England's coach, Fabio Capello, has done almost nothing wrong since he took over the Three Lions after the 2006 World Cup. He led England on a dominating run through qualifying, and that led to a England being the top-ranked team in its group and a global notion (and national conviction) that his lads could actually win in South Africa this summer.
But then came this week ... and Fabio not only had to worry about former captain John Terry being hurt, he also had to clean after an amazingly bad decision designed to make himself a few more quid out of this World Cup.
To wit:
Capello decided (or maybe his agent did) that it would be a good idea to lend his name to a player rating system that would have graded his own players' performance in South Africa within a few hours of their matches.
When news of that knocked around England, the reaction was quick and harsh.
As AFP put it:
"Capello's employers at the Football Association quickly decided that their six-million-pound-a-year head coach could comfortably do without the extra income the project would have generated and, following a barrage of hostile media comment, the venture has been shelved until after the tournament."
Capello, you may recall reading here, is the highest-paid coach in the World Cup. (The salary noted in that post was correct at the time, coming before the pound lost value against the dollar.) That sum of 6 million pounds is now about $8.7 million, or still almost what Phil Jackson makes to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's a lot of money.
So, backpedaling from the ridiculous player-rating scheme was pretty much required. Like, how many quid does a guy need out of one World Cup?
If you are an England fan, you hope you have just witnessed Fabio's one and only major gaffe in the run-up to the World Cup. Well, make that his second and last major gaffe, since he went back on his earlier decision and said the infamous English Wives and Girlfriends (WAGs) would have more access to players than he originally would allow.
Anyway, no more bad decisions, right Mario? England certainly hopes so.
Read more!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
North Korea Recruits Chinese Fans
Back to North Korea and how pitiful it is. If they weren't representing the most loathesome government on the planet (or one in the top five, anyway), we would feel sorry for them. Actually, I do feel sorry for the soccer team and the regular fans. They didn't do any of this.
Well, of course, North Korea will have no fans in South Africa. It can't afford to send its politically reliable people and everyone else really doesn't have any money, so the North Koreans are about to play three very high-profile matches (Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast) with nobody in the stands. And how sad is that?
So, the North Koreans are recruiting fans from the only country that is likely to stick up for them. That would be China. To China's shame, because doing anything that props up that regime is criminal.
But, anyway, here is a ridiculous/pathetic story about North Korea and its Chinese fans.
1,000 Chinese to cheer for NKorea at World Cup
BEIJING (AP) -- Few North Koreans will be able to cheer their team at the World Cup in South Africa. So the country is recruiting 1,000 Chinese fans.
The Beijing office of the North Korean Sports Committee is giving out tickets to the tournament, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Chinese fans will attend North Korea’s games against Brazil and Portugal, Xinhua said.
This is just the second time North Korea has qualified for the World Cup. It shocked the world with its first appearance in 1966 when it beat Italy and reached the quarterfinals.
The Chinese fans who will support North Korea this time include celebrities who have led similar groups to cheer for Chinese teams in the past.
The Beijing office of the North Korean Sports Committee could not be reached on Friday.
North Korea is the great unknown in the World Cup. News in the communist regime is strictly controlled.
Broadcaster APTN in Pyongyang reported that the national team received a festive send-off on Saturday, with residents waving North Korean flags outside the airport as the players arrived. Footage showed women waving flowers as the team boarded the plane.
Coach Kim Jong Hun promised "a great success."
China is North Korea’s chief benefactor, and it apparently respected the wishes of the country’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Il last week when it refused to confirm his secretive visit to Beijing until he had left.
Chinese support for North Korean sports teams is not new. A China-based sports apparel maker, Erke, sponsored all of North Korea’s teams in the Beijing Olympics two years ago, and it now sponsors the country’s football team.
That's just sad. We don't trust our people to travel, not that we can afford it considering half of us are on the verge of starvation, not that we ever would admit to it, so we're going to get the Chinese to show up and act like our fans.
Can't root for these guys. Because the government will claim any success as its own. What I root for, I suppose, is defections. But the North Koreans no doubt are worried that if they do their friends and family will be forced to subsist on half-rations of gruel.
And the Chinese fans ... can the make a point of cheering half-heartedly? Even China ought to be embarrassed by being North Korea's best buddy.
For sure, the weirdest team in the World Cup. Not even close. Read more!
Well, of course, North Korea will have no fans in South Africa. It can't afford to send its politically reliable people and everyone else really doesn't have any money, so the North Koreans are about to play three very high-profile matches (Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast) with nobody in the stands. And how sad is that?
So, the North Koreans are recruiting fans from the only country that is likely to stick up for them. That would be China. To China's shame, because doing anything that props up that regime is criminal.
But, anyway, here is a ridiculous/pathetic story about North Korea and its Chinese fans.
1,000 Chinese to cheer for NKorea at World Cup
BEIJING (AP) -- Few North Koreans will be able to cheer their team at the World Cup in South Africa. So the country is recruiting 1,000 Chinese fans.
The Beijing office of the North Korean Sports Committee is giving out tickets to the tournament, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Chinese fans will attend North Korea’s games against Brazil and Portugal, Xinhua said.
This is just the second time North Korea has qualified for the World Cup. It shocked the world with its first appearance in 1966 when it beat Italy and reached the quarterfinals.
The Chinese fans who will support North Korea this time include celebrities who have led similar groups to cheer for Chinese teams in the past.
The Beijing office of the North Korean Sports Committee could not be reached on Friday.
North Korea is the great unknown in the World Cup. News in the communist regime is strictly controlled.
Broadcaster APTN in Pyongyang reported that the national team received a festive send-off on Saturday, with residents waving North Korean flags outside the airport as the players arrived. Footage showed women waving flowers as the team boarded the plane.
Coach Kim Jong Hun promised "a great success."
China is North Korea’s chief benefactor, and it apparently respected the wishes of the country’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Il last week when it refused to confirm his secretive visit to Beijing until he had left.
Chinese support for North Korean sports teams is not new. A China-based sports apparel maker, Erke, sponsored all of North Korea’s teams in the Beijing Olympics two years ago, and it now sponsors the country’s football team.
That's just sad. We don't trust our people to travel, not that we can afford it considering half of us are on the verge of starvation, not that we ever would admit to it, so we're going to get the Chinese to show up and act like our fans.
Can't root for these guys. Because the government will claim any success as its own. What I root for, I suppose, is defections. But the North Koreans no doubt are worried that if they do their friends and family will be forced to subsist on half-rations of gruel.
And the Chinese fans ... can the make a point of cheering half-heartedly? Even China ought to be embarrassed by being North Korea's best buddy.
For sure, the weirdest team in the World Cup. Not even close. Read more!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Shocked! Shocked! to Find Profiteering at SA2010
These sorts of stories do make a person a bit indignant. Unfairness, and massive mark-ups by companies who have nothing to do with the production of an item ... nor are the final consumer.
But this is the World Cup, people! It's all about profiteering.
The gist of this story in the Johannesburg Times: Workers in South Africa are making Bafana Bafana Bafana jerseys for 100-150 Rand ($13-20) ... and they are being sold for 599-1,200 Rand ($78-$156).
The union representing the workers who make the jerseys is annoyed at the mark-up. Which is allowed ... but we know exactly how it happens.
The jerseys get made. They are then sold to Adidas, which is the official apparel sponsor for South Africa 2010, for 100-150 Rand. Presumably, Adidas gave Fifa a boatload of money for the privilege, and a part of the deal is ... that the makers of the jerseys are not allowed to sell them directly. To anyone. Except Adidas.
As the story notes, Adidas then sells the jerseys on to retailers in South Africa for something like 330 Rand, and then the retailers charge ... whatever the market will bear. And apparently the market will bear 599 Rand and up.
Pretty annoying. When Adidas does nothing in the process aside from setting up a delivery system, and the retailers do nothing but stock the jerseys and throw open the doors.
It isn't a completely horrible story, however. Really it's not. Because at least the jerseys were made in South Africa in the first place. Many of the official mascots for this World Cup were made in China in sweatshops. At least the jerseys are made in South African sweatshops.
Big events like this are all about profiteering. Some of it is South African-inspired. The high rates charged by airlines. The ridiculous rates most of their hotels wanted, almost to the last instant.
It's never pretty. But it should not come as a surprise. Read more!
But this is the World Cup, people! It's all about profiteering.
The gist of this story in the Johannesburg Times: Workers in South Africa are making Bafana Bafana Bafana jerseys for 100-150 Rand ($13-20) ... and they are being sold for 599-1,200 Rand ($78-$156).
The union representing the workers who make the jerseys is annoyed at the mark-up. Which is allowed ... but we know exactly how it happens.
The jerseys get made. They are then sold to Adidas, which is the official apparel sponsor for South Africa 2010, for 100-150 Rand. Presumably, Adidas gave Fifa a boatload of money for the privilege, and a part of the deal is ... that the makers of the jerseys are not allowed to sell them directly. To anyone. Except Adidas.
As the story notes, Adidas then sells the jerseys on to retailers in South Africa for something like 330 Rand, and then the retailers charge ... whatever the market will bear. And apparently the market will bear 599 Rand and up.
Pretty annoying. When Adidas does nothing in the process aside from setting up a delivery system, and the retailers do nothing but stock the jerseys and throw open the doors.
It isn't a completely horrible story, however. Really it's not. Because at least the jerseys were made in South Africa in the first place. Many of the official mascots for this World Cup were made in China in sweatshops. At least the jerseys are made in South African sweatshops.
Big events like this are all about profiteering. Some of it is South African-inspired. The high rates charged by airlines. The ridiculous rates most of their hotels wanted, almost to the last instant.
It's never pretty. But it should not come as a surprise. Read more!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
North Korea May Not See World Cup
Well, of course. If any country on the face of the Earth could pull this off in 2010 AD, it is North Korea and the madmen who run the planet's most benighted country.
The poor people of North Korea may not be able to see South Africa 2010.
North Korea can't or won't pay for its own broadcast rights. In 2006, it was a South Korean station that provided TV of the World Cup in Germany.
But negotiations for the same sort of arrangement have stalled since the apparent North Korean attack on a South Korean vessel, killing 46 sailors.
And now?
Well, nothing is happening. The South Korea company said the tension between the two countries since the unprovoked attack have stopped negotiations ... for South Korea to provide free TV to their oppressed brothers to the north.
This matters in particular this year because North Korea qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
And here is the real fly in the ointment: Even if these negotiations get worked out ... North Koreans may not see any of their team's matches, anyway.
Why? Because North Korea has a history of delaying all broadcasts of its sports teams, waiting to see if they win before they actually run them on TV.
Can't have viewers see their team lose. That can't happen.
Considering the group North Korea is in -- Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast -- the odds are long that North Korea will win a match. Could be three defeats and, bang, back to Pyongyang and a life of want and terror.
Anyway, North Korea's people probably expect very little in life. Which is good, because it seems unlikely they will be able to share in the pleasures even the poorest people of the most backward nations on Earth have -- an ability to watch the World Cup on free TV. Read more!
The poor people of North Korea may not be able to see South Africa 2010.
North Korea can't or won't pay for its own broadcast rights. In 2006, it was a South Korean station that provided TV of the World Cup in Germany.
But negotiations for the same sort of arrangement have stalled since the apparent North Korean attack on a South Korean vessel, killing 46 sailors.
And now?
Well, nothing is happening. The South Korea company said the tension between the two countries since the unprovoked attack have stopped negotiations ... for South Korea to provide free TV to their oppressed brothers to the north.
This matters in particular this year because North Korea qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
And here is the real fly in the ointment: Even if these negotiations get worked out ... North Koreans may not see any of their team's matches, anyway.
Why? Because North Korea has a history of delaying all broadcasts of its sports teams, waiting to see if they win before they actually run them on TV.
Can't have viewers see their team lose. That can't happen.
Considering the group North Korea is in -- Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast -- the odds are long that North Korea will win a match. Could be three defeats and, bang, back to Pyongyang and a life of want and terror.
Anyway, North Korea's people probably expect very little in life. Which is good, because it seems unlikely they will be able to share in the pleasures even the poorest people of the most backward nations on Earth have -- an ability to watch the World Cup on free TV. Read more!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Making the Squad: Part 1
Teams going to the World Cup announced expanded rosters today.
Most teams picked from 25 to 30 players, the last step before they get down to the 23 they will be able to take to South Africa 2010.
The Johannesburg Times has a list of the selections made by most teams. See it here.
In every country, debates are raging over who already isn't on the team. Who has been left out, and why? And which semi-anonymous guys who happen to have hit a hot patch are suddenly in the running for the final roster.
Among the biggest names:
Ronaldinho and Ronaldo not called in by Brazil. Not really a surprise in either case, but those are some big names, and the two gentlemen made clear they wanted to go ... but coach Dunga said "no thanks."
For France, Patrick Vieira and Karim Benzema were not invited. In England, Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville are staying home.
The preliminary U.S. team is not on the Johannesburg Times list, at this writing.
So here is a link to a list of the 30 players called in by U.S. coach Bob Bradley.
Surprises there? Among the left out, Charlie Davies, nearly killed in a traffic accident last year; Conor Casey, who had some big moments during qualifying last year; Freddy Adu, considered the next great American player just a few years ago. Among the surprise called in, Edson Buddle, who at 29 has played in less than 15 minutes with the national side; Alejandro Bedoya, Robbie Findlay, Herculez Gomez, each with minimal histories with the U.S.
To recap: These lists are going to be further shaved in a few weeks, and the really hard cuts are ahead. For now, sure, plenty to talk about when it comes to your own national team. A little harder to get really interested in the Nos. 20-30 guys for other squads. Read more!
Most teams picked from 25 to 30 players, the last step before they get down to the 23 they will be able to take to South Africa 2010.
The Johannesburg Times has a list of the selections made by most teams. See it here.
In every country, debates are raging over who already isn't on the team. Who has been left out, and why? And which semi-anonymous guys who happen to have hit a hot patch are suddenly in the running for the final roster.
Among the biggest names:
Ronaldinho and Ronaldo not called in by Brazil. Not really a surprise in either case, but those are some big names, and the two gentlemen made clear they wanted to go ... but coach Dunga said "no thanks."
For France, Patrick Vieira and Karim Benzema were not invited. In England, Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville are staying home.
The preliminary U.S. team is not on the Johannesburg Times list, at this writing.
So here is a link to a list of the 30 players called in by U.S. coach Bob Bradley.
Surprises there? Among the left out, Charlie Davies, nearly killed in a traffic accident last year; Conor Casey, who had some big moments during qualifying last year; Freddy Adu, considered the next great American player just a few years ago. Among the surprise called in, Edson Buddle, who at 29 has played in less than 15 minutes with the national side; Alejandro Bedoya, Robbie Findlay, Herculez Gomez, each with minimal histories with the U.S.
To recap: These lists are going to be further shaved in a few weeks, and the really hard cuts are ahead. For now, sure, plenty to talk about when it comes to your own national team. A little harder to get really interested in the Nos. 20-30 guys for other squads. Read more!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Wada Gives Fifa Free Rein at WC2010
When it comes to the Olympics, to cycling ... the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is ready to pounce. Test everyone. For everything. Penalize. Ban.
So it seems more than a little odd that Wada's president says, in essence, Fifa has this drug-testing thing handled and we won't be doing much of anything at South Africa 2010.
How does this work, exactly? Let's see, one of the selling points of performance-enhancing drugs is the ability to bounce back from exertion quickly. You think soccer players might not find that helpful, a little chemical help to help bring them around for another 90 minutes two days later?
Most of us associate drugs with big guys. Football players, rugby players ... and all those fast-twitch guys who need a little extra explosiveness. Like, oh, every world-class sprinter from the past three decades.
So why is Wada backing off from Fifa?
The Wada president, John Fahey, seems to suggest that the length of the World Cup (a full month) makes it too expensive for his group to be hanging around, doing what it might do at an Olympics.
Is that it? All of it?
Or does Wada just not care about the typically smallish soccer lads? Because they aren't all bulky and don't have the look of cheaters? And why does Wada let soccer get away with not following the "whereabouts" rule? (Letting Wada know where you are at all times so you can be tested randomly.)
Anyway, what are the odds -- I mean, really -- that Fifa's drug-testing crew will ever (ever) come up with a positive drug test for a player during the World Cup? Small. And in the case of latter rounds, nil.
Just sounds like a bad idea. Let's have an aggressive, omnipresent Wada hanging around the World Cup. Testing. Testing. Testing.
Just because soccer players aren't big doesn't mean they aren't juicing. Let's get the same sort of policing rigor into the World Cup that we have for other events. Read more!
So it seems more than a little odd that Wada's president says, in essence, Fifa has this drug-testing thing handled and we won't be doing much of anything at South Africa 2010.
How does this work, exactly? Let's see, one of the selling points of performance-enhancing drugs is the ability to bounce back from exertion quickly. You think soccer players might not find that helpful, a little chemical help to help bring them around for another 90 minutes two days later?
Most of us associate drugs with big guys. Football players, rugby players ... and all those fast-twitch guys who need a little extra explosiveness. Like, oh, every world-class sprinter from the past three decades.
So why is Wada backing off from Fifa?
The Wada president, John Fahey, seems to suggest that the length of the World Cup (a full month) makes it too expensive for his group to be hanging around, doing what it might do at an Olympics.
Is that it? All of it?
Or does Wada just not care about the typically smallish soccer lads? Because they aren't all bulky and don't have the look of cheaters? And why does Wada let soccer get away with not following the "whereabouts" rule? (Letting Wada know where you are at all times so you can be tested randomly.)
Anyway, what are the odds -- I mean, really -- that Fifa's drug-testing crew will ever (ever) come up with a positive drug test for a player during the World Cup? Small. And in the case of latter rounds, nil.
Just sounds like a bad idea. Let's have an aggressive, omnipresent Wada hanging around the World Cup. Testing. Testing. Testing.
Just because soccer players aren't big doesn't mean they aren't juicing. Let's get the same sort of policing rigor into the World Cup that we have for other events. Read more!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
World Cup Beefcake in Vanity Fair
The magazine Vanity Fair decided to get the World Cup onto its cover, and did so in a provocative way:
With, as the magazine puts it, the players wearing their nation's colors ... and not much else. Well, boxer shorts. Short boxer shorts.
Who is included?
In the first photo, in you followed the link are, from left Sully Muntari of Ghana, Landon Donovan of the U.S., Kaka of Brazil, Samuel Eto'o of Ivory Coast and Pato of Brazil.
On the cover, a bit further down on the Vanity Fair page, are Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
Inside (and if you watch the video at the bottom of the link, you can see most of them) but not available in a still photo on this link are Michael Ballack of Germany, Dejan Stankovic of Serbia, Gianluigi Buffon of Italy and Carlton Cole of England.
As the story details, photographer Annie Liebowitz flew all over the world to get these guys' photos. (Collecting them all together at one spot would have been massively expensive and probably impossible.)
So, there are your lads. Read more!
With, as the magazine puts it, the players wearing their nation's colors ... and not much else. Well, boxer shorts. Short boxer shorts.
Who is included?
In the first photo, in you followed the link are, from left Sully Muntari of Ghana, Landon Donovan of the U.S., Kaka of Brazil, Samuel Eto'o of Ivory Coast and Pato of Brazil.
On the cover, a bit further down on the Vanity Fair page, are Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
Inside (and if you watch the video at the bottom of the link, you can see most of them) but not available in a still photo on this link are Michael Ballack of Germany, Dejan Stankovic of Serbia, Gianluigi Buffon of Italy and Carlton Cole of England.
As the story details, photographer Annie Liebowitz flew all over the world to get these guys' photos. (Collecting them all together at one spot would have been massively expensive and probably impossible.)
So, there are your lads. Read more!
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