World Cup 2010 Blog: “Live Stream of World Cup Golden Ball Shortlist Announcement” plus 9 more

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• Live Stream of World Cup Golden Ball Shortlist Announcement
• Ronaldo’s Voodoo Doll Is Working: Klose “Doubtful”.
• A Tape of Two Coaches: Del Bosque & Loew.
• Carles Puyol Dresses For The Queen
• FIFA Use The Magic Word: “Technology”.
• Jogi Loew: Spain’s Number One Fan
• Photo: Brazil 2014 World Cup Logo
• Howard Webb to Referee World Cup Final
• Bart Simpson Was Blowing a Vuvuzela Back in 1997
• Podcast: World Cup Semifinal Review, Final Preview (Plus Obligatory Luis Suarez Debate)

Live Stream of World Cup Golden Ball Shortlist Announcement Posted: 09 Jul 2010 01:30 AM PDT The 10 adidas Golden Ball nominees for best player at World Cup 2010 will (I’ve been told) be announced at 6am eastern time today. You can watch the announcement live in the video feed at the foot of this post. The shortlist is decided by FIFA’s technical committee, and then the eventual winner is voted for by the media. The 2006 winner was France’s Zinedine Zidane, with Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo coming in second and third respectively. There’s no runaway favourite for the best player at World Cup 2010, but I’m expecting we’ll see names like David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Xavi Hernandez, Diego Forlan and Mesut Özil. Maybe even Leo Messi, though it feels like it’s been about six months since Argentina went out in the quarterfinals. Anyone else you think should or shouldn’t be on the 10 player shortlist? Stay tuned for the announcement at 6am US eastern:

Ronaldo’s Voodoo Doll Is Working: Klose “Doubtful”. Posted: 08 Jul 2010 06:55 PM PDT It’s not very often that a team needs to sweat out an injury for the third-placed game, given its relative unimportance in the grand scheme and all, but there is a very real and strange situation brewing in the German camp ahead of their second straight consolation game: Miroslav Klose is hurt. Normally this is a non-issue, but Saturday’s game may stand as one of the largest in World Cup statistical history: Klose is one goal away from Ronaldo’s record with likely one World Cup game in his career. And when I say “likely”, I say that with as much hesitancy and respect possible. For a country like Germany to trudge a 36 year old footballer to Brazil – someone remove Ballack from earshot – seems highly unlikely, but then Klose is not just any other footballer. His year was far from scintillating and yet he still continue to score goals like they’re going out of style in the World Cup, racking up 5, 5 & 4 in the last eight years. The man’s just a World Cup machine. And what could be his final game is in jeopardy with a back issue. “He was hurt in an aerial duel, and we are hoping that he will be okay,” stated assistant coach Hansi Flick. The current goal standings: 15 – Ronaldo 14 - Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose It’d be a shame were he not to get another chance simply because of injury, but one can only combat that #11 voodoo doll Ronaldo’s throwing pins into back in Brazil for so long.

A Tape of Two Coaches: Del Bosque & Loew. Posted: 08 Jul 2010 06:03 PM PDT We’ve been rather fortunate to have four extremely likable and respectable coaches taking part in the semifinals; coaches who allow their teams and the football to do the talking instead of thinly veiled soundbites and outright attacks. Therefore, the final should be a very cordial affair on the sidelines, even if we’re missing the fashion house matchup of Jogi Loew’s smelly blue sweater and Bert van Marwijk’s razor sharp silver suit and black scarf. (Eat your heart out, Fabio.) Hopefully we’ll get another video of their animations, though Del Bosque needs someone to slap some fire ants into his pants. Doesn’t he know that was a World Cup semifinal? Or maybe the secret to Spain’s success is brainwashing the team into thinking this isn’t a World Cup…

Carles Puyol Dresses For The Queen Posted: 08 Jul 2010 03:00 PM PDT Don’t you hate rolling out of the bathroom wearing merely a white towel only to bump into the Queen looking to tell you how wonderful you are? Me too. Carles Puyol probably does as well, but he handled it like a champion. Or a finalist, at least. Also notice Gerard Pique’s cougar radar going haywire as he tries to take his shirt off immediately as she enters into the room. Somewhere, Ibra is jealous. [101gg]

FIFA Use The Magic Word: “Technology”. Posted: 08 Jul 2010 02:25 PM PDT When Howard Webb blows for time on Sunday, he’ll be ushering in one phase of history, the first European winner on non-European soil, while perhaps ushering out another: World Cup refereeing as we know it. It’s not quite a big secret that the refereeing this tournament has been subpar at best, and FIFA, in a very un-FIFA move, appear to have resigned themselves to actually doing something about it. In fact, they appear to be coming around on technology, albeit 62 games too late and only beginning with goal-line technology, but going so far as saying this is likely to be the final World Cup “with the current refereeing system”. Jerome Valcke was interviewed by the BBC, speaking for a nation of people peeved that Frank Lampard’s goal against Germany wasn’t counted. “We’re talking about a goal not seen by the referee which is why we are talking about new technology,” said Valcke. Fifa’s general secretary also suggested that the use of two extra referees positioned on the goal-line – a system trialled last season in the Europa League and set to be used in the Champions League this coming season – might be used in future World Cups. “Let’s see if this system will help or whether giving the referee an additional four eyes will give him the comfort and make duty easier to perform,” added Valcke. “I would say that it is the final World Cup with the current refereeing system.” “The teams and the players are so strong and so fast. The game is different and the referees are older than all the players,” said Valcke. “The game is so fast, the ball is flying so quickly, we have to help them and we have to do something and that’s why I say it is the last World Cup under the current system.” This is of course one issue in a laundry list of wrongs during this World Cup, but for an organization which has been so stubborn in admitting what is sitting right in front of them, it is an enormous step to even hint that something like technology is on the horizon. Coming good on it is another matter entirely, of course, but this has been so necessary for so long we’re begging just for the smallest of morsels to be dropped our way, so that the athletes can be the ones who ultimately decide the games. A very small step, but a step nonetheless. And if Frank Lampard’s goal is what ultimately tipped the balance, someone get that man a winner’s medal too.

Jogi Loew: Spain’s Number One Fan Posted: 08 Jul 2010 01:22 PM PDT I’m always taken aback a bit whenever a losing coach in a big game turns to the microphones and says “well they’re just brilliant!” – less because of his feelings toward the other team and more the delicate psyche of his own team at that point. However, Jogi Loew and his not-so-lucky blue sweater – now washed, hopefully – were full of sincere praise in the wake of Germany’s exit from meaningful games at the World Cup, despite having exited at the hand of the same team two major tournaments in a row. So chalk one more up to the Spanish bandwagon. Jogi’s says… “Spain are a wonderful team,” he said. “They are the masters of the game. You can see it in every pass. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely calm and convincing. Spain were just better than we were and they deserved to win. “In 2008 they won the European Championship in a very convincing way and they have been unchanged over the past two or three years. They play in an automatic way and I am confident they will win the title. They have put on top performances in all matches they have played and they can beat everyone.” He added: “Over the past two or three years they have been the most skilled team of all. They circulate the ball quickly and we were not able to play like previous matches. We were not able to get rid of our inhibitions.” Pretty difficult to argue otherwise. Spain have been the best collection of talent on one team for years and all that was left was to see if they could put it together on the pitch while dispatching of that nasty curse business; Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 seem to have firmly put the choking to bed. They also gave Germany, going into the game the most impressive team this World Cup and one which had scored 8 in their last two games, very few chances and rendered Jogi’s counter to a shell of its former self. Alright, it’s impossible to argue otherwise: Spain are positively brilliant. And they’ll have one more blue sweater-wearing fan on their side come Sunday.

Photo: Brazil 2014 World Cup Logo Posted: 08 Jul 2010 12:53 PM PDT The timing is curious to say the least, but FIFA decided to unveil the Brazil 2014 logo today anyway. The symbol is said to represent the first “Green World Cup”, while attempting to represent the “happiness, colour and welcoming nature” of Brazil. Also note how very fitting that it would be in the shape of the World Cup trophy given the host.

Howard Webb to Referee World Cup Final Posted: 08 Jul 2010 11:28 AM PDT The England team has made the World Cup final. Not the 11 a side team though, they were rubbish. It’s the three man refereeing team of Howard Webb (center), and linemen Darren Cann (right) and Mike Mullarkey (left), who will be doing the whistle blowing and flag-waving when Spain meets Netherlands in the World Cup final this Sunday. One nation of football fans possibly not happy about this: Poland. Webb awarded a last minute penalty against Poland at Euro 2008, which provoked an angry angry reaction. That was two whole years ago though, so maybe Polish fans have forgiven and/or forgotten? Webb’s actually been very low key so far. No red cards and no spot kicks while refereeing Switzerland 1-0 Spain, Slovakia 3-2 Italy and Brazil 3-0 Chile. I’m not saying that that’s either good or bad, but Webb’s World Cup 2010 is already going way way better than compatriot Graham Poll’s World Cup 2006, where he famously awarded three yellow cards to Josip Simunic.

Bart Simpson Was Blowing a Vuvuzela Back in 1997 Posted: 08 Jul 2010 10:06 AM PDT Most football fans became aware of the vuvuzela at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. The whole world became aware of the plastic horns and the noise they make at this year’s World Cup. But World Cup Blog reader Marcamps has emailed in to point out that The Simpsons featured a vuvuzela way back in 1997, when Bart got his hands on a “long plastic horn” in the season eight episode “Homer vs the Eighteenth Amendment”. I’ve managed to find video of the episode and am willing to risk the wrath of the copyright gods by embedding below. The vuvzela moments start about 1 minute and 35 seconds in. That classic episode was aired March 16th, 1997, so a full 13 years before vuvuzelas took over the world. It’s as if they were trying to warn us. Big thanks to Marcamps for the tip. If you have any tips of your own, send them to tips[at]theoffside[dot]com.

Podcast: World Cup Semifinal Review, Final Preview (Plus Obligatory Luis Suarez Debate) Posted: 08 Jul 2010 09:11 AM PDT After three weeks in South Africa enjoying the World Cup, Josh is back home and back in the studio to record a new episode of the Total Football Soccer Show. We discuss the World Cup quarterfinals (or, more specifically, Luis Suarez’ handball), review the recent World Cup semifinals, and then do a somewhat half-arsed preview/prediction of the Netherlands vs Spain World Cup final. Also discussed: Dirk Kuyt’s usefulness, Diego Forlan’s unfortunate lack of alliteration, Taylor’s proposed two drink minimum for all World Cup players. Click play below to listen, or if that doesn’t work open the mp3 here: If you like the show then give it the thumbs up on Facebook and/or subscribe via iTunes. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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