The Johannesburg Sunday Times has a story on Andrew Jennings, professional Fifa critic.
Sometimes an outsider has to wonder if Jennings has gone around the bend a bit, so uninterrupted and strident are his condemnations of Fifa and its president, Sepp Blatter.
The gist of his message?
That Fifa is out to shake down every country foolish enough to host the World Cup. And that South Africa's turn is almost done now.
Some highlights:
--On Sepp Blatter: "Well, it's not for nothing that he has been booed at the last two World Cups. Your country is being exploited. The profits of the World Cup won't trickle down - they won't go to anyone except Fifa."
--On Jack Warner, Fifa honcho from Trinidad: "He is a horrible, horrible thief."
--On the purveyor of tours, Match Hospitality: "It is too late, people decided last year that they weren't coming. Transport and hospitality got the shaft; these come before violence as a deterring factor. People just can't afford it. Not even the American wholesaler could sell the overpriced hospitality packages. For Match it's just greed, greed, greed."
--On tickets being nearly sold out: "Well, your municipalities are buying tickets. They tell you there are no empty seats because we have to believe there is a scarcity value; there has been a political move to cover up the scandal. Blatter is dishing out tickets to the unemployed -- you are going to get screwed."
--On what South Africa can expect when the event is over: "South Africa bent over and let Fifa have their way. Officials and the government have sold South Africa down the river: 'Bye Africa, bye suckers!' "
Jennings claims he is the only reporter in the world who is banned from Fifa press conferences. Don't know if it's true, but we can see why that might be.
Read more!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
World Cup TV During Circumcision Schools
Well, this should cheer up the lads a bit.
President Jacob Zuma said South African boys and men who are scheduled to be circumcised during the World Cup will be able to take televisions with them into the bush so they can watch soccer during "initiation schools."
A little diversion certainly couldn't hurt ... well, not more than having your foreskin excised at the age of 15 or up.
Male circumcision is considered a passage into adulthood in many parts of Africa, and South Africa is no different. But usually the event comes with isolation. And certainly not TV.
This time, however, will be different.
It isn't every winter (in the Southern Hemisphere) that the World Cup is going on in the country.
Some South African men go to what is known as an initiation school for the process. Which, yes, is for much older men than in most of the West, where male circumcision overwhelmingly is performed on infants.
Adult circumcision is a cultural event of significant interest, among some academics, as you can see by reading this rather weighty treatise on the topic.
The money quotes: It "is a socially significant act, resulting in the integration into the community and assurance of acceptance and respect from other community members. Initiation is an important social device in dealing with adolescence (and) the training and preparation provided at the initiation schools enables the shift from childhood behavior to more complex behavior expected in adulthood."
So, it is a big deal. However, it has to be painful, and in a World Cup year, some initiates might be less interested in trekking out into the bush to go through with it when it means no World Cup, as well.
But the president says TV is OK, this year. And actually, it might make the process, which seems to take quite some time, once healing is included, a little easier to bear. Though the skill of the guys wielding the sharp objects, as well as the sterility of those objects, might make for longer-term success than access to the South Africa-Mexico match on June 11. Though a victory by Bafana Bafana Bafana might even ease the pain of the ordeal, at least for a bit.
Have we mentioned this? The 2010 World Cup will be like no other before it ... in many, many ways.
Read more!
President Jacob Zuma said South African boys and men who are scheduled to be circumcised during the World Cup will be able to take televisions with them into the bush so they can watch soccer during "initiation schools."
A little diversion certainly couldn't hurt ... well, not more than having your foreskin excised at the age of 15 or up.
Male circumcision is considered a passage into adulthood in many parts of Africa, and South Africa is no different. But usually the event comes with isolation. And certainly not TV.
This time, however, will be different.
It isn't every winter (in the Southern Hemisphere) that the World Cup is going on in the country.
Some South African men go to what is known as an initiation school for the process. Which, yes, is for much older men than in most of the West, where male circumcision overwhelmingly is performed on infants.
Adult circumcision is a cultural event of significant interest, among some academics, as you can see by reading this rather weighty treatise on the topic.
The money quotes: It "is a socially significant act, resulting in the integration into the community and assurance of acceptance and respect from other community members. Initiation is an important social device in dealing with adolescence (and) the training and preparation provided at the initiation schools enables the shift from childhood behavior to more complex behavior expected in adulthood."
So, it is a big deal. However, it has to be painful, and in a World Cup year, some initiates might be less interested in trekking out into the bush to go through with it when it means no World Cup, as well.
But the president says TV is OK, this year. And actually, it might make the process, which seems to take quite some time, once healing is included, a little easier to bear. Though the skill of the guys wielding the sharp objects, as well as the sterility of those objects, might make for longer-term success than access to the South Africa-Mexico match on June 11. Though a victory by Bafana Bafana Bafana might even ease the pain of the ordeal, at least for a bit.
Have we mentioned this? The 2010 World Cup will be like no other before it ... in many, many ways.
Read more!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
El Jefe Loco Runs Over Cameraman's Leg
I have decided this. From now on, Diego Maradona should be known as ... El Jefe Loco.
Can we agree on this? Diego "El Jefe Loco" Maradona?
This is my contribution to the 2010 World Cup. Along with Bafana Bafana Bafana (two is nice, but three is better) and the Four Lions.
So, yes, today, El Jefe Loco ran over the leg of a TV cameraman.
And his reaction? That of a crazy person. Of course.
El Jefe Loco blamed it on the cameraman. See, his leg got stuck under his wheels. How rude is that.
EJL apparently called the man an "asshole" ... presumably in Spanish. Though some people are amused by the concept of bad words in another language.
A guy who runs over a cameraman, no matter how intrusive, and then blames the cameraman for the incident, shouting "asshole" at him ...
Wouldn't all of us like Argentina's chances to win the World Cup a lot better ... if the team were coached by anybody other than El Jefe Loco?
This will end badly. And prematurely. Read more!
Can we agree on this? Diego "El Jefe Loco" Maradona?
This is my contribution to the 2010 World Cup. Along with Bafana Bafana Bafana (two is nice, but three is better) and the Four Lions.
So, yes, today, El Jefe Loco ran over the leg of a TV cameraman.
And his reaction? That of a crazy person. Of course.
El Jefe Loco blamed it on the cameraman. See, his leg got stuck under his wheels. How rude is that.
EJL apparently called the man an "asshole" ... presumably in Spanish. Though some people are amused by the concept of bad words in another language.
A guy who runs over a cameraman, no matter how intrusive, and then blames the cameraman for the incident, shouting "asshole" at him ...
Wouldn't all of us like Argentina's chances to win the World Cup a lot better ... if the team were coached by anybody other than El Jefe Loco?
This will end badly. And prematurely. Read more!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Rough World Cup for Working Girls?
A story in the Johannesburg Times suggests it will be a tough World Cup for prostitutes. Especially after they seemed to have thought, not long ago, that the month-long event would be a financial windfall for them.
What has soured them on their World Cup fortunes?
--The significant drop in expected foreign visitors, from early projections. All those foreigners scared off by price-gouging airlines and hoteliers ... will impact the working girl's bottom line, they seem to believe.
--A growing international realization that South Africa is the epicenter of Aids, with more cases -- 5.7 million -- than any country in the world. That is, more than 10 percent of a population of some 50 million are HIV-positive. That can have a chilling effect on the sex trade, prostitutes told the newspaper.
--South Africa's unwillingness to designate certain zones for the sex trade, as Germany apparently did in 2006. That leaves many prostitutes on the street, where they believe they are more likely to be victimized by violence or robbery. South Africa already is infamous for its crime.
--The fear that recent arrivals from other African countries will drive down prices. Apparently, fears of a massive invasion of sex workers from around the continent have not been borne out, but enough desperate women from nearby countries are trickling in to change the sex-trade dynamic. And not in a good way, economically, for South Africa's native working girls.
South Africa, like many countries, has no legal prostitution. Note the quote from a World Cup official: "We can't give them shelter because we can't be part of a crime. ... We can't be a banana republic that creates laws for an event for one month."
A World Cup is such an enormous event that it has ramifications on all social strata of a society. Even (especially?) on those near the bottom. Read more!
What has soured them on their World Cup fortunes?
--The significant drop in expected foreign visitors, from early projections. All those foreigners scared off by price-gouging airlines and hoteliers ... will impact the working girl's bottom line, they seem to believe.
--A growing international realization that South Africa is the epicenter of Aids, with more cases -- 5.7 million -- than any country in the world. That is, more than 10 percent of a population of some 50 million are HIV-positive. That can have a chilling effect on the sex trade, prostitutes told the newspaper.
--South Africa's unwillingness to designate certain zones for the sex trade, as Germany apparently did in 2006. That leaves many prostitutes on the street, where they believe they are more likely to be victimized by violence or robbery. South Africa already is infamous for its crime.
--The fear that recent arrivals from other African countries will drive down prices. Apparently, fears of a massive invasion of sex workers from around the continent have not been borne out, but enough desperate women from nearby countries are trickling in to change the sex-trade dynamic. And not in a good way, economically, for South Africa's native working girls.
South Africa, like many countries, has no legal prostitution. Note the quote from a World Cup official: "We can't give them shelter because we can't be part of a crime. ... We can't be a banana republic that creates laws for an event for one month."
A World Cup is such an enormous event that it has ramifications on all social strata of a society. Even (especially?) on those near the bottom. Read more!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Whatcha Gonna Do When They Run from You?
Fat boys, fat boys ...
Everybody, sing! You know, the theme song from "Cops" ...
Or not.
The story here is South African officials making a priority out of their police losing weight and getting in shape in time for the World Cup.
It appears donuts may be an issue in South Africa as well as, say, the south Bronx.
Apparently, this stems from a recent drill in Cape Town during which some three-quarters of the cops involved seemed to be huffing and puffing ... and a member of parliament noticed.
"In Cape Town they were practicing as we were viewing the stadium. Three-quarters of them were overweight," Elizabeth Thabethe told the Johannesburg Times.
"How are you doing with that programme, because surely they must be able to run if there is an emergency and not be blocked by their weight."
She said she could give an assurance the South African cops will be "slim and trim" in time for the World Cup, which is barely three weeks off. Must be a crash diet.
Then again, for directing people and performing basic gendarmerie/British Bobby type tasks, a police officer doesn't need to be a lean, mean crime-fighting machine.
But if something more dire comes up, terror or even a serious riot, well, yes, it would be nice to have some cops who could run down a malefactor or two. Read more!
Everybody, sing! You know, the theme song from "Cops" ...
Or not.
The story here is South African officials making a priority out of their police losing weight and getting in shape in time for the World Cup.
It appears donuts may be an issue in South Africa as well as, say, the south Bronx.
Apparently, this stems from a recent drill in Cape Town during which some three-quarters of the cops involved seemed to be huffing and puffing ... and a member of parliament noticed.
"In Cape Town they were practicing as we were viewing the stadium. Three-quarters of them were overweight," Elizabeth Thabethe told the Johannesburg Times.
"How are you doing with that programme, because surely they must be able to run if there is an emergency and not be blocked by their weight."
She said she could give an assurance the South African cops will be "slim and trim" in time for the World Cup, which is barely three weeks off. Must be a crash diet.
Then again, for directing people and performing basic gendarmerie/British Bobby type tasks, a police officer doesn't need to be a lean, mean crime-fighting machine.
But if something more dire comes up, terror or even a serious riot, well, yes, it would be nice to have some cops who could run down a malefactor or two. Read more!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Ballack: Biggest Injury Story Yet
Midfielder Michael Ballack, Germany's captain, will not play in South Africa 2010 because of injury.
He is not the first prospective squad member for the 32 teams heading to South Africa in a few weeks to be declared out. But he is the most prominent player yet to be sidelined. (As opposed to David Beckham, who is far more famous than competent, these days.)
Ballack was declared out of the World Cup by German medical personnel today.
What are the ramifications?
It means Germany's chances of winning the World Cup just declined. Ballack was both a leader and a producer. He played in the last two World Cups for Germany, starring for the 2002 team that fell in the final to Brazil, and performing well for the Mannschaft as recently as 2008, when the Germans were runners-up to Spain in the Euro Cup.
Ballack did not have a great season with Chelsea of the Premier League. He had a series of niggling injuries and was never quite healthy.
But none of his injuries were as severe as this one, which occurred on a vicious tackle by Kevin-Prince Boateng of Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.
Boateng, interestingly, plays for Ghana, which is in the same World Cup group as the Germans. Some whispers have been heard that Boateng didn't mind the idea of hurting Ballack in that situation, but planning an injury while playing full speed is a tricky concept.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, by the way, is the half-brother of Jerome Boateng, who (like Kevin-Prince) was born in Germany, but unlike his younger brother plays for Germany. If you followed the link, you saw that Germany's coach, Joachim Low, asked German fans not to blame Jerome for his half-brother's crude play.
Losing a player of Ballack's pedigree also makes the World Cup a bit poorer. What all serious fans want is a tournament with the best possible players in it. A World Cup without Ballack is short one great player.
England lost Beckham, who is better-known than Ballack but not remotely the player. Becks might have had trouble getting on the field for England.
Other leading players who may not be ready include Fernando Torres (knee) and Cesc Fabregas (broken leg) of Spain, though both have a chance to be there.
Unlike Ballack, who has been ruled out, period. And who, at 33, might never play in another World Cup.
That's a shame. For Ballack, the German team and for World Cup fans. Read more!
He is not the first prospective squad member for the 32 teams heading to South Africa in a few weeks to be declared out. But he is the most prominent player yet to be sidelined. (As opposed to David Beckham, who is far more famous than competent, these days.)
Ballack was declared out of the World Cup by German medical personnel today.
What are the ramifications?
It means Germany's chances of winning the World Cup just declined. Ballack was both a leader and a producer. He played in the last two World Cups for Germany, starring for the 2002 team that fell in the final to Brazil, and performing well for the Mannschaft as recently as 2008, when the Germans were runners-up to Spain in the Euro Cup.
Ballack did not have a great season with Chelsea of the Premier League. He had a series of niggling injuries and was never quite healthy.
But none of his injuries were as severe as this one, which occurred on a vicious tackle by Kevin-Prince Boateng of Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.
Boateng, interestingly, plays for Ghana, which is in the same World Cup group as the Germans. Some whispers have been heard that Boateng didn't mind the idea of hurting Ballack in that situation, but planning an injury while playing full speed is a tricky concept.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, by the way, is the half-brother of Jerome Boateng, who (like Kevin-Prince) was born in Germany, but unlike his younger brother plays for Germany. If you followed the link, you saw that Germany's coach, Joachim Low, asked German fans not to blame Jerome for his half-brother's crude play.
Losing a player of Ballack's pedigree also makes the World Cup a bit poorer. What all serious fans want is a tournament with the best possible players in it. A World Cup without Ballack is short one great player.
England lost Beckham, who is better-known than Ballack but not remotely the player. Becks might have had trouble getting on the field for England.
Other leading players who may not be ready include Fernando Torres (knee) and Cesc Fabregas (broken leg) of Spain, though both have a chance to be there.
Unlike Ballack, who has been ruled out, period. And who, at 33, might never play in another World Cup.
That's a shame. For Ballack, the German team and for World Cup fans. Read more!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Another Bad Day for England
Yikes. England's World Cup players are almost certain to perform better for the nation than its officials have the past few days.
First there was the Mario Capello cash-for-ratings scandal noted in the item below.
Now we have this mess, Lord Triesman suggesting Spain will attempt to bribe referees at the World Cup. Which is a very serious charge that reflects badly on Spain, Russia (the country Lord Triesman suggested would work with Spain) and on Fifa, whose apparently referees are for sale.
What made this worse?
Lord Triesman was, until today, the leader of England's 2018 World Cup bid. He has resigned from that job but has kept his presidency of of the Football Association. For now.
Among generic soccer fans, the sense seems to be "it's time" for England to get the World Cup. The home ground of the game, the location of one of the two best leagues, hasn't hosted since 1966. In 2016? Sure.
But England officials can't seem to get out of their own way. A batch of gaffes let to the ascension of Lord Triesman, who was supposed to be the soul of discretion ... until a "friend" taped him speculating on Spain trying to cheat in 2010 South Africa.
To wit:
"There's some evidence that the Spanish football authorities are trying to identify the referees... and pay them," Triesman said, according to The Daily Mail on Sunday.
"My assumption is that the Latin Americans, although they've not said so, will vote for Spain. And if Spain drop out, because Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia."
Uh. Yeah.
We all have heard stories/rumors of backroom dealing in the world of Fifa. With favorable judgments going to the highest bidder.
At the same time, bid leaders can't really be heard talking about corruption on tape.
But that is about 2018, and the damage it does to England's bid. Which is significant but not as pressing as other aspects of this story.
Specifically, it's out there now that England fears that Spain will cheat. Why Spain? Does Lord Triesman know something we don't? Is Spain known for this? Or is it just a team England fears?
An unfortunate story. Badly times. And like the Capello situation, it is a distraction when England ought to be focusing on South Africa and nothing else. Read more!
First there was the Mario Capello cash-for-ratings scandal noted in the item below.
Now we have this mess, Lord Triesman suggesting Spain will attempt to bribe referees at the World Cup. Which is a very serious charge that reflects badly on Spain, Russia (the country Lord Triesman suggested would work with Spain) and on Fifa, whose apparently referees are for sale.
What made this worse?
Lord Triesman was, until today, the leader of England's 2018 World Cup bid. He has resigned from that job but has kept his presidency of of the Football Association. For now.
Among generic soccer fans, the sense seems to be "it's time" for England to get the World Cup. The home ground of the game, the location of one of the two best leagues, hasn't hosted since 1966. In 2016? Sure.
But England officials can't seem to get out of their own way. A batch of gaffes let to the ascension of Lord Triesman, who was supposed to be the soul of discretion ... until a "friend" taped him speculating on Spain trying to cheat in 2010 South Africa.
To wit:
"There's some evidence that the Spanish football authorities are trying to identify the referees... and pay them," Triesman said, according to The Daily Mail on Sunday.
"My assumption is that the Latin Americans, although they've not said so, will vote for Spain. And if Spain drop out, because Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia."
Uh. Yeah.
We all have heard stories/rumors of backroom dealing in the world of Fifa. With favorable judgments going to the highest bidder.
At the same time, bid leaders can't really be heard talking about corruption on tape.
But that is about 2018, and the damage it does to England's bid. Which is significant but not as pressing as other aspects of this story.
Specifically, it's out there now that England fears that Spain will cheat. Why Spain? Does Lord Triesman know something we don't? Is Spain known for this? Or is it just a team England fears?
An unfortunate story. Badly times. And like the Capello situation, it is a distraction when England ought to be focusing on South Africa and nothing else. Read more!
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