Penalties on the Spot
Monday, May 31, 2010
Two men face each other, knowing that a single kick is about to decide their teams’ fate as more than 700 million viewers watch: it must be a World Cup penalty shootout.
There is more than a 50 percent chance that the winners of the World Cup in South Africa, which kicks off on June 11, will have to survive a penalty shootout en route.
Some of the world’s top sportsmen will inevitably buckle under the pressure, consigning millions of fans to despair and a lifetime of muttering “what if...?”
Derided as a lottery by critics, the penalty shootout is unsurpassed as the ultimate test of nerve to decide tied games.
Despite its flaws, it makes compulsive viewing. The split-second moment can make a player a hero, or forever scar an otherwise unblemished career.
“It affected me for years,” said Roberto Baggio, the Italian forward who was one of the best players of the 1994 tournament until he missed in a shootout defeat to Brazil in the final.
“It was the worst moment of my career. I still dream about it. If I could erase a moment it would be that one.”
England’s Stuart Pearce shared that sentiment after missing in a 1990 semi-final defeat to Germany.
“My world collapsed. The walk back to the centre circle was a nightmare as the first rush of tears pricked my eyes,” Pearce said years later.
Four of the last five winners of the world’s biggest sports event have had to come through a shootout test of nerve during one of their four knockout games, including Italy and Brazil in the final games of 2006 and 1994.
Since penalties were introduced in 1982, to decide matches that remained drawn after extra time, there have been 20 shootouts in seven tournaments.
Five players from each side take a kick and if the scores are level a “sudden-death” process starts. Fifty-six, or 30 percent, of the 186 spot kicks have been missed.
FIRST MISS
Germany have proved most clinical, winning all four shootouts they have been involved in.German defender Uli Stielike was the first man to miss in a shootout in Spain 28 years ago but his team still won the semi-final. Not one of his countrymen has missed since, giving German players a 94 percent success rate.
In contrast, England have lost all three of their World Cup shootouts, missing half of the 14 kicks they have taken.
The Swiss, Mexicans, Romanians and Dutchmen have yet to win a shootout, while this year’s favourites, Spain, may need to improve their record of one win from three.
“It may not be wholly representative of the game but it’s a test of skill under pressure and some countries have proved good at it,” said Matt Pain, part of Loughborough University’s football psychology research unit in England.
“It’s clearly not a lottery because the statistics show how many Germany have scored and how many England and the Netherlands score.”
Coaches going to South Africa will spend much time on research, trying to improve their chances, backed up by sports science and psychology experts who have spent hundreds of hours studying the art.
Sixty percent of shootouts are won by the team going first, so the captain who wins the coin toss can grab a clear advantage before a ball is kicked.
From there, it gets more technical, but experts say the key is controlling the pressure.
“Penalty shootouts are really a psychological game,” said Geir Jordet, associate professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Science in Oslo who has studied shootouts extensively.
“It’s not so much about technique or skill, it’s about players choking. Shootouts are not decided by great shots or spectacular penalties. They are decided by the one, two or three players who fail because the pressure gets to them.”
FASTER ENGLISH
Jordet’s research has highlighted several reasons why some players and countries fail. English, Spanish, Italian and Dutch players, for example, rank high in terms of “star” status, having enjoyed club success and great popularity at home, which piles on more pressure.
His research has shown English players take kicks quicker than players from any other country, reflecting their desire to get them over as soon as possible.
Germany’s clinical approach – the team are said to have a database of more than 10,000 penalties and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was seen studying a crib sheet tucked into his sock during a quarter-final shootout four years ago – is being copied by others anxious to know which way opposition goalkeepers tend to dive and which way players prefer to aim.
In the run-up to this year’s tournament, all the top teams will practise their technique from the penalty spot.
“You can’t replicate the exact emotions you’re going to have but, as Tiger Woods does with putting, you can practise a skill to give you more chance when the pressure is on,” said Loughborough University’s Pain.
The English, Swiss, Dutch and Mexicans can at least hope that if tested this time they can reverse their fortunes. Italy did so in style four years ago –after beating France in the final after losing their three previous shootouts.
Baggio may have helped to inspire that victory. After his miss in 1994 he stepped up again four years later to score, albeit in another defeat against France.
“I’ve never run away from my responsibilities,” Baggio said. “Only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them.” – Reuters
posted @ 7:45 PM,
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Sri Lanka Selectors for the World Cup
Former skipper Aravinda de Silva has been appointed Sri Lanka's chief cricket selector and set the challenge of preparing a team capable of winning a World Cup just nine months away.
''I want another team to win a World Cup,'' said De Silva, whose unbeaten century against Australia in the 1996 World Cup final brought cricket's most prestigious limited-overs title to Sri Lanka for the first time. ''I'll try and work hard and honestly as possible to ensure this task is achieved.''
Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake on Monday announced the new selection panel which also includes former international wicketkeeper and television commentator Ranjith Fernando, former national player Amal Silva and Shabir Asgaraly, a former first-class cricketer.
The 44-year-old De Silva said his immediate challenge will be to develop depth in every position and identify batsmen who can repair and rebuild an innings if the top order fails.
He said rather than experimenting with new players in the national squad, he'd make players work hard for a place by performing for lower tier teams.
The outgoing committee headed by Ashantha de Mel was accused of inefficiency, favoritism and political bias in team selection.
But Ratnayake assured the new panel that he will not allow any political interference.
Sri Lanka will co-host the 2011 World Cup with India and Bangladesh. No Asian team has won the World Cup in the 50-over format since Sri Lanka's title in '96, also when it was co-hosting the tournament.
Sri Lanka lost the 2007 final to Australia in the Caribbean but has since slipped to No. 6 in the international ODI rankings and fourth in the test rankings.
De Silva retired from international cricket after the 2003 World Cup, having played 308 limited-overs internationals and 93 test matches.
A dashing stroke-making batsman, he averaged just under 43 in test cricket with 20 centuries. He scored 11 hundreds and 64 half centuries in ODIs, and had a strike rate of 81 runs per hundred balls faced.—AP
posted @ 7:39 PM,
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Imran Khan backs Shahid Afridi
Pakistan’s legendary former captain Imran Khan spoke out in support of Shahid Afridi on Friday, saying the all-rounder should be given a long innings to stabilise a team hit by controversy.
“Afridi should be given a long run as Pakistan captain,” Imran said, adding that frequent rotations at the top destabilise the team.
“Since I retired in 1992, Australia has had only three captains while Pakistan has had more than two dozen and that is why there is a big difference between Pakistan and Australia.”
Facing a captaincy crisis after Younis Khan stepped down and Mohammad Yousuf was sacked, Pakistan on Tuesday appointed Afridi captain for next month’s Asia Cup and a subsequent tour of England.
Imran said Afridi, already leading Pakistan in the Twenty20 format since last year, was the only real choice.“Who else if not Afridi?” said Imran, Pakistan’s most successful captain with a World Cup triumph in 1992.
“I think if they had made anyone else captain, problems would surely have persisted, so I think Afridi was the best choice available.
“Afridi has been leading the team well in the Twenty20 format. A good captain should be brave, can handle pressure and should have the respect of the team, so let us give Afridi some time to settle and then judge him.
“You can never predict about him as a Test player and a captain until you give him a chance. If he was not playing Tests and now he intends to play, then maybe with responsibility he performs better.”
Afridi, who has not played a Test since 2006 because of family commitments, made himself available for the longer version of the game last week.
Imran said he does not agree with the idea of separate captains for different formats of the game.
“Cricket is the only sport where you need able leadership and if a captain is successful in one format he could be successful in all three,” he said.
Imran said Pakistan will need Yousuf for Tests in England.
“Pakistan need someone who can stay at the wicket for longer and Yousuf has that quality,” said Imran.—AFP
Labels: Imran Khan, Shahid Afridi
posted @ 7:37 PM,
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Rhythm for Success
With the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa close at hand, a new song promoting a 'rhythm for success', to inspire footballers to score more goals has been composed.
A Durham University researcher composed the song by using a new 'language' for African drums.
The track, entitled, 'Vuma! Unity, harmony, goal!', is based upon a traditional South African rhythm and is designed to help football players and fans get into the spirit of the first ever World Cup to be held in South Africa next month.
Football fans all over the world will get a chance to sing along to Vuma as the song will be played on the terraces in South Africa during the World Cup.
"The Vuma song and rhythm certainly captures the spirit of the South Africa World Cup 2010," John Hemmingham, Managing Director and Leader of 'The England Band' said.
"The England Band will be in South Africa creating and experiencing that spirit having now added the Vuma song to our play list," he stated.
Peter Okeno Ong'are, a researcher in the Music Department at Durham University, has developed a new notation system for drums to overcome a modern-day problem where the family tradition of teaching African drumming is being lost.
The notation method, which has been used for the first time in the composition of Vuma, is based upon a series of universal, easy-to-read and easy-to-write symbols.
The song is the first song transposed into the notation and local schoolchildren are learning the rhythm, words and music from Peter.
Vuma is a fusion beat based upon a traditional South African rhythm.
"Dancing to the Vuma rhythm can help players and fans acclimatise to the pace of life in South Africa. Let's unite people in the universal language of rhythm!" Peter, who hails from Kenya, said.
"The words for the song mean: 'We are in agreement as one. We are united and together we'll succeed'.
"It's a positive message and rhythm to inspire prolific goal scoring, and unity and harmony for all football fans and players during the World Cup," he explained.
Hitting the right beat, on the right part of the drum, and at the right time and in the right way, are crucial elements to the accurate playing and reproduction of hand drum rhythms.
In composing the notation, Peter aimed to develop a system, which would allow people across the world to learn and perform African rhythms.
For his research, funded by the Ruth First Educational Trust and St Chad's College, Durham University, he looked at established notation systems in music and tried different teaching techniques with hand drum students, from different cultures, to see what worked best.
Having tested his ideas, he devised a symbol-based language to show drummers how to play rhythms that may call for specific hand drum techniques, including 'the rub' and 'the damped slap'.
The new notation system enables drummers to record hand drum rhythms in a written format. This can be used to pass on the rhythm to other drummers (anywhere in the world) to learn and perform, without the need for a teacher to be present.
It enables people from different cultures to preserve their own unique drum patterns, and for these rhythms to be transposed, passed on and performed anywhere in the world.
"Ancient hand drum rhythms in Africa used to be passed on from generation to generation: from family to family and from tribe to tribe," Peter stated.
"The traditional ties have changed, and so too the way in which we pass on drum patterns. The notation system will help people all over the world to learn and play African rhythms that might otherwise be lost forever.
"The notation method provides a method for archiving and performing traditional rhythms from any culture," he added. (ANI)
Labels: FIFA Song
posted @ 2:18 PM,
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World Cup 2011Transparency
As you would expect of someone who skilfully crafted a match-winning World Cup final century, Aravinda de Silva has been quick to announce that he has a plan for Sri Lanka’s the 2011 challenge.
And as you would also expect of someone who knows what playing in such a high-profile event requires, the little maestro has outlined his thoughts in what is his final column in a Sunday newspaper. These will be spelled out again at a media briefing at Sri Lanka Cricket at Maitland Place today when the man who has engineered the appointment of the selection panel, the new sports minister, C. B. Rathanayake, will introduce the four man team.
Aravinda de Silva… tasked with reviving a World Cup dreamIt is the first time that De Silva has been placed in a position where he can handle selection policy and have a say in coaching matters and is a small step towards assuming a position advocated in these files for some months, that of director of cricket in the country. It is also less than a week ago when this paragraph appeared in a column run on a website dealing with Sri Lanka Cricket, and recognised by ‘The Times’ as one of the top 50 cricket sites in the world.
Under the headline "Sri Lankan selection policy playing with players careers" in My Pavilion Kitbag column the following appeared, "It has been recommended that Aravinda de Silva be approached to help out in selection and guide their thinking and also be used in a consultancy capacity as a coach. It would be a good move, but knowing the little master, he won’t move in that direction unless he has carte blanche in selection issues and coaching policy and that is highly unlikely."
Well, now he has control of one position and this role is central to shaping the direction the team is heading over the next nine months. He agrees that nine months is a tight schedule and one of the new selectors, Ranjit Fernando he will know from his career at Nondescripts, which backs on to Sinhalese Sports Club and where Aravinda played any number of his masterful Premier League club innings over the years.
The point at issue here is how the selectors need to consult with the chosen captain to see what is needed as well as sit down with the coaching staff to map out a programme. This is what De Silva and his team will do. It is the first time that De Silva has been invited to fill the role of a selector and that is seven years since his retirement from the international stage.
As vice-president of SLC under Thilanga Sumathipala’s administration of 2003/2005 before the government, in April 2005, installed the ad-hoc (non-elected committee), Sri Lanka had a healthy cricket establishment with De Silva overseeing a solid coaching structure as well as bringing in John Dyson as coach and setting a template for the future which has slowly disintegrated since the 2007 World Cup final in Bridgetown, Barbados. This new move is seen as the start of solid building structures designed to carry the team forward.
De Silva has kept a close watch on the playing affairs side of the game, especially youth programmes, where he has pursued with enthusiasm an ambitious pathways structure. Involving a team of handpicked coaches, he moved into outstation schools in a venture through which quality talent has been found among lesser schools. A number of players have found their way into the national schools coaching courses and earned national Under-19 colours.
His mentoring role over the last four years with the Under-19 squads for the ICC Youth World Cups has shown the path he has chosen to plough his knowledge back into the game and why all too many seem to forget his role since retirement has been one of a servant of the game, designed to help others. Even taking his pathways programme message to Jaffna.
While not quite the fallout expected from an Eyjafjallajokull style eruption, at least the effort to get rid of the bumbling quartet run by Ashantha de Mel, is a genuine act of transparency by the sports minister to get rid of a system clogged by obfuscation. The previous panel dithered over their 2011 World Cup strategy like blind men in a queue awaiting prescriptions for new spectacles along with clouding the issues with agendas and hiding behind flawed excuses.
It displayed a lack of professionalism and this became more evident when the newsprint media slammed them for their decision to leave out Jeevantha Kulatunga, player of the domestic T20 tournament from the initial squad of 30.
Doing an urgent volte-face, yet hiding their decision with flawed rhetoric that would have embarrassed even that ace political manipulator Machiavelli, SLC were asked to approach the International Cricket Council for the squad to be increased to 31 members. What excuse SLC made to the ICC for the request can only be imagined. The fabricated insouciance the selectors issued was how Kulatunga had been a sudden inclusion on the grounds that he was cover for an injured player.
This caused great hilarity in several pavilions around Colombo as the mafia had been caught in an iniquitous puddle of effluent of their making and the nauseating stench was wafting along Maitland Place, around Cinnamon Gardens and beyond. No apology offered to the batsman, just barefaced acquiescence of how someone such as Sanath Jayasuriya is to be allowed to continue with his career at the expense of others.
This last selection panel ignored the third year of the four-year cycle to build a squad for the World Cup and if anyone would care to look at the results of the tour of India, they do not make for good reading, even the success in the Bangladesh event where Sri Lanka beat India in the final. Suggestions were that they had become dinosaurs in their thinking and it showed in their policies and also why they needed to be removed before they could do more damage.
De Silva panel’s first job will be to select a squad for the Asia Cup to be held in Dambulla where conditions are dodgy at best for strokeplay. For this, they will be checking on the form being shown in Zimbabwe, who shocked India in the opening game of that series.
It is easy to criticise the captain, Suresh Raina, for his decisions of who to bowl what overs in the final 20 of that game and tough choices had to be made. What it did is expose the near mediocre quality of the three debutants that India selected for the opening game.
Ashok Dinda, Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav looked sadly out of place against the marauding batting tactics applied by Zimbabwe in the batting-friendly conditions at Queens Sport Club in Bulawayo. They retained them for the second game of the series against Sri Lanka, their form will be watched closely, more to see whether they have learnt from the drubbing by the Zimbabwe batsmen last Friday.
Sri Lanka went in with a predictable squad, but there is a time, hopefully soon that the new selection will make their choices regarding the batting order and around who the side revolves when it comes to batting order preferences. Just what the side didnneed, is for the run out of Upul Tharanga in the second over of the innings. This is where more discipline is needed and what the selectors will be looking for. This is players taking responsibility for their performances.
This will lead to questions of where Mahela Jayawardene fits in with the new thinking, what to do with Jayasuriya who is playing for Worcestershire in the T20 domestic series in England. Apart from his disastrous Indian Premier League form and that at the ICC World T20 tournament won by England in the West Indies, Jayasuriya’s last foreign engagement was with Natal Dolphins in the 2008/09 in a domestic 45 overs series where he managed a top score of 58, scoring 129 runs at 14.33 from nine games. He says he is sticking around until the World Cup, warning Sri Lanka’s selectors to drop him at their peril. This may now take a different course.
First indications of what De Silva’s panel is planning will be the Asia Cup series in Dambulla and their long-term planning of how they will help develop the players in the system.
Yet, there seems to be a hangover in selection policy from the old committee in the first game in Bulawayo. Instead of Tillakaratne Dilshan and the touring selection committee including Dinesh Chandimal in the side, they went for Dilshan in the dual role of captain and wicketkeeper. It is a risky policy at the best of times.
Chandimal is no AB de Villiers, but he has the ability to become a player similar to the evanescent South African, who made his first-class debut in the 2003/04 season for the Northerns Titans as an opening batsman who was also the team’s wicketkeeper. With South Africa already making their choices of who they want in their World Cup side, Sri Lanka are still in the starting stalls, and you can understand some of De Silva’s frustration how policy has created its own self-doubt among some players.
Certainly, Chamara Kapugedara is not in the De Villiers class. Yet, this is the opinion of one of the previous selection panel. For someone who began his ODI career four years ago amid trumpeting headlines, an average of 21.85 from 60 innings in 68 games with only six half centuries makes you wonder where is the magic. De Villiers fills the same role, he played his 100th ODI game on Friday, has a rate of seven centuries and 21 half-centuries, an average of 43.24 in 95 innings ehich explains the difference between the two. [Via]
Labels: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
posted @ 2:07 PM,
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Who Will Wind the World Cup?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Algeria – The one thing that would make Egypt's non-qualification hurt even more would be an Algerian triumph. I'm not saying that's Algeria's only motivation. But it has to be in there somewhere. Beating France in the final wouldn't hurt either.
Australia – Soccer currently lags behind cricket, rugby, the other football and probably some other sports we’ve never even heard of. A World Cup win could change all that.
Argentina – No wins since Diego Maradona led them to glory in 1986. In that nearly quarter of a century Argentina has consistently been one of the best teams in the world. But no more World Cup trophies. The big narrative for the team in 2010 is Diego Maradona once again. He’s back, he’s as crazy as ever, and he’s in charge of picking the team. But just think how good/mental would it be to see Diego Maradona lift that trophy, and join Franz Beckenbauer and Mário Zagallo as the only men to win the World Cup as both player and coach.
Brazil – Obviously Brazil always wants to win it, and often that’s exactly what happens. They already have five wins, but 2006 was supposed to be the year they made it six. They didn’t. Despite the weight of expectation, I have a feeling most Brazil fans would admit they’d much prefer a win in 2014 when they host the World Cup. Or maybe they want both.
Cameroon – The first African team to make the World Cup quarterfinals in 1990, and the only team until 2002 when Senegal matched them. So first World Cup on Africa soil + Samuel Eto’o = First African World Cup winners?
Chile – The 2010 earthquake destroyed infrastructure and killed over 500 people. The country needs cheering up.
Cote d’Ivoire – This is a country still divided, between rebels and government. But I’m sure pretty much everyone there would agree with the sight of Didier Drogba holding the trophy aloft on July 11th in Soccer City Stadium.
Denmark – Morten Olsen has been the Denmark manager for a about a decade. In international management that’s a lifetime. Maybe two lifetimes. In terms of commitment and time invested in a team, this man deserves a World Cup.
England – Oh, they want it. That one win in 1966 gave England a big drink of glory. Now, 44 years later, they’re very very thirsty. The English Football Association has gone all out and hired the best coach money could buy in Fabio Capello, and with key players like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry all either at or around that 30 years old mark, this is the last chance for a certain generation who keep promising to deliver.
France – Like England, France have the blessing/albatross of having won the World Cup, but only at home. Winning it on foreign soil is the big next step that both countries need to take. However, I get the feeling that most in France are more interested in waving goodbye to Raymond Domenech than in winning the trophy in 2010.
Germany – Believe it or not, it’s been a while. Germany hasn’t won a World Cup since 1990. If Michael Ballack was in the squad, then there’d be a an argument for his determination to stop winning runner up medals on the big stage. That same argument can be made for this whole team though, as the majority of this squad lost out to Spain in the final of Euro 2008.
Ghana – If an Africa team is going to win the first World Cup on African soil, then Ghana might be the most likely. Even without Michael Essien, they seem to have the deepest squad. A continent’s hopes rest on you Black Stars.
Greece – The economoy is in the toilet. The people have been rioting in disgust at austerity measures. Nothing is going right. If Otto Rehhagel can repeat his Euro 2004 trick then Greece would be a much happier place in July 2010, if only temporarily.
Honduras – The country is in a bit of a political crisis. A World Cup win wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem. But it would make everyone feel a whole lot better.
Italy – Brazil has won five. Italy four. So the Azzurri are very much the junior partner in the Derby della Mondo right now. But just one more World Cup win would see them level with Brazil as the joint most successful international team of all time.
Japan – We’ve been laughing at coach Takeshi Okada a little, for his semi-final prediction and his I want to quit outburst/misquote this week. But the reason Okada is managing Japan at all is that the man who was supposed to lead them to South Africa – Bosnian coach Ivica Osim – suffered a stroke in 2007 and had to step away. It’s been three years but I imagine a Japanese win will be dedicated to coach Osim.
Mexico – At 37 years old and carrying some extra timber, Cuauhtémoc Blanco does not look like he should be playing international football. But he’s been a great player and deserves a big sendoff. I imagine winning a World Cup would do nicely. Plus it would end the “who’s the best team in CONCACAF” argument with America pretty conclusively.
Nigeria – The Super Eagles win Olymic Gold in 1996, becoming the first African team to do so. Being the first African team to win the World Cup would be a decent follow up.
Netherlands – Total World Cup finals: two (1974, 1978). Total World Cup wins: zero. It’s time the Dutch team won a World Cup.
New Zealand – Because it would upset Australia. Also because – despite their dominance – the New Zealand rugby team has not won the Rugby World Cup since they co-hosted in 1987. They host again in 2011 and expectation is high. But imagine if the soccer team beat them to it and won the World Cup the year before?
North Korea – Because if they win, then North Korean television can show the actual real full actual games on television, rather than the rumoured edited version.
Paraguay – Striker Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head in January 2010. He somehow survived, and was determined to recover in time for the World Cup, but had a bullet lodged in his brain and so won’t be playing in South Africa. His teammates winning the World Cup would be a fitting tribute to his determination.
Portugal – We know Cristiano Ronaldo wants it. It would complete his trophy haul. But maybe the most compelling story is Carlos Queiroz and his quest to convince the world that he’s a proper manager and not just an assistant who’s been overpromoted.
Serbia – First time at the World Cup for Serbia as an individual nation. The 2006 Serbia & Monetenegro adventure didn’t count. So a win would mean a 100% record.
Slovakia – Again, World Cup virgins. And seems like former partners the Czech Republic have had all the glory so far.
Slovenia – I like Slovenia. I’ve even been there. But in this tournament, I – like many others I’m sure – often get confused about exactly which one they are. For the record they’re the team with mountains on the jerseys. If they win this tournament, everyone will remember them forever.
Spain – No World Cup wins to date. But the Euro 2008 victory has finally taken Spain to another level. You can see the confidence as they pass the ball around tac-tac-tac. This is surely Spain’s best ever chance to finally win the World Cup, but also their chance to shed that underachiever tag once and for all. Or to have it etched even deeper. The stakes are high.
South Africa – The hosts. The much maligned hosts. Never before has a nation’s ability to host a tournament been questioned so openly. If the team went all the way and won it, that would be karma in action. Also, would be nice to see the events of the 1995 Rugby World Cup repeated on the soccer field. Though I doubt we’ll see a South Africa vs New Zealand final in 2010.
South Korea – Recently confirmed that North Korea sank one of their ships. So I imagine national pride is a little wounded. Park Ji-Sung and friends could restore it with a trophy.
Switzerland – Border and language sharing nations France, Germany and Italy all have a World Cup. It’s time Switzerland got one too.
USA – American soccer faces the same problem as Australia, in that it still lags behind other sports. America loves a winner, so a World Cup win would be a big help in attracting the patriotic but non-soccer loving sports fan. I also get the feeling that though genuine American soccer fans are happy with the progress from 1990 to present, they’re itching to take that next step up and lift the trophy.
Uruguay – When you look at the list of World Cup winners, Uruguay seems to be on there by mistake. First World Cup winners. Repeat winners in 1950. Then nothing for 60 years. I’m sure they’d love to rejoin the big boys.
posted @ 7:56 PM,
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Congratulations on the first convocation of the University of Gujrat
posted @ 6:48 PM,
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Anti-doping tests before World Cup
FIFA will be testing eight players from each of the 32 teams during out-of-competition controls ahead of the World Cup.
By the time the cup is held aloft on July 11, the total of tests should stand at 512, and medical chief Michel D’Hooghe is confident he can oversee a clean World Cup.
D’Hooghe said Wednesday that on top of those 256 pre-tournament checks, the same number of urine and blood tests will be conducted during the tournament itself.
Two players from each team will be selected for tests after each of the 64 matches. D’Hooghe said the 512 tests overall represent “an impressive total.”
The World Cup has been relatively free of doping scandals. The only big exception was the 1994 World Cup, when Argentina forward Diego Maradona was kicked out of the tournament for using a cocktail of banned substances.
“It was one of my toughest moments,” D’Hooghe said of the decision to expel Maradona.
The former playmaker will be back as coach for Argentina, which has already subscribed to FIFA’s memorandum for a doping-free tournament.
Even though football occasionally gets mentioned in drug scandals in Italy or Spain, D’Hooghe is convinced there is no doping culture among the world’s 260 million football players. He said that of the 35,000 doping controls annually, only 0.3 percent test positive. And even in that case, the overwhelming majority are for social drugs like marijuana and cocaine.
Samples at the World Cup will be tested at the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab in Bloemfontein, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Johannesburg.
Players are currently exposed to an ever increasing regimen of games, played at an ever more furious pace compared to a generation ago, but D’Hooghe said that the improvement in injury prevention and medical care have partly offset the impact of that.—AP
Labels: Anti-doping, World Cup
posted @ 10:16 AM,
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Seniors World Cup Proposal
Fawad Ijaz Khan, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) Chairman, met Chief Executive of ICC Haroon Lorgat in Dubai at the ICC headquarters recently to discuss a plan to organise a Seniors Cricket World Cup soon.
Fawad informed Lorgat that besides Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka which have senior teams, the PVCA were facing problems in convincing other Test playing countries to raise similar squads.
Lorgat then assured Fawad that he will discuss this proposal in the next ICC meeting and will convince the heads of other Test playing countries to raise senior cricket teams for such a World Cup, to be organised by PVCA in collaboration with Board for Veterans Cricket in India.
Fawad also informed Lorgat that the proposed Seniors World Cup can be played in Pakistan and India or Dubai and Abu Dhabi sometimes at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012. The format of World Cup can be of 40 overs each or even T20.
Lorgat assured full co-operation to PVCA for the organisation of this event and agreed to provide ICC Elite Panel umpires for this World Cup.
Lorgat was also briefed about the activities of PVCA in Pakistan by Fawad during the last 12 years.—Agencies
Labels: Seniors World Cup
posted @ 10:14 AM,
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Fifa ticket sales online again
Ticket sales for the soccer World Cup were back on track on Friday afternoon after a computer crash earlier in the day, Fifa said.
"Now the ticket over the counter sales [are] working, said spokesman Wolfgang Eichler, adding that 20,000 tickets had been sold.
Earlier, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke was forced to apologise over the matter and said he had demanded a report from ticketing agent Match.
"Today I would like to sincerely apologise to all the fans that have been affected by the problems in the ticketing sales system," said Valcke.
Valcke said he and local organising committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan were "deeply moved" by the fans queuing for tickets on Thursday night and wanted to know what caused Friday's problems.
FNB, which is at the frontline of frustrated fans, said it was just as disappointed as the fans and could do nothing until Fifa had solved the technical problems.
"This is despite guarantees and promises given to FNB from Fifa's ticketing agent Match, as well as from Fifa secretary general Jérôme Valcke who personally reassured fans yesterday that there would be no further ticketing issues," said FNB.
The same thing happened when tickets went on sale earlier this year.
Labels: Tickets
posted @ 10:05 AM,
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FIFA is going to be the biggest world stage there is
Friday, May 28, 2010
The US government has issued a travel alert warning its citizens that South Africa faces a heightened risk of terrorism during the World Cup. It says that large-scale public events present an attractive target. "There is a heightened risk that extremist groups will conduct terrorist acts within South Africa in the near future," the US state department said.
The warning came as US President Barack Obama wished the the American World Cup football team good luck. Although sometimes we don't remember it here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world stage there is.
"I just want to say how incredibly proud we are of the team," said Mr Obama, who was joined by former President Bill Clinton to give the players a presidential send-off at the White House in Washington. "Everybody's going to be rooting for you," he said.
"And although sometimes we don't remember it here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world stage there is."
In a statement, the state department said it had no information on any specific, credible threat during the tournament, but noted that such threats have been reported in the media. South Africa has mobilised thousands of specially trained police to deal with fans' safety.
Some 350,000 people are expected to visit South Africa for the World Cup, which is being held in Africa for the first time and starts on 11 June.
posted @ 3:59 PM,
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Stadiums For The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup
Spring 2011 will herald not one but two new cricket facilities in India designed by Hopkins Architects, in time for the World Cup.The first phase of the new Stadium at Chepauk, famous home of recent IPL winners Chennai Super Kings, is now complete. Lower and upper terraces for 10,000 spectators together with hospitality box accommodation all under a PTFE tensile membrane roof, formed a stunning backdrop to the inaugural matches of the IPL season in March. Many commentators and players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavasker have praised the design, especially its ability to bring a cooling breeze across the ground. The re-construction of the entire 43,000 seat Chidambaram Stadium will be complete by mid-2011.
Further north in Maharashtra, Hopkins is also on site with the first phase of construction for the new MCA Pune International Cricket Centre. Situated on a steeply sloping site adjacent to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on the outskirts of Pune 170km southeast of Mumbai, this first phase comprises a bowl-like lower terrace for 38,000 spectators focussed around an international standard playing area with 15 pitches, and accessed by means of a generous perimeter pedestrian concourse to the rear. Above this, at the southern end, a Main Pavilion with 26 hospitality boxes and an upper terrace for a further 7,000 spectators will be created, covered by a PVDF tensile membrane roof.
Further phases will see the completion of the four separate stands at Pune, adding more hospitality accommodation and covered seating, bringing the total capacity up to 55,000. Completion is scheduled for February 2011.
Hopkins’ schemes for cricket stadia range from their award-winning Mound Stand at Lords (1987), to Hampshire County Cricket Club in Southampton (2001), whose Rose Bowl ground is used for county and One Day International matches and will host a test match in 2011.
Labels: Stadiums
posted @ 11:06 AM,
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South Africa games moved from Jamaica
The violent situation in Jamaica has led cricket authorities to move a one-day international and the first test against South Africa to Trinidad, the West Indies Cricket Board said on Wednesday.
The fifth one-day international on June 3 and the opening test from June 10, both scheduled for Sabina Park in the Jamaican capital Kingston, will now be held at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Kingston has suffered four days of violence with security forces fighting armed supporters of a fugitive alleged drug lord in clashes that have killed nearly 50 people.—Reuters
Labels: Security
posted @ 9:43 AM,
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More than 160,000 WCup tickets still unsold
By GERALD IMRAY
More than 160,000 World Cup tickets are still available with the tournament kickoff just two weeks away, and more than half of those will go on sale Friday, according to FIFA.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke revealed the ticketing status at a ceremony marking the handover of Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium to World Cup organizers on Thursday.
None of the 64 games are sold out, and FIFA said it would release an extra 90,000 tickets — which were not taken by its various sponsors and affiliates — to the general public on Friday.
Organizers said the latest ticket release would be the last "big inventory available for the public" for Africa's first World Cup. They added there may be unannounced releases during the tournament.
Valcke said "all is nearly perfect" when asked about final World Cup preparations but the high-end category one tickets, which range from $160 to $900, appear to be causing problems.
More than 75,000 category one tickets, unaffordable for the majority of South Africans, are still available.
Valcke said FIFA had set a target of selling 97 to 98 percent of tickets to equal figures at the last World Cup in Germany, and he was hopeful organizers would reach the milestone. FIFA said it has already reached 96 percent sales of the total 2.88 million tickets available for the tournament.
A total of 4,000 tickets in all four categories are available for the opening game, nearly 7,000 tickets for the semifinals, and 861 for the final.
About 360,000 foreign visitors are expected for the tournament, nearly 100,000 less than initial estimates, which makes it unclear where the remaining ticket sales for the more expensive seats will come from.
Tournament organizers' ticket pricing is also believed to have contributed to poor sales on the African continent, where African fans are being asked to pay the same prices as Europeans or Americans. Valcke said less than 40,000 tickets had been sold on the continent outside of South Africa.
"We can definitely talk about a disappointment when we see the number of tickets sold in Africa," Valcke said.
Local organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan requested fans to buy more tickets, but also to be less noisy at stadiums and observe safety announcements and protocol.
"The level of noise in the stadium. It is an important matter that when we make an announcement in the stadium everybody must be able to hear it," Jordaan said. "We ask for that particular discipline. We cannot have unmitigated noise levels in the midst of the singing of national anthems. These are serious issues that we need to address."
Boisterous local fans are well-known for producing constant noise during games, helped by their plastic vuvuzela trumpets.
FIFA denied suggestions last year at the Confederations Cup that it may ban the vuvuzelas — which produce a loud humming noise — at the World Cup.
Labels: Tickets
posted @ 9:20 AM,
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Music Concerts and Art Performances
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Rest, recreation and entertainment are the three ways we all choose to spend our time we spare from our occupation/work and the household responsibilities. Music and visit to see art work are the two good means of entertainment. Acheapseat.com is doing a good job facilitating people to entertain themselves.
There is an American music festival with the name of Lollapalooza. The festival features alternative rock, rap, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. The generation fond of this great festival is known as Generation X. American youth remained mesmerized by this popular festival in the 1990s. There are two Lollapalooza events taking place in Chicago, IL, Grand Park on 5th and 6th of August and professional ticket brokers acheapseat.com is offering hottest deals on premium Lollapalooza Tickets everyday. You are bound to save more than a few bucks and more importantly, you will get the help, advice and expertise on your buying of the tickets for the concerts.
With the aim of encouraging the appreciation, study and performance of the arts, Festival of Arts presents, each night during the summer season at 8:30, its most famous attraction, the Pageant of the Masters who promote, produce, and sponsor such like events and activities. These performances are ninety minutes of living pictures pursuing the creation of classical and contemporary works. The real people pose such that they look exactly like their counterparts in the original pictures. These Pageant of the Masters events are taking place at 8:30 pm daily from 7th to 18th July 2010 with the exception of 13th at Irvine Bowl, Laguna Beach, CA. The best place to buy your Pageant of the Masters Tickets is acheapseat.com where you can get the best of the deals and save more than a few bucks.
Performances featured by many heavy metal groups in the form of an annual tour of the United States and Europe has come to be known as Ozzfest. Ozzy Osbourne is the founder of the group. As part of the American tour the group is having concerts from August 14-24, 2010 at different places. See the schedule at
Acheapseat.com.
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posted @ 9:36 PM,
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PCB’s Offer to Younis Khan
Former captain Younis Khan is in no mood to change his stance against the Pakistan Cricket Board over the indefinite ban imposed on him and has turned down a PCB offer to go for a compromise before the England tour.
Sources close to the legal advisors of the Board and Younis said that the PCB, through its legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi, had floated an offer that if Younis withdrew his appeal against the ban, they could remove it and close the chapter by just imposing a nominal fine.
“But Younis who has left for England has instructed his lawyer Ahmed Qayyum that he should see to it that the Board’s appeal judge Justice (retd) Irfan Qadir gives a full verdict on the appeal lodged by the former captain against his ban,” a source said.
Sources further said that Younis was not ready to accept any wrongdoing on his part even if the PCB was indicating he could be playing for Pakistan soon under the compromise formula. “The Board basically wants to close the chapter and has made a settlement offer to Younis Khan’s lawyer,” the source confirmed.
The ban was imposed in March and Younis has appealed against it and also attended two hearings with Justice Qadir.
“Younis is adamant that he has done nothing wrong except to try to do his best for Pakistan and has never been part of any grouping or lobbying and so the ban on him is totally unjustified and he wants a full verdict on his appeal from the judge,” another source said.
Younis has demanded that the appeals judge suspend his ban and also hold his hearings on camera so that the media and people know the truth and can decide if the ban on him is justified.
Even at the hearing of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports on Monday, Younis made it clear that he had never indulged in politics or intrigues in the team and the ban must be removed unconditionally.
The NA committee has told the PCB that it feels that Younis has been treated unfairly and the bans and fines on players must be reviewed.
The Board on Tuesday included Younis and another banned player Shoaib Malik into the list of probables for the Asia Cup and England tour on condition that they are cleared by the appeals judge. Justice Qadir is due to hear Younis’ next appeal on May 29 while the former captain has also threatened to go to court if he didn’t get justice.—Agencies
Labels: Players
posted @ 1:34 PM,
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ICC Cricket World Cup Statistics
ICC Cricket World Cup All-Time Statistics
Labels: Statistics
posted @ 1:22 PM,
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The 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals
They’re almost here — in just a couple of weeks all that hard work will be put to the test. I’m talking about finals.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals.
So to help you get through this difficult time, I present my ill-thought-out, and almost certainly biased, study guide of what is about to kick off on June 11 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Favorites:
A quick search of the Internet will throw up a handful of names that will be fighting among themselves for the big prize in July. The top two are probably Brazil and Spain, with Argentina and England close behind.
Given its hugely successful history, having won the title five times and as the only team to have qualified for every World Cup, anyone would be a fool to bet against Brazil. Real fan favorites across the globe, they play an exciting game with almost everyone on the pitch seemingly attacking the goal.
Spain, meanwhile, is the current European champion and a few months back would probably have been clearly at the top of the pile. Since then, injuries have taken a serious toll on the star players on the team, and it remains to be seen whether or not they will make it back in time and if, when they do return, they will be fully fit.
It is easy to think Argentina should be a powerful force this summer with the current FIFA World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi, in its ranks and one of the best ever players, Diego Maradona, as its coach. But Maradona is an enigma, and has a proven record of going from hero to zero, or vice versa, in a heartbeat. Just ask any England fan about his two goals against us in ‘86.
That England are touted to be among the top teams this year should probably make me happy, and it is certainly true that under the iron-fisted rule of our (Italian) manager, we have had some great performances. But it is hard not to have serious doubts about which side will really show up. Time and again England have failed to relive the glory of our single triumph in 1966, and Monday’s warm-up game against Mexico did nothing to light any fires.
Team USA:
After a stunning victory over European champions Spain in last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, could this be the year that Team USA makes waves not just abroad, but at home too?
A lack of a global superstar among its ranks, and some serious injuries that have taken a chunk out of the squad, mean it is incredibly unlikely it could go all the way, but what if by some freakish accident the USA won the World Cup this year? To be really blunt, a lot of people, myself included, would be absolutely horrified.
Before someone goes and throws me and my tea into the ocean, I better make it clear that this is no anti-American sentiment. I would love it if the USA really took football to heart and became a serious force in the sport. But right now the country just doesn’t care enough. Any other country would go crazy if they won the cup. Here, I’m not even convinced everyone would even notice.
Home Sweet Home:
The host country for this World Cup might be South Africa, but this is Africa’s tournament. Whether or not you have a home nation to support, go adopt a second team from any of South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Cameroon or Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
Home nations have traditionally had great success, the tournament having been won six times previously by its host, and anyone who followed South Korea’s run to the semifinals as joint hosts back in 2002 should know that, with a bit of luck and with the whole crowd behind you, anything is possible. Should any of the African nations walk away with the crown, or even make a run to the final, don’t expect the party to stop for a long, long time. So reawaken your evolutionary roots and grab your own slice of what could be a wild ride.
Heroes and Villains:
French midfielder Zinedine Zidane ended his career by headbutting his Italian counterpart, Marco Materazzi, in the final in 2006. In a moment of insanity he reacted to verbal insults by the Italian and, however offensive Materazzi’s taunts may have been, was rightly shown a red card. The tournament’s best player walked off as a villain and will be forever remembered for that.
There will certainly be other contenders, but ahead of this year’s World Cup, another French player has already staked his claim on Zidane’s crown. Thierry Henry destroyed his own reputation and made a lot of enemies in Ireland with a blatant hand-ball that secured France their place in this year’s tournament. Anyone with Irish blood will likely still have a team to support this year though, whomever France are playing.
Heartbreak:
There will be penalties. At some point in the knockout stages, two teams will be unable to decide a winner by the end of regulation, sending the game into extra time and then almost inevitably into a penalty shoot-out.
Most football fans will tell you this is a horrible way to decide a contest, but it is really the only truly reliable way. Hearts will fill with dread both on the field and around the world as each player takes his turn to square off in front of goal, and ultimately one player will stumble under the weight of expectation on his shoulders. While you can lose a penalty shoot-out, you can never “win” — you merely survive.
As an England fan, my dreams are of winning the cup, but my nightmares are of being knocked out on penalties. To Germany. Again.
Trouble:
Football fans, the English in particular, have a bad reputation. Some of this is well-earned, but it is all too easy to get hung up on the headlines from the past and ignore the facts of today. English football went through a revolution in the early ‘90s, and the violent hooliganism of yesteryear was mostly replaced by a more family-orientated atmosphere.
In a similar vein, it is simple to look at the violent crime statistics in South Africa and fear for the lives of the traveling supporters. But these problems, while serious, are generally limited to specific areas of the country, and having already hosted several major international sporting events, such as the Rugby Union World Cup and cricket’s Twenty20 Indian Premier League, the South African authorities have shown they know what they are doing.
There will of course be some drunkenness, and some tourists will encounter problems, but by and large the tournament should be relatively peaceful.
Strife:
But whatever happens, it won’t be pain-free. That’s what I love and hate about football. Your team will set your heart racing with anticipation, make you dare to dream with a glimpse of the sort of play that on any given day could beat any team on the planet, and then drop you into a spiral of despair as their challenge comes to a shuddering halt.
Or maybe not. Just once, that dream could come true.
So get ready to put down those books, forget about summer school or internships, and concentrate on something more important for the next month.
Tom Taylor will be headbutting anyone who insults this column. At your own risk, send comments to tom.taylor “at” stanford.edu.
posted @ 8:39 AM,
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World Cup favourites tag weighs heavy on Spain
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Spain head to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa as one of the favourites to lift the trophy on the back of their Euro 2008 success but that tag does not sit well with their players or manager.
In the past Spain have often been the dark horses to win tournaments on the back of a strong qualifying campaign and up until recently had disappointed with their only major trophy being a European championship win back in 1964.
However, the Euro 2008 win in Austria and Switzerland has raised the expectation bar and a perfect 10 wins in World Cup qualifying along with a 35-match unbeaten run - equaling the record of Brazil - has persuaded bookmakers to put Spain down as one of the major contenders.
“We would like not to have this role of favourites but we have it and have to accept it,” Liverpool forward Fernando Torres said in sports daily AS.
“In Spain we think we think we are at the centre of the world and always consider ourselves the favourites.
“I live in England at the moment and the favourites are England and Spain. In France they are France and Spain, in Brazil they are Brazil and Spain. We don’t like it but I guess it is inevitable.”
Spain have one of the most comprehensive squads in world football and boast world class stars all over the pitch such as Torres, Valencia goal machine David Villa, Arsenal starlet Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona’s creative midfield pair Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
The confidence Spain seem to have taken from the Euro success is notable but no-one knows whether the pressure of being favourites will weigh heavy on their shoulders.
Spain have never won the World Cup - with a fourth place finish their best in 1950 - but this is seen as their big chance to lift football’s ultimate prize and the nation expects.
“Everybody in Spain thinks that anything except winning the World Cup is a failure,” admitted national coach Vicente del Bosque.
“I think that’s nonsense and an extremism but, in the times we live in, it seems that extremism sells.
“And even though we don’t agree, we can hardly say it doesn’t make sense that we’re singled out, given we’re European champions and have won so many games.”
Spain have been top of the world rankings for the first time in their history and have been handed a kind group with Switzerland, Honduras and Chile but the last 16 knockout stage could see them come up against Ivory Coast, Portugal or five-time champions Brazil.
“On paper we’re favourites to go through, and I think that we have to try and finish top of the group,” said captain Iker Casillas.
“The draw for the knockout rounds is tough, but if you want to reach the World Cup final then you have to go out and beat the best.”
On paper Spain certainly look one of the strongest sides in the tournament, have a proven manager in del Bosque and real self-belief from the Euro 2008 triumph.
Spain were fancied to do well in the European championships but played without much pressure, however, at the 2010 World Cup finals they begin as firm favourites and hope to show they can handle it. – AFP
In the past Spain have often been the dark horses to win tournaments on the back of a strong qualifying campaign and up until recently had disappointed with their only major trophy being a European championship win back in 1964.
However, the Euro 2008 win in Austria and Switzerland has raised the expectation bar and a perfect 10 wins in World Cup qualifying along with a 35-match unbeaten run - equaling the record of Brazil - has persuaded bookmakers to put Spain down as one of the major contenders.
“We would like not to have this role of favourites but we have it and have to accept it,” Liverpool forward Fernando Torres said in sports daily AS.
“In Spain we think we think we are at the centre of the world and always consider ourselves the favourites.
“I live in England at the moment and the favourites are England and Spain. In France they are France and Spain, in Brazil they are Brazil and Spain. We don’t like it but I guess it is inevitable.”
Spain have one of the most comprehensive squads in world football and boast world class stars all over the pitch such as Torres, Valencia goal machine David Villa, Arsenal starlet Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona’s creative midfield pair Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
The confidence Spain seem to have taken from the Euro success is notable but no-one knows whether the pressure of being favourites will weigh heavy on their shoulders.
Spain have never won the World Cup - with a fourth place finish their best in 1950 - but this is seen as their big chance to lift football’s ultimate prize and the nation expects.
“Everybody in Spain thinks that anything except winning the World Cup is a failure,” admitted national coach Vicente del Bosque.
“I think that’s nonsense and an extremism but, in the times we live in, it seems that extremism sells.
“And even though we don’t agree, we can hardly say it doesn’t make sense that we’re singled out, given we’re European champions and have won so many games.”
Spain have been top of the world rankings for the first time in their history and have been handed a kind group with Switzerland, Honduras and Chile but the last 16 knockout stage could see them come up against Ivory Coast, Portugal or five-time champions Brazil.
“On paper we’re favourites to go through, and I think that we have to try and finish top of the group,” said captain Iker Casillas.
“The draw for the knockout rounds is tough, but if you want to reach the World Cup final then you have to go out and beat the best.”
On paper Spain certainly look one of the strongest sides in the tournament, have a proven manager in del Bosque and real self-belief from the Euro 2008 triumph.
Spain were fancied to do well in the European championships but played without much pressure, however, at the 2010 World Cup finals they begin as firm favourites and hope to show they can handle it. – AFP
Labels: Spain
posted @ 11:24 AM,
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Beyound Sports
On a recent Saturday afternoon, the Celtics took on Magic, cheered on by raucous onlookers. The pace was quick, the players committed and the rivalry intense.
The participants, though, were not the storied Boston and Orlando basketball teams, but boys of the Mahindra-NBA recreational league in India, where the National Basketball Association (NBA) hopes to take advantage of the growing popularity of the sport to gain a foothold, backed by one of the largest corporate groups in the country.
India has famously been a one-sport country, with sponsors, audiences and even politicians obsessed with cricket.
Robust economic growth and greater exposure, however, have recently encouraged commercial and consumer interest in sports from soccer to Formula One motor racing and the Olympics.
“Cricket represents sports one through five in terms of popularity, but for us even a small slice of a billion-plus market represents real opportunity,” said Adam Silver, NBA deputy commissioner, speaking in Los Angeles.
“What we’re seeing in India is a burgeoning middle class, as well as a young population...we see an opportunity over time. It’s hard to resist a population of that size.”
The annual seven-week basketball league, which tipped off in April, drew more than 1,000 eager applicants in Mumbai alone, with young boys and girls flaunting jerseys bearing the names of their more famous counterparts in the United States.
Mahindra and other Indian firms have long been patrons of sport, hiring sportsmen and sponsoring local teams, but they are now looking beyond cricket and even to Olympic glory.
“On the economic front, we’re standing shoulder to shoulder with the best in most fields,” said Shitin Desai, a vice chairman at DSP Merrill Lynch who is on the executive committee of Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a non-profit organisation run by sportsmen and business people.
OLYMPIC SHOWING
“Corporates want to get involved because everyone has played and loved a sport at some point, and they feel proud when there is some achievement on the field. It’s a great leveller.”
Every four years, there is a great deal of hand-wringing and soul-searching about India’s poor showing at the Olympics.
Failure has been blamed on everything from a culture that scorns sport as a career, to inadequate funds and facilities and sports federations run by bumbling bureaucrats and politicians.
India allocates about 35 billion rupees ($777 million) every year to sports, a tiny fraction of its $1-trillion GDP.
Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, the fifth richest man in the world, put aside $10 million of his personal wealth in 2005 to promote sporting talent and encourage potential Olympians after he was disappointed by India’s lone medal at the Athens Games.
Three years later, shooter Abhinav Bindra, backed by Mittal Champions Trust (MCT), won India’s first individual gold in Beijing.
While India’s final haul of three medals paled in comparison to China’s chart-topping 100, it was still a start.
“In India there’s never been a plan, a strategy to identify and nurture talent, to build a pipeline of athletes,” said Manisha Malhotra, a former tennis champion who runs MCT in Mumbai in close coordination with the Mittal family in London.
“At first we thought athletes only lacked money and I’d just have to sign cheques. But what’s really lacking is a plan, a vision, the right knowledge, so we’ve had to study the system and get the best people to help with our athletes.”
BOYCOTT THREAT
MCT supports 60 athletes in six disciplines – athletics, archery, boxing, shooting, squash and wrestling – working with national sports federations to select them, then providing equipment, coaches, physiotherapists, dieticians and training.
“Sport has survived on mediocrity with no accountability. Corporate involvement is key: it’s not about money but cleaning the system, making it efficient, accountable, result-oriented,” said Malhotra, who aims for five medals in the 2012 Olympics.
Stories of mismanagement abound: the shooting federation threatened to boycott Beijing over inadequate ammunition, the men’s hockey team went on strike over pay before the World Cup this year, and facilities for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October are well behind schedule and over budget.
The main failing was the inability to deliver on plans, said R. Ramraj, who is on the executive committee of OGQ, the brainchild of billiards great Geet Sethi and all-England badminton champion Prakash Padukone, which backs 15 athletes in boxing, badminton, athletics and shooting.
“Our poor position in sports is one more example of a gap between intent and action, and that’s why I think something like OGQ can help,” said Ramraj, a senior adviser to Sequoia Capital, who along with Desai, wrote the first cheques for OGQ in 2006.
“The other difference is that OGQ is driven by sports people, who know the pride, the emotion of winning a medal, seeing the Indian flag being raised and the anthem being played.” – Reuters
posted @ 11:18 AM,
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Indian cricketers oppose WADA’s whereabouts rule
The International Cricket Council should address India’s concerns about WADA’s whereabouts rule, the anti-doping agency’s director general David Howman said.
Indian cricketers last year refused to meet a WADA deadline to comply with the rule, saying it intruded on their privacy and was a potential security risk.
In October, the ICC suspended the clause until the Indian players’ concerns were sorted out.
“We know some people are scared (about the clause),” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Howman as saying.
“But one needs to understand that it’s the international federation (ICC) which ultimately has to look into and address the concerns of the national federations.”
Howman is in India to attend the seventh Asia-Oceania intergovernmental meeting on anti-doping in sports.
The controversial whereabouts rule requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year.
Shashank Manohar, the president of the Board Of Control For Cricket In India, said last year that India was committed to ensuring cricket was a drug-free sport and would sort out the issue amicably with the ICC. – AP
Labels: Rules
posted @ 11:13 AM,
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Sunglasses for Men
Summer has set in and people are seen in sunglasses. “Clothes make the man, whereas it is actually his shades that define his character in the warm weather months” they say. That is what makes sunglasses the gauge of men’s lifestyle.
Looking for my own interest mens sunglasses I came upon very well stocked Menssunglasses.com – very aptly named site that displays over 200 different styles of Sunglasses. The website is neatly laid out and users’ friendly and you can find whatever you are looking for easily. In addition to what is featured on main page, all men's sunglasses are listed methodically on the sidebar. Imagery is good and you get the feeler of what you may be looking at. That is what helps anyone make informed shopping decision.
Best thing at Menssunglasses.com is their prices. Please note the discount prices (given in red) and you will be able to make a difference from list prices. Explore 2010 mens sunglasses styles, better still have nice shopping experience.
posted @ 9:11 AM,
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Afridi to stay on as captain
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Afridi led the Pakistan team for the first time in 2006 and he will be leading the Test squad for the first time for the England tour and the Asia Cup. Afridi ended his self exile from test cricket last week. Known for his outstanding batting performances, Afridi has scored five centuries in his Test career with the highest score being 156 runs.
Labels: Pakistan Team
posted @ 3:35 PM,
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Why PCB chairman dismisses allegations of match-fixing?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday dismissed allegations of match-fixing against his national team players in a move that surprised one of the country’s parliamentarians.Ijaz added that if any of his subordinates raises the issue of match-fixing, “he is talking nonsense.” In a leaked video recording of an inquiry committee hearing, ex-Pakistan coaches Intikhab Alam and Aqib Javed raised suspicions about the performance of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal during the winless tour of Australia earlier this year.
Senator Haroon Akhtar, a member of upper house standing committee on sports, said he was surprised and shocked by Ijaz’s stance.
“Couple of months back, PCB showed us the same video footage in which our team coaches clearly raised doubts of match-fixing during the series against Australia,” Haroon said.
Ijaz said the International Cricket Council’s AntiCorruption Unit has instigated strict security measures for all international matches.
“Nobody is allowed to enter into players’ dressing room, only the manager carries a mobile phone with him during international matches and there are several other security measures which they take,” he said. “It’s [match-fixing] all media hype and nothing else.” Haroon questioned Ijaz’s suggestion that the ICC has eradicated match-fixing.
“When our coaches have raised their doubts of matchfixing, it is the responsibility of the PCB to take up this issue,” the senator said.
Ijaz said former captain Younis Khan’s career was ruined by false match-fixing allegations when a parliamen tarian accused Pakistan of throwing the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year.
The PCB fined and suspended seven cricketers – including Younis – on an inquiry committee recommendation for a lack of discipline and poor performance during the tour of Australia.
“How can you suspend and fine players heavily for only poor performance and ill discipline? There is more into it,” Haroon said.
Ijaz said he approved all the fines and suspensions. Six players have since appealed against suspensions and fines.
The PCB chief said that arbitrator Irfan Qadir will submit his report to the board’s governing board, which will take the final decision.
“Let the appeals be completed and I will not comment until we get the final report from the arbitrator,” Ijaz said
Labels: PCB
posted @ 12:55 PM,
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Supper Cameronian
Ngando Pickett warming up for the World Cup at a Cameroonian Premier League match.
This week I met up with the Cameroonian national team’s mascot, a pot-bellied, larger-than-life character named Ngando Pickett.
He’s hard to miss during a game. It might have something to do with the fact that he’s often painted from head to toe in green, red and yellow stripes, like the national flag. Or that he strips to a g-string and shakes it when Cameroon scores.
But Ngando’s back-story is equally attention grabbing. Like many young men at the time, he celebrated Cameroon’s wins at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1984 and 1988. But it wasn’t until 1998 that Ngando’s true calling came. He was sleeping outside in the Sahara Desert between Morocco and Mauritania when had a vision of himself painted in the Cameroonian colours.
“I told the Cameroonians I was travelling with that I had found my path,” he told me.
That year, Cameroon was playing in the African Cup of Nations in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. Ngando packed up his bags and travelled thousands of kilometres overland from Nouakchott in Mauritania to Dakar, Senegal capital and then from Dakar to Bamako, Mali and finally to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. He asked a Cameroonian acquaintance in the country to help him find the coloured body paints of his dream.
Since that day, Ngando says he has geared-up for every single game. “It’s a passion,” he says. “It’s like I become another person when I put on the colours.”
Cameron’s success when he’s in the stands has led some people to speculate whether Ngando is some sort of sorcerer. At times, opposing teams won’t even let him into the stadium to work his “magic.” During the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Bamako, Mali, Ngando says that when he arrived at the stadium for the semifinal against the home team, there was a huge crowd blocking the entrance.
“There were at least 100 soldiers waiting for me,” Ngando told me. “They undressed me — I was naked… then they punctured my troupe’s drums and confiscated them. So we took a taxi to another neighbourhood and watched the game on TV – Cameroon still won 3-0!”
Cameroon then went on to take home the Cup.
At home, on the other hand, Ngando is a true celebrity. I followed him to a local league game and watched people swell around him. The children danced with him until the sides of their faces were smeared with body paint. Older people cheered him on in amusement, filming Ngando’s trademark dance moves on their mobile phones.
Even out of costume, Ngando is recognized everywhere. I walked through the central market with him and every step there was a new chorus of people calling out “Pickett!” or “The Mascot!” I can assure you neither Britney Spears nor Paris Hilton would get this type of attention here.
Like any public creature, Ngando is ever friendly, finishing every public greeting with a deep giggle. He became so well liked that the Cameroon’s Ministry of Sports started sponsoring Ngando and his troupe of drummers to attend the national side’s games.
But although his travel and subsistence during tournaments is provided, being a mascot isn’t actually an official state position. So when Ngando is not travelling with the Cameroonian delegation, he lives on a small sponsorship from a mobile phone network, by performing at weddings and other private occasions, and mostly by donation.
By the end of the afternoon that I spent with Ngando at the football stadium, his group of six had earned about 9000 CFA in tips – less than $20. It’s not great, but enough for a round of sodas and chilli chicken sandwiches on the streets of Douala’s Deido neighbourhood, where Ngando lives.
He does what he does for love, not money, he explains.
Ngando: a marketing dream
Ngando personifies everything that you would want in a World Cup-themed advertisement: real-life passion, patriotism, and over-the-top love for football.
That’s probably why his painted half-naked image (you can see it here if you scroll down), with the line: “How deep is your love,” plastered over the top lines the Parisian metro system – a publicity campaign for Puma.
What a great opportunity for Ngando right? The problem is that although Puma sponsors the Cameroonian team, they don’t actually sponsor Ngando. Ngando wasn’t even aware that his image was going to be used in their advertisements. The first Ngando heard about the campaign was from the Cameroonian diaspora in France. “I started getting several calls a day,” says Ngando.
On one hand, the global exposure has made Ngando really happy. Him image has united Cameroonians for years and will now unite the world. But at the same time, he felt duped. “Those images belong to me,” he explains, in an almost apologetic tone. “And it should be up to me to decide whether my image can be used for a film or advertisement.”
In Cameroon, I’ve found that people are extremely very suspicious of journalists – civilians worry that anyone armed with a camera is going to make money off of them. It took days of meetings to explain to Ngando and his troupe that I wanted to tell their story, not use their image for commercial means. When I first arrived, I was extremely frustrated – but now I understand. If you let someone take your picture, you could end up being the poster-boy for a herpes cream. (I know there isn’t the same connotation with Puma sportswear, but I guess it’s still the same principle).
I tried contacting three Puma officials in Europe and North America about the issue multiple times, but haven’t received an answer. Equally, the Cameroonian Ministry of Sports has been tight-lipped.
“It’s not my place to comment on what happened,” Mr. Ondoa, the Minister’s second technical advisor (who deals with the national side’s support groups) told me.
So plainly, I don’t really know where the fault was committed. Did Puma really put Ngando’s half-naked image on posters around Paris without consent, or did Cameroon’s Ministry of Sports OK the picture as part of the sponsorship deal for the Indomitable Lions? Finally, now that the publicity is out, what can a poor man like Ngando do to stand up for his rights against the government and a multinational corporation?
Ngando, who always seems to have the right attitude, doesn’t seem that fazed. With or without help – he says he’ll always be there to support the Lions. His life path is born from passion rather than greed.
But it still bothers me that everyone but he and his family seems to eat from his love for the game, including his managers, his neighbourhood, his government, and now even Puma.
Zangalewa
Ngando isn’t the only such story. FIFA selected Colombian singer Shakira to make the 2010 World Cup anthem. The song, which was done in collaboration with South African band Freshlyground, is called “Waka Waka” (Time for Africa).
So much was the hype that a pre-release of the “new” song was buzzed about on the Internet. That’s where a friend of the band (that was living in the U.S.) heard it. It wasn’t “new” at all. It was a reinterpretation of a “self-titled” 1986 hit (by the Cameroonian military band Zangalewa (www.groupezangalewa.com). The song is a celebration of the country’s independence and uproot of the colonials.
I’m told the Zangalewa video was one of the first to come out in Cameroon and that the song was so popular it even played at the beginning of the nightly newscast. It then went around the world and has been re-sung in many other countries facing the same issues. The band Zangalewa broke up over a decade ago — and if it hadn’t been that one of the band members living in the US, the group might have watch Shakira perform their hit for the first time at the World Cup ceremonies.
Thankfully, it was caught early before the release of the song and they’ve struck a compensation deal. They are now negotiating whether Zangalewa will be invited to see the performance of the song during the World Cup in South Africa.
I keep hearing about how much South Africans are going to have to pay in taxes for all the infrastructure put in place for the World Cup, while FIFA sits back and enjoys the pay cheque. So I’m wondering whether this World Cup is actually bringing as much business to the continent as everyone had anticipated, or if is it just another round of exploitation? Let me know what you think in the comments section.
Next time: An interview with International soccer start Roger Milla on his birthday, as well as one of the best juggling shows I’ve ever seen by Cameroonian soccer player Edmond Atango.
You can watch video of my time with Suliat, the Nigerian female soccer player (), as well as a short clip of my time in Nigeria.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter.
Posted by Anjali Nayar
posted @ 11:37 AM,
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