After the passion and enthusiasm shown by South African natives in the recent World Cup, this year’s ADSA Premier Soccer League is bound to be the most followed and exciting domestic contest the African coast has seen for years.

Following a diverse positioning during the past few years, ranging from second to ninth, Mamelodi Sundowns occupy the top of the table with fifteen points.

Supersport United, who have celebrated three consecutive championships in as many years, have had a disappointing start to the season finding themselves mid-table. Supersport have already lost points to title rivals Kaizer Chiefs as well as current leaders, Mamelodi.

South Africa’s top division plays host to sixteen sides, with the majority originating from the east side of the country. As well as the title trophy, teams compete for a place in the CAF Champions League, of which a place is awarded to the top two sides. The third place team and the winner of the Nedbank Cup (equivalent of the FA Cup) qualify for the CAF Confederations Cup, the African version of the UEFA Europa League.

At the other end of the table, the bottom club is relegated to the National League, separated into two provinces. Unlike most English leagues, but not uncommon in Africa, the second-bottom placed team enters a play-off with four other clubs who have gained their place through final standings in the National League.

Much like our domestic league, the season runs from August to May and teams face each other twice, once at home and once away. The league is ranked as the ninth best in Africa according to the CAF 5-year ranking system, which determines the amount of places for continental competitions the country is awarded.

Reigning champions, Supersport United

Although the league is relatively unknown compared to the billion-pound European Leagues we are used to hearing about, the countries’ top division boasts a few well known names.

Kaizer Chiefs,  a regular title challenger, may sound familiar to some? Popular british indie band, Kaiser Chiefs, was named after the club because Lucas Radebe, a former player of the Chiefs, captained Leeds United, the team the group supported.

Ajax Cape Town reminds many of the hugely decorated Ajax Amsterdam. This is no coincidence; it is in fact an affiliate of the Netherlands club. As well as sharing the same kit, the two clubs share the same badge, the only difference being the typography of ”Cape Town” and “Amsterdam”; their respective locations. The two clubs hold an agreement in which the Amsterdam club can send players to their Cape Town counterparts in order to develop their potential.

Platinum Stars, currently positioned eleventh, were opposition to England in a World Cup warm-up friendly in which England won 3-0.

South African internationals Steven Pienaar, Aaron Mokoena and Benni McCarthy, all began their careers in their domestic top flight. Pienaar is a notable example of a graduate from Ajax’s talent-feeder system. Blackburn Rovers striker, Benjani Mwurawari, won player of the season and player’s player of the season in 2001, when at Jomo Cosmos.

The next round of fixtures sees Kaizer Chiefs go head-to-head with Santos, who will be looking to build on last season’s fourth place finish. Ajax’s tie with Vasco Da Gama and Supersport United’s away encounter with Maritzburg are the other highlights. Although fans will have to wait until January for the much-anticipated Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns fixture, this year’s competition, with record attendances, is sure to be a very interesting spectacle.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Bongani Khumalo, a South African international and 23 year old central defender, has signed £1.5m to move to Tottenham in the January transfer window (subject to receiving a work permit. Bongani is currently playing with SuperSport United in the domestic South African football league, and played every World Cup match for South Africa during the summer (including scoring against France in the final group stage game.

Bongani is aiming to fight for a starting berth in Tottenham, not an unlikely prospect given Tottenham’s much documented injury problems at the back.

“At 23, I think I’m ready to challenge for a place in the first team.

It may take a bit of time to settle in but I’ve played at the World Cup and I have the confidence in my ability to play in the Premier League.

[Tottenham manager] Harry Redknapp’s shown a lot of faith in my ability and I hope to be able to repay that.

“I think the manager is hoping I will be able to fit in to his plans straight away and I believe I’m good enough to do that.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity and one that I’ve been waiting for all my life. It’s always been my dream to play in England and I love what I’ve seen of London so far – I’m looking forward to making it my home.”

To be honest I think he’ll have trouble getting on the bench, let alone starting for Spurs. Best of luck to the young center-back though, he’ll need it.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It would finally appear that FIFA, an organisation which prides itself on it’s self-preserving atavism and sub-glacial rates of progression, have finally accepted that – in these heady days of horseless carts and silver flying machines – it is now time to embrace the notion of goal-line technology.

After the World Cup in South Africa culminated in July, football’s governing body initially canvassed 17 separate companies to submit their proposals for goal-mouth technology, with the only statute being that the systems would have to allow referees to immediately determine whether or not the ball had crossed the line (e.g. a transmitter worn on the wrist), rather than rely on video replays or further subsidiary officials.

According to a statement made by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) yesterday evening, FIFA only received 13 different submissions by the the time the deadline for entrants passed at the end of last week.

The project proposals will now be fully discussed when the IFAB (who serve to govern the laws of the game) convene in Newport, Wales on October 20th for it’s Annual Business Meeting.

The panel will then use these preliminary talks as a means to set the agenda for it’s next Annual General Meeting (March 4-6th), wherein they can actually implement changes and amendments to the relevant laws.

Despite having the means readily available and the wherewithal to utilise it, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has always maintained a strong resistance to goal-line technology, claiming that human error was and is a vital part of the game – and if you consider being riled by ineptitude to the point of aneurysm as being ‘vital’, then I guess you can kind of see his point.

Itumeleng Khune brings down Luis Suarez

In addition to goal-line technology, the IFAB have confirmed that they are also planning to resume the discussion of the so-called ‘Triple Punishment’ for sending-off offences (goal/penalty awarded + red card + player suspension).

The initiative was used during the World Cup over the summer, with hosts South Africa suffering directly as a result when their goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune brought down Luis Suarez of Uruguay to concede a penalty in their second group game.

By the letter of the law, Khune was immediately sent off and was therefore banned for Bafana Bafana‘s last group game against France, with Diego Forlan converting the penalty that eventually saw Uruguay on their way to running out as 3-0 winners – which all-in-all seemed needlessly harsh considering that the initial foul was hardly what you’d call ‘malicious’.

Additional assistants have hardly proved worthwhile

The IFAB’s agenda will also feature the presentation of a status update regarding the utterly futile ‘Additional Assistant Referees’ (AAR) experiment which was approved for use in the Europa League back in June of last year and is now being used in the Champions League proper this season (and will be until 2012).

The scheme was seen as FIFA’s feeble compromise in the row over goal-line technology, and has garnered many detractors – chiefly due to the fact that the two extra assistants appear to be ‘silent partners’ and nothing more.

The superfluous baton-twirling AAR’s seem reluctant to get involved and are completely dominated by the referee, despite being fully qualified officials and having the better view of penalty box incidents on the majority of occasions, but hey ho – you get what you pay for.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Due to an ongoing copyright dispute, the South African national football team may be forced to drop the Bafana Bafana (which translates as ‘the boys, the boys’ in Zulu) moniker that has become so instantly familiar right across the globe following the World Cup.

The rights to the nickname were acquired by a South African businessman in 1994, meaning that the South African Football Association (SAFA) are limited to using the phrase on officially administered literature and are therefore unable to seek financial gain from using it on any of their licensed merchandise.

In 1997 the SAFA undertook legal proceedings to reclaim Bafana Bafana as their own, but the South African Supreme Court of Appeal eventually threw out the case in 2002 – eight years after the usage rights were initially procured.

The issue has risen to the fore once again as, during the World Cup in South Africa, the current copyright owners are estimated to have made over £6.5 million from the name during the build-up and staging of the tournament – a sum of money that SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani believes should have, one way or another, been re-distributed amongst the South African people;

“I want to avoid saying we are very angry about it, but we are worried about it. We are concerned.”

Nematandani went on to admit that, although the issue regarding the ‘national asset’ (i.e. the ownership of the nickname) is being discussed ‘at a national level’, it my still have to be changed if the two parties cannot reach a compromise;

“It clearly has to be done the right way, but we cannot go on in this way. It is not proper, it is not correct. The name of Bafana Bafana came from the public and we are throwing the ball back to the public.”

The issue is now being debated in the South African parliament located in Cape Town.

On Tuesday morning, after two days of discussions, the chairman of the influential parliamentary committee on sport said that the national side should discontinue their use of the Bafana Bafana nickname if the copyright issue cannot be resolved amicably, regardless of the national affection in which the nickname is held.

Although an official ruling is yet to be passed, it looks increasingly as though corporate greed may once again have to take priority over national good-will.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Good morning everyone and welcome to the daily World Cup column on Soccerlens.

Spain are deserved campeones del mundo, Andres Iniesta is officially better than Xavi for the foreseeable future and the carnival is over for another 1432 days. Roll on Brazil 2014!

Here’s your round-up…

(If you would like to subscribe to this column  – and others like it on Soccerlens – then please feel free to follow this link, or you can also just enter your email address on the SL homepage.)

Netherlands 0-1 Spain…

The reigning European champions secured their first ever World Cup title in dramatic circumstances at Soccer City, when Andres Iniesta (who has arguably been their player of the tournament) thrashed home an extra-time winner that condemned the 10-man Netherlands to yet another final defeat – their third in three attempts.

The frankly woeful opening 45 minutes was punctuated by several malicious fouls on the Netherlands’ part (the worst being Nigel de Jong‘s chest-high studding of Xabi Alonso), with referee Howard Webb booking five players within the first half an hour.

However there were also several chances for either side to edge in front, but Sergio Ramos, Joan Capdevila and the lively Arjen Robben all failed to make the most of the chances they were respectively handed.

The game finally sprung into life in the second-half and, whereas the rhythm of the tie continued to be hampered by the steady stream of bookings, moments of real quality were also increasingly prevalent.

The lively Robben, who’s pace was a constant threat to the considerably less mobile Spanish backline, saw two gilt-edged one-on-one chances thwarted at the final hurdle (i.e. an outstretched Iker Casillas) and Ramos again spurned a clear goal-scoring opportunity – heading Xavi‘s corner over the bar despite a conspicuous absence of Dutch pressure.

The Netherlands visibly tired as the match progressed, and the constant harassment that had disrupted the Spanish gameplan in the early stages began to subside which allowed Xavi and Iniesta to begin to dictate proceedings from midfield.

The Barcelona duo were also aided in their exploits by the introduction of ‘Cesc Fabregas (who replaced Alonso in an attack-minded rejig), and the Arsenal skipper almost made an immediate impact but instead saw his low effort repelled by the legs of the impressive Maarten Stekelenburg.

With the stalemate intact after 90 minutes, the final entered extra-time and in the 110th minute came the decision that finally put paid to the Netherlands’ hopes of going the distance.

After pulling back Iniesta on the edge of the area, Dutch centre-back John Heitinga was dismissed by Webb and, despite the protests of his teammates, there was little question that the English referee had made the correct call.

Heitinga’s red card seemed to spur Spain into a final flourish, and it was after a short period of sustained pressure that Iniesta struck his fateful blow. After being played through by Fabregas, the Barca maestro took one touch to set himself then fired an low angled drive past Stekelenburg.

With just four minutes left on the clock, the Dutch were left with little time to find an equaliser and never really looked like doing so.

Spain’s buoyant finale was marred slightly when late-substitute Fernando Torres pulled up with a hamstring injury, but Vicente Del Bosque‘s side held on without any further cause for concern – thus sparking joyous scenes at the final whistle.

Highlights…

Read the Netherlands vs Spain match report.

Stat attack…

• There were a total of 14 yellow (and one red) cards issued during the 2010 World Cup final – smashing the previous record of 6, which has stood since 1986.

• Dutch defender John Heitinga became only the fifth player ever to receive his marching orders in a World Cup final.

• No team has won the World Cup in red jerseys since England in 1966.  Spain donned La Roja before collecting the trophy, but played in their changed strip of dark blue.

• There were 145 goals at the 2010 World Cup, two fewer than 2006.

• Spain midfielder Xavi ran a total of 49.83 miles during the tournament – more than any other player.

The aftermath in quotes…

“Spain deserved to win this World Cup. It’s something we have to remember and enjoy, and should feel very proud of everyone in this squad. The manner in which it happened, we gave everything. To win the World Cup – there are no words to describe it.”

Spain’s match-winner Andres Iniesta is suitably happy.

“As for the octopus, what can I say? We won. The octopus will be very popular in Spain.”

Iniesta goes on to thank the real hero.

“This is an historic moment for Spain and it may never be repeated – and I dedicate this to my whole family. The fans have fantastic, the rock on which we base everything, and I hope in two years’ time we will have more joy at the Euros.”

Midfielder ‘Cesc Fabregas plans further Iberian dominance.

“It’s a historic moment for Spanish football. This achievement is something that we, the players, are still not aware of…what the significance really is. I think it’s something we will only realise over time.”

It’s not quite sunk in for Iker Casillas.

“First of all I should congratulate our opponents. They made it very difficult for us to play comfortably. It’s been a very intense match, and congratulations to them.”

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque. Would he have been be quite so generous had his side lost?

“The dressing room is delighted, ecstatic. But Spain, the country, deserves this triumph, this World Cup. This goes beyond sport. We have to celebrate. All the people have been behind us in Spain, and we’re delighted to reward them with this victory.”

Del Bosque dedicates the win to the entire country.

“I don’t think the referee controlled the match well. But let me be clear about this: the best team won the match.”

Netherlands coach Bert Van Marwijk gets his excuses in…

“We are angry because we were so close. The referee was slightly more for them than for us. That ultimately cost us the cup.”

…and Dirk Kuyt duly follows suit.

Forlan wins the Golden Ball…

Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has seen his fine World Cup performances capped by being bestowed with the FIFA Golden Ball Award – i.e. the award for the best player at the tournament – for hitting five goals during La Celeste‘s surprising run to fourth place.

Germany’s rising star Thomas Muller took home the Golden Boot (top scorer) award despite tying at the top of the goal-scoring charts with Forlan, Wesley Sneijder and David Villa on five goals – Muller’s higher assist tally acting as a tie-breaker.

The 20-year-old German forward was also awarded the Best Young Player title, while Spain stopper Iker Casillas was handed the Golden Gloves prize for the top goalkeeper – after conceding only two goals in seven games during the tournament.

Mandela family unhappy at FIFA pressure…

After a series of reports and counter-reports, South African icon Nelson Mandela did attend the World Cup final in Johannesburg last night although it appears that the former president may have been pressured into an appearance by FIFA – in a bid to preserve their image.

Mandela, who is still mourning the tragic pre-tournament loss of his granddaughter Zenani and is struggling with ill-health, was present at Soccer City but only after football’s governing body made sure he was.

Speaking before last night’s final, Mandla Mandela (grandson of 92-year-old Nelson), spoke of FIFA’s insensitive demands;

“We have come under extreme pressure from FIFA requiring and wishing that my grandfather be at the final.

FIFA said their president Sepp Blatter wished my grandfather comes out to the final. I think people ought to understand our traditions and customs, understand we’ve had a loss.

We are in mourning.”

Pigs.

Read the full report on Soccerlens.

Loew set for German honour…

Germany coach Joachim Loew is to receive the country’s Federal Cross of Merit for guiding his charges to a third place finish at the World Cup after seeing off Uruguay in a dramatic play-off tie on Saturday evening.

Germany President Christian Wulff subsequently announced that Loew would be handed the prestigious honour, with the players also set to be decorated with the Silver Laurel.

Fan tries to steal the World Cup, gets flattened…

BOOF!

Quote of the day…

“We have survived finally the vuvuzelas, everybody has.”

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has made it through unscathed.

And in other news…

Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan has dedicated his award to his Uruguayan teammates, praising their collective hard-work. (Sky Sports)

Germany coach Joachim Loew insists he had to drop Golden Boot hopeful Miroslav Klose for the third-place play-off, as the striker wasn’t 100% fit. (Goal)

The 2010 World Cup on Soccerlens…

There will be comprehensive coverage of the World Cup on Soccerlens over the coming months.

With the dedicated World Cup section (chock full of info, including fixtures and stats – and even links to buy replica shirts) on SL, there really is no need to go anywhere else for your World Cup needs this summer!

You can even follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you’re that way inclined.

Also on Soccerlens…

• The Meteoric Rise Of David Villa

• Andres Iniesta: ‘It Was An Incredible Job By Everyone’

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

After speculation to the contrary, South African icon Nelson Mandela did attend the World Cup final last night.

However, it would appear that the 92-year-old, who is still mourning the tragic loss of his granddaughter and reported to be in ill-health, was heavily pressured by tournament organisers FIFA to make an appearance at the showpiece finale and, as such, a war of words has broken out between the two camps.

Speaking before last night’s final, Mandla Mandela (who is the grandson of the former South African president), spoke of FIFA’s insensitive demands;

“The family has really taken a step back, we have been mourning the loss of Zenani. We have come under extreme pressure from FIFA requiring and wishing that my grandfather be at the final.

FIFA said their president Sepp Blatter wished my grandfather comes out to the final. I think people ought to understand our traditions and customs, understand we’ve had a loss. We are in mourning.

That for me would be enough reason to leave the family be for now.”

He admitted that Mandela was also under pressure simply because the watching world expected him to be at the final, and that FIFA had only served to exacerbate those expectations;

“Their focus is having this world icon in the stadium, but FIFA are not really paying attention to our customs as a people and as a family.

My grandfather is 92 next week and in poor health. The final ends late at night. That is difficult for a man of his age.”

It’s no surprise to see yet another pugnacious display of image control from football’s governing body.

Nothing is sacred, not even family mourning, except that advertising coin.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

So here we are….2 weeks and 48 games into South Africa 2010 and if I had to sum up the World Cup so far I’d say it has been nothing but a load of balls! Or to be more specific…..a load of Jabulanis!

Yes, I realize that this has been debated to death but the outcry seems to have died down as the competition has progressed……..probably because those who objected so vociferously at the outset realise, not for the first time, that when it comes to legitimate protests to the FIFA hierarchy you’re time is more productively spent climbing Table Mountain in wintertime and taking a relieving piss into the wind.

As usual, it’s all about money with FIFA. We could rake over the logic of introducing a new version of the most critical object in the game for the showcase tournament, and one of the biggest sporting events on the planet; and we could debate the process for approving the output of such projects, but why bother?

Football has long since prostituted itself to the mighty dollar and no doubt this particular process involved Blatter and countless other FIFA executives scoring freely, as Adidas ensured that all the right balls were massaged it tying-up this multi million dollar farce.

And of course all the feel good factors were tied in. Jabulani is the Zulu word for ‘celebrate’. Ironic that……I wonder what the Zulu word(s) for ‘high wide and handsome’ is (are)? The Jabulani has 11 colours incorporated into the design, apparently representing the 11 official languages of South Africa, the 11 communities of South Africa, the 11 players on a team and the fact that this is Adidas’ 11th FIFA World Cup ball.

All very touching I’m sure you’ll agree, but I suspect that the wonderfully hospitable, colourful and musical (Vuvuzelas excepted) South Africans would rather ‘their’ World Cup be remembered as one of the finest in terms of the game itself rather than one where they were patronised by platitudes from a money grabbing monolith who assembled a bunch of suits around a boardroom table (whose cost alone could feed several South African families for a year) to come-up with a touchy feely name for the object that ultimately tainted the entire event.

I mean, you see those close up shots, the innocent faces of those beautiful South African kids in awe at the spectacle unfolding before them and you wonder……is this to be their first real experience of the ‘beautiful game’, seeing the best players in the world only able to hit the target with something like 1 in 10 attempts.

I recently emailed an old friend who I hadn’t heard from in a while and asked him how he was enjoying the World Cup so far. Not one to mince his words….his answer was unequivocal.

“It would be a lot better if they weren’t playing with a fucking balloon!” was his response, and I couldn’t have agreed more.

Maybe I’ve lost the plot on this one? I mean, when I tried to explain it to my “what’s so interesting about 22 guys chasing a piece of leather around a field” wife, her response was a, very objective:

“But it’s round isn’t it, so what’s the problem?” Hmm….time for a beer and a spell on the patio.

But when all is said and done what is the evidence for damning this ball and accusing it of spoiling the competition?

Exhibit 1: I could list or copy the links to all the statements made by players, coaches and other professionals in the game, not to mention the mere mortal fans, but you’ve seen most of that list.

Ivory Coast manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, was one of the most outspoken, calling for a summit meeting… Sven Objects …but it fell on deaf ears. The one thing Sven has wrong in, however, is that it’s not a problem for the goalkeepers. It’s much more of a problem for everyone else! Keepers have had an easy time of it as balls fly everywhere but in their general direction. In fact if you told me that the goalkeepers union had designed this ball I’d have no problem believing you.

Exhibit 2: Last night (depending on your time zone) Japan beat the Danes 3-1. So what!…I hear you say. Well the ‘so what’ is that they scored directly from a free kick….twice! So what? Well after 44 games they were the 2nd and 3rd goals scored directly from free licks in this World Cup! I (almost) rest my case.

Exhibit 3: Ok, I don’t have the stats, but please don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed the legion of over-hit passes, corners, crosses and through balls? I find it endlessly frustrating watching players unable to judge the flight of this ridiculous object, and make no mistake…..the lack of goals, the proliferation of close results, and the many upsets…..are, to my mind anyway,….the direct result of the Jabulani ball. I’m convinced at this point that actual results and group outcomes have been determined by this shocking sphere. And I am the only one who rues the fact that the ball seems to spend more time out of play than in play as a result?

Exhibit 4: Time for a bit of science…as opposed to my tainted ramblings…I hear you cry (ever in touch in my audience me!) Well what really provoked this outpouring was a piece I saw on SBS (Australia) television two days ago. For the youngsters on here, Craig Johnston was a Liverpool player in the 80’s who went on to become Director of Innovation at Adidas. He invented a (supposedly) revolutionary football boot known as ‘the predator’ and knows a bit about the science and dynamics of footballs.

No longer working for Adidas, here is Johnston’s verdict on the Jabulani ball, and he pulls no punches. Having no scientific knowledge whatsoever of what makes a ball ‘tick’ but having observed what I’ve observed so far, I think he’s bang on the money in his assessment: Craig Johnston on the Jabulani

So I rest the case for the prosecution on this excuse for a football. I’m convinced that it favours the defensive minded teams as it’s the shots on goal, corners and crosses that seem most affected….and maybe that’s why we’ve seen so many unexpectedly close games and surprising results so far…….or maybe not….but that’s my theory for what it’s worth.

Then again, maybe all of the above is just an aberration and in the final analysis when you set 22 guys “running around a field after a piece of leather” anything can happen…and probably does….but I just don’t buy that!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Join Adrian Clarke & Iain Spragg for a brand new episode of the pint size World Cup podcast.

The talismanic two heap praise on Uruguay and Argentina, debate the rights and wrongs of employing national team managers from overseas and attempt to understand why Europe’s elite have been so second rate so far.

Yakubu, Steven Pienaar and Thierry Henry also get a mention during 15 minutes of lively chat.

Tune in now!

You can listen to this episode below:
Download link (mp3, 16mb, 17 mins)

Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through podcast@soccerlens.com and Clarke and Spragg will feature the best on the next episode.

Subscribe to the Soccerlens World Cup Podcast

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Also see: World Cup Podcast Archives.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Good morning everybody and welcome once more to the daily World Cup column on Soccerlens.

England take on Group C leaders Slovenia (that just doesn’t sound right does it?) later today and need to pull a convincing win out of the bag in order to, at least momentarily, silence their growing phalanx of doubters.

Could this be the game where it all finally clicks into place for ‘Crazy’ (see below) Fabio’s men? Only time will tell.

Here’s the best of this morning’s World Cup-related bag o’ mashings…

(If you would like to subscribe to this column  – and others like it on Soccerlens – then please feel free to follow this link, or you can also just enter your email address on the SL homepage.)

France 1-2 South Africa…

Despite ending their tournament campaign on a high, South Africa couldn’t prevent themselves from becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to fail to reach the second round.

Carlos Alberto Parreira‘s side battled to a richly-deserved victory over a despondent French outfit but, thanks to results elsewhere (see below), unfortunately still finished third in Group A and were eliminated on goal difference.

South Africa were two goals up at half-time through Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela, and looked on course to provide the shock of the group so far. With Mexico drawing with Uruguay in Rustenburg, Bafana Bafana needed just two more goals to advance through to the last 16 – and it didn’t look beyond their reach, as France continued to play with an air of acrimonious petulance.

However, the South African’s couldn’t add to their tally and eventually faded when news of a Uruguay goal filtered around the stadium.

Raymond Domenech‘s men, who had midfielder Yoann Gourcuff sent off in the first-half for a dangerously-raised elbow, did pull a goal back fifteen minutes from time through Florent Malouda – but never looked like showing the resolve needed to salvage any shred of dignity from what has proven to be a shambolic tournament (one point and one goal) for Les Bleus.

Highlights…

Read the France v South Africa match summary.

Speaking of dignity…

What a thoroughly odious little pr*ck that man is.

Domenech apparently refused to shake Parreira’s hand after the game as the South African coach had dared to criticise France’s ‘method of qualification’ (i.e. Henry’s handball) for the World Cup last year.

Mexico 0-1 Uruguay…

A single goal from Ajax forward Luis Suarez was enough to ensure that Uruguay would finish on top in Group A and safely book their passage into the knock-out phase.

It was widely expected that the two sides would merely play out the draw needed to guarantee both country’s qualification to the second round, but an end-to-end encounter scotched the conspiracy theories before they’d even begun to take shape.

Top spot in the group (and therefore the probability of avoiding Argentina in the next round) was up for grabs for the victor, and Suarez secured his country’s position at the top of the tree when he headed home Edinson Cavani‘s looping right-wing cross minutes before half-time.

Mexico were lively throughout, with Andres Guardado striking the underside of the bar and Giovani Dos Santos seeing his close-range effort blocked by Jorge Fucile, but just didn’t have the decisive final product to unlock the Uruguayan defense.

Upon learning of the result in the other Group A game in Bloemfontein (i.e. France v South Africa), both sides were able to celebrate at the final whistle.

Highlights…

Read the Mexico v Uruguay match report.

Greece 0-2 Argentina…

The Albiceleste booked their place in the last 16 with a third straight Group B victory over a lumpen Greece side that tried, but eventually failed, to stifle Argentina without venturing forward in search of a goal themselves.

Otto Rehhagel deployed the same negative tactics that saw his side crowned European champions in 2004 after a string of 1-0 wins, and successfully kept Argentina at bay until the 77th minute when centre-back Martin Demichelis pounced on a rebound to lift a shot into the roof of the net from six yards out.

Lionel Messi, who was relentlessly man-marked by Sortirios Papastathopoulos, then tore through the Greek defensive lines and cracked a vicious effort against the post – the Barcelona forward again cruelly denied his first goal in South Africa by the woodwork.

However, a second goal eventually arrived in the 89th minute when 36-year-old Boca Juniors striker Martin Palermo rolled a shot past Alexandros Tzorvas after the Greek stopper palmed Messi’s crisp shot into the path of the veteran hitman.

Highlights…

Read the Greece v Argentina match report.

Nigeria 2-2 South Korea…

South Korea booked a second round tie with Uruguay after securing the point they needed to edge past Greece into second place in the final Group B standings.

Nigeria created a steady stream of chances all night, and took the lead in the 12th minute when Kalu Uche stole in front of his marker to prod Chidi Odiah‘s driven cross past Jung Sung-Ryong.

The Asian side hit back five minutes before the break when Lee Jung-Soo bundled the ball across the line (heading into his own foot) following Ki Sung-Yeung‘s whipped free-kick.

South Korea then got their noses in front five minutes after play resumed, when Park Chu-Young‘s free-kick wrong-footed Vincent Enyeama in the Nigerian goal and found it’s way inside the far post.

Everton striker Yakubu restored parity for the Super Eagles from the penalty spot, but only after fluffing an open goal – somehow slotting wide from four yards out when it was easier to score.

Nigeria pressed in search of a further goal, but South Korea held out for the point they needed to qualify for the second round for the first time in a World Cup staged on foreign soil.

Highlights…

Read the Nigeria v South Korea match report.

Stat attack…

• Argentina ended their game against Greece having had an amazing 82% of the possession – the highest of any World Cup match since 1966. (Eurosport)

• By my reckoning, Park Chu-Young‘s goal against Nigeria yesterday was the first goal to be scored directly from a free-kick (I’m not counting Kalu Uche‘s effort against Greece, as it was blatantly a cross!) at the South African finals.

The truth is out there…

France captain (at least I think he’s still the captain) Patrice Evra has vowed to ‘reveal the truth’ about his country’s disastrous World Cup campaign.

The left-back, who was dropped for the South Africa game after falling out with coach Raymond Domenech and fitness advisor Robert Duverne, told TF1 that he intends to call a press conference during the next few days in which he will detail the reasons behind France’s dismal showing this summer;

“It’s not the time now for the settling of scores, it’s the time now for apologising and for feeling all the suffering that the millions of French are feeling.

This apology goes directly to them. I wanted to do it yesterday but I was forbidden by my coach. I’m not going to go into details, I’ll give a press conference during the week.

I really respect the suffering the French are feeling at this failure. They need to know the truth, they need to know exactly what happened that this disaster came about.

People will know how we came to this point. But I didn’t come here to say that now, I came to say sorry. I’ll repeat again that I wanted to say it yesterday but I was forbidden.”

The Manchester United defender then went on to reveal, amongst other things, that he had no idea why he was dropped for the potentially crucial clash against Bafana Bafana last night;

“Tonight there was no valid reason at all for why I wasn’t on the pitch. I’m not a liar, I will tell the truth. People don’t yet know the whole history but you will.

But you have to respect people and so there’s a huge apology even if that doesn’t change anything. I feel really bad, the French people even more so than me and you have to respect that today.

I will detail everything, what I experienced, every minute. Believe me I won’t hide anything, I will tell the truth.

But believe me what I have to say, tonight is not the time. The French need to know and they will know, during the week, as soon as possible.”

I can’t wait!

Crazy, but that’s how it goes…

England manager Fabio Capello has insisted that he ‘isn’t crazy’ to still be backing his side to reach the World Cup final, despite an underwhelming (to put it politely) start to their tournament.

England have only amassed two points from their opening two games, but Capello believes that a good performance in this afternoon’s game against group-leaders Slovenia will be the catalyst his players need to kick-start their campaign into action;

“We did a good job in getting here but now we’re not in a good moment, but I know this group of players are still good because I’m not crazy when I said my target was reaching the final of the World Cup.

They have shown they are a really good [squad]. This is not about my reputation – that is not important – because we are a team, a group.

Sure, we have to improve and I expect to see the spirit I saw in qualification again, with us fighting in every moment to win the ball back.

But I think if … no, not ‘if’, when we win this game, all the teams will have to fight to beat us.

This is a play-off. For me, it’s like a final or semi-final in the Champions League. We are either in or we are out. Only one result will do. We have to play with that kind of spirit from the first moment and we have to win. We’ll be fit to fight.”

As per usual, Capello is refusing to name his starting XI until hours before kick-off, but the general consensus on Fleet Street this morning is that Jermaine Defoe will partner Wayne Rooney up front, Matthew Upson will fill in for the suspended Jamie Carragher, David James will continue in goal and James Milner will deputise for Aaron Lennon on the right wing after the Tottenham man failed to impress during the Algeria game.

Quote of the day…

“As players and for me as captain we have to switch our attention to this game because it is a do-or-die situation.”

England skipper Steven Gerrard puts his head on the block.

Animal magic…

Ever wondered what David Villa’s opening goal against Honduras the other night would look like if it was recreated by plasticine animals? This way please…

The screaming orangutan chosen to represent Villa is an inspired choice!

And in other news…

Serbia striker Milan Jovanovic may pull out of his deal to join Liverpool to instead join former Reds boss Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan. (F365)

England have been ‘boosted’ by the return to fitness of Michael Carrick ahead of their decisive Group C clash with Slovenia. (BBC Sport)

FIFA may retrospectively suspend Spain striker David Villa after he admitted to punching a Honduran defender during the two team’s Group H clash. (Guardian)

David Ginola has threatened to sue Gerard Houllier after the former France manager once again blamed him for Les Bleus’ failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. (Sporting Life)

The French press are fairly unanimous in their verdict of France’s World Cup campaign, and it ain’t good! (F365)

Soccerlens Fantasy Football…

Soccerlens Fantasy Football gives you the option to go against friends and fellow competitors over a day’s games.

This means that you should pick your fantasy team from players involved in the games happening on that specific day. It also gives you the option of picking your fantasy team with the players you might be more familiar with.

Either way, it’s fast and action packed. So pick the specific round(s) you want to join from the home-page and join a competition!

You can also challenge your friends over a specific round by creating a private competition

Today’s (Wednesday 23rd June) round is as follows:

• Slovenia vs England

• USA vs Algeria

• Ghana vs Germany

• Australia vs Serbia

Give it a go and you may come away with a cash prize!

The 2010 World Cup on Soccerlens…

There will be comprehensive coverage of the World Cup on Soccerlens over the coming months.

With the dedicated World Cup section (chock full of info, including fixtures and stats – and even links to buy replica shirts) on SL, there really is no need to go anywhere else for your World Cup needs this summer!

You can even follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you’re that way inclined.

Also on Soccerlens…

• England v Slovenia: The Road To The Final Starts Here

• Kaka’: “Maradona’s Goal Was An Intentional Handball”

• Argentina’s Persistence Pays Off To Defeat Otto Rehhagel’s Greece

• Zizou-zela: Vuvuzela Meets Zinedine Zidane

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In a sentence

Despite a flying start and a one man advantage, South Africa fail to get the goals necessary to progress.

Electrifying before a limp finale

At half-time, the improbable seemed to be on but the second half saw the game fade. It would have been great to see Domenech, in his final 45 minutes as manager of France (quite possibly as manager of anybody), go for broke , throw three up front and try to win back some pride. After all, this was a generous South African defence. Disappointing too that South Africa went flat after France’s goal.

Far from humiliated

Before this tournament, four points would have been judged a very respectable return for South Africa. Let’s not forget that there were serious fears of them being outclassed.

The tournament will suffer without the hosts but at least the Rainbow Nation earned a few special moments to celebrate.

Humiliated

No-one watching this would have believed that France were still playing for a place in the last 16. Mentally, they were on the plane They played with indifference; none of these players would be so half-hearted for their clubs. It’s clear that for some multi-millionaire footballers, representing your country in a World Cup appears a burden rather than the ultimate honour.

The moment – Mphela hits the post on 55 minutes

The striker was excellent but this was a huge moment. Would have left South Africa 3-0 up, with 35 minutes to find one goal to put them through.

What next?

One advantage of this shambles is that Laurent Blanc will have a licence to make any change he wishes; there will be an appetite for revolution. It will be interesting to see what approach he takes. Does he try to lift this current group of players, many of whom are still fairly young, or does he ring the changes?

For South Africa, it must be hoped that the energetic development of this squad over the past few years is continued after the tournament’s end.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News