Latest World Cup Blog Updates |  |
| World Cup 2010 Draw: What Are You Hoping For? Posted: 03 Dec 2009 11:10 PM PST
Because it’s basically a big party. With Charlize Theron, David Beckham and a multitude of other famous footballers and noted South Africans. There’s even a video address from the now 91 year old Nelson Mandela. Plus Sepp Blatter. So something for everyone. Unless you like expletive filled homophobic rants, as Diego Maradona’s ban includes this event. Below you’ll find a quick recap of how it all works, followed by a very simple, but very important question: Who’s your team and what are you hoping for? First the recap. As Chris explained on Wednesday, we have four pots: Pot 1 (Seeded teams): South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England. Pot 2 (Asia, Oceania, North/Central America): Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Mexico and Honduras. Pot 3 (Africa, South America): Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay. Pot 4 (Europe): France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark and Slovakia. The eight groups (A to H) will be selected by Theron, Beckham et al drawing one team from each pot and hey presto you have a group of four. Only rule is that (with the exception of Europe) no group can have two teams from the same confederation. So when they draw the team from Pot 3 to go in South Africa’s group, it can’t be any of the African teams. I’m excited. You’re hopefully excited. Everyone is excited. And maybe a little anxious. Because no one wants to see their team in the dreaded Group of Death (which must exist, by law). So please share in the comments: Who is your team and who do you hope they get drawn with today? The ceremony (that’s the ceremony, not the actual drawing of balls) begins at 7pm Cape Town time, which is 12 noon USA eastern time, 5pm UK time. Chris will be LiveBlogging the event here on WorldCupBlog and following Charlize Theron’s movements. But not in a creepy way. |
| Meet Group of Death, the Band. Here for Group of Death, the Draw Posted: 03 Dec 2009 05:16 PM PST
Can a band aspire to higher praise than this? I think not. But with songs like, “Your love is like a boot to the face,” I’m pretty sure this will not be the last time they receive this kind of accolade. Chorus:
Shakespeare is turning green with envy. Or maybe it’s decomposition. Whatever. I still challenge you to listen through it and not fight the earworm for the rest of the afternoon. They’re helping ESPN roll out their coverage of the World Cup draw, and following up with a concert at Nevada Smith’s in NYC at 5:00. To get us in the mood for tomorrow’s draw, I asked the band a few questions: – What’s the history of the group? How long have they been together? Where are they from? Because our membership changes, we are the world's most global band (which is appropriate because soccer is the world's most global sport). We're huge in Southeastern Asia and many of the Central American countries. If you spend any amount of time in Belmopan, Belize, you wouldn't be able to escape the Group of Death. They love us over there. – What’s the story on how the group and ESPN linked up? – What role is the group playing for ESPN, and vice versa? It’s obviously a cross-promotional thing, but are there concerts or appearances involved? – in the group’s bio, you say: Of course. There is an energy in the universe that bounces around, much like when you kick a ball around the pitch. We are a band that sings about all things football and how awesome it is. When we assume the identities of the World Cup Group of Death, we create a connection between the music and the game that is stronger than most life-forces known to human kind. If you come to a show, you'll understand what we are talking about. It's like the universe is at peace and all is right with the world. Which is true because we are rocking and another amazing World Cup is officially underway. – what’s your group’s role on Friday for the draw? – what happens next, after the draw? For World Cup? Soccer. World Cup draw. Heavy metal. The building blocks are in place. Now it’s up to you to make it work. So go forth. Become a fan. Or the next wedgie may be yours. www.facebook.com/thegroupofdeath |
Don’t know if you heard, but the draw for World Cup 2010 happens today in Cape Town, South Africa. Judging by my TV schedule, FIFA are set to make the relatively simple process of picking balls out of pots last something like three hours. But no point complaining. Better to just dive in and enjoy.
| You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Posts
