2010 German Grand Prix - Team Orders Overshadow Ferrari's German Dominance

Ferrari returned to winning ways at yesterday’s German Grand Prix for the first time in four months, but in doing so, have produced the controversy and dismay that Grand Prix racing just doesn’t need.  Spaniard Fernando Alonso was handed the victory on a plate, after team-mate Felipe Massa was told by the Italian team to move aside and give up the lead on lap 48 of the 67 lap race.  It was a reminder of darker times for a sport that has enjoyed a brilliant renaissance in recent times, gripped by the in-house fighting at Red Bull Racing and the form of the British drivers at McLaren.

Ferrari spelt their intent throughout the weekend, and never looked like being beaten once they zipped past the slow-starting Sebastian Vettel off the grid.  For the second successive race, Vettel made a sluggish getaway from pole position and then did the best he could in pinning Alonso into the pit wall.  This opened the door for Massa to cruise into the lead.  On the softer of the two tyre compounds, Felipe looked to have the measure of his team-mate, but once on the harder tyre, Alonso reeled him in.  Through the traffic on lap 21, Alonso attacked into the Turn 6 hairpin, Massa repelled with some feisty defensive driving, which did not impress his team leader, who radioed in by saying – “This is ridiculous.”

Massa pulled away again, but by then, the Scuderia had already made their mind up and his fate was sealed.  On the first anniversary of his near-fatal crash in qualifying for last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the hard-working Brazilian was to be robbed of a deserved success, his first since the heartbreak of losing the title in the dying seconds of Brazil 2008.  Alonso closed back into Massa, who then received this message from his race engineer Rob Smedley on Lap 47.

“Okay….Fernando is faster than you, can you confirm you understood this.”

A lap later, Massa obliged on the exit of the hairpin, though no doubt with a face like thunder underneath his crash helmet.  A remorseful and hurtful Smedley felt as bad as his driver did, having to bite his teeth underneath his general feelings for the team, with this coded message.

“Okay….good boy, stick to it now – sorry!”

The team’s stance is that Massa let Alonso through on his own accord, though we do struggle to believe this viewpoint.  So do the stewards, who fined Ferrari $100,000 for breaching sporting regulations.  Team orders are banned, and have been since the fiasco of Austria 2002, when Rubens Barrichello slowed on the start-finish straight to allow Michael Schumacher past to win, with metres of that race remaining.  The World Motorsport Council has referred the incident back to them, so Ferrari could face a backlash further than the initial implications.

Elsewhere, in a dull and stale race, Vettel finished 3^rd, whilst the McLaren’s kept their championship advantages with 4^th and 5^th for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.  Mark Webber started 4^th, but fell to 6^th at the end, hobbled by high oil temperatures throughout.  The rest of the cast were lapped, with the remaining scraps shared out between the two Renault cars (Robert Kubica in 7^th and Vitaly Petrov in 10^th) and the below-par Mercedes cars (Nico Rosberg languishing in 8^th and another lacklustre performance from the fallen hero, Michael Schumacher who finished a distant 9^th.)  The only other notable event came on lap one, when Toro Rosso took a leaf out of Red Bull’s copybook – when Jaime Alguesuari assaulted Sebastian Buemi at the hairpin, leaving the Spaniard limping back to the pits with no front wing, and Buemi out of the race, his car with no rear wing.

Ferrari is back, and in Hockenheim, sent a strong message to Red Bull Racing and McLaren.  However, their tactics have startled many and left the fans feeling cheated out of a strong wheel-to-wheel battle between two fine drivers.  The fall-out is bound to drag on into the Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest, which is just one week away.

Muttiah Makes Cricket History

Last Thursday, one of the legends in the game of Cricket bowed out of the arena, and in absolutely fantastic and flamboyant fashion.  In his final test match, Muttiah Muralitharan took the final wicket of Pragyan Ojha to become the first player to reach a staggering 800 Test wickets.

Muralitharan, possibly the greatest spinner in Cricket history was carried off the ground by his Sri Lankan team-mates, as they celebrated a tremendous test victory in Galle.  Muttiah started the test on 792 wickets, needing eight more to set a record that is more than likely never to be beaten.  On the milestone, Muralitharan said this:

“Thanks to my wife and family for their support.  To my team-mates, past and present, to the cricket board and officials and the public of Sri Lanka.  Thank you for supporting me all through these 19 years.”

Muralitharan is now the greatest wicket-taker, in both the one-day internationals and Test Cricket scene.  His bowling action has been questioned in the past, but has been cleared twice by the ICC (International Cricket Council).

He sits well above the great Australian spinner Shane Warne, who took 708 wickets and India’s Anil Kumble, who claimed 619 Test victims.  Some may have questioned his actions, others may say 25% of his wickets came against the more inferior sides such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, but despite the controversy, what he did with the ball is amazing.  We may never see the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan again.

Facebook Reaches The 500 Million Mark

On Wednesday, the king of the social networking battle, Facebook announced that it had reached the milestone of having 500million members on its site, just six years after it was set-up in a University room.  This means that nearly 10% of the worldwide population have Facebook available to them.  Last January, it still had only 150million members, so it has had a massive increase in the last eighteen months.  This is despite the rise to the fore of Twitter, though the almost complete dismantlement of Bebo and MySpace must have helped Facebook’s healthy figures.

The inventor of Facebook back in February 2004, Mark Zuckerburg believes that Facebook will have one billion users worldwide within the next five years.  Despite increasing concerns about the publication of personal information and complaints from some over the lack of privacy settings, Facebook’s popularity continues to soar.  The advanced competition continues to give Facebook many more challenges to overcome in the future.  Its delay in placing a child panic button on the site has received a lot of criticism, but that still seems not to be putting people off signing up for the fun features Facebook provides, such as Farmville, SuperPoke, Social Interview and Facebook Chat. 

Recent figures also have come out; suggest that Facebook is now getting more web visits on a daily basis, than the No.1 search provider, Google.  This could provide a major headache for advertisers looking to sell their products, now that Google is being outdone at its own game.  There is continued talk that Google are planning to break onto the social networking craze, though they refuse to comment on such frenzied speculation.    

Despite some who have their fears, Facebook continues to rule the networking area in the world and it is going to have to take something really special to knock it off its perch as top of the class.

Free-To-Air Sports TV List Deferred

A decision on the future of free-to-air sport television events to be shown in the future, including home England Ashes Test matches has been deferred until the completion of the UK digital switchover in 2013. 

In November 2009, an independent review was recommended, led by the former chief executive of the FA, David Davies.  On the proposed list, the Winter Olympics, rugby league’s Challenge Cup final and the Epsom Derby would disappear from the free-to-air list, with the Rugby World Cup, England’s World Cup qualification matches and the Ashes would be added.  At the time, the panel also recommended a secondary list of protected events, which must have highlights available as free-to-air, to be abolished.  The delayed announcement which was made on Wednesday means that the current list, last drawn up in 1998 will remain the same for the short-term at least.  This means, that Sky are likely to still hold onto the 2013 home Ashes series.  The last terrestrial broadcaster to hold live Ashes cricket on free-to-air was Channel 4 back in 2005.

It is caused a lot of concern and talk about the future of many sports.  For now at least, things will not change:

PROPOSED LISTED SPORTING EVENTS (As made by the panel in November 2009)

Olympic Games
FIFA World Cup finals
UEFA European Championship finals
Grand National
FA Cup final
Scottish FA Cup
Home and away football qualifiers for World Cup and European Championship Wimbledon Championship
Open golf championship
Cricket's home Ashes Test matches
Rugby World Cup

CURRENT LISTED SPORTING EVENTS (Last changed back in 1998)

Group A (Full live coverage protected)

Olympic Games
FIFA World Cup finals
European Football Championship finals
FA Cup final
Scottish FA Cup final (protected in Scotland)
Grand National Epsom Derby
Wimbledon tennis finals Rugby League Challenge Cup Final
Rugby World Cup final

Group B (Highlights only on free-to-air TV)

This secondary list would be scrapped.

England's home cricket Test matches
Other matches, excluding finals, at Wimbledon Championships
Other matches, excluding final, at Rugby World Cup
Six Nations matches involving home countries
Commonwealth Games
World Athletics Championships
Cricket World Cup - final, semi-finals and matches involving home nations
Ryder Cup
Open golf championship

Disgraced Canadian Mogul Set For Release

The shamed former editor of the Daily Telegraph, Conrad Black looks set to be released from jail, after being granted bail, in his efforts to appeal against a conviction for multi-million pound fraud.  The Canadian billionaire was found guilty of stealing from the now defunct media holding company Hollinger in 2007 and trying to cover up his crimes.  If the 65-year old is released, he will have served less than half of his sentence in jail, having begun it in March 2008.

Black has applied immediately for his release after justices of the Supreme Court in America ruled last month that the law used to convict him on three charges of fraud was too lax.  He now awaits his fate, as another area of court in America will decide whether to quash his convictions.  Conrad Black was born in Montreal in 1944 and bought his first newspaper at the tender age of 22.  In 1986, he took over as owner of The Daily Telegraph and set them up as the first UK newspaper to go electronic on the Internet, in 1994.  Two years later, his holding group, Hollinger’s was placed on the New York Stock Exchange.  Known for his swagger lifestyle and the ability to mix it in with top celebrities, Black had it all, a real challenger to Rupert Murdoch’s domination of the media sector, certainly in the press industry.  However, like Murdoch’s previous challenger, Robert Maxwell, it turned out that Black had built up his empire on lies and deception. 

It started in June 2003, when he agreed to an internal investigation into payments to himself and other directors of Hollinger.  Once complete, he resigned as chief executive and sold his Daily Telegraph titles to the Barclay Brothers for £665million.  What followed next was attack and counter attacks of court threats, suing for defamation and allegations of fraud, made by Hollinger International.  In October 2004, a US court cleared Black of a $1.2billion suit brought by Hollinger International, but when former chairman of the company, David Radler pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against other in the alleged fraud in September 2005, the game was up.  Black and three associates were charged two months later and after a four month trial, he was found guilty of criminal fraud and obstruction of justice in July 2007.  He got a lenient sentence, six-and-a-half year jail term, when the maximum penalty could have been 35 years. 

Appeals have followed since, with Black always maintaining he did nothing wrong with any of his questionable business dealings.  Whatever the case, his image will be tarnished forever, even if he manages to weasel his way out of his convictions.  Many will hope the disgraced Canadian doesn’t come anyway near a competitive and thriving media industry once he gets released from jail.        

Another Example of The Dangers in Motorsport

Motorsport will always be dangerous, no matter what anyone says that it might not be, and a recent spate of accidents would agree with this fact.  The latest escapade took place at the familiar Kent circuit, Brands Hatch on Sunday afternoon.

Francisco Carvalho was competing in the second of the day’s races in the SEAT Eurocup Series, a support event for the main action, the FIA World Touring Car Championship.  On the 7^th lap out of sixteen, Carvalho was in a dice for sixth place, when he had contact with another car.  His vehicle smashed into a guardrail barrier and then somersaulted into the air.  Terrifyingly, it continued rolling, and looped over the barrier.  It headed for a group of track marshals and photographers, who had to scurry all of a sudden for their lives.  Carvalho’s car landed in a crumbled heap, yards away from a safety truck.  The race was stopped, but amazingly, Carvalho escaped unharmed from the shunt, with later tests diagnosing a minor gash to his right knee!  Luckily, none of the safety marshals and track officials was struck by the car, or by flying debris and once the shock was absorbed, helped Carvalho away from his wreck and into the back of an ambulance. 

It is nearly a year since Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was struck on the head by a flying spring from another car during qualifying for last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.  At Brands exactly a year ago, a loose wheel from another car struck F2 racer Henry Surtees on the head, killing him.  Of late, Mike Conway walked away with a broken leg, after a terrifying shunt in the closing stages of the Indy 500.  Mark Webber emerged unhurt from a 196mph somersault at last month’s European Grand Prix and Nigel Mansell took a nasty bang to his head, when a tyre exploded at last month’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

We must be thankful that no-one got hurt again, and it is a testament to how strong and brittle these machines are nowadays and the safety elements that have taken place since Ayrton Senna’s tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.  Francisco Carvalho and many of the marshals at Brands Hatch can count themselves lucky and so can motorsport, for a spate of recent shunts which have seen little damage to the pilots involved.  

      

Goldtrail Collapses, Increasing The Travel Industry's Bleak Year

The doom and gloom for the travel industry in 2010 increased at the weekend, with the collapse of British tour operator, Goldtrail.

Goldtrail, based in south-west London went into administration on Friday afternoon, leaving 16,000 customers overseas and stuck in their efforts to return home.  The company specialised in low-cost flights to Turkey and Greece.  The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has confirmed that there would be no more flights going out underneath the organisation and that it was doing what it could to get stranded passengers home to the UK. 

The collapse of the company, established just before the end of the 20^th century is a mid-sized operator that didn’t specialise with any particular airline, unlike many of their rivals such as Ryanair and Easyjet.  Goldtrail instead earned their money by booking seats on charter airlines like Saga and Viking Airways.  The summer plans of approximately 50,000 holidaymakers now look to be in ruins. 

The CAA is doing what they can to cope with the situation, and has said that flights home from Turkey shouldn’t be affected.  However, those in Greece should be warned that changes are likely to occur and to double-check with local representatives at airports of the future plans.

Despite knowing of their troubles, many customers travelling with Goldtrail were only told of the company’s flight late on Friday night.  Mark McLay arrived at Glasgow airport on Friday night at 8.45pm, for a flight to Turkey with his girlfriend.  However, he was not told of the company’s demise until the early hours of Saturday, long after they had already checked in.  He told the BBC News Website of his frustration:

“At 1am, we were called together and told over the Tannoy that Goldtrail had gone into administration, that we would not be flying and we would be escorted out of the building.”  “One woman was crying and it was bad for the families, although everyone took it as well as could be expected.”

For several months, there has been intense speculation that Goldtrail was on verge of extinction.  The CAA has predicted that smaller tour operators, who don’t have the funds to attract customers, advertising exposure and package deals may find it incredibly hard to survive.  Last year, the company appeared in a BBC Watchdog consumer affairs programme and feedback of late has not been very encouraging.  One comment on a travel website described the experience of travelling with Goldtrail to Turkey as a “holiday from hell!”

Although their demise has been widely reported, I feel sorry for those whose plans have been affected, and it is just another painstaking blow for an industry, which has had a horrific 2010, dealing with adverse weather conditions, the volcanic ash shutdown in Iceland over Easter and pointless strikes from British Airways cabin crew. 

Goldtrail customers can call the CAA on 0203 4410846 for more information.

Robbie Returns To Take That - A Mistake Or A Wise Move?

On Thursday night, the worst secret is music was revealed, as after fifteen years and constant speculation over whether it might happen, Robbie Williams will return to Take That.  They will work together on a new album for the band, due to be released around Christmas time, and go on tour together next year.

Williams quit the band fifteen years ago, after a row with the manager of Take That, and various disagreements with the other band members.  Now, he will be reunited with the Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange for the first time since they record the No.1 song ‘Nobody Else,’ back in 1995.

All five singers have written the songs for the new album, which is due for release in late November.  Their first appearance back on stage together came last September in New York, shortly after Take That’s ‘The Circus Live’ tour.  Since then, speculation has intensified about a proper reunion, which included Robbie and Gary working together on Simon Cowell’s charity single ‘Everybody Hurts,’ for the Haiti earthquake appeal.

Take That spilt back in March 1996, having been the heartthrobs for many girls during the 90’s.  Songs such ‘A Million Love Songs’ and ‘Relight My Fire,’ got the pulses racing of many girls, and won critical acclaim from music experts.  They reformed in 2005, and have gone on to even further success, with three No.1’s (Shine, Patience & Rule the World) and two sell-out tours.  Robbie Williams has also gone onto great success as a solo artist, releasing ‘Bodies’ last year, adding to his growing collection of unstoppable hits from the past, including ‘Millennium,’ ‘Angels,’ and ‘Rock DJ.’  This year, Williams won the Outstanding Music Contribution award at the BRITS.  Since leaving Take That, he has eight UK albums released.

Fellow band mate Mark Owen told the BBC of his delight at Robbie’s return.

“Getting the five of us to be in a room together, although always a dream, never actually seemed like becoming a reality.”  “Now the reality of the five of us making a record together feels like a dream.”  “It’s been an absolute delight spending time with Rob again.  But I’m still a better footballer!”

It is still unclear whether this is a temporary reunion, or a permanent move.  It could have a major impact on the fortunes of both Take That and Robbie Williams future careers.  Having been a big fan of Take That myself in the 1990’s, I generally hope this move works for both parties, but can’t help feel that this is a major gamble that has been taken.

World Cup 2010 Review

Seven days have passed since the closing of the greatest show on earth.  The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa provided plenty of drama.  Over 140 goals in 64 matches, with some giants of the game found wanting, stars of the international game flopping dramatically and some fairytale stories, that would capture the imagination of any World Cup fanatic fan.  This is my comprehensive review of the tournament, picking out twenty moments that made this World Cup stand out, both off and on the pitch.

All the Fears Were Unnecessary

There was a lot of anticipation, but also fear in the build-up to Africa’s big moment.  It was reported that terrorists were planning to attack the England v USA group match in Rustenberg, and after what had happened to the Togo national team in Angola, when they were ambushed at January’s Africa Cup of Nations, there were always going to be increasing concerns about the safety of fans, players, the worldwide press and local South Africans.  Thankfully, these fears totally turned out to be no more than threats.  Despite the odd issue, such as a match steward’s strike and a pre-tournament fan crush before a Nigeria game in the days leading up to the spectacular, but overall, South Africa 2010 turned into a rousing success.  Travel was hardly an issue, tickets sold on the black market were eliminated and hooliganism simply did not exist.  It was a carnival for the fans, and a pleasing success for the tournament’s organisers. 

The England Failure, But Who Was To Blame?

We can talk about this for years to come.  Quite frankly, I’m fairly bored of the entire topic, but I do feel I should express my viewpoint before shutting up on this issue for good.  Fabio Capello made some massive tactical blunders during the tournament.  For example, no back-up plan if the team got into trouble, the goalkeeper situation – as he had no idea who to earmark as a No.1 and telling the team two hours before a crucial match who would start.  However, although the buck must stop with Capello, the team must take some of the stick too.  Wayne Rooney was hopelessly unfit and useless; Emile Heskey looked like Bambi, not an international striker.  Robert Green needs to learn how to catch a football, it’s not hard – whilst Steven Gerrard lacked the passion he shows week in, week out in a Liverpool shirt.  Even the energetic Ashley Cole looked a yard short all throughout the finals.  John Terry aside, the passion for the shirt must be called into question for these failures.  This generation has had its chance, TWICE!  They have blown it and now, its time for the youth to get a crack at the whip.  Sadly, I don’t think England has much chance in the international game, unless the fundamentals dramatically change.

The ‘Woe Cup’ on ITV

When ITV decided to ditch Formula One at the end of 2008, to entirely focus on Football, it seemed like a risky, but successful move.  Two years on, Michael Grade might well be regretting that move.  Yes, the studio base, just outside Soccer City was top-notch as was the theme music – ‘When You Come Back,’ by Vusi Mahlasela, which is the best football theme I’ve heard since the legendary ‘Nessum Dorma,’ by Pavarotti for BBC’s coverage of Italia 90 and Marcel Desailly was a charismatic and passionate pundit.  However, that is where all the positives end.  Taking a commercial break seconds before Steven Gerrard’s opener for England v USA in Rustenberg was a blunder of the first magnitude.  Robbie Earle was sent home in disgrace, for a ticketing scam, whilst Adrian Chiles truly proved that he is not cut out for live television.  He should just stick to GMTV; at least Steve Rider knows what he is talking about.  Craig Burley’s commentator voice is more suited to funerals, whilst Gareth Southgate forgetting who Holland were playing in the semi-finals just about summed it all up.  This was a nightmare World Cup for ITV, and one they will need to forget very quickly.  Their reputation has taken another battering, and they still have the FA Cup and Champions League rights.  This concerns me a lot.

Diego Maradona – What a Character!

Diego Maradona may have his fans, and those who will never forgive him for the ‘Hand of God,’ in 1986.  However, no-one can diminish his passion and love for the game of football.  His story was remarkable, and it was a largely happy and united Argentina camp throughout South Africa 2010.  Once again, they played the best football in the group stages – dismantling South Korea and missing a hatful of chances to overcome Nigeria.  Defensively, there were concerns, but with the attacking prowess of Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, Martin Palermo and Lionel Messi, these errors could be easily covered up in the early exchanges.  However, when it came to the crunch, Germany exposed Argentina’s weaknesses to the fore, leaving a nation in tears.  Maradona has been offered a new four-year deal to stay on as manager and I hope he does, because his gestures and passion from the touchline was one of the stand-out moments of the finals.

The Jabulani – The Worst Football in History!

Receiving a lot of criticism throughout the tournament was the Jabulani football used for the sixty-four matches.  Quite simply, it is the worst football to have ever created.  Goalkeepers found it difficult to control, midfielders couldn’t dribble as much as they would have liked to and when it came to free-kicks, there was more chance of the football ending in orbit, rather than the back of the net.  Diego Forlan and Japan aside, no-one seemed to be able to cope with the Jabulani from a dead ball situation and although the negativity in some of the opening games was painful to watch, the ball didn’t help matters.  I hope the makers of the Jabulani, Adidas are hanging their heads in shame.  Let’s hope Nike get an exclusive FIFA contract for the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Why Did So Many Superstars Flop On The Greatest Show On Earth?

That is a question that will be difficult to answer, was it the dreaded Jabulani? Were they tired after a long, tiring domestic and international season?  Do the lack the passion for the international game?  Whatever the answer maybe, Kaka, Samuel Eto’o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney all flopped horrendously at this World Cup.  Rooney limped throughout the finals, Eto’o simply didn’t step up to the plate for a failing Cameroon, which suggested major friction between him and the now former coach, Paul Le Guen.  Kaka was unluckily sent off against the Ivory Coast, but continued where he left off for Real Madrid, playing poorly.  Ronaldo did score against North Korea, but was left a frustrated and forlorn figure as Portugal played defensively in three of the four matches they competed in.  Drogba was nursing a shoulder injury during the group stages, meaning his physical advantages in his game could not be used and Torres lacked form and match sharpness, which culminated in him being dropped from the semi-final onwards.  So, why did so many superstars flop on the greatest show on earth?  The answer is several reasons, but the main reason is – they just didn’t perform when the chips were down.

Germany – A Joy to Watch

The Germans are normally associated as a team that grinds out results to make the showpiece events.  This wasn’t the case in South Africa.  The team played with flair, fluidity and showed no fear whatsoever.  Yes, Serbia did surprise them in the group stages in Port Elizabeth, but that was largely on a bad day for Joachim Low’s side, when nothing went right.  They blitzed Australia and ripped apart England and Argentina in the knockout stages.  Only a well-drilled Spain crushed their dream in the semi-final.  However, the likes of Meszut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Thomas Muller are here to stay, and with such an impressive young unit, Germany could well dominate the international game for at least the next five years.

FIFA Embarrassed With The Lack of Technology – Surely It Must Be Used Now?

Six minutes before half-time in Bloemfontein and Frank Lampard hits a cute chip, that beat Manuel Neuer in the Germany goal, and drags England back to 2-2 in their last sixteen encounter.  However, it wasn’t given – as the incident was missed by the hopeless Uruguayan officials.  Television replays confirmed what we had all previously thought – the ball had gone miles over the line.  I personally hope Sepp Blatter, who can’t stand the use of technology, was squirming in his seat.  Later that night, the Italian officials awarded a goal to Argentina’s Carlos Tevez against Mexico, despite him being at least five yards offside.  England and Mexico were the unlucky ones this time, with the lack of technology.  Surely FIFA and the game in general must use the equipment and resources available to them; otherwise there will be a lot more hard luck stories to be heard of in the future.

Italy – A Tournament Too Far For the Ageing Champions

Italy came into these finals playing down their expectations.  However, everyone expected them to cruise through a group consisting of debutants Slovakia, inconsistent Paraguay and the ‘amateurs’ from New Zealand.  However, the defending champions made a limp start, drawing 1-1 with Paraguay in Cape Town.  It set the tone for their tournament, always having to come from behind to save themselves.  Eventually, it caught up with them, as Slovakia punished them to maximum effect in one of the best games of the tournament on June 24^th.  Injuries didn’t help, with Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon playing less than ninety minutes between them, but it was a tournament too far for the ageing champions.  The Azzuri were dethroned, and left with egg on their face.  Finishing behind New Zealand, a country that doesn’t even have a professional league is staggering!  Thank goodness England didn’t end up as bad as they did; this could well be the end of a golden Italian generation.

The Vuvuzela – The New Feature of Football Sound

The controversial and very noisy ‘vuvuzela’ made their debut in the World Cup finals and whether it has taken onto the European game in the next season remains to be seen.  In the early games, the sound was just plain annoying, sounding like a ‘swarm of bees.’  In the later stages, they just added to the occasion.  I hope they don’t turn up in the Premiership next season, and can see a ban being imposed if they were.  However, they added to the atmosphere and the drama of World Cup 2010, and if that’s how the Africans like to appreciate their football – let them embrace it in their own style.

France – Disgraced and Defeated

The worldwide media were predicting either a France team that could cause a surprise, or most likely pick the self-destruct option.  Unsurprisingly, they chose the latter option.  A dull goalless draw with Uruguay in their opener set the tone for a flimsy and pathetic tournament.  Coach Raymond Domenach couldn’t control the squad, and on the touchline against Mexico, really couldn’t care less about what happened out on the pitch.  Playing left-back Eric Abidal in centre-half must be one of the most ridiculous tactical decisions I have seen in my life.  Thierry Henry was a frustrated spectator throughout, who could only laugh at the fracas.  Temperamental Nicolas Anelka was sent home for a blazing row with Domenach, and then the team refused to train, in support of the Chelsea striker.  Captain Patrice Evra was dropped for the final group game, and behaved like a dog all throughout the shameful episode.  To be honest, a 6-year old could control the team better than Domenach, and they got what they deserved – eliminated with 1 point, 1 goal and flying home in economy class! France were disgraced and defeated and Laurent Blanc has got some job in reviving their fortunes. 

Negative Football Is a Disappointment

The amount of negativity from some teams was a real disappointment to witness.  Argentina and Germany were the only total attacking sides, out of the main superpowers throughout the finals.  The early games were punctured, with some very tedious games – many totally afraid to lose their opening game.  The main concern was the lack of attacking intent from some on display, which was very disappointing to see.  However, these results don’t win you tournaments.  Both Japan and Portugal paid the price in the knockout stages and likewise, Greece and Ivory Coast in the group stages.  So, it was good to see more attacking styles from most in the knockout stages onwards.

Chile – Full of Thrills and Entertainment

Chile arrived at these finals believing in themselves.  However, they were written off by many as a side just there to make up the numbers.  Driven on by a flag at their training camp, in remembrance of those who perished in the devastating earthquake in the country at the beginning of March, their thrilling football was a joy to watch.  Marcelo Biesla knows how to play attacking football, and it paid off against Honduras and Switzerland, with two devastating attacking displays, even though the 1-0 scorelines don’t suggest this.  Sadly, their tendency to go forward left them exposed against better opposition in the form of Brazil and Spain, but with a talented young squad, like Carlos Carmona, Alexis Sanchez and Matias Fernandez, Chile could well be a major threat in major competitions in the coming years.  They won a lot of fans, including myself for the fluid approach to the game at these finals.

Howard Webb – A Very Successful Tournament

England may have flopped miserably on the world stage, but Howard Webb’s reputation increased massively, with his well-disciplined approach to the games he refereed.  His performances in his three preliminary games (Spain v Switzerland, Slovakia v Italy and Brazil v Chile) were exemplary.  Full credit also must go out to his assistants, Darren Can and Mike Malarkey too for their eagle eyes, when it came to tight offside calls.  Some will question his performance in the final, but any referee would have struggled to control that match last week, and I thought he handled the situation very well actually.  He deserved to get the final in the first place, and it wasn’t a disastrous performance either.  At least England did have a finalist in the end.

The Hand of Luis Suarez

In the dying stages of a pulsating quarter-final in Soccer City, Ajax striker Luis Suarez showed that his goalkeeping ability is second to none.  The Uruguayan hitman deliberately handled on the line, to deny Ghana a last-gasp winner in extra-time.  Rightly, Suarez was dismissed for his actions, but Asamoah Gyan went on to smack the bar with his spot kick.  Suarez’s reaction afterwards was very unsportsmanlike, but his efforts had helped Uruguay win a surprising semi-final place.  The incident wasn’t very sporting, but if that was replayed 99 times out of 100, he and many others would have done exactly the same.  Though his actions robbed Ghana out of a semi-final berth, it was an instinctive reaction, not deliberate cheating.

The African Continent Disappoints

Despite Ghana’s fairytale run to the quarter-finals, Africa’s entries disappointed at these finals, and showed that the continent still has some way to go, if they want to challenge the heavyweights of Europe and South America in the near future.  Nigeria and Cameroon were major letdowns, and are living far too long on former glories.  Algeria always were at the finals for the party and nothing more, the Ivory Coast were in a horrible group, yet had their chances to punish Portugal’s lack of ambition, but didn’t take them.  In the end, despite the expected early elimination, the hosts did very well in the circumstances.  They beat a disorganised French unit and probably should have beaten Mexico in the tournament opener.  Had it not been for a more wooden display against Uruguay, they might well have escaped Group A.  However, they left their home tournament on a high and far from disgraced.  What the African champions Egypt could have done, no-one really knows, but apart from the Ghana drama, it was a disappointing conclusion once more for the host continent.

Paul the ‘Psychic’ Octopus

Despite being 6,000 miles away from South Africa, Paul the ‘Psychic’ 8-legged octopus has become a star overnight and left football pundits shaking in their boots.  Their jobs at predicting the games are suddenly under intensifying threat.  He got all his predictions right, including an early Italy elimination, Argentina’s quarter-final defeat and a Spain World Cup win.  Well done Paul, you are a legend!

Holland Scrape Through, Then Lose Their Heads

Previous Dutch sides have a reputation for their camp to be split down the middle, between two units and for their football to be explosive, but lacking the rewards it deserves.  This time around, the Dutch showed a grittier side to their game, and a more determined steel which their coach has created.  Apart from a super second-half display to eliminate the Brazilians in the last eight, Holland missed the usual ‘Total Football,’ tag that is normally associated with this country.  Sadly in the final, they decided to kick their opponents, rather than attempt to outscore them.  Their tactics were dirty, unnecessary and won themselves no plaudits.  It was a good result for football then, to see the team that actually wanted to play football, win the World Cup.

Spain Finally Fulfil Their Potential

After years of underachievement and failure, Spain has finally produced the goods, when it matters most.  When they lost their opener to Switzerland in Durban on June 16^th, it left them on the brink and many questioning, whether this crop of players was going to go down the same route that many predecessors had managed.  Instead, they managed to grind themselves into the last four, with sketchy performances against Paraguay and Portugal, yet produce moments of inspiration that got them through.  Against Germany and Holland, they played the better football in both games, and that makes them worthy champions.  Congratulations to Vicente Del Bosque and his men on achieving this well-deserved success.

The Awards

A brief word on some of the awards I would give out for the 2010 FIFA World Cup:

Player of the Tournament:                          Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Young Player of the Tournament:               Thomas Muller (Germany)

Golden Boot Winner:                                Thomas Muller (Germany)

Golden Glove:                                           Manuel Neuer (Germany)

Best Defender:                                          Carlos Puyol (Spain)

Best Midfielder:                                        Wesley Snejider (Holland)

Team of the Tournament:     Manuel Neuer (Germany), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arne Friedrich (Germany), Carlos Puyol (Spain), Fabio Coentrao (Portugal), Andreas Iniesta (Spain), Wesley Snejider (Holland), Meszut Ozil (Germany), Thomas Muller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

SUBS: Iker Casillas (Spain), Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland), Andre Anyweu (Ghana), Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Dirk Kuyt (Holland), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Goal of the Tournament:                              1^st: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland v Uruguay)

                                                                                2^nd: Fabio Quagirella (Slovakia v Italy)

                                                                                3^rd: Luis Suarez (Uruguay v South Korea)

Match of the Tournament:                          1^st: Uruguay 1-1 Ghana – Quarter-Final, 2^nd July

                                                                                2^nd: Slovakia 3-2 Italy – Group Stages, 24^th June

                                                                                3^rd: Uruguay 2-3 Germany – 3^rd Place Playoff, 10^th July

Roll on Brazil 2014!