The best paid coaches at the World Cup 2010

The website football finance has compiled the a league table of who's the best paid of the coaches of the 32 nations that have qualified for the World Cup in South Africa.

Top of the List is England's Fabio Capello on €8.8m a year and at the other end of the spectrum in Nigeria's Shuaibu Amodu at €125K a year.

Position	Name	Country	Annual Salary
1	Fabio Capello	ING	8.800.000 €
2	Marcelo Lippi	ITA	3.000.000 €
3	Joachim Low	GER	2.500.000 €
4	Berter Van Marwijk	NED	1.800.000 €
5	Ottmar Hitzfeld	SUI	1.750.000 €
6	Vicente Del Bosque	ESP	1.500.000 €
7	Carlos Queiroz	POR	1.350.000 €
8	Pim Verbeek	AUS	1.200.000 €
9	Carlos Parreira	RSA	1.200.000 €
10	Javier Aguirre	MEX	1.200.000 €
11	Carlos Dunga	BRA	800.000 €
12	Diego Maradona	ARG	800.000 €
13	Takeshi Okada	JPN	800.000 €
14	Ricki Herbert	NZL	800.000 €
15	Otto Rehhagel	GRE	750.000 €
16	Paul Le Guen	CMR	650.000 €
17	Marcelo Bielsa	CHI	575.000 €
18	Raymond Domenech	FRA	560.000 €
19	Vahdi Halilhodzic	CIV	505.000 €
20	Hun Jung Moo	KOR	405.000 €
21	Morten Olsen	DEN	390.000 €
22	Milovan Rajevac	GHA	365.000 €
23	Radomir Antic	SCG	305.000 €
24	Bob Bradley	USA	275.000 €
25	Majtaz Kek	SLO	245.000 €
26	Gerardo Martino	PAR	245.000 €
27	Rabah Saadane	ARG	245.000 €
28	Reinaldo Rueda	HON	240.000 €
29	Vladimir Weiss	SVK	215.000 €
30	Oscar Tabarez	URU	205.000 €
31	Kim Jong Hun	PRK	170.000 €
32	Shaibu Amodu	NGR	125.000 €

World Cup Draw Reaction : Slovenia

After upsetting much fancied Russia to clinch a place in the World Cup, Slovenia now have the opportunity to prove themselves on the World Stage. The draw saw them facing England, USA and Algeria and Slovenian Manager Matjaz Kek is determined to see his country through to at least the second round.

Speaking after the draw Kek said "Depending on how we prepare, what condition we are in, I am convinced Slovenia will leave a good impression on the 2010 World Cup.

"We are able to play in the second round."

This is Slovenia's second ever appearance in the World Cup and they will be eager to avoid the fate of their first appearance where they finished last out of a group of South Africa, Spain and Paraguay losing all their games along the way.

World Cup Draw Reaction : Algeria

Algerian coach Rabah Saadane has targeted the match against group rivals Slovenia as key to their World Cup ambitions.

Speaking in an interview after the World Cup draw which saw Algeria drawn with England, USA and Slovenia Saadane "We were not expecting that group but it is playable but difficult, we will show our qualities and give everything we have got, Slovenia will be an important game, we have to win that game or get out at least something."

"USA and England will be difficult but we have a chance, so let's go for it."

World Cup Draw Reaction : USA

The USA are evoking memories of their sensational 1950 World Cup defeat of England as they prepare for the meeting of the two sides at next year's World Cup in South Africa.

The American coach Bob Bradley speaking to the BBC said "Belo Horizonte - every US soccer fan knows those details, and so we look forward to another opportunity (to repeat it)."

He expressed optimism about the chances of the USA and thinks their Confederation Cup experience from early on in the year will prove beneficial.

"It's amazing to start against England, everyone in the United States will be excited. Algeria and Slovenia (the two other Group C sides) are not big name teams but they are sides who could very well qualify."

"The Confederations Cup was a great experience. The stadiums for the world Cup will be packed to capacity, the passion for the game here is fantastic. And with it being winter in South Africa and the cooler temperatures the games are fast and at a high tempo - fans around the world are going to enjoy it."

World Cup Draw Reaction : England

Fabio Capello England's manager is quietly confindent after the draw saw England up against two sides they have beaten recently USA and Slovenia, as well as Algeria making a return to the World Cup after a 28 year abscence.

Speaking to reporters after the draw Capello said "It’s going to be good not to have to move from the place where we’re going to stay for our opening game, but we have difficult opponents who we must respect. USA are a good team, but so are Algeria and Slovenia. Every opponent at a World Cup is going to be difficult. We’re playing the last two group games at sea level, so that’s going to be a different challenge from our opening match in Rustenburg. But I won’t be offering excuses."

"Every team will have to meet awkward opponents, play in difficult conditions and win matches to win the World Cup. We’ve played and beaten USA and Slovenia recently, both are well-organised, they like to pass the ball and they’ll be good opponents. Algeria beat Egypt and they are a good team too, but I have to learn more about them. I know from experience as a player that when you play here (in the FIFA World Cup) the pressure is different and the mentality is different. But are we going to win the World Cup? We have to!"

World Cup Draw Reaction : Greece

It might be mind games it might be a tactical decision but Greek coach Otto Rehhagel seems to have conceded top spot in his World Cup Group B to Argentina.

Speaking after the draw that saw his Greek team grouped with Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea, Rehhagel said "Argentina will be the clear favourites in our group, they are number one. They are a very good and dangerous side, I think all the teams in the group will struggle against them," said Rehhagel.

"I think it is only fair to say that the three other teams will be aiming for second. So it is up to all of us to fight for the second spot and I think we all have an equal chance of getting to the second round. We have to start well and work hard to stay in South Africa for the knockout stages - that will be our main aim. Once you are in the knockout stages, then anything is possible.

"I don't want to make any predictions, I'm not good at that. From here, we need to study our opponents and plan ahead."

Rehhgal famously won the European Championship with Greece in 2004 but the national teams from since then has been poor and 2010 offers Greece a chance to recapture the lost glory from 10 years ago

World Cup Draw Reaction : South Korea

South Korea despite being drawn in a tough group are taking consolation from the fact that all their opponents struggled to qualify for the World Cup.

Nigeria qualified on the last day of the African qualifiers, Argentina also qualified on the last day of the South American qualifiers after a lacklustre campaign while Greece had to go into a playoff against Ukraine before confirming their place in the World Cup.

Speaking after the draw South Korean Manager Huh Jung-moo said "In a World Cup, there are no easy matches, so I have no reason to complain about our group. We are up against very strong teams. Every game we will play is difficult but we also had tough assignments in the Asian qualifying round,'' said Huh, who faced current Argentine Manager Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup - a 3-1 victory for Argentina -- when both were players.

"Obviously a team like Argentina will start as favorites. They have very good players who are well-known but that is not a problem for us. We are used to starting from the back. We played against them at the 1986 World Cup and we lost but with the experience gained and lessons learned, we hope we can do better."

World Cup Draw Reaction : Mexico

Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre is quietly confident that his Mexican team will qualify from their World Cup 2010 group A despite the presence of hosts South Africa and formers winners France and Uruguay.

Speaking after the draw Aguirre said "South Africa will be under considerable pressure as host nation, but they will also benefit from immense local support and familiarity with their surroundings. I’m not going to label this group either difficult or manageable – I’m going to call it unique, without one clear favourite."

"We are due to face three opponents that all possess their own distinct style. We’re going to have to study them closely, to get to know them and to select appropriate opposition in our upcoming friendly matches to accustom ourselves to similar styles of play. Even if our pool does indeed contain two previous World Cup winners, I happen to believe that from the moment my players walk out on to the pitch, history is no longer a factor."

Reacting to facing South Africa in the opening match of the tournament Aguirre said "For me and our young players it's very important. The first game is always very important, We play the hosts for three points in the opening game of the World Cup. We have to be in the best shape that's possible."

World Cup Draw Reaction : France

French coach Raymond Domenech has welcomed the draw that pits his French side against the hosts South Africa, Uruguay and Mexico.

Speaking after the draw Domenech said "The first thing that’s clear when you look at the make-up of the eight groups – and ours in particular – is that it’s not going to be easy for anyone. We are truly delighted and honoured to be playing against an African team at the first World Cup to be held in the continent, but even more so against the host nation."

"We’re all aware that they will have the unwavering support of the whole country behind them, and that will be something we will have to deal with. We can also look forward to facing two teams from Latin America, and we know that they will be challenging opponents. One advantage for us is that they play a style that we are familiar with – very skillful, and capable of lulling teams into a false sense of security."

"We must be careful not to fall into that trap. We’ve played against both these teams in the not-too-distant past, so we know what to expect. We can now start calmly preparing for the summer, with one positive outcome already assured – we won’t be playing any of our group matches at altitude, which was something I really wanted to avoid."

World Cup Draw Reaction : Uruguay

Uruguay coach Washington Tabarez insists their Group is the true group of death. The Uruguayans are in Group A, alongside hosts South Africa, Mexico and France.

Speaking after Fridays draw held in Cape Town the Uruguayan coach insisted "In each World Cup it is said that there is a death group - well, we are in that group. South Africa are the hosts, Mexico and France are very difficult teams. We didn't have any choice, this is what the draw gave to Uruguay and we will have to face it."

"We will have to work very hard and analyse carefully each team and what we will do in each match. Of course, besides that our group must be the most difficult one I am optimistic, I trust in the quality and the character of the Uruguayan players. If I didn't trust in my players I would stay at home."

"In fact, my opinion is that if we start the competition in a difficult group and we get a positive result in it, then maybe what comes later is not so difficult. So I am optimistic regarding what Uruguay has to do in the World Cup."

World Cup Draw Reaction : South Africa

Bafana Bafana Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira remains confident that his charges will reach the knockout stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, despite being placed along the best teams in the world.

The outspoken Brazilian told reporters on Saturday, a day after the tournament's Final Draw that South Africans must not be scared by France, Mexico, Uruguay, adding that it all lies on commitment and proper planning.

Bafana Bafana has been drawn in the Group A of the World Cup with France, which consists of world acclaimed players, South American giants Uruguay and Mexico - many South Africans are afraid that the national team might be eliminated in the first round of the tournament.

"We are placed with best in the world but that doesn't scare us. I don't believe in words but in action. Nobody can climb Mount Everest with words.

"We need commitment, planning and strategy to climb the mountain. We will make it only if we are mentally and physically prepared," said Parreira.

Several international and local journalists have been criticising the national team for its under-par performance displayed in recent games.

This has created an impression that it would be the first time for a host nation to be eliminated in the first round of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the national team coach openly expressed that most of Bafana Bafana players were not mentally and physically fit which was the main reasons for the team's poor performance.

"Those who want to be in Bafana Bafana must be prepared mentally and physically. With the six weeks in Brazil and Germany we will be working hard on players' mental and physical fitness.

"With the mental preparations and the commitment of players we can make it. I'm committing myself and this draw has boosted my spirit, and I'm motivated now as before," the coach said.

Bafana Bafana will play their first game and also the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Mexico in Soccer City, Johannesburg on 11 June - a game that will determine whether the national team will proceed to the next round.

However, Parreira maintained that there was no need to worry about Mexico, adding that he knows their game style. He said all he needed was for the players to rebuild the spirit they showed in the FIFA Confederations Cup in June.

"All our opponents in the group use a similar method of game, they like playing the ball on the ground. I know the Mexicans they run a lot, they are physical and play a very interesting game.

"But we don't have to worry about them but worry about ourselves. We have to go out there and fight like worriers," said Parreira, who won the World Cup in 1994 with Brazil.

Meanwhile, South African Football Association Vice-President, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana said they were confident that Bafana Bafana will not disappoint their fans.

"Although we are placed with the best teams in the world we are confident that our national team will make it to the next round of the next year's tournament."

Bafana Bafana will play its second match against Uruguay in Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 16 June; perhaps the spirit of Soweto Uprising will play a part. The national team will play its last group match against France on 22 June 2010 in Mangaung/Bloemfontein. - BuaNews

World Cup Draw Reaction : Portugal

Carlos Queiroz the Portuguese coach was unperturbed by his team ending up in what has been tagged the Group of Death reacting after the Draw held in Cape Town, Queiroz said


"I’m pleased. It’s a fantastic group for world football. And we’ve got North Korea too, a team that triggers good memories of the 1966 World Cup (when Portugal came back from three goals down to beat Korea DPR 5-3 in the quarter-finals). All we’re missing now are Hungary, Pele and Eusebio!"

"Deep down, I hope that we’re already qualified by the time we face Brazil in our third match, but counting on that would be to show a lack of respect for our other two opponents. When one of the teams in the group is Brazil, who’ve won five world titles, I’ve no hesitation in saying that they’re the favourites. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka being together at Real Madrid will be interesting, but it doesn’t stop there. Look at Chelsea, for instance, who’ve got both Portuguese and Ivorian players. I think there’s going to be an intriguing atmosphere at a number of clubs."

He also reacted to earlier comments from Bazilian coach Dunga who had likened the match between Brazil and Portugal as a match between Brazil and Brazil B. Queiroz repsonded "As for the match between 'Brazil A and Brazil B', I think that’s an amusing way of looking at it. But anyway, I’m sure that just as many of the Brazilians have Portuguese grandparents or great-grandparents, so I think that makes us even. The only thing that’s certain is that it’ll be a great contest."

World Cup Draw Reaction : Cote d'Ivoire

Last Saturdays draw saw possible the worst outcome Cote D'Ivoire could have imagined. With with Group G opponents Brazil, Portugal and North Korea the football world has wasted no time in tagging this group the group of death and it seems Ivorien coach Vahid Halilhodzic agrees.

Speaking after the draw he lamented "To be honest it’s a terrible group. Very, very difficult. Brazil are second in the FIFA World Ranking and Portugal are fifth. It’s hard to imagine anything worse than that. Before the draw I said: “I’ll take anyone except Brazil or Spain.” I think a black cat must have followed me here in Cape Town."

"But there’s no point cursing our luck now. We’re here and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. I know that my team are capable of springing a surprise, even against Brazil or Portugal. I even think that the fact we’re facing these teams could motivate my players more. I really hope that we can cause an upset."

It is the second straight Group of Death the Ivoriens have featured in. In the last World Cup in 2006 they were grouped with Argentina, Netherlands and Serbia & Montenegro in what was the 2006 World Cup Group of Death.

World Cup Draw Reaction : Brazil

Brazilian coach Dunga says their World Cup group of Brazil, Portugal and Noth Korea is not a Group of Death even though the media and fans had tagged the group as such.

Speaking after the Draw Dunga said, "I don’t like all that 'Group of Death' stuff. If you look at the draw, you’ll see that all the groups, perhaps with the exception of Spain’s, are very even. North Korea are, in theory, a weaker side, but it’s tricky playing against a team you don’t know much about. For us, our opening game is the most difficult one."

"Then it will be our second game and so on. Côte d’Ivoire are going to make us work very hard. Most of their players are at big European clubs and they have [Didier] Drogba, who is one of the world’s best strikers. African teams no longer fit with people’s preconceptions; they’ve allied competitiveness to their technical ability."

"And of course we’ve got a huge rivalry with Portugal. We’ve played twice against them recently, winning one and losing one, but this will be a different story altogether – it’s the World Cup. They’ve got three Brazilians (Pepe, Deco and Liedson) in their team so it’s going to be like Brazil vs Brazil B. What’s more, it’s going to be nice to see the healthy rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, two of the best players on the planet who play for the same club side."

"It’s a balanced group but that’s what we expected. From a logistical perspective, it’ll be interesting to play our first two games in Johannesburg."

World Cup Draw Reaction : Argentina

Argentina express caution as they draw Nigeria, Greece and South Korea in their World Cup 2010 group.

"It's not an easy group," Argentina general manager Carlos Bilardo said. "On the contrary, I think it's very difficult. In 1990, everybody thought that Cameroon was easy and we ended up losing the first match. Korea are strong, but we know them very well. Nigeria are difficult, too, and Greece have shown in recent years that they can compete against big teams. If it wasn't Greece, it could have been Portugal or France, so we can't complain."


Argentina World Cup winners in 1978 and 1986, had hoped that the appointment of Diego Maradona as coach would inspire the team to another triumph. But the team failed to find any form in qualifying and advanced as the fourth-place finisher in South America. Now it has a tough group against Nigeria, South Korea and 2004 European champion Greece.

World Cup Draw reaction : Nigeria

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu described as 'good', the Super Eagles draw for the preliminary stage of next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but admits that things will be tough.

The Eagles will play South American powerhouses Argentina, Korea and Greece in Group B.

Amodu was reported as saying that it was up to him and his team to be prepared to make progress beyond the preliminary stages.

"It is quite a good draw," Amodu said. "As you know, every group is tough, but we must all be prepared for it."

Nigeria have lost to Argentina on the two occasions both sides have met in the World Cup in 1994 and 2002, and beat Greece in 1994 but Amodu says there are no guarantees.

"Obviously, the biggest team on paper is Argentina, but we don’t have to worry. Anybody who is coming to the World Cup must be prepared to face any team and they will all be difficult.

"If you do well and progress to the next round, you may meet them there so it doesnt matter when we play Argentina, we just have to look to our own preparations."

And the Nigeria coach remains confident that the Super Eagles will make it through to the second round.

"Nigeria is one team everybody is looking at to do well, and I believe that we should be able to represent ourselves well and in that group and come out to the second round."

Amodu however, refused to be drawn on how far Nigeria will go.

"Definitely, our ambition is to fight and fight and come out of that group. But the first thing is to think about the group stage and focus on it. If we do that as I think we should, we can then think about how far we can go."

World Cup 2010 - All the matches, all the venues.

GROUP A
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
11 June	Johannesburg	South Africa	Mexico
11 June	Cape Town	Uruguay	France
16 June	Tshwane/Pretoria	South Africa	Uruguay
17 June	Polokwane	France	Mexico
22 June	Rustenburg	Mexico	Uruguay
22 June	Mangaung / Bloemfontein	France	South Africa
GROUP B
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
12 June	Johannesburg	Argentina	Nigeria
12 June	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elzabeth	South Korea	Greece
17 June	Mangaung/Bloemfontein	Greece	Nigeria
17 June	Johannesburg	Argentina	South Korea
22 June	Durban	Nigeria	South Korea
22 June	Polokwane	Greece	Argentina
GROUP C
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
12 June	Rustenburg	England	USA
13 June	Polokwane	Algeria	Slovenia
18 June	Johannesburg	Slovenia	USA
18 June	Cape Town	England	Algeria
23 June	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elzabeth	Slovenia	England
23 June	Tshwane / Pretoria	USA	Algeria
GROUP D
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
13 June	Durban	Germany	Australia
13 June	Tshwane / Pretoria	Serbia	Ghana
18 June	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elzabeth	Germany	Serbia
19 June	Rustenburg	Ghana	Australia
23 June	Johannesburg	Ghana	Germany
23 June	Nelspruit	Australia	Serbia
GROUP E
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
14 June	Johannesburg	Netherlands	Denmark
14 June	Mangaung / Bloemfontein	Japan	Cameroon
19 June	Durban	Netherlands	Japan
19 June	Tshwane / Pretoria	Cameroon	Denmark
24 June	Rustenburg	Denmark	Japan
24 June	Cape Town	Cameroon	Netherlands
GROUP F
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
14 June	Cape Town	Italy	Paraguay
15 June	Rustenburg	New Zealand	Slovakia
20 June	Mangaung / Bloemfontein	Slovakia	Paraguay
20 June	Nelspruit	Italy	New Zealand
24 June	Johannesburg	Slovakia	Italy
24 June	Polokwane	Paraguay	New Zealand
GROUP G
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
15 June	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elizabeth	Cote d'Ivoire	Portugal
15 June	Johannesburg	Brazil	North Korea
20 June	Johannesburg	Brazil	Cote d'Ivoire
21 June	Cape Town	Portugal	North Korea
25 June	Durban	Portugal	Brazil
25 June	Nelspruit	North Korea	Cote D'Ivoire
GROUP H
Date	Venue	Team A	Team B
16 June	Nelspruit	Honduras	Chile
16 June	Durban	Spain	Switzerland
21 June	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elizabeth	Chile	Switzerland
21 June	Johannesburg	Spain	Honduras
25 June	Tshwane/Pretoria	Chile	Spain
25 June	Mangaung / Bloemfontein	Switzerland	Honduras

The World Cup Draw...Who is playing who.

Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B
Argentina
Korea Republic
Nigeria
Greece

Group C
England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Ghana
Serbia

Group E
Netherlands
Japan
Cameroon
Denmark

Group F
Italy
New Zealand
Paraguay
Slovakia

Group G [Group of Death!!!!!!!!!!!]
Brazil
Korea DPR
Cote D'Ivoire
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Honduras
Chile
Switzerland

Clubs to recieve $1600 per day for each World Cup player

This World Cup is set to make the largest payout to participating teams in World Cup history.

The winners of next year’s World Cup final in South Africa will collect $30 million in prize money, FIFA said on Thursday after their Executive Committee meeting in the historic setting of Robben Island.

The runners up will receive $24 million. All participating teams will receive an extra $1 million (about R7.4 million) to cover their preparation costs.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that the total prize money available to the 32 finalists would be $420 million, a 61% increase on the pot for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

As well as the prize money available Valcke said that FIFA would provide $40 million for clubs whose players take part in the tournament.

“Every club who has a player at the World Cup will receive $1600 per day, per player,” Valcke said.

“The money will be paid 15 days before the start of the tournament and to one day after the players’ participation in the World Cup ends.”

The money will be paid to the clubs through their national associations and as part of that package, clubs have agreed not to pursue any claims or any possible compensation through civil courts but only go through FIFA or CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Somali rapper to perform the Official World Cup song

The Official song for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa has been named and it is ‘Wavin’ Flag’ by K’naan. K'naan, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper and musician.

Born and raised in Mogadishu, Somalia but now lives in Toronto, Canada.

"Wavin' Flag" was initially released as single by K'naan in March 2009, but has now been remixed and re-released as the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup.

The Song



The Lyrics

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But Violent prone, poor people zone
But it’s my home, all I have known
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
But out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Except no defeat, surrender retreat

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day
It’s not far away, so for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers

But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering, when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day
It’s not far away, but for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)

And we all will be singing it
Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Waving Flag
Just like a Waving Flag, just like a Waving flag
Flag, flag, Just like a Waving Flag.

World Cup 2010 : Who are the top scorers to watch out for

World Cup 2010 : Who are the top scorers to watch out for

The World Cup is around the corner and we look back over the qualifications to see who were the top scorers during the qualification, the players from each country we should keep and eye on next summer.

Surprising one of the joint top scorers is Greece's Theofanis Geka, suprising because in recent years Greece has thrived on a very defensive game. Also sharing the top scorer accolade is Chile's Humberto Suazo who had 18 matches to notch up his 10 goals, thanks to the Marathon South American qualification system.

Japan, Algeria and Mexico would all do well to use the six month upto the World Cup to produce more consistent strikers.


Africa
Cameroon : Samuel Etoo : 9 goals from 11 matches.
Ivory Coast : Didier Drogba : 6 goals from 5 matches.
Ghana : Matthew Amoah : 5 goals from 7 matches.
Nigeria : Obinna Nsofor : 4 goals from 9 matches.
Algeria : Rafik Saifi : 3 goals from 11 matches.


Asia
South Korea : Park Ji Sung : 5 goals from 11 matches.
North Korea : Jong Chol Min : 4 goals from 2 matches.
Australia : Tim Cahil : 4 goals from 4 matches.
Japan : Shunsuke Nakamura : 3 goals from 11 matches.

Europe
Greece : Theofanis Gekas : 10 goals from 11 matches.
England : Wayne Rooney : 9 goals from 9 matches.
Germany : Miroslav Klose : 7 goals from 8 matches.
Spain : David Villa : 7 goals from 7 matches.
Slovakia : Stanislav Sestak : 6 goals from 6 matches.
Denmark : Soren Larsen : 5 goals from 5 matches.
Serbia : Milan Jovanovic : 5 goals from 8 matches.
Switzerland : Alexander Frei : 5 goals from 9 matches.
Slovenia : Milivoje Novakovic : 5 goals from 12 matches.
Italy : Alberto Gilardino : 4 goals from 6 matches
France : Andre-Pierre Gignac : 4 goals from 8 matches.
Portugal : Simao : 4 goals from 10 matches.
Holland : Klaus Huntelaar : 3 goals from 8 matches.

North and Central America
Honduras : Carlos Pavon : 7 goals from 9 matches.
USA : Jozy Altidore : 6 goals from 13 matches.
Mexico : Jared Borgetti : 3 goals from 2 matches.

Oceania
New Zealand : Shane Smeltz : 8 goals from 5 matches.

South America
Chile : Humberto Suazo : 10 goals from 18 matches.
Brazil : Luis Fabiano : 9 goals from 11 matches.
Uruguay : Diego Forlan : 7 goals from 13 matches.
Paraguay : Salvador Cabanas : 6 goals from 15 matches.
Argentina : Sergio Aguero : 4 goals from 12 matches

2010 World Cup. What will be the group of Death?

The build up to the World Cup 2010 has started officially, as FIFA announced the seeds in preparation for Friday's draw.

The pots are below, with pot 1 containing the seeded teams;


Pot 1 - South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain.

Pot 2 - Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, USA, New Zealand

Pot 3 - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

Pot 4 - Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland


So what would the toughest possible combination. For my money it would be a group of

Brazil
USA
Ivory Coast
France

That would be one of the all time Group's of death in any World Cup. On the flip side the softest group in the world cup would probably be

South Africa
New Zealand
Uruguay
Slovenia

We have two days to play with group permutations before we find out on Friday how it will pan out..

England, Brazil six others seeded by FIFA for World Cup

Fifa has confirmed England will be one of eight seeded teams when the World Cup draw takes place on Friday. They will thus avoid favourites Spain and Brazil, who are two of the other seeded sides, in the group stage.

Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, holders Italy and hosts South Africa make up the remaining seeded nations.

The eight top seeds will all be in pot one, with the remaining three pots drawn on regional boundaries.

Each will face one team in pot two - a team from Asia, north or central America, or Oceania - one team from pot three - which has five African and three South American sides - and one from the exclusively European pot four. So the final pots are

Pot 1 - South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain.

Pot 2 - Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, USA, New Zealand

Pot 3 - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

Pot 4 - Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland

Domenech insists "I will never resign"

In the face of 4 out of every 5 Frenchmen call him for his resignation Raymond Domenech is standing defiant. In a wide ranging interview with the French newspaper L'Express Domenech has vowed he will not resign.

He said in the interview "The harder the pressure, the more I become motivated. I thrive on adversity. When everything's calm, I get bored, I start worrying. To leave now makes no sense.

"Let me reverse the logic. Wouldn't they think in that case 'what a coward', he's cut and run. (Resigning) would suggest that I've completed my job and that I don't give a damn about the consequences - that would give ammunition to my critics.

"People have to stop dreaming. I'm not someone who walks away. With my players we want to achieve something momentous in South Africa.

"We'll let a little time go by, see what this and that person is saying, and then kick on again."

After a disappointing showing at Euro 2008, in which France failed to progress from the group stages, Domenech looks to have survived another brush with dismissal.

However, he was forced to reiterate his stance that he did not receive around €750,000 (£675,000) as a bonus for World Cup qualification, as reported in the French media.

He insisted: "If it really was that, I would be as happy as anything.

"But it is way over the mark. I won't even try and contradict the information because it is their usual editorial line. It is a lie. Money is not my motivation."

North Korea suffers huge set back in World Cup preparation

It is not looking so good for North Korea as they kicked off their preparation for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

They were undone by goals from James Chamanga and Felix Sunzu gave Zambia a 4-1 win over North Korea in an international friendly. North Korea's only goal of the game came courtesy of a penalty converted by Mun In Guk four minutes from the final whistle.

Chamanga scored twice in the first half and added a third in the 70th minute.

Felix Sunzu, who came on as a substitute for Chamanga in the 71st minute, scored in injury time to restore the three-goal margin.

Ghana fails to improve in FIFA ranking

Ghana has hung on to its ranking as Africa sixth best team despite a lacklustre performance since they qualified for the World and Nations Cup.

Ghana however moved up one place in the world, occupying the 37th position in the latest Fifa/Coca Cola rankings released Friday.

Defeats to Benin and Japan in a World Cup qualifier and an International friendly respectively have contributed largely to Ghana's rankings. As they failed to capitalise on being the first African team to qualify.

In November the Stars drew with Mali and Angola but those results will only reflect in the next rankings to be released in December.

Cameroon maintained the first position in Africa, and moved up three places in the world, occupying the 11th position.

Ivory Coast are second in Africa and 16th in the world. Nigeria despite a difficult run in the World Cup qualifier are still third in Africa and 22nd in the World.

Egypt and Algeria have swapped places in the latest rankings, with Algeria now taking over the fourth position in Africa and 28th in the World. Egypt are fifth in Africa and 29th in the World.

Spain have toppled Brazil to take over the first position in the World. Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Germany, France, Argentina, England, Croatia follow in that order.

World Cup 2010 : The Final 32

The qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is complete. Uruguay's 2-1 victory over Costa Rica secured the last spot and the 32 teams heading to South Africa next June are now known.

The qualifiers are

Africa
Algeria
Cameroon
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa (Hosts)

Asia
Australia
Japan
Korea DPR (North Korea)
Korea Republic (South Korea)

Europe
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland

North and Central America
Honduras
Mexico
USA

Oceania
New Zealand

South America
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Paraguay
Uruguay

Nigerian coach Amodu criticises plans to drop him for a foreign coach

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu has lashed out at those asking for him to be fired, despite qualifying Nigeria for next year's World Cup.


Amodu made history when he became the only coach to qualify Nigeria to two World Cups - 2002 and 2010 - but there has been a clamour for him to be replaced by a foreign coach ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in January as questions persist about his tactics and team selection.

"How many teams in the world play ten matches and don't drop a game? To now ask whether I should stay or not, is not correct," Amodu told Nigerian sports radio station Brila FM.

"I was given a mandate to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup, and I have done that.

"Is it a problem to coach Nigeria? People should know I have a life, I have a family."

In 2001, Amodu became the first Nigerian coach to qualify the African nation to a World Cup. However, he fell out with the authorities soon after the 2002 Nations Cup in Mali and was replaced by Adeboye Onigbinde for the finals in Korea and Japan.

Amodu has now advocated continuity, arguing that the team who qualified the country to the World Cup should feature at the Nations Cup in Angola and thereafter at the World Cup.

England look set to be World Cup seeds

England are banking on being one of the top seeded teams for next years World Cup in South Africa. Their seeding will depend on how much weight FIFA gives to the most recent ranking which if they did would have England missing out on a top 8 seed as these are currently occupied by

1.Spain
2.Brazil
3.Holland
4.Italy
5.Portugal
6.Germany
7.France
8.Argentina

With South Africa also guaranteed a seed, England would have faced the high risk of being drawn against one of the big boys in the opening rounds.

FIFA however seems to have thrown England a lifeline by indicating recent form will not factor highly in the seeding. A Fifa spokesman said: “If the criteria to determine the seeded teams were to include, as in the past, the Fifa world ranking, then it would be the October 2009 edition of this ranking which would be considered — and this for sporting reasons.

“Using the November 2009 edition would create an uneven situation, specifically for the European zone, where the play-offs involving the eight best runners-up led to an imbalance in the number of qualification matches played between the teams.”

This opens the possibility of England bagging a top speed an avoiding heavyweights such as Brazil, Germany, Italy or Spain

Slovenian PM turns boot boy after historic win

Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor vowed to clean the national football team's boots if the team pulled of a suprise victory over Russia in the play-offs, and guesss what they did so the PM had to roll up his shoes and get down to business.

"I just cleaned the players' shoes - but I admit I did not clean them thoroughly," Mr Pahor told TV Slovenia.

"To Africa with clean shoes," said Slovenia's Dnevnik newspaper.

Mr Pahor said he cleaned the players' boots after Wednesday's match in Maribor, in which Slovenia beat much-fancied Russia 1-0.

The goal was enough for the Slovenians to progress to South Africa on the away goal rule, after a 2-1 defeat in Moscow last week.

Theirry Henry says "I am not a cheat"

French striker and captain Thierry Henry has expressed regret over the handball incident that knocked Ireland out of the World Cup. In a statement to Sky News Henry said

"I'm naturally uncomfortable with the way we won and I am extremely sorry for the Irish who really deserve to be in South Africa. To replay the game, this is not my responsibility,"

"I have said, and shall say again: I hit the ball with my hand. But I am not a cheat. I've never been. It was a reflex, I could not do otherwise. Everything goes very fast in action and we, the players have no time to slow down images.

The statement by Henry comes after FIFA ruled that the match be replayed.

See Thierry "hand-ing" France victory.

Thierry Henry's moment of shame as he can be seen blatantly handling the ball moments before the William Gallas equalised to give France a 1-0 victory, 2-1 on aggregate and see Les Bleus through to the World Cup

World Cup 2010 : The Final 32 heading to South Africa are almost complete

The qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is almost complete and 31 of the 32 teams heading to South Africa next June are now known.

Qualifiers so far

Africa
Algeria
Cameroon
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa (Hosts)

Asia
Australia
Japan
Korea DPR (North Korea)
Korea Republic (South Korea)

Europe
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland

North and Central America
Honduras
Mexico
USA

Oceania
New Zealand

South America
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Paraguay

The remaining match is Costa Rica vs Uruguay (1st leg 0 -1)

Portugal beats Bosnia to qualify for World Cup 2010.

Portugal ended Bosnia hopes of making their first ever appearance at the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Bosnian this Wednesday night.

The goal came from Raul Meireles in the 56th minute after good work from Manchester United striker Nani.

The victory saw Portugal take the play-off with a 2-0 aggregate win having beating the Bosnians by the same margin on Saturday in Lisbon.

The Bosnian coach afterwards said the team were devastated "It is difficult to comfort the boys, they are devastated. Kenan Hasagic had a nervous breakdown," Miroslav Blazevic said. "But this is a young (team) and has potential to develop."

Henry "Hands" France World cup victory over Ireland

The luck of the Irish deserted them to night as match officials missed a blatant Thierry Henry handball that ultimately led to Ireland missing out on the 2010 World Cup.

The Irish had pulled the two-leg play-off match level with a Robbie Keane goal in the 33rd minute to cancel out France's 1-0 advantage from the 1st leg in Dublin on Saturday.

France's contentious winner came in the 104th minute with the match heading for a penalty shootout when captain Thierry Henry slapped the ball with his hand to stop it going out of play and again to set it up for a cross that William Gallas headed in to secure the draw.

The goal means France, the 1998 World Cup winner and 2006 runner-up, won 2-1 over two legs following Saturday's 1-0 win in Dublin ironically with the help of a big deflection off an Ireland defender.

Slovenia 1 - Russia 0 Hiddink's Russian dream dies in Ljubjana

Gus Hiddink has failed in his atttempt to appear at four World cup finals with four different teams as Russia are beaten 1-0 by Slovenia to their World Cup hopes.

The hero of the night for Slovenia was striker Striker Zlatko Dedic. The Slovenian was quickest to react when Valter Birsa crossed from the right caught out Russia's defence .

Russia had won the first leg 2-1 in Moscow on Saturday, but Slovenia's win on Wednesday meant they qualified on the away goals rule.

The warning signs were there for Hiddink as early as the fourth minute, when a simple through-ball from Birsa inexplicably cut open the Russian defence and allowed Milivoje Novakovic a clear sight of goal, but his finish lacked confidence and was straight at keeper Igor Akinfeev.

Six minutes later there was a huge let-off for Russia when Andraz Kirm’s cross from the left struck the leg of the hapless Sergei Ignashevich, who saw the ball rebound off the post with Akinfeev motionless.

Dedic then beat Yanbaev to a deep cross from Novakovic, but his header lacked power and Akinfeev gathered comfortably.

As the clock ticked towards half-time, the home support erupted as Dedic got behind two Russian markers to turn in Birsa’s cross and give Slovenia the lead at the break.

Hiddink made two changes at half-time, bringing on Sergei Semak and Aleksandr Kerzhakov for Pavlyuchenko and Yanbaev.

But Russia’s night went from bad to worse when the Dinamo Moscow striker was shown a contentious red card by Norwegian referee Terje Hauge on 66 minutes.

Zhirkov’s cross from the left was whipped in dangerously towards Kerzhakov, who got the better of his marker and slid in on goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, appearing to make a legitimate stab at the loose ball.

The challenge was interpreted as dangerous play by the referee, and closer inspection of the incident also appears to show Slovenia defender Bostjan Cesar strike Kerzhakov in the face, while goalkeeper Handanovic chipped in with a retaliatory hand aimed at the striker.

Hiddink reacted by throwing on another striker, Pavel Pogrebniak, in place of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and the Stuttgart man almost made an immediate impact with a 12-yard header from Arshavin’s cross that was held by Handanovic.

As the game neared its dramatic climax, Zhirkov soared into the penalty box and hit a volley that was beaten out by Handanovic.

The ball was immediately cleared downfield to Dedic, who drilled a glorious opportunity wide, whilst at the other end Vasili Berezutsky came closest to finding an equaliser for Russia, volleying over from close range following Ignashevich’s flick.

There were more ugly scenes in stoppage time as Zhirkov was shown a second yellow card following an altercation with a Slovenia substitute on the by-line.

Seconds from the end Novakovic had a further glorious chance to put the icing on the cake, and the final whistle brought scenes of jubilation, with Russia ultimately left to pay the heaviest of prices for not finishing the match off on Saturday.

Slovenia will be heading to South Africa with high hopes in their second ever World Cup.

Greece beats Ukraine to end 16 year absence from World Cup

Otto Rehhagel who masterminded Greeks memorable 2004 European championship has gained another memorable achievement for his adopted country.

The Greeks booked their place to South Africa 2010 after defeating Ukraine in Donetsk in tonight's UEFA World Cup play-off.

Dimitrios Salpingidis' terrific first half strike gave the visitors the goal they needed to secure Greece's place at their first World Cup since 1994.

Greece and Ukraine, who were deadlocked at 0-0 after the first leg in Athens on Saturday, struggled to impose themselves early on in a match played on a rain-soaked pitch of the half-empty, 50,000-seater Donbass Arena.

Ukraine skipper Andrei Shevchenko missed a chance to put his team into the lead in the eighth minute, when he failed to send home a rebound after Greece 'keeper Alexandros Tzorvas deflected Alexander Aliev's shot.

The 2004 European champions then struck against the run of play when Samaras sliced open the Ukraine defence with a pass for Salpigidis to fire home.

The Greeks were lucky not to concede an equaliser just before the break when Ukraine defender Evgen Khacheridi, who had ventured forward, deflected a cross intended for Shevchenko wide.

Greece, buoyed by their lead, became more confident in the second half, tackling harder and finding more space in attack as the hosts surged forward in numbers.

With the clock ticking and in need of two goals, Ukraine came close to equalising with substitute Evgen Seleznev firing just wide on the hour.

Another effort by Yaroslav Rakytsky minutes later was blocked by Greece keeper Alexandros Tzorvas.

The final whistle found Greeks cheering in front of almost empty stands as most of the disappointed 30,000 Ukrainian fans had left before the end.

Algeria pips Egypt 1-0 to book Africa's last World Cup place

It has taken three matches between the Algeria and Egypt but finally the last of Africa's five groups has produced a winner.

Both teams finished the group qualifiers with 13 points each and a goal difference of 5 points which meant a plyoff was needed to determine the group winner and it was a stunning first-half strike by defender Antar Yahya that crushed Egyptian dreams and booked Algeria's ticket to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Algeria joins Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana and hosts South Africa as africa's representatives at the World Cup.

Egypt had majority of possession but lacked the bite upfront, while Algeria always looked dangerous on the break.

Yahya's 39th minute winner came against the run of play when he took advantage of a lapse in concentration by Egypt's defenders to hit a perfect volley in off the underside of the crossbar with his right foot from an acute angle.

The win means Algeria will make their first appearance at a World Cup since 1986 and once again highlighted Egypt's inability to carry their impressive form in Africa - they have won the African Cup a record six times - into World Cup qualification tournaments.

John Terry boasts a full strength England would beat Brazil.

Despite England's 1-0 defeat at the hands of World champions Brazil in Doha, Qatar the English captain John Terry remains upbeat.

England was severley under strength with several key players missing including Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and David James.

A goal from Nilmar was enough to secure victory for Brazil but they could have scored more with Lucio hitting a post and Luis Fabiano missing a penalty against a Three Lions side missing several big names.

However, speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the England captain insisted the game was just a friendly and when it mattered the Three Lions could compete with the best teams in the world.

“We are giving them a lot of credit, but the game had friendly written all over it. It was difficult to press. I don’t think they are anything to worry about.

“Brazil are a very good side, but we have to look at our own strengths and quality. We can mix it with the best teams in the world.”

The centre back, who missed the game through injury, also declared a full strength England side would have won the game.

He boasted, “They have their weaknesses like any other side. At full strength I think we would have beaten them.

“On a different night with a few players back I think we would have really got at them.”

New Zealand qualification proves cash bonanza for

New Zealand' shock qualification for the World Cup has proved a money spinnner for the country's football Assocaition.

The All-Whites as the Kiwi football team is known booked their place with victory over Bahrain in their qualifying play-off second leg.

And they are set to net about NZ$10m ($7.43m; £4.45m) for qualifying for next year's finals in South Africa.

Talks with potential sponsors should also now kick on after they qualified for the first time since 1982.

The nation booked their place after Rory Fallon's header gave them a 1-0 victory over Bahrain in their Asia-Oceania playoff in Wellington on Saturday.

"We were cautious about having a big windfall and going crazy [because] you've got a lot of money and you can create a lot of short-term activity and then the money runs out," NZF chief executive Michael Glading told Reuters.

"We're very much thinking about long term."

Although the exact amount of cash the football association will get from world football governing body Fifa has not been determined at present, the country is budgeting for a NZ$10m windfall.

Word Cup 2010 Qualification Draws to a Close

The qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is drawing to an end and the 32 teams the will compete for Sport's ultimate prize are almost complete.

Qualifiers so far

Africa
Cameroon
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa (Hosts)

Asia
Australia
Japan
Korea DPR (North Korea)
Korea Republic (South Korea)

Europe
Denmark
England
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Serbia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland

North and Central America
Honduras
Mexico
USA

Oceania
New Zealand

South America
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Paraguay

and the final matches which will be played on 17th of November are

Ukraine vs Greece (1st Leg 0-0)
Algeria vs Egypt play-off
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Portugal (1st Leg 0-1)
Slovania vs Russia (1st Leg 1-2)
Uruguay vs Costa Rica (1st Leg 1-0)
France vs Republic of Ireland (1st Leg 1-0)