Who will win 2010 World Cup?

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Spain's striker David Villa (front) shoots to score the opening goal during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final football match Paraguay vs. Spain on July 3, 2010 at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg.​

 

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Spain's striker David Villa (C) celebrates with Spain's midfielder Cesc Fabregas (2ndR) and Spain's midfielder Andres Iniesta (R) after scoring the opening goal​

 

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Spain's striker David Villa (L) celebrates after he scored a goal as Spain's midfielder Cesc Fabregas joins him.

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Spain's striker David Villa (C, hidden) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final football match Paraguay vs. Spain on July 3, 2010 at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg.
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Spain's striker David Villa (hidden) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final football match Paraguay vs. Spain on July 3, 2010 at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg.

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Germany fans celebrate after the 2010 World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Germany at Green Point stadium in Cape Town July 3, 2010. Banner reads "Goodbye Maradona".​

 

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Uruguay's striker Luis Suarez (L) stops the ball with the hand leading to a red card and a penalty for Ghana during the extra-time of 2010 World Cup quarter-final match Uruguay vs. Ghana on July 2, 2010 at AFP Soccer City stadium in Soweto, suburban Johannesburg.

"The Hand of God now belongs to me. Mine is the real Hand Of God"
– Luis Suarez
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Uruguay's striker Luis Suarez (R) reacts after stopping the ball with the hands and before receiving a red card during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final match Uruguay vs. Ghana on July 2, 2010 at Soccer City stadium in Soweto, suburban Johannesburg. Uruguay won 4-2 on penalty shots.
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Uruguay's striker Luis Suarez celebrates after the 2010 World Cup quarter final Uruguay vs Ghana on July 2, 2010 at Soccer City stadium in Soweto, suburb of Johannesburg.

Uruguay's Sebastian Eguren carries Luis Suarez (top) as they celebrate after the team won a penalty shootout against Ghana in a 2010 World Cup quarter-final soccer match at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg July 2, 2010.​

 

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Uruguayan flags and a bath towel depicting Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez among other Uruguay's footballers are displayed for sale in Montevideo on July 5, 2010. Uruguay advanced to semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Afica and will face the Netherlands on Tuesday.​

 

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Uruguay's soccer player Luis Suarez attends a training session in Cape Town July 5, 2010.

Uruguay's strikers Sebastian Abreu (L) and Luis Suarez attend a training session in Phillippi stadium in Cape Town on July 5, 2010 during the South Africa 2010 World Cup football tournament. Uruguay faces the Netherlands in their semi-final match on July 6.​

 

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I can fly! I can fly !

Netherlands' Arjen Robben performs a "Flying Duchman' stunt.

你他妈的,动作太假了吧!​

 

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Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan and FIFA president, Sepp Blatter

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With FIFA sanctions looming, Nigerian president drops plan to suspend national team
ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has dropped a threat to suspend the national soccer team from playing for two years because of its poor World Cup showing and corruption allegations.

In a statement, Jonathan’s office said the decision came after a meeting Monday with the Nigeria Football Federation. The federation’s executive committee fired the group’s president and vice president Sunday in an effort to appease the government.

The federation “assured the president of their commitment” to building a national soccer program “that will bring glory, rather than consistent embarrassment to Nigeria on the world stage,” the statement read.

FIFA had set a deadline Monday evening deadline for the Nigerian government to drop its suspension plans or face even harsher international sanctions than those Jonathan threatened to impose. In a statement, FIFA acknowledged that the government had backed off and “therefore, the Nigerian Football Federation remains vested with all its statutory rights.”

FIFA regulations forbid governments from interfering in national soccer federations, and it has suspended countries for breaking the rules — a ban that extends to club teams, referees and officials.

A presidential spokesman announced last Wednesday that Jonathan wanted the Super Eagles suspended for two years to allow Nigerian soccer to be restructured after it left the World Cup with just one point over three matches.

Earlier Monday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said at a news conference that his organization has taken “all adequate steps” to resolve the dispute.

“We do hope that everything comes back to normal,” Blatter said.

FIFA dispatched Nigeria’s most senior soccer official — Amos Adamu, a member of its 24-man ruling executive — to talk with the government.

Nigeria is due to send a women’s under-20 team to its World Cup, which kicks off next week in Germany.

Nigerian club Heartland also stood to lose its place in the African Champions League if it could not play a home game against Egypt’s Al-Ahly scheduled next week.

The dispute between Nigeria and FIFA flared after the national team returned from a disappointing tournament in South Africa.

Nigeria earned a 2-2 draw with South Korea in its final game. But it lost to Argentina 1-0 in its Group B opener and fell to Greece 2-1 in a game that turned on the first-half ejection of midfielder Sani Kaita.

The suspension threat by Nigeria’s government also followed corruption allegations that plagued the team before the World Cup. Presidential spokesman Ima Niboro said last week that all funds directed toward the Nigeria Football Federation would be examined and “all those found wanting will be sanctioned.”

FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot could not confirm on Monday if Nigeria’s federation had yet been paid any of the $8 million prize money it is due from FIFA for taking part in the World Cup.

Associated Press Writers Graham Dunbar and Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.

 

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A couple observe an exhibition of pictures about the first FIFA World Cup tournament in Uruguay in 1930, displayed in a promenade of Montevideo on July 5, 2010. Uruguay advanced to semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Afica and will face the Netherlands on Tuesday.​

The main sport in Uruguay is football (soccer). In 1924, Uruguay sent its national team to the Olympics in Paris, the first South American nation to compete in Europe. They won gold at the competition, as well as at the next Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928. In addition, the Uruguay national football team is one of only five nations to win the FIFA World Cup on two or more occasions. In 1930, Uruguay hosted the first ever World Cup and went on to win the competition, defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final. Uruguay won the 1950 FIFA World Cup as well, famously defeating the favored hosts, Brazil, 2–1 in the last game of the final series. Uruguay is by far the smallest country, population wise, to win a World Cup. Out of the World Cup winners, the nation with the second smallest population is Argentina (winners of the 1978 and 1986 editions), which has over 40 million people according to the latest estimate; the 2002 census has Uruguay's current population slightly under 3.4 million. In fact, only six nations with population smaller than Uruguay have ever participated in any World Cup.

Uruguay is also the smallest member nation of CONMEBOL, South American Football Association. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan national team has won the Copa América 14 times, a record it shares with Argentina.

The most popular football teams in Uruguay are Club Atlético Peñarol (Three times World champions, five times Copa Libertadores de América champions, 41 times Uruguayan League champions) and Club Nacional de Football (Three times World champions, three times Copa Libertadores de América champions and 42 times Uruguayan League champions). Those two, are followed by, Defensor Sporting Club, Danubio, historic teams as Montevideo Wanderers, and other popular teams like Cerro and Rampla Juniors. Uruguay has had many great known players such as Obdulio Varela, Juan Schiaffino, Enzo Francescoli, Gustavo Poyet, Alvaro Recoba, Diego Lugano and Diego Forlan (2005 and 2009 European Golden Shoe winner) among many others.

 

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A combination of two pictures taken during matches of the 2010 Football World Cup in July 2010 shows Netherlands' midfielder Wesley Sneijder (L) celebrating after he scored during the quarter-final against Brazil and Uruguay's striker Diego Forlan celebrating his goal during the quarter-final match against Ghana. The Netherlands and Uruguay will play their 2010 World Cup semi-final on July 6, 2010 in Cape Town.​

 

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Forlán became known for characteristically removing his shirt and baring his torso in celebration of his goals.

Atletico Madrid's Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan celebrates after scoring during their UEFA Europa League Semi Final second leg football match against Liverpool at Anfield, in Liverpool, north-west England, on April 29 2010.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan (centre) celebrates with his teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the UEFA Europa League Semi Final at Anfield, Liverpool , Thursday April 29, 2010.

The first such example of this routine resulted in quite an amusing incident; Forlán whipped his shirt off in excitement after scoring an 85th minute winner against Southampton in November 2002 but struggled to get it back on in time for the re-start of play, resulting in the spectacle of Forlán briefly running around the Old Trafford pitch bare-chested, with his shirt still in his hand, then recovering the ball for his team. The referee soon stopped play and ordered Forlán off the pitch to get dressed.
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Maradona’s many assists to Uruguay’s Forlan
Diego Maradona’s World Cup ended in disappointment on Saturday, but the Argentina coach has had an unlikely hand in the tournament’s biggest Cinderella story.

Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has been one of the stars of this World Cup, with three goals in the South American team’s surprising charge into the semifinal, where it meets the Netherlands on Tuesday. Yet, Forlan’s success story would not have been possible without Maradona, who has had a huge impact on his life, both within soccer and outside of it.

When Forlan’s sister Alejandra was paralyzed in a car accident that killed her boyfriend in 1991, Maradona stepped in to assist with fundraising efforts that eased the financial plight of the family, which had seen its comfortable middle-class existence ripped apart by medical bills of more than $250,000.

His sister’s plight was what convinced Forlan, then 12 years old, to dedicate himself to a career in soccer instead of tennis, determined to make enough money to make his sister’s life as comfortable as possible.

“The first thing he told me when I was lying in the hospital was that he would be a famous football player and make money to get me the best doctors in the world,” said Alejandra, who now heads a charity organized by her brother named in her honor.

Forlan, though, was still years away from hitting the big time. Maradona, a friend of Forlan’s father, Pablo, a former Uruguay international, stepped in to donate an undisclosed amount and provide priceless publicity.

Yet the route to stardom and, possibly, World Cup champion may have stalled if not for another piece of goodwill from Maradona.

As Forlan began to emerge as a rising star in South America, banging in goals for Argentinean club Independiente, Maradona alerted his network of contacts in Europe to the raw ability of the youngster.

Within months, English Premier League giant Manchester United swooped in with a lucrative transfer, ending the family’s financial difficulties once and for all.

While Forlan’s switch to Manchester United struggled in the early stages, it provided a learning curve that would give him the platform to move on to greater success in Spain, where he is now established with Atletico Madrid and known as one of the world’s most dangerous forwards.

Forlan celebrates as Europe's top marksman


Even now, at the age of 31, his sister’s plight continues to be a motivating factor.

Alejandra Forlan, five years older than her brother, was returning home from a party with her boyfriend in September 1991 when their car spun off a treacherous coastal road and smashed into a palm tree.

Days later, the entire Forlan family congregated around a hospital bed to be told she would be permanently paralyzed.

“She was an inspiration to me then and she has been ever since,” Diego Forlan said. “She is a special person with a special spirit. She helps to spur me on and I represent her on the field.”

Alejandra, who will likely spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, has become a spokesperson for the disabled community in South America.

“It gives me such joy to see him perform,” Alejandra said. “I know how hard he worked to get to this point and he deserves every success in the world. When he runs, he is doing it for me too.”

 

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Germany's coach Joachim Loew (bottom. L) speaks to his players, including (from L, top) Germany's defender Marcell Jansen, defender Dennis Aogo, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and defender Per Mertesacker during a training session at the Super stadium in Atteridgeville near Pretoria on July 5, 2010. Germany faces Spain on July 7 for their 2010 World Cup semi-final match.

Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer bounces the ball during a team training session of the German national soccer team at the Super stadium in Atteridgeville near Pretoria, South Africa, Monday, July 5, 2010.
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"Unworthy" Maradona declines Pink House (the presidential palace) invite.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina
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President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner gave a speech in San Miguel by the opening of the repaving of Avenue Remigio Lopez. In the same act, she spoke of the participation of Argentina in the 2010 World Cup and confirmed a dialogue with Diego Maradona.

The president said “never did any Argentinean give us so much joy inside of a field as Maradona. As in life, matches are won and lost, but we must move forward, as we did in the worst moments of the country. This is life. We have learned the lesson. I wish that all the teams of the Mercosur would have reached the final. So now I wish Uruguay good luck.”

At the same time, Cristina confirmed that she spoke, weeping, with Diego after the team’s defeat against Germany. She said that Maradona should remain in office and the players deserve credit as she extended an invitation for them to come to the Casa Rosada.

“Although they said they do not deserve it, I think they are wrong. We must pass the mourning. Know that I am more stamina in the bad times that in the good ones. We are proud of who made the selection. Now we must begin to prepare for 2014″ concluded the president.

 

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Two year-old octopus Paul, the so-called "octopus oracle" predicts Spain's victory in their 2010 World Cup semi-final soccer match against Germany by choosing a mussel, from a glass box decorated with the Spanish national flag instead of a glass box with the German flag, at the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen July 6, 2010. Paul has correctly picked the winner of Germany's five World Cup results so far.​