnepropetrovsk in October. An England win will not be the surprise it once would have been. Ukraine will probably have to rely on the Kazaks keeping the Croats quiet in Astana on October 14. Goal difference favours Ukraine.
Ukraine were the deeply disappointing dark horses of the last World Cup. Group results suggest Ukraine have regressed. Would you trust a Shevchenko retread for a South African safari?
Costa Rica have just fired their coach Rodrigo “La Bomba” Kenton Johnson.
Costa Rica were themselves bombing, failing to score in their last three World Cup qualifying games. “He was fired today. It still hasn’t been determined who will be named,” said Costa Rica FA, spokeswoman Gina Escobar.
The 2009 Highway Africa Conference, held recently at Port Elizabeth’s new World Cup stadium (photo above), helped African media be better prepared to cover the 2010 World Cup, according to Guy Berger, head of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies. African media should work to ensure that “coverage is not only focused on the glitz and glamour aspect of the World Cup,” Berger said, “but must be extended to critical evaluation of socioeconomic consequences.”
In a keynote address, Saleem Badat, Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor and licensed football coach, cautioned African journalists against uncritical reporting: “As a supposedly African event, it remains to be seen how, in what ways, and to what extent the media coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will differ from that of previous World Cups.”
Paraguay have qualified. Chile can choke. Ecuador too. Argentina are at home to Peru next. Uruguay have superior goal difference. Venezuela are lurking. Colombia cannot be ruled out just yet.
There are so many permutations, yet it is difficult to discuss without getting drawn into the Argentine drama.