South Africa World Cup 2010

[foobar75]

I was extremely disappointed when I saw Cacau (and 2 other useless blacks) starting for Germany today, but I calmed down after finding out that Klose was hurt and actually told Loew that he couldn't play. More on this (and some classy words from Ronaldo about Klose) are here:

Ronaldo on Klose

Still, if the goal was to reward some players with a cap in a meaningless 3rd place match, why does Loew insist on going with 3 blacks, one more awful than the other, instead of going with some whites on the roster? Cacau contributed nothing, Aogo has no business even being on the team, and well, what you can say about Jerome Boateng?

Boateng has been a revelation in this tournament as the weakest link in Germany's defense and pretty much their entire game plan. In addition to being slow and unathletic compared to virtually all of his teammates, he's a lousy defender who was constantly on his backfoot and was exposed time and again by Sergio Ramos and Gonzalo Higuain in the Spain and Argentina matches, respectively. His stinking performance in the Argentina game was covered up by Germany's crushing 4-0 victory, but against Spain, there was nowhere to hide, and he was quickly subbed in the 50th minute so Loew could try and limit the damage. He also has very limited ball and passing skills, and when he ends up with the ball, it's usually a lousy pass or a turnover, which further hurts the overall game plan. In a game like soccer when everything needs to be precise, having a player like Boateng is like playing with 10 men.

In any event, Mueller's 5 goals gives him a very good chance to one day break the record, barring any unforeseen circumstances. He should play in at least 3 more WCs, and 10 goals should be within his reach.

As JL and JC have pointed out, Germany's U21 and U17 teams are basically all-white, so there's hope that they are no on their way to becoming the next France or England.

 

[Europe]

I was extremely disappointed when I saw Cacau (and 2 other useless blacks) starting for Germany today, but I calmed down after finding out that Klose was hurt and actually told Loew that he couldn't play. More on this (and some classy words from Ronaldo about Klose) are here:

Ronaldo on Klose

Still, if the goal was to reward some players with a cap in a meaningless 3rd place match, why does Loew insist on going with 3 blacks, one more awful than the other, instead of going with some whites on the roster? Cacau contributed nothing, Aogo has no business even being on the team, and well, what you can say about Jerome Boateng?

Boateng has been a revelation in this tournament as the weakest link in Germany's defense and pretty much their entire game plan. In addition to being slow and unathletic compared to virtually all of his teammates, he's a lousy defender who was constantly on his backfoot and was exposed time and again by Sergio Ramos and Gonzalo Higuain in the Spain and Argentina matches, respectively. His stinking performance in the Argentina game was covered up by Germany's crushing 4-0 victory, but against Spain, there was nowhere to hide, and he was quickly subbed in the 50th minute so Loew could try and limit the damage. He also has very limited ball and passing skills, and when he ends up with the ball, it's usually a lousy pass or a turnover, which further hurts the overall game plan. In a game like soccer when everything needs to be precise, having a player like Boateng is like playing with 10 men.

In any event, Mueller's 5 goals gives him a very good chance to one day break the record, barring any unforeseen circumstances. He should play in at least 3 more WCs, and 10 goals should be within his reach.

As JL and JC have pointed out, Germany's U21 and U17 teams are basically all-white, so there's hope that they are no on their way to becoming the next France or England.

I just don't understand how Boeteng made the German team. He is so awkward out there. The EPL now has to put up with 2 Boetengs because the he just signed with Man City. It will be interesting to see how long he lasts in England.

Hopefully,Germany won't naturalize another Brazilian or African like Cacau.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Plus, didn't I hear that Boeteng's brother hurt one of the German players badly on a semi-dirty play- playing for one of the African teams? Sounds like the German team has a bit of a caste system to allow the Boeteng starting charade to go on. I'm actually glad that it will be Spain vs. the Netherlands. This is the best year EVER for CF so far!

 

[foobar75]

As the World Cup is about to wind down, here's an interesting article from the NYT for some perspective. I've been seeing quite a few columns praising the South Africans for hosting a great event, but I think it's all an act for the world. I'm actually surprised the Times even published this:

(no mention of whites here, of course, but we all know they'll be targets too)


JOHANNESBURG â€" The World Cup ends Sunday, and South Africa, like some cartoon figure with an angel above one shoulder and the devil atop the other, will revel in its successful hosting of the tournament while bracing for possible violence aimed at the impoverished immigrants in its midst.

For months, threats have coursed through virtually every township and squatter camp, with warnings that once the final whistle blows, the tourists leave and the world looks away, vuvuzelas and banners will be replaced by torches and panga knives as attacks begin against Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and others.

"They tell us that by Sunday we must go or we will see blood, plenty blood,"Â￾ said Precious Ncube, 25, a Zimbabwean living in a township near Pretoria.

Many in the government regard these threats as rumors inflated into hysteria through repetition. Nevertheless, security forces are on "high alert,"Â￾ Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said last week. The military has already demonstrated its muscle in some presumed hot spots. Human rights groups and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have issued pleas for calm.

On Friday, as some immigrants fled the country, the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions, or Cosatu, urged the government to open stadiums for people who might need havens, saying, "Surely, given the billions of rands we just spent on the World Cup, where we did not spare any expense, we cannot now risk people's lives."Â￾

There is good reason for apprehension.

During two weeks in May 2008, at least 60 people, mostly from nearby African nations, were killed by mobs. The violence, stomped out in one place only to reappear in others, occurred in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and elsewhere. About 35,000 people were hounded from their homes.

These paroxysms of burning and looting were called "xenophobic riots,"Â￾ and the defining image, published throughout the world, was that of a Mozambican man in the final moments of his life after being set ablaze.

The government was slow to intervene. Thabo Mbeki, then the president, spoke out only belatedly. Thousands of the uprooted slept on the floors of police stations, churches and community halls. South African volunteers, appalled by the attacks, fed the hungry and organized shelters.

Fungai Makota, a 36-year-old Zimbabwean woman who owns a tiny grocery in a Johannesburg township, remembered being chased from her shop in 2008. Her entire inventory was looted, and her husband, a Mozambican, suffered serious head wounds after a furious pummeling.

Like so many others, she is trying to figure out why these threats have resurfaced now and how much danger she is in. Should she stay or go, continue to sell her groceries or hide them?

"So many people tell me, ‘You must return where you came from; your time in South Africa is up,' "Â￾ Ms. Makota said. "But I have lived here eight years. My life is here now."Â￾

During the past month, this country has shown its best side to the world. Leaders from both government and business have declared that South Africa has successfully "rebranded"Â￾ itself, recasting an image tarnished by AIDS, poverty and corruption into one of geniality, prosperity and competence.

Part of the nation's charm has been its spirit of pan-African brotherhood. When South Africa's team was eliminated from the World Cup, loyalties turned in lockstep to Ghana, the only team from the continent to advance.

But many citizens here, particularly the poor who cobble their hovels from rusty metal and scrap wood, resent the estimated five million foreigners who have crossed the border looking for work in Africa's largest economy. About a third of this nation's workers are unemployed, and immigrants are commonly blamed for taking their jobs or robbing their homes.

"These foreigners have no IDs, no papers, and yet they get the jobs,"Â￾ said Ephraim Magoele, 26, an unemployed South African. "They are willing to work for 15 rand a day,"Â￾ about $2. "When I need money, I have to call my mother and ask her for some money from her pension. Why should this be?"Â￾

Such resentment is easy to heat into hatred â€" and easy to exploit.

The Forced Migration Studies Program at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which has examined the nation's continuing xenophobic impulses, concludes that local political leaders often instigate the violence as a means to advance personal agendas. Business owners sometimes support it to wipe out competition. Looters certainly profit.

Most South Africans deplored the 2008 attacks. In fact, many in the shack settlements defended their foreign neighbors or offered places to hide. Even now, it is hard to find people who say they will take part in a purge of immigrants â€" but not so hard to find those who would support it.

"It is up to the foreigners whether we are required to beat them or kill them; whatever, they must go,"Â￾ said Johannes Thabompooa, 41, who claimed he lost his job four years ago and had not worked since.

The timing of the threatened attacks is decidedly bizarre, as if the perpetrators consider it appropriate to kill foreigners, but wrong to interfere with the World Cup in doing so. In an editorial, the South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian called that kind of thinking a "calculated sort of pseudopatriotism."Â￾

The local news media's persistent reporting of the threats has added to the fear. On Thursday, prominence was given to an episode near Cape Town in which a Zimbabwean man, Reason Wandi, was thrown from a train. He said his attackers condemned him as a foreigner as they opened the door.

In many settlements, there is now an expectation of violence, and news of one outbreak may well become the spark for others. There is always plenty of tinder amid the close quarters â€" disputes about housing and crime, about water and toilets, about winnings in a card game, and about who sleeps with whom.

During any unrest, foreign shopkeepers are almost reflexively singled out. Shahid Butt, a Pakistani, runs the Vuwani Corner, a small but busy grocery in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg. His store was looted in 2008 and again six months later in a second round of attacks.

Weeks ago, he stopped replenishing his inventory, and said that he intended to remove merchandise during the weekend as a precaution.

"Some guys come in here talking nonsense and say, ‘We will show you after the World Cup,' "Â￾ Mr. Butt said defiantly, shaking his head. "Show me what?"Â￾

He put an apple down on the counter.

"If you want to eat this food, you have to grab it with your hand,"Â￾ he said as a line of customers waited. "This apple will not jump into your mouth. I came here nine years ago and I have a business. Why don't the local people have a business? Because you can't get anything if you sit at home."Â￾

 

[Rebajlo]

Getting back to the World Cup, I'd like as many posters to list who they're rooting for and why. As I said- I'm pulling for the Dutch to be rewarded for fielding a whiter and more legitimately Dutch team.

From a strictly "caste" perspective,I find it difficult to understand why anyone would wish a largely White team to beat a 100% White team (if one is Dutch or of Dutch ancestry, well, that's a different matter altogether

). The message such a result would give is the usual garbage that the team with the black / non-White presenceproved superior. I'm sure that the focus would not be on the higher number of White starters in the Netherlands side as opposed to earlier tournaments, but on the black players. One of the iconic images of any World Cup is the victorious captain lifting the trophy. Now, who is the captain of the Netherlands? Non-white Giovanni van Bronckhorst, of course:

To top things off, photographs of the entire squad posing with the trophy would show plenty of blacks and other non-whites, given that a substantial portion of the Dutch bench is NOT white. The ignorant garden-variety non-football fan would instantly assume that the blacks were the team's vital players.

I remember when the Netherlands won the 1988 European Championship - the photos in all of the Australian newspapers showed the black "Dutchmen" Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard displaying their winners' medals...

 

[Westside]

Ok gents, looking forward to the final. Me being a moderate to hard CFer and part Spaniard, I want Spain to win. I predict the final score 3 to 2 Spain. Viva Spain!!!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i picked Spain before the World Cup started, and i've seen nothing to cause me to change my mind now. they have an all-White, all Spanish side. and on top of that, even with all their individual talent theirgame planis based on themplaying well as a team, rather than a bunch of big egos demanding special treatment.

i'm pulling for La Roja Furia!!!!!!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

disappointingly, the Netherlands start two mulattoes along with their half-asian captain. meanwhile, the Spanish once again field an all-White side.

early on, Spain is applying quite a bit of pressure to the Brilliant Orange. their passing looks crisp, and Villa is already well involved.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i don't know how any of the so-called "experts" in the world of sports media could watch Arjen Robben and David Villa (amongst the many other White speedsters in the World Cupor evenin this Championship match) and honestly insist that they don't have elite speed, or that "if the best affletes in America went out for soccer, they'd dominate."

the physical talent (not to mention the elite skill level) of the athletes on the rosters of so many of these World Cup sides is just incredible. any effort to discredit said talent is either completely incompetent or pointedly dishonest.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Meanwhile, one of Holland's useless blacks (De Jong) should've got a red card for that kung foo style kick he delivered to the Spanish player's chest.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

how the hell did De Jong (mulatto) escape a red card?!?!?! that was awful! he high kicked Xavi straight in the chest and made no effort whatsoever to play the ball!

my, goodness.that was veryfortunate for the Dutch.

 

[Jack Lambert]

how the hell did De Jong (mulatto) escape a red card?!?!?! that was awful! he high kicked Xavi straight in the chest and made no effort whatsoever to play the ball!
<div> </div>
<div>my, goodness. that was very fortunate for the Dutch.</div>

De Jong should've been sent off for that one. At least he used his incredible affletic ability to refrain from picking his nose on the world stage.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

At least he used his incredible affletic ability to refrain from picking his nose on the world stage.

perhaps he didn't want to repeat his stellar nose-picking performance from earlier in the tourney ... although, it must be said that he looked more comfortable picking his rather large nostrils than he has while trying to defend David Villa, Xavi, and company today. which is "weird" considering hesurely has superior affleticism to the "stiff-hipped" and"thick-ankled" Spaniards.

Edited by: Jimmy Chitwood

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Pedro once again refuses to pass to a wide-open teammate. this time it was David Villa who'd made an excellent run down the right side. in the last match, it was a wide open Torres who was sitting in front of the goal jumping up and down calling for the ball whilst Pedro dribbled for no apparent reason. both times resulted in opportunities wasted for La Roja.

last time, Pedro was quickly yanked. will it happen again? the Spanish manager certainly looked royally pissed after this most recent selfishness.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Van Persie looks lost out their for the Netherlands ... but Robben is picking up his slack. the speedster is really starting to give the Spaniards fits down the right side. he's playing very well today.

at halftime, it's 0-0. both teams are playing a, perhaps surprisingly,physical style thus far. there have been more cards than shots on goal. it seems like neither team is willing to take a chance to be counter-attacked and are reluctant tomake a strong push offensively.

it will be interesting to see what adjustments are madecoming out ofhalf time.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

the second half is starting off just like the first did ... Spain is applying a lot of pressure and dominating the ball.

will the Dutch once again be able to assert themselves as the half progresses? they certainly managed to completely squelch the Spanish attack in the latter stages of the first stanza.

i'd like to see a game that was played a lot more freely, but i can understand the conservative approach being shown by both sides thus far.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i really like Sergio Ramos. he is all over the field. for such a top-notch defender, he seems to always be in the mix offensively with timely runs. he has got tohavea supremelyhigh fitness level, because he covers a LOT of ground in 90 minutes.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

and now we see the Yellow flashed again ... the 5th Yellow to the Dutch, and Spain have been shown two.

and the way this match is going, we're likely to see several more i fear.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

oh! a beautiful free kick by Robben, but the header goes just wide. that was an excellent chance for the Netherlands.


the game appears to be opening up a bit now ...

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

not surprisingly to me, Pedro is pulled for Spain. i am a bit surprised, though, that it was Navas who came on ...

oh!!!!!!!! what a narrow escape for Spain! Sneijder with a beautiful through ball to Robben who was streaking free behind the defense. Casillas just got a foot on it to deflect the shot. that was a very near thing!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

yellow card for Capdevila, as he prevents Van Persie from going on the break. that's the 8th Yellow card already. jeez.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Netherlands escapes!!!! David Villa's shot is deflected at the last moment. wow! that was a hold-your-breath moment for Netherlands fans.


here's a head scratcher ... Kuyt is pulled for the negro Elia, who has looked awful in all his previous outings. meanwhile, Kuyt has played very well throughout the tourney. that's a strange move to me ...

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Spain is looking sharp now. their midfield is starting to dominate the ball and pick out Villa. is it surprising that this momentum has taken place after Kuyt was removed and Elia (black) was inserted? i think not ...

oh no! Ramos misses high on a wide open header from a Villa corner kick. he should've scored on that one.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

oh my god! what blazing speed by Robben on the breakaway!!!!!!!! Puyol is VERY fortunate to not get a Red card there. so many folks claim that Robben dives a lot, but if he'd gone down there that could have been game over. he is still rightly furious for not at least earning a foul.
Spaingot very, very lucky there.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Spain is living dangerously now. they have no answer on their back line for Robben at the moment. he is playing terrific and his teammates are really starting to look for him on those counter attacks.