While the English tabloids are busy panicking about the fact that buildings have to be, you know, built, FIFA has released the list of World Cup 2010 bases for all 32 teams. This is where each squad will live, sleep, eat, breathe, train, watch bad movies on DVD and play XBox between World Cup matches.
World Cup HQ is presumably massively important. It’s where the players and staff will spend the majority of their time, and so a happy World Cup base should theoretically translate into a happy and successful World Cup team.
Obviously I don’t have too many details about what each location has to offer. I could do some Googling for you, but suspect the result would be each location claiming either “world class” or “state of the art” facilities. Or maybe “state of the art world class” facilities. Instead, here’s the list released by FIFA today, followed by a few ill-informed snap judgements:
Algeria, Zimbali Lodge
Argentina, High Performance Centre
Australia, Kloofzicht Lodge
Brazil, The Fairway
Cameroon, Oyster Box
Chile, Ingwenyama Conference Center
Denmark, Simola Hotel Country Club
England, Bafokeng Sports Campus
France, Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa
Germany, Velmore Hotel
Ghana, Rhoode Valley
Greece, Beverly Hills Hotel
Honduras, The Indaba Hotel
Italy, Leriba Lodge
Ivory Coast, Riverside Hotel & Conference
Japan, Fancourt Hotel & Country Club
Mexico, Thaba Ya Batswana
Netherlands, Hilton Sandton
New Zealand, Serengeti Estate
Nigeria, Hemshire
North Korea, Protea Hotel Midrand
Paraguay, Woodridge Country Estate
Portugal, Valley Lodge
Serbia, Sunnyside Park Hotel
Slovakia, The Villas Luxury Suite Hotel
Slovenia, Hyde Park Southern Sun
Spain, NWU Campus
South Africa, Southern Sun Grayston
South Korea, Hunters Rest Hotel
Switzerland, Emerald Resort & Casino
United States, Irene Country Lodge
Uruguay, Protea Hotel Kimberley
Source: Associated Press
Assumptions I’ve made based entirely on the names of the various bases:
- Argentina will attempt to use the power of science to maximize team potential at the High Performance Centre. I see a lot of graphs, which Diego Maradona will completely ignore.
- The Brazil squad will play a lot of golf at The Fairway, with Robinho repetitively waving his golf club around the ball in a circular motion before teeing off.
- France will be very very relaxed at the Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. Until Domenech names his starting eleven anyway.
- Cote d’Ivoire will ignore actual training, and will instead have a lot of roundtable business meetings at the Riverside Hotel & Conference.
- Japan’s time at the Fancourt Hotel & Counry Club will make the Blue Samurai squad ever so slightly snooty.
- The Switzerland squad will lose all their money playing poker and fruit machines and have many many wild nights out. But it’s OK, because what happens in the Emerald Resort & Casino, stays in the Emerald Resort & Casino.
- I have no idea what Cameroon will get up to at The Oyster Box, but would be very interested to find out.
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