Guatemala 0-1 Panama:
June 20 – Friday night at Q2 Stadium bore no resemblance to the venue that hosted football just 24 hours earlier. The transformation was complete, and the catalyst was simple: unbridled passion provided by the hordes of Guatemala supporters who descended on Austin. Stark contrast to the lack of interest shown by US fans on Thursday.
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By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
June 28 – Wales, one of only four countries in the world that can decide whether goalline technology is introduced to avoid controversies like the one that has overshadowed Germany’s victory in the World Cup over England, said again today they were against it.
The line of questioning thrown at FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot the morning after the night before Frank Lampard’s already imfamous “goal-that-wasn’t” included the words laughing stock and embarrassment. You can understand why.
When football’s lawmakers ditched goal-line technology once and for all just over three months ago, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said he hoped the decision did not come back to haunt the organisation at the World Cup.
By David Owen in Bloemfontein
June 27 – I need to make one thing clear at the outset: England were beaten today at Free State Stadium by a much better team: the 4-1 scoreline did not flatter Germany.
June 26 – Brazil’s largest city Sao Paulo needs to find an alternative venue for the 2014 World Cup after the Morumbi stadium was dropped due to lack of financial guarantees for renovation, FIFA said tonight.
June 26 – Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, a member of the Qatar ruling family, has bought the struggling Primera Liga club Malaga for $44 million (£29 million), the first foreigner to own a Spanish club.
June 26 – Nigerian Sports Minister Ibrahim Bio has asked FIFA to hold on to the payment of the $8 million (£5 million) due to the Super Eagles for featuring in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
June 26 – French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been warned that the country will be banned from international competition if his Government interfere in the organisation of the national football federation following the team’s disastrous performance in the World Cup in South Africa.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
June 26 – Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the South Africa 2010 World Cup, has accused Irvin Khoza, the chairman of the Organising Committee, of launching a public smear campaign against him.
Hanover 1968 was where it all went wrong, as far as I was concerned.
To my mind, at that time, England were better than West Germany because they were the world champions. Which meant Charlton was better than Beckenbauer. Hurst was better than Seeler. Banks was better than Tilkowski. Moore was better than Schulz. It was all very simple.
By David Owen in Durban
June 25 – If you can’t get a ticket to the match, there are worse ways to watch it than with the sand trickling between your toes on a palm tree-fringed beach lapped by the Indian Ocean.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
June 25 -Former President Bill Clinton, the honorary chairman of the United States bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, has admitted that people’s negative views of the country could scupper their chances.
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On Wednesday night, as England qualified to meet Germany in the round of 16, with the USA topping England’s group and Australia doing Ghana a favour, the great and good of south African football returned to Sandton, the exclusive Johannesburg suburb which they have made their home during this World Cup, and their joy was unconfined.
The reason for the joy was not just on footballing grounds, although these are not insignificant.
They had a record six teams in the tournament but one by one they tumbled out, failing to live up to expectations, dashing the hopes of an entire continent.
The vuvezelas may still be screeching and organisers saying all the right things about the show going on but no-one can ignore the hugely disappointing performances of Africa’s teams at Africa’s World Cup.
By Mihir Bose in Johannesburg
June 24 – South African police and organisers are concerned that England’s match with Germany in the round of 16 match at Bloemfontein on Sunday (June 27) could see German hooligans clash with English ones.
