But the fact that South Africa football has not ranked the best even on the African continent, has seen an aura of cautious optimism even for people pushing their hopes behind the Bafana Bafana.

South Africa National Football team

Since they won the African Cup of Nations cup in 1996 after beating Tunisia, South Africa has been unconvincing in football and will need to produce some bold notes to make their soccer history more significant.

Having qualified for this World Cup finals by virtue of being hosts, South Africa’s soccer team the Bafana Bafana will start their campaign against Mexico at the opening match of the world soccer tournament on Friday 11^th 2010.

Their gallant performance at the FIFA Confederations Cup last June which they hosted, when they lost narrowly to Brazil in the semi-finals and to Spain in the third place play-off, should certainly serve as a chilling reminder to their detractors that this team, when stretched to its potential, cannot be underestimated. That tournament witnessed several impressive performances strung together by the hosts, and ultimately it was only their inability to convert cleverly-tailored moves into goals that led to their demise.

The star players of South Africa Bafana Bafana
Talented midfield maestro Steven Pienaar  who plays for English Premiership side Everton is South Africa’s prize assert. In the absence of the country’s most successful striker, Benni McCarthy, who remains out of favour, Pienaar brings much-needed innovation and imagination to the team.

Together with Pienaar, the Bafana Bafana will look to wingbacks Siboniso Gaxa and the enterprising Tsepho Masilela for success at this major soccer event in their own compound.

“We are all aware that it is a huge honour to play in a World Cup on home soil; not many players have had such a privilege. We are also aware of the task that lies ahead. For us, the World Cup is our priority, it’s our biggest goal.  We need to represent our country with pride,” says Aaron Mokoena, South Africa captain who plays for English Premiership side Blackburn.

South Africa will also be counting on their coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s who won the World Cup in 1994 for Brazil in the finals played in USA.

Previous FIFA World Cups by South Africa
South Africa have failed to make it beyond the group stages in either of their two previous FIFA World Cup appearances. Clearly, this is a situation they will be desperate to remedy. Their first appearance was in France 1998, six years after they had been readmitted to the global football family. Despite a 3-0 drubbing to France in their opening game, they went on to put a decent show against Denmark and Saudi Arabia, drawing against both. Korea/Japan 2002 was expected to be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana to step up to the next level but, ultimately, they flattered to deceive, crashing out after the group stage despite beating Slovenia 1-0 for their first-ever FIFA World Cup win- sourced from FIFA.

Record
* This is South Africa’s third appearance at the FIFA World Cup. Their first participation was at France 1998 and they also qualified for Korea/Japan 2002.

* Benni McCarthy scored the country’s first goal at the FIFA World Cup in a 1-1 draw against Denmark on 18 June 1998.

* South Africa’s incumbent captain, Aaron Mokoena remains the country’s most capped player.

* South Africa hosted and won the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 at their first attempt, beating Tunisia 2-0 in Johannesburg’s Soccer City. They went on to finish as runners-up at the following edition in 1998, losing to Egypt 2-0 in the final.

South Africa Bafana Bafana team Squad at 2010 FIFA World Cup

Coach: Carlos Alberto PARREIRA (BRA)

The post South Africa National Football Team Profile first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The France national soccer or football team also known as Les Bleus are one of the major teams to beat in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. France ho were World Cup Champions in 1998 have qualified for the World cup finals for a record 4^th consecutive team, but many will be looking to see whether and how the French team can regain the 1998 glory when they won the cup.

Known to produce some of the legendary talents in world soccer like Zinedine Zidane and Thiery Henry, France has been less convincing in recent world cup finals, even facing a humiliating group stage elimination in the 2002 World Cup finals.

But the French showed in the 2006 World Cup that they are capable of wining the greatest football trophy of the World Cup by going to the finals and only losing to Current World Cup holders Italy on penalties.

With the current crop of young talent including Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Yoann Gourcuff, the France team might well be key favourities to lift the World Cup and will be one fo the teams to beat in South Africa this World Cup final.

France National team in 2010 FIFA World Cup

The French open their World Cup trophy hunt campaign on Friday June 11 with an enchanting match against Uruguay in Durban, just after the opening match between hosts Bafana Bafana of South Africa and Mexico, the other two teams in Group A.

You might understand why many France fans are sure they will at least go to the qualifying stage, because they can easily get points from either of their group competitors South Africa, Uruguay or Mexico.

But since every national team has come to the World Cup finals after grueling soccer competitions in which they excelled, the French will be cautious not to underrate anyone if they are to avoid what will be a shock exit should they fail to qualify from the group stages.

Their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign provided enough lessons of this, as the French only qualified after a play off with Ireland wining 2-1 on aggregate after coming second in Group 7 of the European Zone.  

The star players of France
The big names of Zinedine Zidane, Fabien Barthez, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram all called time on their international careers in 2006, a new selection of senior figures has stepped forward. With Patrick Vieira having long struggled with injury, sole France 1998 survivor Thierry Henry has taken the captain’s armband, with William Gallas the leader at the back and both Jeremy Toulalan and Lassana Diarra indispensable in midfield. Meanwhile, the emergence of Yoann Gourcuff, the talent of Franck Ribery and the rejuvenation of Nicolas Anelka have given the coach a variety of options in attack, where Karim Benzema, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Florent Malouda and Loic Remy will also be hoping to feature.

France Coach Raymond Domenech has been in charge of the French team since 2004 but this South Africa World Cup is his biggest platform to show what an achiever he is by lifting the World Cup 2010.

“The objective was to qualify. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I never had any doubts. We’ve had difficulties for two years now, but everyone kept believing and they were justified in doing so. We grabbed hold of the right to take part in something exceptional – a World Cup in South Africa.,” Domenech, said recently.

French Football Honours

– 1 FIFA World Cup (1998)

– 2 FIFA Confederations Cup (2001, 2003)

– 2 UEFA European Championships (1984, 2000)

France National Football team Squad

France Goalkeepers at 2010 FIFA World Cup

• Hugo LLORIS
• 16 Steve MANDANDA
• 23 Cedric CARRASSO

France Defenders at 2010 FIFA World Cup

• 2 Bakari SAGNA
• 3 Eric ABIDAL
• 4 Anthony REVEILLERE
• 5 William GALLAS
• 6 Marc PLANUS
• 13 Patrice EVRA
• 17 Sebastien SQUILLACI
• 22 Gael CLICHY

France Midfielders at 2010 FIFA World Cup

• 8 Yoann GOURCUFF
• 14 Jeremy TOULALAN
• 15 Florent MALOUDA
• 18 Alou DIARRA
• 19 Abou DIABY

France Strikers at 2010 FIFA World Cup

• 7 Franck RIBERY
• 9 Djibril CISSE
• 10 Sidney GOVOU
• 11 Andre Pierre GIGNAC
• 12 Thierry HENRY
• 20 Mathieu VALBUENA
• 21 Nicolas ANELKA

The post France National Football team profile first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

the Author

Now I am quite aware that by the time some of you read these crazy thoughts of mine, the 2010 FIFA World Cup will have kicked off in South Africa  but that should not be something I should waste my ink on witting because it matters less to the few truths that I am about to unveil about women in relation to the so called world cup in this article.

To begin with I filled with nothing but pity for my sisters in Uganda because for sure if there is any one that is going to face unprepared for suffering then I have no doubt it is those daughters of Eve. You know one thing I know about Ugandan men is that they are really good at shifting anger arising out of disappointments that they face in life to their wives. You will have to forgive me if I am going to be a prophet of doom here but one thing I know for sure is that some men are going to be disappointed by the way things are will go at the world cup.

More so, those stupid that have specialized in beings fans of teams that are perpetual losers will no doubt help my prophesy about disappointments come to pass. Now here in Uganda when after such men being disappointed by their various teams in the world cup, like always the women will be on the receiving end of such disappointments after all the teams that are meant to be blamed for their poor performances will be far away in South Africa and out of reach of these Ugandan buffoons that call themselves men.

Putting that aside, I have little or no doubt that most Ugandan women will be rallying behind Christiano Ronaldo’s Portugal not because they really think Portugal has the potential to win the world cup but because they think and so they claim mbu Ronaldo is a hunk..eh… a hunk my foot!

Portugals Christiano Ronaldo

Sorry for getting that emotional at this juncture but back to what we talking about. I know many of you think this is not true but if you think this is not true then go and find out why a year ago most women here in Uganda were fans of Manchester United and have now started diverting to other premiership teams after the so called hunk left Manchester United for Real Madrid a season ago. Now that is what Ugandan women are capable of as far as being fans of teams is concerned. SO you know why many men will dislike their women’s ‘interest’ in football or this particular 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In addition to that it is only Uganda where you will find women sitting in bars and video halls with their hubbies watching football between teams they barely know obviously simply because they want to ensure that their men leave home to go and watch football other than diverting to other ‘businesses’ of going for ‘away matches’ from home in the name of watching world cup. If you want to know how Ugandan women can tight mark their hubbies then come to the bars during this time of World Cup and you will understand what I am laboring to talk about.

Otherwise I have no option but to wish you the best world cup season but just a word of caution before I stop witting all this and go and do other things. Please let us endeavor and avoid specializing in supporting teams that have made failure their middle name and in this particular aspect I am mainly speaking about Arsenal fans because they are the ones that have this silly habit and should not carry it into the world cup. Hope they listen to my simple advice and do not take it as an insult because it is not an insult anyway.

By Zacharia Tiberindwa

Keep following Zak as he delves into different issues, events and ideas concerning Ugandans with his youthful satire.

zak@weinformers.net

The post Ugandan women to be affected by the 2010 FIFA World Cup first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Japan National team

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is now more of a reality than a dream, as most of teams to take part in the world’s biggest soccer show piece gets under way.

The arrival on Monday of New Zealand, Ghana, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Chile and Algeria meant that 24 teams including hosts South Africa are already on the ground for the June 11 kick off of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Over the next one month, 32 teams will tussle it out on the field to see who emerges victorious to lift the 2010 FIFA world cup trophy currently held by Italy.

“It is with pleasure that we welcome the teams that arrived today to South Africa. With the majority of the participants now in the country we are one step closer to kickoff on 11 June,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Organizing Committee, Dr Danny Jordaan.

Ultimate Media Senior Sports Reporter Ramathan Kasozi is in South Africa and will together with other South Africa based reporters keep you and us updated about all the matches, results, issues and views at this Africa’s first ever World Cup.

Ultimate Media

The post The 2010 FIFA World Cup is here and live first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.