Spain wins the FIFA World Cup 1-0

Spain wins the World Cup! This makes them World champions and Euro champions. This also means Paul, the Octopus, is the true psychic?!

Disappointed?

This is also a match of yellow cards. Check out scorecard below (courtesy of livescore) - click image to enlarge.

Winner of Golden Ball - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
Winner of Golden Boots - Thomas Mueller (Germany)

Fireworks at the closing ceremony.. Let the celebrations begin!

See you in Brazil in 2014!

FIFA World Cup Finals

Looks like it's not only between Netherlands and Spain. It's also between Paul, the Octopus, from Germany who picked Spain to win, and Mani, the Parakeet from Singapore, who picked Netherlands.

There's also report of a new 'psychic'. She is Pauline, another Octopus from Netherlands. Same as the parakeet, Pauline picked Netherlands to win the World Cup.

The truth will unfold tonight or rather tomorrow morning.

Who's your pick, by the way?

Paul, the Psychic Octopus

Paul, the Octopus, has done it again! Paul is a British-born octopus, living in an aquarium at Sea Life in Oberhausen, western Germany. His 'psychic' prowess has gained him a good following, made him a celebrity even. He has correctly predicted a series of German wins and even Germany's surprise group-stage loss to Serbia. He holds a 100% track record so far.



Soccer fans across Germany was hoping his prediction of a German loss in their World Cup semi-final with Spain would fail him. We all know better now, don't we? Indeed, Germany lost 0-1 to Spain last night.

How Paul does his prediction is to pick the food from two different plastic containers lowered into his tank - one decorated with a Spanish flag and one with a Germany flag. The container which Paul opens first is seen as his pick.

He settled on both containers at first in a sign of hesitation before opening the box with the Spanish flag. The speed with which Paul opens the box is also indicative of the ease with which the win would be as shown in the video above showing Paul's speed in opening the Germany box when placed with the one for England. Germany beat England 4-1 in that match.

Would you believe it? The decision was broadcast live on several news channels in Germany, although commentators immediately cast doubt over the prediction.

I wonder will Paul be asked to pick the World Cup winner and if so, will the prediction come true. I suppose bookmakers and punters alike are now watching Paul closely. However, bear in mind that while Paul's record has been flawless at the World Cup, he has wrongly picked Germany as the winner against Spain at Euro 2008.

Stay tuned for more of Paul..

Argentina is out - Twitter is down

Don't cry for me, Argentina!

Oh dear, Argentina's exit from the World Cup must have caused Twitter's over-capacity. What a shock! Argentina was thrashed 4-0 by a younger more dynamic Germany team.

Germany has beaten three teams with a 4 goal scoreline. They beat Australia 4-0, England 4-1 and now Argentina 4-0. Which team next?

Come to think of it, I remember saying If Germany continues to play like that, they might win the World Cup after they beat England. Whether this will come true, we'll know shortly.

Brazil has bowed out of the World Cup

OMGoodness, Brazil is out of the World Cup after being beaten by Netherlands 2-1. Such a sad state of affairs. Brazil has been rated by FIFA as the #1 team to win the World Cup. Looks like nothing is real until it happens. The next game is between Uruguay and Ghana at 2:30am.

Oh yeah, I was going to talk about the door knob. Did you know that the innocent door knob harbors a lot of germs in view of it being touched by countless people? Is it any wonder why people slam doors instead of twisting the door knob to close the door gently? I empathise with those whose workstation is next door to a busy conference room. Hope you are not seated next to one.

World Cup - Into the Quarterfinals

England team returning home from South Africa - Image source: The Star
Oh dear! The team I was rooting for to win the World Cup has returned home having lost to a much stronger Germany team. The score was a humiliating 4-1. If Germany continues to play like that, they might win the World Cup. No? They've been in the finals a good 7 times and won 3 times. This time around, they've got younger and fast-running players with great skills. Of course, there's Brazil in the end but before that, they've got to battle Argentina first. I'm placing my bet on Brazil to win the World Cup. Which team are you rooting for?

I saw last night, the sad end to Japan's quest having lost on penalties to Paraguay, 5-3. That's a tragic way to lose. With that win, Paraguay advances to the last 8 stage which is the quarterfinals and they'll be playing Spain who beat Portugal 1-0 to advance.

Below is the schedule of matches for your reference courtesy of the FIFA website. Click image to enlarge.

World Cup Group Stage Results so far

With France out of the World Cup without winning a game, Italy, the defending champion, has also joined the bandwagon (not in a good way unfortunately). Italy too did not win any game. Japan has qualified for the next round after beating Denmark last night, earning 6 points after winning two games losing one.

We still have two more groups to go, Groups G and H who will be playing tonight. Group G's game will be interesting to watch, Brazil vs Portugal. Under normal circumstances, win or lose these two countries would already qualify with their scores of 6 points (Brazil) and 4 points (Portugal), the latter on goal-difference. Côte d'Ivoire would have to perform extraordinarily well beating North Korea with at least a 7-goal difference(!) in order to beat Portugal. What do you think? Can they do it? That's left to be seen tonight. Group G is the group to watch!

Come to think of it, Group H games would also be nail-biting with all three top teams vying for a spot to the next round. Who are you rooting for?

Thought I'd put together the scores borrowed from the FIFA website. Click on image below to enlarge. No matter where you're watching the games, either at home, at a friend's or at the mamak stall, enjoy the games tonight..

England advances in the World Cup

Yesssss!!!! England is through to the next round after beating Slovenia 1-0 last night. And yes, things can only get better as what the fans' banner says. Image courtesy of The Star..

Go England Go!

Ivanovic to play in his first World Cup

Thanks to guest sports blogger Aakar Paschal.

Although I am from India, I lived much of my life in Serbia, which is why I am rooting for them in the world cup. Branislav Ivanovic now a first team regular for the Serbian national team is looking to play in his first ever world cup. The twenty six year old defender has firmly established himself as first team player and is looking to hold the Serbian defense together in group D.

The six foot two central defender was in the Premier League Team of the year in 2010 with Chelsea FC. This is a major honor and award. The center back has also been an instrumental part of Chelsea's squad that has captured the 2010 English Premier League and FA cup. Ivanovic has been in excellent form for the Blues and was a top scoring defender in the UEFA Champions League. The strong center back is expected to partner with Nemaja Vidic to form a powerful defense and shut down opposing teams. Vidic, Ivanovic, and another Central Defender Subotic are some of the highest scoring defenders in Europe. These three players are like walls in the heart of the Serbian defense and are dangerous during set pieces. With younger players around him, Ivanovic is expected to take a leading role in the team.

I have watched Ivanovic play in the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, and must say he is a top class defender. Strength, positioning, heading, and scoring off set pieces are some of his feats. He is well disciplined, times his challenges well, and is a very good passer. All of these traits make Ivanovic a fearsome foe to come up against. I will be looking at him closely during Serbia's match with Australia, and Germany on Satellite TV. Ivanovic is one of my favorite defenders and players from Chelsea FC, a club which I support. I’m glad I found such good satellite tv indian channels so that I can watch all the games from my home in Mumbai. Let's go Ivanovic and Serbia! Impress during your first world cup!

England's Goalkeeper Blunder

Sigh.......Robert Green - England's Robert Green fails to save a shot by US's Clint Dempsey during the World Cup Group C match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg,

Image Source: The Star

FIFA World Cup 2010 fever has begun..

Check out World Cup 2014 in Brazil!


It's World Cup day! Excitement is at fever pitch everywhere even as dawn breaks over South Africa..

I opened up Google.com a while back and guess what I found. Google is a good source when it comes to commemorating events old and new. The Google icon for today is the FIFA World Cup which incidentally is the day the matches will begin. The first game will start at 10pm, KL time but before that, there is the Opening ceremony which promises to be a show like no other, being held in the continent of Africa for the first time.

The first FIFA World Cup™ on the African continent may be scheduled to kick off on 11 June 2010 but the event began in earnest the night before with the inaugural FIFA World Cup™ Kick-off Celebration Concert.

Billed as the greatest entertainment event to-date in Africa, the concert was staged at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg and featured musical performances by international superstars in collaboration with major African artists, as well as football legends from the past and the present, as well as celebrities from other fields.

The Artists of
The Kick-Off Celebration Concert
Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg
Thursday 10 June 2010:

Alicia Keys
Angelique Kidjo
Amadou & Mariam
Black Eyed Peas
Blk Jks
Freshlyground
Hugh Masekela
John Legend
Juanes
K'Naan
Mzansi Youth Choir
Shakira
Soweto Gospel Choir
The Parlotones
Tinariwen
Vieux Farka Toure
Vusi Mahlasela






World Cup enthusiasts will no doubt be familiar with the match schedule. Match 1 will be between South Africa (but of course) and Mexico slated to begin at 10pm KL time or right after the opening ceremony.

Here's a screenshot of the matches. Click image to enlarge.

Here's where you can access the complete match schedule.

If you are one of those lucky people attending the Opening and want to know more about ticketing info, this FAQ may be helpful.


Like all events, safety and security are a key concern. FIFA has laid down a number of rules which govern what fans can bring into the 10 stadiums which will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

A general list of prohibited items have been listed in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup Fan Guide and signage at the stadiums will remind fans of what they can and cannot bring into the stadium but there are a few other important points that they will have to take note of.

Here is the full list of prohibited items for the stadiums:

* No weapons.
* No bottles, cups, jugs or cans.
* No recording of sound images or footage other than for private use.
* No alcohol or drugs.
* No racist or xenophobic material eg t-shirts or flags.
* No entering the pitch or area around the pitch.
* No banners or flags larger than 2m x 1.5m.
* No promotional or commercial material.
* No umbrellas.
* No motorcycle helmets.
* No food or drink.
* No gas, spray cans, corrosives or anything that could cause fire.
* No fireworks.
* No standing on seats.
* No excessive noise; megaphone, hooters or gas powered horns. Vuvuzelas are allowed. Kuduzelas are not allowed.
* No selling of goods or tickets.
* No animals.
* No transmitting or broadcasting of sound, pictures, descriptions or results of the events via the Internet or other forms of media.
* No objects which could compromise public safety.
* No big objects which cannot be stowed under the seat.

Once inside the stadium there are a few guidelines which fans should follow:

* Produce your ticket when asked to do so
* Only sit in the seat indicated on your ticket
* Co-operate during security inspections
* Stay out of restricted areas within the stadium
* Keep all access stairways and emergency exists clear at all times
* Only smoke in designated areas
* Co-operate when asked to move to seats other than those allocated for security reasons

Stadiums will be open 3 hours before prior to the kick off time for matches 2-63. The stadiums for match 64 will open 4 hours prior to the kick off time. For the opening match the gates at Soccer City will be open from 10am. Fans are encouraged to be seated for the opening ceremony by 1pm. The ceremony starts at 2pm.


If you're already in South Africa or Cape Town to be precise, and could do with some info going to the opening, this article from the FIFA website, All you need to know about Match Day 1, will be helpful.

For those of us looking forward to watching the Opening live in Kuala Lumpur, quick go on home before 8pm when all that Opening action will begin. The ceremony starts at 2pm local time and Cape Town being GMT+2 or 6 hours behind KL, 8pm is the time you want to be seated in front of your telly.

Enjoy! Do we say, Happy World Cup? Oh well..

Btw, if you're on Twitter and are interested in getting short updates and realtime reportings, follow FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter @seppblatter, for his views and opinions throughout South Africa 2010.


Source: FiFA.com