Ke Nako Africa: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Wow its amazing how quickly time flies by. A few short months ago we were celebrating one of the most successful World Cups of all time.

To remember all the good times that were had soccer fans all over the world will be able to own the legacy and embrace the essence of what the World Cup had to offer.

KE NAKO AFRICA is a comprehensive summary of the biggest sporting event in the world – the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ - all contained as an entertaining, action-filled double disc DVD.

This breathtaking, awe-inspiring account is a must-have memento for all, to recall and relive the most memorable four weeks in June and July 2010.

Content featured on these DVDs include Live Performances by top musicians including Shakira, R Kelly and Freshly Ground, The Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Best Goals, Best Saves, Summaries of all games as well as the Final game.

You can buy the DVD for R152.95 by clicking HERE or on the book cover above.

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Last 16 - First match picks

And now we get to the business end of the World Cup as we move into the last 16.

First up we have Uruguay taking on South Korea and even though Uruguay is probably not particularly popular with the South African fans, I can't see them losing today.

We've backed

• Uruguay to win 2-0 - 7/1 odds


• First goal scorer - Diego Forlan - 7/2

In the second match up we're expecting the US to beat Ghana even though the bookies seem to think Ghana are perhaps slight favourites.

Scoreline wise we're expecting the US to win either 1-0 (6/1) or 2-0 (12/1) with Landon Donovan being the first goal-scorer.

USA USA USA USA USA!

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Updated World Cup betting

Wow it has been a fascinating World Cup so far and the glamour sides are certainly being given a run for their money by the underdogs. Argentina have surged in the betting following a convincing first fixture while Germany has also shortened. Surprisingly there is still betting support for England...

Here are some of the key events that have shaped week 1 of the tournament:

• England have been incredibly disappointing so far and maybe are cracking under the pressure. Their press have absolutely gone to town in ripping them to shreds. Facing a first-round exit behind Slovenia, Algeria and the USA
• Germany - brilliant in the first game and now possibly also going out in the first round as well after losing to Serbia. I still think these guys will go through but they have left themselves a lot to do against a Ghana that is on form
• USA have again been good value for money. I suppose it shouldn't be a total surprise considering how well they played in the Confed Cup
• Pre-tournament favourites Spain have lost to Switzerland and might have a tricky task getting into the top 2 in their group if Chile and Switzerland don't play according to script
• Portugal have the capacity to be stuffed by Brazil and the Ivory Coast
• France also looks like they're on an early trip back home - but like they say cheaters never prosper!

After a week of soccer here is the updated betting via World Sports Betting:

• Spain, Argentina and Brazil - 5/2
• England and Holland - 8/1
• Germany - 10/1
• Italy - 14/1
• Portugal - 30/1
• Ivory Coast, Mexico, Uruguay - 40/1
• Chile - 60/1
• Serbia - 70/1
• USA and Paraguay - 80/1
• Ghana - 100/1

I have to say USA at 80/1 isn't the worst odds around. They've shown good spirit, been well disciplined through the tournament and been one of the few sides who has been able to bounce back after going down early in a match.

Robert Green - sigh....

... if it is not David James dropping the ball or Paul Robinson fluffing clearances it is Robert Green dropping a ball shot straight at him!

Shame when English goalkeepers get it wrong they get it spectacularly wrong!

But in all fairness, one of the keepers was interviewed on TV the other day and he did warn that he thought there might be a few - and he said it "freak" goals - courtesty of the ball they have been using for the tournament.

I noticed it a bit in the Mexico game, the strikers were taking shots / crosses and almost trying to let the ball do the work and bobble around a bit. Khune at least proved up to the task.

Took a look at the betting this morning and England seemed to have slipped a bit after their perforance against the US while the Americans have actually shortened in the betting from 75/1 to 50/1. Interesting!

Will be interesting to see if there are any more "freak" goals in the next few fixtures.

Shame - being a goalkeeper you are on a hiding to nothing!

Betting for Sunday World Cup games

Australia were my early outside pick but the more I look at it the more unlikely it is that they will spring any kind of surprises this year.

Bearing in mind that I like Germany to go all the way to the final, it makes for today's fixture between the two as quite an interesting trade off.

I've backed the Germany to either win 1-0 (5/1) or 2-0 (11/2) when the two sides meet later today.

In the other fixtures for the day Algeria take on Slovenia. The bookies favour Slovenia slightly but I think there might be a bit of a surprise here and would be keen to take Algeria at 7/1 to win 1-0.

In the Serbia versus Ghana fixture I would lean toward Serbia where you can get 9/2 for a 1-0 win in favour of the Serbs.

Happy punting!

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US to surprise England tonight

Probably not a very popular pick but I reckon that the US is going to upset England in Rustenburg tonight.

I've put money down on:

The US winning (6/1)
1/0 US - 15/1
2/0 US - 35/1
2/1 US - 22/1

(Odds supplied by World Sports Betting)

The US has a BIG supporter contingent out here in South Africa and when they were for the Confed Cup last year they were full of running and skill and they pushed a lot of teams hard in getting to the final. They knocked out the World Cup favourities Spain (2:0) and they ran hard at Brazil taking a 2:0 lead before going down 2:3.

This US side can play and don't be surprised if they upset the applecart tonight especially when you consider that England have not had the best preparation for this tournament.

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Cash prizes up for grabs on SportsPicks.co.za

With a little over 48 hours until the kick off of the 2010 World Cup SportsPicks cash prizes have been announced.

Goodforthegame are putting up R3500 which will be divided between the first 3 finishers (2k, 1k and R500) and there is also a 50% referral bonus.

If you refer someone to SportsPicks and they finish in the money you will get a bonus of 50% of their winnings so if they take the title you get 1k for introducing them. You don’t even have to predict well to get some extra cash in this competition and full details on our prizes page (you must make sure they list you as a referrer when they register).

If you have not entered yet get to www.sportspicks.co.za to enter now and then mail your mates and make sure they add you as a referrer.

World Cup betting updated

There are four days to go until the Fifa 2010 World Cup kicks off and already we have had high drama. Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba are out and believe it or not Bafana Bafana are even winning games.

Betting wise there have been some shifts. Here are the latest from World Sports Betting:

Spain - 4/1
Brazil - 9/2
England - 6/1
Argentina - 13/2
Holland - 8/1 (a lot of money has come in here in the last few days)
Germany - 12/1
Italy - 14/1
France - 18/1
Portugal - 25/1
Ivory Coast - 45/1
Serbia - 66/1
Mexico - 70/1
Chile - 75/1
USA - 75/1

Apart from my patriotic pick of Bafana Bafana at 100/1 my other outside bet was Australia - 125/1 otherwise I'm pretty sure Brazil will do the business.

The other two outside punts that look like they offer half decent value are Germany and maybe Chile?

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Easy draw for England

I think the official term is "group of death" if one looks at the South Africa group...

It is also going to be interesting to see what will happen with the betting in the next few days. I believe quite a lot of money has come for England after they got their draw.

My pick of Australia looks like they are ok and should finish in the top 2 of their group with Germany.

For those who missed the groups:

Group A - South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France -Oh my word.

Group B - Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C - England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D - Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E - Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G - Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H - Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

I wasn't mugged today

Two weeks back, a much publicised article by Louise Taylor appeared in the online version of the Guardian under the title: “Why going to South Africa for the World Cup terrifies me”

She took some airy stats and promptly trashed our country suggesting that either Egypt or Morocco was a better destination for the World Cup to be staged.

I am not going to give the article any credence with a link but I was impressed by was the number of comments from both South Africans and international visitors highlighting why the article was a load of drivel.

Read the rest of my article here and give me your thoughts....

North Korea qualification to spice up the World Cup

By Tom Mallows:

So they have done it, no not tested nuclear weapons (though they have done that as well but that’s not what I’m talking about), North Korea have qualified for their first World Cup since 1966.

Ironically that tournament was probably the last time the country was seen in a positive light by much of the Western world. They were plucky underdogs who came away with a shock 1-0 win over Italy at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Park before surging into a 3-0 half time lead over Eusebio’s Portugal at Goodison Park, only to collapse in the second and lose 5-3.

But since then it has been tales of domestic oppression, nuclear weapons and one of George Bush’s famous ‘axis of evil’.

Unfortunately football and politics don’t really mix, and as much as the North Korean side will look to concentrate on their football at the tournament in South Africa next year, the political undertones from both sides will always bubble to the surface – can you imagine if the USA are drawn in their group? Football betting on that one would be interesting!

The qualification has all the hallmarks of one achieved through the influence of a dictator. They train like a military platoon, running themselves into the ground. Because of that they will become one of the fittest teams at the tournament with a high stamina rate, constantly hustling and harrying away at the opposition. This sort of high tempo game is usually only effective for certain parts of games before you become worn out. However the military training has allowed the team to play this type of game for the full 90, and it has reaped dividends.

FIFA fashion range set to hit the stores

The global roll-out of the first official range of FIFA branded clothing and merchandise is set to begin later this year. The move follows a long-term worldwide agreement with Global Brands Group, the international brand management and licensing company, to become FIFA’s exclusive worldwide Master Licensee.

Global Brands Group is to use a series of high-profile trade shows over the next few months to reveal the first FIFA Collections to the international retail industry. The FIFA Collections, which will initially comprise five separate ranges of apparel – 1904, Editions, Code, Essentials and Trophy – is expected to be available in more than 100 FIFA Official Stores® and in an extensive network of FIFA branded retail spaces in over 12 markets around the world from August 2009 onwards. In addition to the two seasonal launches (Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer), Global Brands Group is also currently developing a dedicated Event range celebrating the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

The special official licensed product range is set to reflect not only the excitement of the world’s single largest sporting event, but also the rich history of the African host nation. The range – which will be sold exclusively via FIFA Official Stores® and FIFA branded retail environments – is due for launch in Summer 2009 and will complement the more widely available 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ licensed event merchandise ranges that will be available in FIFA Official Event Strores®, general retail outlets and onsite at the event. Together with a series of leading designers, Global Brands Group, has carefully developed each FIFA apparel line to reflect the heritage and dynamism of football in order to connect with both the global community of football fans as well as mainstream, high street fashion and lifestyle consumers. The collection has been engineered to garner an emotional connection with the consumer through the power and history of the FIFA brand. Key ranges will include apparel for both the male and female markets. As part of the international roll-out of the FIFA brand, Global Brands Group is in the process of signing exclusive strategic agreements with Master Distributors in each territory. Agreements have already been reached in five markets (US, UK, India, Australia and Turkey), with deals in three further markets pending and an additional six identified.

Global Brands Group is also actively seeking Master Distributors in a series of other key territories. The Master Distributors may also be responsible for the creation of FIFA Official Stores®, the first of which opened at Singapore’s new T3 terminal at Changi airport in January 2008. Global Brands Group has just announced that the second of these stores, and the companies first in Europe, will open at Paris’ Orly airport on 1st September 2009. Further FIFA Official Stores® in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as in emerging markets such as Latin America, China and India, are already in development. Official FIFA Stores® will act as a primary destination for fans, offering them a unique football inspired shopping experience in addition to exclusive collections.

Mark Matheny, CEO and Co-Chairman of Global Brands Group, said: “Since becoming FIFA’s official licensing partner in 2005, Global Brands Group has worked tirelessly to create a range of apparel in keeping with the tradition and global stature of the FIFA brand. It was also important to ensure that we produced a range of apparel that appealed to a wide range of consumers, including football fans, fashionistas and men and women of all ages.” Simon Hawkins, SVP Global Product Sales of Global Brands Group, said: “Through our Master Distributor network, our goal is to deliver the FIFA brand experience to the broadest group of football fans and consumers worldwide. Our distributors have built up experience in the sports, lifestyle and value sectors, and have an established distribution infrastructure in place to meet the needs of retailers in their region. “They are effectively an extension of Global Brands Group and will also provide valuable insight into their market and consumers in orders to ensure that we meet their needs’’.

Thierry Weil, Marketing Director of FIFA, said: “The launch of the first FIFA sports lifestyle collection marks an important milestone in our goal to connect with fans around the world. There has been huge demand for the launch of this collection due to FIFA’s incredible brand exposure as well as the countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Global Brands Group has therefore developed five ranges of apparel that fully incorporate the heritage and dynamism of FIFA. “We are confident that Global Brands Group’s expertise in the licensing and retail industry will ensure that FIFA merchandise reaches as wide an audience as possible, in every corner of the world”.

About Global Brands Group Global Brands Group is the world's leading independent, international brand management, retail and licensing company. Global Brands Group's passion for managing brands is tied to its desire to building sustainable equity and creating new branding opportunities through geographic expansion, category extension and retail innovation. Through its international network of offices across six continents, Global Brands Group maximises revenue potential by creating manufacturing, retail and distribution partnerships worldwide. Global Brands Group's business is focused on product licensing, merchandising and retail development. Currently Global Brands Group's growing portfolio of intellectual properties includes brands created by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the PGA TOUR Licensed Properties, Inc. (PGA TOUR), Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) and Warner Bros. Consumer Products among others. With corporate headquarters located in Singapore, Global Brands Group has a network of offices in major cities around the world including London, Dubai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Johannesburg. www.globalbrandsgroup.com

About FIFA For more than 100 years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris and better known as FIFA, has continued to provide the essential leadership role to the international football family. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the eighth FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter (Switzerland), guides the organization today with a commitment to the evolution of FIFA as a modern and dynamic association. FIFA's members form the basis of the world’s football family. From the founding seven, the family has today grown to 208 affiliated football associations, organised into six confederations spanning the globe. FIFA’s worldwide activities go well beyond its various competitions, such as the world’s biggest single sport event, the FIFA World Cup. FIFA gives material, financial and promotional support to develop the game around the world through projects such as FIFA Goal or Futuro. Underprivileged people and communities benefit from the Football for Hope movement that FIFA and streetfootballworld founded in 2005 to promote and support local organisations that are using the power of the game for social development.

For more information on FIFA and its competitions, especially on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, please visit the official website at www.fifa.com

Source: PressPortal

Fifa Packages

I read with quite a lot of interest, this article that said that Over $115m (about R 1.1bn) worth of 2010 World Cup hospitality packages have been sold to South African companies.

I don't think I'm in any position to question the figure, although in my head it doesn't add up.

In my head, we're in the middle of a massive global financial and economic crisis - for SA to be ahead of sales in Germany (for the equivalent period ahead of the previous World Cup) doesn't sound right.

What concerns me though is that these are sales to SA corporates and business. The point of the World Cup was to bring in foreign revenue and rich Americans and Europeans with their hard currencies to buy SA products and services and support the local economy.

Obviously we're still 18 months away from the event, so it will be impossible to get a figure on that, but it would be interesting to know how many foreigners are going to come into SA and spend their money and how well the overseas marketing of this event is going...