Soccer World Cup 2010 Cancelled - South Africa, Not Ready!

Are you expecting to see a news headline like, "Soccer World Cup 2010 Cancelled - South Africa, Not Ready!" What about this one, "SA not Capable of Hosting a Successful Cup!" What about, "2010 Has No Benefit for the Average South African!". Many believe South Africa is not capable of hosting a World Cup, citing a bucket full of problems from lack of infrastructure to Swine Flu! Well the IOC, FIFA & the SA government disagree and they all believe that the hosting of a big even is not only possible but will be the best ever and the answer to our economic woes to boot, and I for one, am pleased, as my woes are increasingly nasty.

What about property? According to the hype, by 2010 and 1 day we will all be retired with fat property portfolios, pretty cool hey? But is it true? Were the Chinese really in an once-in-a-lifetime property-buying opportunity during the Olympics? Karen Robinson in The Sunday Times tells us that - Athens, Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona - all saw property prices outperform their national markets in the 5 years leading up to the games. Barcelona - most impressive - prices rose 49% than they did in the rest of Spain. The differential in Sydney was 11%, in Athens 9%, and in Atlanta 6%.

No every one is so sure the growth is a given, Emma Thelwell notes that not all the games took place amid ongoing property booms & London games will likely coincide with a property slump, so will London see growth? It seems more likely to be small, and another factor is that prices in east London climbed 40% ahead of the national trend over the past few years, so they are starting from a high. In South Sydney, far from the Olympic stadium, prices rose significantly faster than in the Olympic corridor in the run up to the games and Michael Bounds published a paper on the Games' impact on the property market says it was essentially because the area was already undergoing regeneration.

So if you insist on trying to make your fortune out of SA or London property markets, look for areas that will do best out of regeneration. Sorry looks like it depends where your property lies in the scheme of things. So in South Africa I guess the regeneration of former, "urban decay" areas will probably be a better bet that upmarket areas in terms of % growth, as a result of 2010? Some say the tournament will never happen anyway, they believe SA will not be ready, that Swine Flu or political chaos will kill the dream? Not according to Blatter who said in an interview with the FM, "There is no reason to believe that we will have to re-evaluate the situation of the 2010 World Cup due to any organizational issues... We are convinced that the World Cup will take place in SA."

Is Blatter gambling, I doubt it? Remember that FIFA's makes 86% of its revenue from this single event that is staged every four years, so they leave nothing to chance when it comes to the World Cup and it seems to be paying off. The federation's 2007- 2010 revenue budget is US$3,2bn, and it has already raised $3,1bn through the sale of sponsorship and broadcasting rights for the South African World Cup - double the $1,8bn revenue it made in Germany. So what else will 2010 have in store for South Africa! The truth is that the Soccer World Cup hardly touched German economy at all according to a report released in Germany. "The World Cup's contribution to economic growth has been negligible. It was great fun. Nothing more, nothing less."

Can this be true? Even after consulting firm Grant Thornton said that the World Cup will pump around R21.3-billion into South Africa's economy, generating an estimated R12.7-billion in direct spending and creating an estimated 159 000 new jobs? The short answer is yes, the truth is the capital expenditure always outweighs the income, the stadiums alone are reported to be costing R11- billion, road infrastructure - R14- billion, Airports Company SA - R20- billion, National Roads - R70- billion, Metro rail - R18- billion.

Goolam Ballim, (chief economist - Standard Bank) believes,"...the indirect impact may be more meaningful for a sustainable economic lift in subsequent years... it will help change the perceptions that a large number of foreign investors hold of Africa and South Africa." In the short term the country's tourism industry will benefit from the estimated three million visitors expected for the tournament, while construction and engineering companies will look to a slice of the billions to be spent on infrastructure in the lead-up to the event. So unless you are actually building the stadium, have a guest house or sell beer don't order the yacht just yet. The real good news for South Africa is the legacy of 2010. The improved infrastructure and heightened international awareness, this is the platform for success not the prize.

John Mauldin, recently voted second only to Warren Buffet as an investment guru, after visiting SA had this to say about, "Finding Value in South Africa, "There is much to like about emerging markets. That is where a great deal of the real potential growth in the coming decades will be. And South Africa will be one of the better stories. If you are not doing business there already, you should ask yourself, why not?" Wow, a strong endorsement, so the WC is coming, the stadiums are all but finished and best of all South Africa has just had a peaceful, free and democratic election - WOW!

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FIFA World Cup 2010 - Top Golden Boot Contenders

Only 4 teams remain, and apart from speculating on which team will win the World Cup, everyone is keen to find out which player will win the Golden Boot, in other words, who will be the top scorer.

Along with the Golden Glove given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament, the Golden Boot is a coveted individual award, and a matter of pride for the player who wins it.

Let's take a look at the goal scoring leaders, as they stand, after the quarter-finals:

Villa (Spain): 5

Klose (Germany): 4

Muller (Germany): 4

Sneijder (Holland): 3

Forlan (Uruguay): 3

Suarez (Uruguay): 3

In the above list, I have not included Higuain of Argentina, and Vittek of Slovakia, both with 4 goals, because their teams have been knocked out of the World Cup.

Podolski (Germany) with 2 goals could have two high scoring games and run away with the award, although he is not in the list. Others like Huntelaar (Holland), Cacau (Germany) and Friedrich (Germany) have one goal each, and only a brave person could predict that any of these players might get the award.

Much hinges on the Spain Vs Germany semi-final. If Germany win, Klose and Muller could be the front-runners. On the other hand, if Spain enter the final, David Villa could increase the gap between himself and the scorer of the second highest number of goals, at this World Cup.

At the same time, we cannot rule out the losing semi-finalists who would still have one match to go, when they fight to decide who will occupy the third and fourth positions at the tournament. And as this could affect the FIFA ranking of the teams, we can expect the teams to fight it out.

So even if Uruguay lose to Spain, Diego Forlan would still be in line for the Golden Boot, if he does well in the match against the other losing semi-finalists. there's no denying that Forlan has been one of the brightest spots of this year's event.

Also, if Holland do well, Sneijder could leave the Spanish and German contenders behind. Holland are expected to beat Uruguay, but they would have to do so by a good margin, for Sneijder to be able to get a good share, to not only catch up, but take a lead over the others ahead of him, at this time.

Who do I think will take it? My nomination goes to... David Villa of Spain!

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2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer Jerseys - Show Support For Your Country

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will take place in South Africa this year. 32 nations have qualified for the World Cup finals. If you live in one of those lucky nations that have qualified for the World Cup you will want to support your nation in every possible way. Soccer jerseys are a great way to support your nation.

Every 4 years the World Cup is hosted by a different nation. The nation gets to qualify automatically into the final 32. The number of viewers of this cup event is in the hundreds of millions. People who live in a country that has qualified into the cup event, love supporting their team every step of the way.

As teams progress further and further into the latter stages of the competition, the buzz in the air of a country that has reached these stages just goes through the roof. Countries that didn't make the finals still end up watching the amazing matches and get behind a team that they love.

Teams this year are sporting newly designed soccer jerseys. There are both home and away designs and each country has their own stunning design for their soccer jersey. Expressing support for your country is easy by getting hold of your own country's soccer jersey. If you are daring enough you can even get behind a country that you just love watching.

Soccer jerseys are made by many famous manufacturers such as Nike and Adidas. They are made of very high quality material and will last for many years. You can go one step further to supporting your country, by travelling to South Africa and watching the games live sporting your new soccer jersey.

For many, wearing your soccer jersey in front of a large TV with a large number of people is the way to go. If your team wins that match you are watching then your soccer jersey will be worth a lot more.

The official world cup jerseys will be very expensive, but you can be rest assured that the cost can be justified. You are getting something of high quality and official.

You can go even as far as purchasing a particular individual's jersey with their name and number attached to it. Sporting greats like Harry Kewell for Australia will have soccer jerseys available for purchase.

The best way to get your 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer jerseys will be to go online and purchase them there. They offer a large amount of stock of all different sizes. You can shop online in the comfort of your own home and purchase a jersey to support your country.

This is the best time to buy world cup jerseys because the World Cup kicks off on the 11th of June 2010 and ends on the 11th of July 2010. For me, since I am Australian, I will be sporting the World Cup Jersey for Australia. I am with them all the way.

This year Australia has qualified into Group D. They will be playing Germany first. Ghana and Serbia are also in the same group as them. I will be wearing my jersey and supporting my favourite team every step of the way.

In the previous World Cup which was won by Italy, thousands and thousands of jerseys were sold to the general public and nearly every one of these people sported these jerseys while watching their favourite team play.

In conclusion, grab a soccer jersey online today and support your team in this year's amazing 2010 FIFA World Cup. I will be rooting for Australia and I hope they progress further than they did back in 2006.

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Who is Mia Hamm?

Mia Hamm was born Mariel Margaret Hamm in 1972, and who could have foretold that she would go on to become one of the most famous soccer players in the world? She played for many years on the U.S. team, as a forward, and she has scored more goals in her international career than ANY player, male or female, in history.

Mia Hamm is a household name in the United States, as well as in the countries whose teams she has helped the U.S. to beat in international competition. She is an asset to the U.S. team and a role model for the next generation of female athletes here in the States. She received scholarships that in days not long ago were given only to men, and she got the training she needed to become an elite athlete.

Hamm was named the women's FIFA Player of the Year the first two times that award was ever given out, in 2001 and 2002, and she is listed as one of FIFA's 125 all time best living players, a list that was compiled by Pele!

Mia retired from soccer in 2004, and played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour, which commemorated the U.S. Women's National team's Olympic victory in 2004. 2007 was her first year of eligibility for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and she was selected to be inducted by 137 out of 141 votes cast. Womens Professional Soccer, a league that was started just in 2009, features her silhouette in its logo. Hamm was also inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Mia Hamm spent her early years on Air Force bases with her parents Bill and Stephanie Hamm, and five siblings. She started organized sports at a very early age, and she joined the U.S. women's national team at the age of 15, the youngest ever to play for them.

She attended UNC Chapel Hill, helping the Tarheels to four NCAA championships. In fact, the team lost only ONE game that she played in during her career there!

In 1991, when the U.S. womens national team won the FIFA Womens World Cup for the first time ever, Hamm became the youngest American Woman to win a World Cup championship, at 19 years of age.

In 1997, Hamm founded the Mia Hamm Foundation, which is dedicated to bone marrow research, as well as to helping womens' sports teams make progress.

In 1999, Hamm broke the all-time international football/soccer goal record, when she scored her 158th goal in a game in Orlando Florida, against Brazil. The same year, Nike named the largest building at their corporate offices after Hamm, and that year she again led the U.S. to the Championship at the Womens FIFA World Cup.

In 2004, she announced that she would retire after the Athens Olympics, to settle down and start a family with her husband, baseball great Nomar Garciaparra.

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European Soccer - Interesting Facts!

Hungary

Did you know- Ferec Puskas, one of the most brilliantly shining stars of the football history, participated twice at the World Cup. He competed for Hungary in 1954 and then played for Spain in 1962. Puskas also took part in the Games of the XV Olympiad in Finland in 1952, where the Hungarian squad won the gold medal. From 1945 to 1962, he scored more than 750 goals. On the other hand, Hungary is the most successful squad in the men's soccer event at the Summer Games, having won gold three times.

Portugal

Did you know- Portugal's athlete Eusebio was one of the top-ranked players at the VIII World Tournament in the mid-1960s. Eusebio hails from Mozambique, an African republic which has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Switzerland

Did you know- Switzerland is the smallest nation ever to hold the FIFA World Tournament. Between June 16 and July 4, 1954, this European country, more than twice the size of Hawaii (USA), hosted the universal tournament. Sixteen teams participated in 1954: West Germany (winner), Hungary (runner-up), Austria, Uruguay, Switzerland (host nation), Brazil, England, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia), France, Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Mexico, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Scotland and South Korea.

Turkey

Did you know- Surprisingly Turkey, traditionally a wrestling power, won the bronze medal at the FIFA World Championship in Germany in 2002 in South Korea and Japan, behind Brazil and Germany. This was Turkey's second World Cup appearance. Between June 16 and July 4, 1954, the country made its World Cup debut in Switzerland, where it finished 11th.

Ukraine

Did you know- Between 1956 and 1990, Ukraine competed in the global event under the Soviet flag.

USSR ( Now Russia)

Did you know- The FIFA Under-20 World Championship was held in Moscow -host of the 1980 Summer Olympics-- in the mid-1980s. Sixteen teams competed in Moscow, Soviet Union/USSR (today Russia). The champion was Brazil, followed by Spain (runner-up), Nigeria (third), Soviet Union (fourth). The People's Republic of China ranked fifth; Bulgaria, sixth; Mexico, seventh; Colombia, eighth; Saudi Arabia, ninth; Australia, tenth; Hungary, eleventh; England, twelfth; Paraguay, thirteenth; Ireland, fourteenth; Tunisia, fifteenth; Canada, sixteenth.

Yugoslavia (Now Serbia)

Did you know- At the FIFA World Tournament in Rome, between June 8 and July 8, 1990, Yugoslavia, present-day Serbia, was one of the six best teams on Earth, behind West Germany, Argentina, Italy (host country), England, and Czechoslovakia. The last time an Communist nation advanced to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup was in July 1982 when Poland won a bronze medal in the global event in Spain, at the expense of France and Brazil.

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Victory of Pakistan Hockey in 1994 Sydney World Cup

One of the most memorable wins for Pakistan in Hockey is the World Cup win in 1994 that brought to the forefront a hero - Shahbaz Ahmad. He went on to become one of the best forwards in the history of Pakistan Hockey. After having joined the national hockey team in 1986, he masterminded a brilliant win - the 1994 world cup. Shahbaz Ahmad was nicknamed "the man with the electric heels" and led Pakistan from the front in the 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 Champions Trophy tournaments; 1988 Seoul Olympics; 1989 Asia Cup in New Delhi; 1990 World Hockey Cup in Lahore; 1990 BMW Trophy Amsterdam; 1990 Beijing Asiad and the most memorable of them all - the 1994 World Cup Hockey in Sydney.

The Hockey World Championships is considered to be an international field hockey competition just like FIFA soccer world cup where teams from across the world participate to win the coveted cup. It is organized once every 4 years by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The first world cup was started in 1971. There are two versions of the Hockey world cup - the men's and the women's. So far five countries have dominated the Hockey world cup but the most successful team is Pakistan who has won it four times. The Netherlands has won the Hockey world cup three times, Germany two times while both India and Australia have won it once. The 2010 Hockey world cup is going to be held in India.

In fact, the entire concept of the Hockey World Cup was conceived by Air Marshal Nur Khan of Pakistan. The idea was proposed to FIH under the name of Patrick Rowley who was the first editor of the World Hockey magazine. The idea got the approval on 26th October, 1969 and was adopted by the then FIH Council in a meeting that was held in Brussels on 12th April, 1970. The FIH came to the conclusion that the inaugural or first hockey World Cup should be held in Pakistan in October 1971. However, due to political strife and several other issues, the venue of the World Cup was moved from Pakistan to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain.

The 1971 Hockey world cup in Spain was won by Pakistan who defeated Spain 1-0 in the finals. In the 1994 World Cup in Sydney Australia, Pakistan was up against a strong opponent - The Netherlands. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and went into extra time and then into penalties. Pakistan then went on to win the final on penalties and the score line read 4-3. This was the 4th world cup for Pakistan and Shahbaz Ahmad led them to victory in style. This further reinforced Pakistan as one of the top hockey playing countries of the world. Shahbaz Ahmad also won another laurel - the player of the tournament.

As the 2010 Hockey world cup date draws close, we will have to wait and watch out for the "men in green!"

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Adidas Soccer Ball - It's Humble Beginnings

ADIDAS came from the combined three-letter nickname of Adolph which is Adi and the first three-letter of his last name which is Dassler, thus forming the most famous brand, ADIDAS and where the leading Adidas soccer ball came from. Adidas' advent into soccer ball begun in the early 1970's when FIFA soccer commissioned the company to supply the annual competition with its official match ball.

Way long before the 1970 Mexico match, Adidas has been inspired already by the Chilean World Cup in 1962. They were so engrossed of that match that the company named their first series of World Cup balls "Santiago". This was the start of the company's success. Many of their soccer ball series came out after the initial feat of their Santiago.

Listed below were the names of the company's historical soccer ball series and the years they were produced:

1970 (Mexico): TELSTAR - It consists of 12 black panels of pentagon patterns and 20 white hexagonal patterns fitted together.

1974 (West Germany): CHILE-DURLAST - This model followed the TELSTAR success in Mexico.

1978 (Argentina): TANGO - This model is named after the national dance of the Argentina, the Tango.

1982 (Spain): TANGO ESPAÑA - This is the first Adidas soccer ball to be fitted with the most advanced water-proofing materials.

1986 (Mexico): AZTECA - This model is a little more advanced, polyurethane made and water proof.

1990 (Italy): ETRUSCO - Aside from polyurethane foam interior, fabric coated underneath layer is coated with latex to prevent tearing and maintained stability.

1994 (USA): QUESTRA - It is meant to fly faster when kicked. It was made of polystyrene foam exterior.

1998 (France): TRICOLOR - It is named after the three-colored French flag.

2002 (KOREA-JAPAN): FEVERNOVA - This ball has a thicker inner layer to have an accuracy of its trajectory.

2006 (Germany): TEAMGEIST - This latest model is dubbed the most accurate and the most precise soccer ball ever produced by the most successful company.

For sure this is not the last ball that this company could produce. As long as this company existed, more and more innovations would still continue to come up and will be enjoyed by future players.

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