World Cup 2010 For Dummies
With the countdown to this year's World Cup in full swing
, you will be hard pushed to find a pub in England that won't be showing all of the action on a big screen or many houses not donning St. George's flag out of their front window this summer.
Regardless of whether you are an England enthusiast or a football phobe, you won't be able to miss the latest in the run up to this year's World Cup. However, for those of you who have been a bit oblivious to the media over the past few months or if you are set to become a 'football widow' for the forthcoming month or so, here is some useful information to get you clued up on what has been deemed 'one of the most anticipated events across the globe'.
History
Governed by the president of the World Football Federation in 1926, the first world cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay and has been played every four years since this date. The initial idea behind the world cup is said to have been to break down the barriers between amateur and professional status and to spread peace across the nations. Hosted by 17 different countries, including England in 1966, it is set to be held in South Africa this year. The host is chosen seven years prior to the tournament, and the vote is cast by FIFA's Executive Committee, enabling plenty of time to prepare for the influx of millions visiting the country over the course of the World Cup.
The Host
Kicking off on June 11th, this year's host will be South Africa, chosen as part of a new policy by FIFA to rotate the event through football federations. Located on the Southern tip of the African continent South Africa is home to over 47 million inhabitants, idyllic scenery and a diverse set of cultures, over 11 different languages are recognised across the country. Since being crowned the world cup host, five of South Africa's main stadiums have undergone some major redevelopments in preparation for the summer, with new stadiums being built in Mpumalanga, North East and the Eastern Cape. The country is preparing for a major boost in economy, creating more jobs and welcoming more visitors and tourists.
The Teams
There are 32 teams from across the globe competing across 8 different categories, termed groups A through to H. These include teams from Europe, Asia, North and South America and are initially split by continent. Each is given an allocation to the number of teams that can enter and then the teams compete to go through to a qualifying round. Currently, although most footy fanatic viewpoints remain somewhat biased, there are a few teams said to be strong contenders this year, Brazil, Spain and Argentina to name three. With regards to England, the current thirty strong team is preliminary, with the final 23 players to be decided by coach Fabio Capello on the 1st of June 2010.
Atmosphere
For those of you that have been to watch a football match, I'm sure you will agree the atmosphere is electric and no matter how in depth your knowledge of the game is, there is not a chance you will be able to last a whole 90 minutes without shouting a curse at the referee, joining in with a chant or throwing a fist in the air when your team scores a goal. Put some of the country's players on the pitch together and you will have a team fully backed their nation, with the country uniting to support the 'lads' all the way to the final whistle. Patriotism at its best, the world cup is England's time to shine and what better way to do this than to learn some of the most infamous chants in football history. "Your'e not singing anymore, you're not singing anymorrrrrrrrrrre," "3 Lions on a shirt" and "Engerllaaaaaannnnnnnd", should definitely ring bells, and if not you best warm your voice box up and get singing with the best of them.
So, with these few small facts in mind you may have been convinced to embrace the world cup madness, and if not you might find yourself able to answer a few more questions in the 'sports round' at your next pub quiz!
by: Patrick Omari
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