to download a complete issue in pdf format - News Design Associates

12 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009SoccerWeekthe BIG STORY 13june 04 – june 10, 2009Ahead of the forthcoming 2010 FIFA WorldCup qualifiers, Soccer Week runs the ruleover three regions - Africa, Europe and SouthAmerica - and picks out the key matchesThe roadto 2010AFRICAYaoundé will explode if Cameroonfail to win, writes Lashias Ncube“If we had beaten England, Africawould have exploded. Ex-plo-ded.There would have been deaths. TheGood Lord knows what he does. Me,I thank Him for stopping us in thequarter-finals. That permitted a littlepliancy.”The above rationalisation is attributedto Roger Milla, star of the Cameroonside who won the hearts ofmillions of soccer fans with spiritedperformances at the 1990 World Cupfinals in Italy before crashing out toEngland in the quarter-finals.Perhaps Milla was just being philosophicalin defeat, although somemight argue that nonchalant dismissalof such an excruciating heartbreakis the height of disingenuity.After the shock defeat to Togo intheir opening 2010 World Cup finalstage qualifier, the only form of divineintervention Cameroon wouldbe interested in on June 7 is of thekind that would see them win theirmatch. It is no exaggeration to suggestthat Yaoundé will ‘explode’ ifthe Indomitable Lions lose over theweekend.The African region’s qualifying finalstage is effectively a six-matchsprint to the finish with a very smallmargin for error. All the 20 hopefulsknow that they cannot afford to fallvery far behind in their four-teamgroups. A six-point deficit after tworounds of matches could prove toomuch to overhaul with four gamesto play. That’s the bleak scenarioboth Cameroon and Morocco will behoping to avoid after losing their respectiveopeners. Unfortunately, notonly do these two African giants findthemselves in similar dire positions,they also face each other on June 7.Group A therefore offers intriguingmatch-ups; the opening day’s vanquishedface off in a battle to stayalive, while opening day victors Togoand Gabon clash in a straight fightfor early control of the group.“If we manage to get to the 2010World Cup, which is in Africa, thatwould be the best thing that everhappened in my life,” Togo strikerEmmanuel Adebayor revealed in arecent interview with FIFA.com.Adebayor’s penchant for hyperbo-Chile face ParaguayRonaldo could miss out on 2010le aside, there is no doubt that thehistorical significance of the first-everWorld Cup on African soil is notlost on many African players.Nigeria, after a tepid opening drawin Mozambique, find themselves alreadytwo points adrift of earlyGroup B leaders Tunisia. As theyprepare to host Kenya in Abuja, andnot for the first time in their history,the Super Eagles’ preparationsfor a crucial clash are once againovershadowed by uncertainty overthe long-term future of their coach.Some fans and sections of the notoriouslyfickle Nigerian media haveAdebayor: Dreams of 2010been agitating for Shaibu Amodu’sdismissal.Nigerian sports minister SaniNdanusa, standing in for the coachat a press conference following lastweek’s 1-1 friendly draw with the Republicof Ireland in London issueda suitably cryptic response to thequestion whether Amodu had beensacked.“He is not here now but you shouldnot take it that way,” Ndanusa said.“He was the coach for this match,that is clear.”Nigeria, like Brazil, have an embarrassmentof playing riches andoften many a Super Eagles coachhas also found this to be an encumbrance.Half the time the coach agonisesover the composition of hisstarting line-up.When the draw was conductedthe Nigerians would have singledout Tunisia, who face Mozambiqueon June 6 in Rades, as their main rivalsin Group B. It is the CarthageEagles who look the most likely toprofit should Nigeria fail to rein inthe anarchy that regularly afflictstheir game.Group C is evenly poised with allfour teams level on one point. Africanchampions Egypt, who face atricky trip to Algeria, have the advantageof continuity, a rarity onthe African continent.Coach Hassan Shehata has beenat the helm for four years duringwhich time he has established acrucial rapport with his players.Mido’s omission from the squadmeans that the controversial striker’sfeud with Amr Zaki, real or imagined,will not detract from theteam’s preparations.Apart from Togo and Tunisia,Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and Ghana allrecorded precious opening roundwins. They therefore go into theirmatches looking to consolidatetheir positions and take firm gripson their respective groups earlyon.With all the major Europeanleagues on hiatus, the good thingfor those African countries relyingheavily on players who earn theircorn in Europe, is that the qualifierstake place without the club-versus-countrynuisance that is often attendanton these matches.EUROPEPortugal are staring down thebarrel, argues Justin ZehmkeOf the 18 World Cups held to date,nine have been won by Europeancountries. One would assume that aEuropean country would be a favouriteto lift the trophy again come nextyear, but that would be ignoring avery interesting fact.No European nation has ever liftedthe most coveted trophy in worldfootball when it has been played outsidetheir home continent. It seemsour friends from the northern hemispheredon’t travel very well.That said, there’s a tradition ofthe home side winning the trophy,a fact that has worked against theEuro sides in many instances as theshowpiece is often held in countries❝Should FIFA WorldPlayer of the YearRonaldo not make itto the World Cup, itwill be a marketingnightmare forthe organisers,especially as LionelMessi may alsomiss out due toArgentina’s poorform❞Maradona:In a spotof botherwho stand a very good chance ofwinning.South Africa offers the best hopeof a European side finally lifting thetrophy away from home soil, withSpain firmly ensconced as favouritesfollowing their Euro 2008 triumphand Barcelona’s recent ChampionsLeague win, a feat achieved with ahost of home-grown players.While traditional powerhouseslike England are on course for easyqualification, there are some bigshocks in the offing, and we may seesome unfamiliar faces come 2010.The biggest potential casualtiesare Portugal who, under the guidanceof former Bafana Bafana bossCarlos Queiroz, have endured a torridqualifying campaign.For a team featuring the likes ofCristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, RicardoCarvalho and Deco, they have hadan unthinkably hard time finding theback of the net, and trail joint Group1 leaders Denmark and Hungary bya daunting seven points.They need to win convincinglyagainst Albania on June 6 to keeptheir faint qualification hopes alive,although even a win may not beenough as their fate may very wellbe decided elsewhere. The Portuguesewill hope that Denmark dropa point or three in their away clashagainst Sweden as Hungary have abye. Adding to Queiroz’s worries willbe the fact that Portugal still haveaway games to play against bothgroup leaders. Should FIFA WorldPlayer of the Year Ronaldo not makeit to the World Cup, it will be a marketingnightmare for the organisers,especially as Lionel Messi may alsomiss out due to Argentina’s poorform. Giovanni Trappatoni’s Republicof Ireland have undergone a revolutionsince the veteran Italian mentortook the helm. They lie second intheir group, two points behind defendingchampions Italy. They travelto Bulgaria knowing that threepoints will go a long way towardssecuring their qualification as oneof the best second-place finishersshould they fail to overhaul the Italiansoutright. Robbie Keane, whohas scored 38 times in 88 games forhis country, will lead the line againstthe Bulgarians alongside Reading’sKevin Doyle. Martin Petrov and DimitarBerbatov are the Bulgarians’best-known players - a fact that atteststo the fact that they are morepotent in attack than defence.The Irish are certainly bullish regardingtheir qualification hopes,with all currently available teamspecifictickets to follow the Republicin 2010 having sold out already.Neighbours Northern Ireland maybe the surprise package as they areon course to qualify for the finals forthe first time since 1982. They topGroup 3, which includes Poland andthe Czech Republic.Elsewhere, it looks to be businessas usual, with Germany and theNetherlands topping Groups 4 and 9respectively.Guus Hiddink’s Russia are secondin their group behind Germany, andThe talented Super Eagles can’t afford failureshould secure a spot amongst thebest runners up if they fail to overtakethe Germans, who they trail byfour points.France have Group 7 top spot intheir sights. They need Serbia, whoare two points clear at the top, to slipup against either Austria on June 6or the Faroe Islands on June 10.The French will hope that thestrain of playing two matches infour days counts in their favour i.e.the Serbs lose after travelling to theFaroes and the Faroes succumb toFrench power on June 12.SOUTHAMERICACan Maradona inspire unpredictableArgentina? Asks Richard FerrarisRound 13 and 14 of the SouthAmerican qualifiers present Maradona’sArgentina with an opportunityto restore their reputation whileParaguay and Chile will look to securetheir status as the continent’snew powerhouses.The CONMEBOL [South American]region is configured differentlyto Africa and Europe as it consistsof just 10 member nations. The qualifyingcampaign is structured like aleague with each team playing allothers home and away. The top-fournations attain automatic qualificationfor the 2010 World Cup in SouthAfrica while the fifth-placed sidegoes into a play-off against a NorthAmerican, Central American or Caribbeannation. Sitting at the summitof the standings is Paraguay whoappear to be on course for a fourthsuccessive World Cup appearance.However, La Albirroja’s credentialswill be tested as they take on thirdplacedChile in Asuncion on June 6and Brazil in Recife four days later.The showdown between GerardoMartino’s Paraguay and MarceloBielsa’s Chile is rightfully seen asone of the picks of Round 13 as bothteams have impressed under theirrespective Argentine managers -with their history providing the subplotto an already intriguing tie.Martino played for Bielsa’s Newell’sOld Boys side of the 1990s andhe will be eager to prove that thestudent can defeat the master. However,he has a catalogue of injuriesand suspensions. Roque Santa Cruz,Claudio Morel and Jonathan Santanaare injury doubts while defendersDario Veron and Paulo da Silvaand forward Salvador Cabanas areall suspended.But Martino is hoping Santa Cruzwill “play one of the two games”.Chile, who so convincingly beatSouth Africa in a friendly earlierthis year, will therefore fancy theirchances - even though they are playingaway - of gaining revenge for a3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.There is also interest in mid-tablewith Columbia and Ecuador justthree points adrift of fifth-placedUruguay. The former face Argentinaon June 6 and whipping boys Peruon June 10 and will probably needto win both to remain in contention.Ecuador are in the same situationand should dispose of the Peruviansin Lima in Round 13 to put the pressureon the top half of the table.Venezuela are a point behind theaforementioned pair, yet midfielderCesar Gonzalez is refusing to give upon qualifying.“There’s still time in these qualifiersand we haven’t given up yet. Wereally want to go to South Africa,”he told FIFA.com. Five-time worldchampions Brazil, meanwhile, travelto Montevideo before their Round 14meeting with Paraguay. Dunga’s sideare well placed in the standings, butwill be looking for a boost ahead ofthe Confederations Cup.The Samba Boys beat Uruguay 2-1in Sao Paulo earlier in the round-robinthanks to a brace from the leadingscorer in the qualifiers, Luis Fabiano.Although the Brazilians are famousfor their attacking football,they have actually excelled defensivelyand boast the most miserlydefence in South America. Uruguay,meanwhile, have notched up moregoals (21) than any other and manypundits think this clash could producesome memorable football.La Celeste find themselves in fifthand have ambitions of leapfroggingArgentina into the final berth forautomatic qualification. No one willhave forgotten that Argentina werehumiliated in the last round of qualifiersin a chastening 6-1 away defeatat altitude in La Paz, Bolivia. “Eachgoal that they scored was like a daggerthrough my heart,” said coachMaradona after the loss - Argentina’sworst since 1958.Maradona has named a formidablesquad for the home clash againstColombia and the away trip to Ecuador.The former Napoli and Barcelonatalisman knows he needs agood result to banish memories ofthe Bolivian debacle. So Europeanbasedsuperstars Lionel Messi, SergioAguero, Diego Milito and CarlosTevez are included but Luis Gonzalezand Ezequiel Lavezzi [both injured]and Angel Di Maria [suspended]miss out. To counter this posse ofattacking menace, Columbian mentorEduardo Lara has recalled InterMilan defender Ivan Cordoba froma two-year spell in the internationalwilderness. “I’ve been waiting forthis for a while but I never despaired,I always said I had to keep playing tothe same standard and that I wouldbe called up at any moment,” he tolda local radio station. El Diego has itall to do and despite being an Argentinelegend, his countryman will notstand for another embarrassment.And, as if there is not enough pressureon Maradona, the fixture takesplace in Buenos Aires, the scene ofColumbia’s famous 5-0 win over Argentinain 1993.