World Cup 2010 - GROUP A (South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France) spoilers

red11 · 31 May 2010 at 00:43

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[B][SIZE="5"]Group A Fixtures[/SIZE][/B]

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[B][SIZE=3][U]Friday, 11 June[/U][/SIZE][/B]  



                        [IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/nfsbyx.gif[/IMG]  [B]South Africa   v   Mexico[/B]  [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/1ymzyw.gif[/IMG]

                        Match 1 | Johannesburg Soccer City

                                      [B]3:00pm[/B]

                                       [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/29na1wj.gif[/IMG]   
          

        




                           [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/24m5ljq.gif[/IMG]  [B]Uruguay   v   France[/B]  [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/2re408z.gif[/IMG]

                                Match 2 | Cape Town

                                      [B]7:30pm[/B]

                                       [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/ogjcxc.gif[/IMG]

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[B][SIZE=3][U]Wednesday, 16 June[/U][/SIZE][/B]       



                       [IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/nfsbyx.gif[/IMG]  [B]South Africa   v   Uruguay[/B]  [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/24m5ljq.gif[/IMG]

                                Match 17 | Pretoria

                                      [B]7:30pm[/B] 

                                       [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/ogjcxc.gif[/IMG]

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[B][SIZE=3][U]Thursday, 17 June[/U][/SIZE][/B] 



                            [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/2re408z.gif[/IMG]  [B]France   v   Mexico[/B]  [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/1ymzyw.gif[/IMG]

                                Match 18 | Polokwane

                                      [B]7:30pm[/B] 

                                       [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/ogjcxc.gif[/IMG]

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[B][SIZE=3][U]Tuesday, 22 June[/U][/SIZE][/B] 



                           [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/1ymzyw.gif[/IMG]  [B]Mexico   v   Uruguay[/B]  [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/24m5ljq.gif[/IMG]

                               Match 33 | Rustenburg 

                                      [B]3:00pm[/B] 

                                       [IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/15nlo2e.gif[/IMG]







                         [IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/2re408z.gif[/IMG]  [B]France   v   South Africa[/B]  [IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/nfsbyx.gif[/IMG]

                              Match 34 | Bloemfontein

                                      [B]3:00pm[/B] 

                                       [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/29na1wj.gif[/IMG]

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[B][U]France[/U][/B]             [B][U]Uruguay[/U][/B]           [B][U]Mexico[/U][/B]            [B][U]South Africa[/U][/B]

[B][COLOR="DimGray"]Raymond Domenech   Oscar Tabárez     Javier Aguirre    Carlos Alberto Parreira[/COLOR][/B]
                                      
Lloris             Muslera           Pérez             Khune
Mandanda           Castillo          Ochoa             Josephs
Carrasso           Silva             Michel            Walters

Sagna              Lugano (c)        Márquez (c)       Mokoena (c)
Evra (c)           Godín             Osorio            Gaxa
Gallas             Fucile            Salcido           Masilela
Abidal             Scotti            Magallón          Booth
Squillaci          Pereira           Rodríguez         Thwala
Planus             Victorino         Juárez            Khumalo
Clichy             Cáceres           Aguilar           Sangweni
Réveillère                           Moreno            Ngcongca
                   Gargano           Nilo                     
Diarra             Eguren                              Sibaya
Toulalan           Pereira           Torrado           Modise
Malouda            Lodeiro           Medina            Pienaar
Gourcuff           Pérez             Guardado          Tshabalala
Diaby              González          Castro            Dikgacoi
Ribéry             Arévalo Ríos      Dos Santos        Moriri
Valbuena           Fernández         Barrera           Davids
                                                       Letsholonyane
Anelka             Cavani            Blanco            Khuboni
Gignac             Suárez            Bautista
Govou              Forlán            Vela              Nomvethe
Cissé              Abreu             Franco            Mphela
Henry              Fernández         Hernández         Parker

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[B]Radio commentary:                                Online coverage:[/B]

[URL=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live/][IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/20rs2z8.gif[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra/][IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/2rcwzo6.gif[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://www.talksport.net/mediaplayer/media_player.asp?sListenLive=yes&c=&t=&preroll=on][IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/21ke43n.gif[/IMG][/URL]            [URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/default.stm][IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/vdiiwn.gif[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://www.itv.com/sport/football/fifaworldcup/][IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/2zrnhno.gif[/IMG][/URL]


[B]Quick links:[/B]

[URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/groups_and_teams"]World Cup Group tables[/URL]

red11 · 16 Jun 2010 at 19:51

And gayest haircut of the world cup award goes to... that dude.

Hair shaped like sperm.

red11 · 16 Jun 2010 at 20:06

Robboftw said:
South Africa are just like a team of Theo Walcott's

That's a bit harsh on South Africa.

red11 · 16 Jun 2010 at 20:23

K1LLSW1TCH said:
They should be thankful that they aren't a team of Berbatovs because otherwise they'd just be stood there, not moving and looking disgruntled.

Berbatov can be called a professional footballer though.

red11 · 24 Jun 2010 at 10:34

One More Solo said:
I thought I would post up this article I just wrote as it seems relevant.

Evra to 'tell the truth' about French implosion

Paddy power ends French bid as team politics dominate World Cup

The opening stages of this World Cup, criticised in some quarters for a perceived lack of fireworks and some fairly attritional displays by the competition’s lesser lights, have nevertheless provided no shortage of entertainment. The spectacular fallout in the French camp - culminating in a very public bust-up between captain Patrice Evra and conditioning coach Robert Duverne, now immortalised on YouTube with more than 100,000 views – has dominated headlines more than any match. Half time breaks in otherwise dull matches have been livened up by increasingly melodramatic news from the team’s base in Knysna, while the BBC and ITV sought some news, any news, from their resident Frenchmen.

The popularity of this story in the English media seems in part due to the sheer openness of events, by contrast to the carefully orchestrated regime of Fabio Capello’s England. Capello’s team has, aside from the obvious individual indiscretions, provided precious little in the way of column inches. You sense clutching at straws when the manager’s standard policy of naming his team two hours prior to kick off suddenly becomes a major issue.

However, in the wake of two frustrating England draws and with the French player-led coup d'état under way, stories of unrest began to develop in the English hotel, primarily regarding the stiflingly tight control which Capello exercised upon his players. Facing a longer spell away from home comforts than the squad had previously experienced under Capello, boredom and frustration became an issue. And nowhere was this frustration more evident than in Wayne Rooney’s infamous post-match outburst, addressing the camera with an insensitive attack on the travelling fans (but, bizarrely, being careful enough to then conclude ‘****’s sake’ quietly enough to avoid being heard).

No team does a World Cup crisis quite as well as England, and it was John Terry who broke rank and spoke his mind in a valiant attempt to match the French dysfunction. Terry is amongst the squad’s most able public speakers, but he should have been wise enough to duck the calls for the team to ‘front up’ (as the gutter media so eloquently put it) to their failings. He should surely have realised that a public outburst benefitted no-one apart from the frantic print media who were scrambling for the next scandal.

Nevertheless, the former captain’s comments pointed to a new kind of player power at the national level, the same power which had visibly divided the French squad. ‘Don Fabio’ is likely to have been furious behind closed doors, and quickly quashed any speculation regarding a player revolution. It was his public comments that unwittingly demonstrated the impotence of a national team boss, as he refused to punish Terry but, like a parent, made it clear he was just very, very disappointed.

Had this happened at club level, Terry might have been dropped from the team, fined a week’s wages and maybe even shown the door at the end of the season. With England, Capello’s hands are tied, particularly with the absence of Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King. Dropping Terry would leave only Upson (in woeful form), Dawson (untested at international level) and Jamie ‘at least it wasn’t Liverpool’ Carragher at centre back, forcing the England manager to be unusually forgiving. Ironically, Terry’s comments were prompted by a question about Nicolas Anelka, his Chelsea teammate who was sent home from the French team for privately undermining his manager. In that respect, England’s self-professed ‘big personality in the dressing room’ can consider himself fortunate to have got off lightly.

Going into the World Cup, a squad of 23 at the disposal of each manager seems generous and offers cover for most eventualities. What this tournament has highlighted is that the FIFA ruling that no changes may be made after a team’s initial match gives the players themselves a significant amount of power during the tournament. If the players refuse to train, there are no reserves threatening to take their places. Indeed, if there is a dispute between player and manager, only the latter can be replaced during the tournament. You wonder if the Fédération Française de Football weighed up the relative merits of sending home head coach Raymond Domenech, a lame duck before the tournament even began, ahead of Anelka.

Ultimately, Fabio Capello’s unusually careful approach has averted any imminent split in the England camp. The dismissal of Anelka proved catastrophic for the French by splitting the team entirely from the management. The English FA would have been desperate to avoid a similar embarrassment during the first real test of its Capello project. It remains to be seen whether Capello’s advice to his former captain will have been heeded by players of other nations considering a similar revolt, particularly among the Italian squad who, like England, laboured to two draws in their opening matches.

Azzuri coach Marcello Lippi even directly addressed the English problems, saying “I have read that Capello is worried about the fear of his players in their attitude towards this competition. I wouldn't like that to happen to us too.” Lippi hopes that by fully utilising the strengths of all his squad members, he can resolve any mental problems within the team, something Fabio Capello may consider given the lacklustre displays by those he has picked so far. Both men will know, however, that the best cure of all is concluding their group matches with a convincing win. Nothing less will do.

World Cup 2010 - GROUP A (South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France) **spoilers**

World Cup 2010 - GROUP A (South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France) spoilers