Spain's star striker, Fernando Torres, is having knee surgery today.
He will miss the rest of the English Premier League season, which is a big deal at Liverpool.
But over here in World Cup-land ... what we want do know is this: Will Torres be back for Spain in South Africa 2010?
The answer, cautiously ... is yes. He will be back.
Liverpool's medicos seem to believe he will be back in three to six weeks.
The optimistic prognosis has him training again in the first half of May, in time to catch up with the national team as it prepares for SA2010.
Even the worst-case scenario would have him back in time to play in a World Cup warmup and be ready to go in the Big Event itself.
Spain is so deep, the loss of any one player is not significant. But Torres joins Cesc Fabregas on the injured list, and those are two high-caliber players the Spanish would rather have available.
Spain gets a bit of a break in that it is the last team to get into action. Its first Group H match is June 16, against Switzerland. The tournament opens on June 11, so that gives Torres five extra days to get ready.
Torres has had a rough year. Earlier problems with the same knee, a hernia situation ... it's rough out there.
And he certainly fits the description of "great player we definitely would miss" is he isn't ready to go.
Read more!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
England and the High Altitude Tent
More evidence that the Three Lions camp is getting a bit ahead of itself.
England are (as they say in the UK) planning for high altitude matches at South Africa.
After all, the 2010 World Cup features four stadiums that sit at an altitude in excess of 4,200 feet. (Check the graphic about halfway down the link.)
But know this about "clear path to the semis" England:
Two of England's three Group C matches ... will be played at sea level.
The opener against the Yanks is at 4,900 feet, at Rustenburg. And that might get to the lads, considering England is about as hilly as ... Holland.
But even the Cotswolds tower over Cape Town, the site of Game 2 vs. Algeria, and Port Elizabeth, site of Game 3 vs. Slovenia. The key words in those two towns are "Cape" and "Port". Hello! Sea level, people!
But England is thinking long term here. Countin' chickens/pre-hatch.
When (not if) they win the group and advance to the second round, they would be back at almost-mile-high Rustenburg. Then, after taking care of the runner-up out of Group D (Germany or Serbia, presumably, since we're presuming here, anyway), they would move into the quarterfinals and go up to Johannesburg, at 5,700 feet to play, say, Argentina.
After seeing off Lionel Messi y amigos, the Englishmen get a return to sea level at Cape Town, but the final against Brazil/Spain would be back up at 5,700 feet in Joburg.
So, England is getting ready for altitude.
English players will be sleeping in altitude tents, starting in the next few weeks, to get them ready for the "thin" air of Rustenburg. And the Joburh, of course.
It will all seem quite silly if something odd happens and, say, England doesn't survive Group C.
Maybe, then, those altitude-trained footballers could go up to Joburg and jog briskly around the stadium. for 90 minutes. Just to show how well conditioned they would have been for the quarterfinals and final, had they reached them. Read more!
England are (as they say in the UK) planning for high altitude matches at South Africa.
After all, the 2010 World Cup features four stadiums that sit at an altitude in excess of 4,200 feet. (Check the graphic about halfway down the link.)
But know this about "clear path to the semis" England:
Two of England's three Group C matches ... will be played at sea level.
The opener against the Yanks is at 4,900 feet, at Rustenburg. And that might get to the lads, considering England is about as hilly as ... Holland.
But even the Cotswolds tower over Cape Town, the site of Game 2 vs. Algeria, and Port Elizabeth, site of Game 3 vs. Slovenia. The key words in those two towns are "Cape" and "Port". Hello! Sea level, people!
But England is thinking long term here. Countin' chickens/pre-hatch.
When (not if) they win the group and advance to the second round, they would be back at almost-mile-high Rustenburg. Then, after taking care of the runner-up out of Group D (Germany or Serbia, presumably, since we're presuming here, anyway), they would move into the quarterfinals and go up to Johannesburg, at 5,700 feet to play, say, Argentina.
After seeing off Lionel Messi y amigos, the Englishmen get a return to sea level at Cape Town, but the final against Brazil/Spain would be back up at 5,700 feet in Joburg.
So, England is getting ready for altitude.
English players will be sleeping in altitude tents, starting in the next few weeks, to get them ready for the "thin" air of Rustenburg. And the Joburh, of course.
It will all seem quite silly if something odd happens and, say, England doesn't survive Group C.
Maybe, then, those altitude-trained footballers could go up to Joburg and jog briskly around the stadium. for 90 minutes. Just to show how well conditioned they would have been for the quarterfinals and final, had they reached them. Read more!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Foreign Tourist Numbers: Read 'Em and Weep
More information on the numbers of foreigners expected at South Africa 2010.
They expected/hoped for 450,000. Which would have been grand because it's the foreigners who really hemorrhage cash at a World Cup. Or any global event.
But as we have noted, prices for airfare, lodging, tickets ... were offputting to foreigners. To the nth degree.
Well, and some other issues.
Including crime, race tension and the difficulty in moving around inside South Africa, which is a big country with bad train service, apparently shaky internal airlines and dangerous roads.
So, the number for foreigners ... as low as 100,000? Yikes.
Though Danny Jordaan of the organizing committee is hoping it will crawl up to 300,000. And he seems to be banking on England getting to the semis, triggering a rush of English fans to the Southern Hemisphere in early July.
Well, good luck with that. Though we wouldn't think organizers should be openly cheering for the success of a specific country.
So, it looks as if South Africa may still sell all 2.9 million tickets available ... just not nearly as many as they hoped to those free-spending foreigners. Read more!
They expected/hoped for 450,000. Which would have been grand because it's the foreigners who really hemorrhage cash at a World Cup. Or any global event.
But as we have noted, prices for airfare, lodging, tickets ... were offputting to foreigners. To the nth degree.
Well, and some other issues.
Including crime, race tension and the difficulty in moving around inside South Africa, which is a big country with bad train service, apparently shaky internal airlines and dangerous roads.
So, the number for foreigners ... as low as 100,000? Yikes.
Though Danny Jordaan of the organizing committee is hoping it will crawl up to 300,000. And he seems to be banking on England getting to the semis, triggering a rush of English fans to the Southern Hemisphere in early July.
Well, good luck with that. Though we wouldn't think organizers should be openly cheering for the success of a specific country.
So, it looks as if South Africa may still sell all 2.9 million tickets available ... just not nearly as many as they hoped to those free-spending foreigners. Read more!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Getting It Right with Tickets
It's late. My goodness, yes. What, 500,000 tickets available seven weeks ahead of the World Cup? That's cutting it close.
But Fifa and local organizers finally made tickets available to South Africans at retail outlets around the country, for cash, and they sold briskly.
Interesting journalism concept here: The general report is all upbeat, pretty much, and the internal, South Africa story points out scuffles in lines and a man dying from a heart attack.
But let's give some credit here: The people in charge of this finally are doing what needed to be done to finish selling out stadiums.
To be sure, it hasn't unfolded exactly how Fifa hoped and South African organizers wanted. The hope was for 450,000 foreign visitors for the World Cup, and it now looks as if it will be closer to 200,000.
Blame for that can be spread in several directions: 1) high plane fares to South Africa from ... anywhere; 2) overpriced lodging, especially back when South Africans thought foreigners were coming en masse and they could gouge them; and 3) negative news about crime in South Africa and, of late, political unrest, particularly as it pertains to race.
At the end here, Fifa is selling tickets for $20, which is real money in South African townships but certainly is not in the realm of World Cup soccer.
Thus, the amount of revenue generated from ticket sales will be markedly lower than hoped for or forecast. Planes won't be as full. Hotels will have empty rooms. (Fifa may want to think long and hard before putting the World Cup in another poor country again.)
But, at least, it appears that stadiums will be filled. Reportedly (and Fifa seems to make this stuff up as it goes), 23 matches now are sold out, including the opener, the two semifinals and the final. That's nice. It would have been embarrassing to have empty seats for the championship match of the world's biggest sports events.
We don't have to worry about that, at least. And neither does Fifa ... or local organizers. Read more!
But Fifa and local organizers finally made tickets available to South Africans at retail outlets around the country, for cash, and they sold briskly.
Interesting journalism concept here: The general report is all upbeat, pretty much, and the internal, South Africa story points out scuffles in lines and a man dying from a heart attack.
But let's give some credit here: The people in charge of this finally are doing what needed to be done to finish selling out stadiums.
To be sure, it hasn't unfolded exactly how Fifa hoped and South African organizers wanted. The hope was for 450,000 foreign visitors for the World Cup, and it now looks as if it will be closer to 200,000.
Blame for that can be spread in several directions: 1) high plane fares to South Africa from ... anywhere; 2) overpriced lodging, especially back when South Africans thought foreigners were coming en masse and they could gouge them; and 3) negative news about crime in South Africa and, of late, political unrest, particularly as it pertains to race.
At the end here, Fifa is selling tickets for $20, which is real money in South African townships but certainly is not in the realm of World Cup soccer.
Thus, the amount of revenue generated from ticket sales will be markedly lower than hoped for or forecast. Planes won't be as full. Hotels will have empty rooms. (Fifa may want to think long and hard before putting the World Cup in another poor country again.)
But, at least, it appears that stadiums will be filled. Reportedly (and Fifa seems to make this stuff up as it goes), 23 matches now are sold out, including the opener, the two semifinals and the final. That's nice. It would have been embarrassing to have empty seats for the championship match of the world's biggest sports events.
We don't have to worry about that, at least. And neither does Fifa ... or local organizers. Read more!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tickets for 63 (!) Matches Still Available
With 500,000 tickets to the South Africa 2010 World Cup still unsold ... Fifa is showing some wit here and selling them the way South Africans are most likely to buy them.
Only took Fifa a year to figure this out.
After foreigners didn't buy in the numbers Fifa and organizers expected.
After Fifa insisted on selling the remainder to South Africans over the internet -- when many South Africans have no access to the web.
Did anyone actually think this through?
So, now, retail stores in malls in South Africa will sell World Cup tickets over the counter. For cash.
As the story in the Johannesburg Times notes, South African soccer fans are not always walking around with a major credit card in their pockets. Nor are they likely to buy a year ahead of an event. They don't have that kind of money to send into limbo.
They apparently prefer to buy their tickets late, in cash, and with 500,000 tickets left for an event that begins in barely eight weeks ... maybe it's time for Fifa and local organizers to sell some tickets the way that South African fans are most likely to buy them.
The most shocking stat in the story? The contention that tickets still remain on sale for every match of the tournament, aside from the final.
Yes. Read that again.
You can still buy tickets to any match in the tourney that isn't for the championship. All 63 of them, including ... the opener between the hosts and Mexico ... the other two South African matches (vs. France and Uruguay) ... the three matches involving Brazil (including the matchup with Portugal) ... the three matches involving Spain ... and the England-U.S. match on June 12.
Fairly astonishing.
About now, if I held a batch of tickets that I paid full price for a year ago, when these final 500,000 tickets, many of them, are going to be sold over the counter in South Africa for $20 ... well, I would feel like a sap. A sucker.
This is going to be the all-timer World Cup for fans who just drop in, last minute. A country awash in cheap tickets, an average of 8,000 or so unsold for 63 matches involving the best teams in the world ... and you can walk up to a counter and hand over $20 and go see England and the U.S.
Crazy. And inviting, for anyone with can get a flight and has some time off in June. Read more!
Only took Fifa a year to figure this out.
After foreigners didn't buy in the numbers Fifa and organizers expected.
After Fifa insisted on selling the remainder to South Africans over the internet -- when many South Africans have no access to the web.
Did anyone actually think this through?
So, now, retail stores in malls in South Africa will sell World Cup tickets over the counter. For cash.
As the story in the Johannesburg Times notes, South African soccer fans are not always walking around with a major credit card in their pockets. Nor are they likely to buy a year ahead of an event. They don't have that kind of money to send into limbo.
They apparently prefer to buy their tickets late, in cash, and with 500,000 tickets left for an event that begins in barely eight weeks ... maybe it's time for Fifa and local organizers to sell some tickets the way that South African fans are most likely to buy them.
The most shocking stat in the story? The contention that tickets still remain on sale for every match of the tournament, aside from the final.
Yes. Read that again.
You can still buy tickets to any match in the tourney that isn't for the championship. All 63 of them, including ... the opener between the hosts and Mexico ... the other two South African matches (vs. France and Uruguay) ... the three matches involving Brazil (including the matchup with Portugal) ... the three matches involving Spain ... and the England-U.S. match on June 12.
Fairly astonishing.
About now, if I held a batch of tickets that I paid full price for a year ago, when these final 500,000 tickets, many of them, are going to be sold over the counter in South Africa for $20 ... well, I would feel like a sap. A sucker.
This is going to be the all-timer World Cup for fans who just drop in, last minute. A country awash in cheap tickets, an average of 8,000 or so unsold for 63 matches involving the best teams in the world ... and you can walk up to a counter and hand over $20 and go see England and the U.S.
Crazy. And inviting, for anyone with can get a flight and has some time off in June. Read more!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pele Provides a Lionel Messi Reality Check
We mentioned here recently that Lionel Messi won't consider himself a legend until he leads his national team to a World Cup championship.
It appears as if Brazilian superstar Pele, almost universally considered the greatest player in soccer history, might not be willing to grant Messi icon status even then.
Pele is annoyed at comparisons being made between himself and Messi. And he couldn't have been amused when Argentina coach Diego Maradona a week ago suggested that Messi is "playing a kick-about with Jesus." I'm not exactly sure what he meant by that (no doubt a literal translation of the Spanish), but I assume it means Diego believes Messi is playing at a god-like level.
So, what does Pele have to say?
For starters, that he has been through this many times before: this "as good as Pele" thing.
Said The Man: "They are always trying to compare someone to Pele. I always joke with my Argentine friends that they must first choose who is the best player from Argentina.
"Then, when one of them scores a thousand goals, then we can start talking."
Ooh. Snap!
Pele is credited with scoring 1,280 goals. Messi has, what, 1,000 to go before he catches him?
There also is the Best Argentine thing to figure out. Most don't seem willing yet to take that title from Maradona and give it to the 22-year-old Barcelona forward.
Pele is right. (And perhaps indulging in a little Brazil-vs.-Argentina snark.) When the Argentines have settled on their best guy, then make comparisons to Pele.
But, as the story makes clear, Pele is a fan of young Mr. Messi. For what he has done so far. He says he predicted he would be the Fifa player of the year back in 2007.
By 2009, he was.
Said Pele: "Messi did not win (in 2007; Kaka did), but I remember that I said to him, 'you'll be the next.' It took a little longer, but he eventually won. He's a great player.
"He plays very well for Barcelona but has failed to show his talent with the Argentina team. Maybe he can at the World Cup. Let's wait and see."
Ah, yes, the other sore point: Messi to date has been thoroughly unremarkable with his national team.
Pele led Brazil to World Cup championships in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Yes. Three of them.
The man set the bar really, really high. Let's see if Lionel Messi can approach it. Read more!
It appears as if Brazilian superstar Pele, almost universally considered the greatest player in soccer history, might not be willing to grant Messi icon status even then.
Pele is annoyed at comparisons being made between himself and Messi. And he couldn't have been amused when Argentina coach Diego Maradona a week ago suggested that Messi is "playing a kick-about with Jesus." I'm not exactly sure what he meant by that (no doubt a literal translation of the Spanish), but I assume it means Diego believes Messi is playing at a god-like level.
So, what does Pele have to say?
For starters, that he has been through this many times before: this "as good as Pele" thing.
Said The Man: "They are always trying to compare someone to Pele. I always joke with my Argentine friends that they must first choose who is the best player from Argentina.
"Then, when one of them scores a thousand goals, then we can start talking."
Ooh. Snap!
Pele is credited with scoring 1,280 goals. Messi has, what, 1,000 to go before he catches him?
There also is the Best Argentine thing to figure out. Most don't seem willing yet to take that title from Maradona and give it to the 22-year-old Barcelona forward.
Pele is right. (And perhaps indulging in a little Brazil-vs.-Argentina snark.) When the Argentines have settled on their best guy, then make comparisons to Pele.
But, as the story makes clear, Pele is a fan of young Mr. Messi. For what he has done so far. He says he predicted he would be the Fifa player of the year back in 2007.
By 2009, he was.
Said Pele: "Messi did not win (in 2007; Kaka did), but I remember that I said to him, 'you'll be the next.' It took a little longer, but he eventually won. He's a great player.
"He plays very well for Barcelona but has failed to show his talent with the Argentina team. Maybe he can at the World Cup. Let's wait and see."
Ah, yes, the other sore point: Messi to date has been thoroughly unremarkable with his national team.
Pele led Brazil to World Cup championships in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Yes. Three of them.
The man set the bar really, really high. Let's see if Lionel Messi can approach it. Read more!
Monday, April 12, 2010
England Is Just Too Good!
More possum-playing by the representatives of a world power. For the benefit of England, apparently the most easily bamboozled side on the planet.
Now it is Chelsea's Italian coach who is buttering up the desperate-for-approval English.
Carlo Ancelotti says England is just too good this time around. Better than the overmatched Azzurri side, which is "in transition," Ancelotti sadly concedes.
And 50 million Englishmen are nodding and thinking, "Ah, yes, another guy recognizes that it's our year!"
When they ought to be thinking ...
"We're not dim enough to be sucked in by the syrupy praise of the Italians as well as the Germans, are we?"
We have been over this before. It is one of the running themes of this blog. South Africa crime. South Africa politics. Julius Malema. Club vs. country.
And everyone and his brother (aside from Steven Pienaar) talking up the English.
To review: How many World Cups have the Germans won? Three. How many have the Italians won? Four. How many has England won? One. Still. Even with craftier blokes like the Germans and Italians ready to hand the "don't mean nothin'" pre-World Cup championship to the Three Lions.
Hey, England fans. These guys are messing with your heads. Don't listen. Perhaps recall your infinite disappointments since 1966. Don't assume, don't expect. Keep your powder dry and worry about getting out of the group before you plot your path to the semifinals -- and beyond.
Far better to be pleasantly surprising than bitterly disappointed. Again. Read more!
Now it is Chelsea's Italian coach who is buttering up the desperate-for-approval English.
Carlo Ancelotti says England is just too good this time around. Better than the overmatched Azzurri side, which is "in transition," Ancelotti sadly concedes.
And 50 million Englishmen are nodding and thinking, "Ah, yes, another guy recognizes that it's our year!"
When they ought to be thinking ...
"We're not dim enough to be sucked in by the syrupy praise of the Italians as well as the Germans, are we?"
We have been over this before. It is one of the running themes of this blog. South Africa crime. South Africa politics. Julius Malema. Club vs. country.
And everyone and his brother (aside from Steven Pienaar) talking up the English.
To review: How many World Cups have the Germans won? Three. How many have the Italians won? Four. How many has England won? One. Still. Even with craftier blokes like the Germans and Italians ready to hand the "don't mean nothin'" pre-World Cup championship to the Three Lions.
Hey, England fans. These guys are messing with your heads. Don't listen. Perhaps recall your infinite disappointments since 1966. Don't assume, don't expect. Keep your powder dry and worry about getting out of the group before you plot your path to the semifinals -- and beyond.
Far better to be pleasantly surprising than bitterly disappointed. Again. Read more!
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