Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious: Nov 30, 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: “2011 Women’s World Cup Draw” plus 1 more

Link to International Football News - World Cup Blog

2011 Women’s World Cup Draw

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 12:01 PM PST

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While FIFA’s busy blocking punches from all angles like a jelly-legged prizefighter with the 2018 & 2022 World Cup decisions on Thursday, they’ve done with the business of getting the 2011 Women’s World Cup draw done without so much as a peep that it was dirty – filthily dirty.

So there’s that going for them.

UEFA’s done a favor for those of us completely unfamiliar with the Women’s World Cup (aye, guilty) and whipped up a primer in a jiffy for next year’s big tournament in Germany.

The numbers in brackets are their current FIFA rankings, which we know are nothing to stand on, but hey – you take what you can get.

Group stage draw (26 June-6 July)

Group A: Germany (2), Canada (9), Nigeria (27), France (8)

Group B: Japan (5), New Zealand (23), Mexico (22), England (10)

Group C: United States (1), Korea DPR (6), Colombia (32), Sweden (4)

Group D: Brazil (3), Australia (12), Norway (7), Equitorial Guinea (62)

Quarter-finals
9 July: Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B (1)
9 July: Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A (2)
10 July: Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D (3)
10 July: Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C (4)

Semi-finals
13 July: Winner quarter-final 1 v Winner quarter-final 3 (1)
13 July: Winner quarter-final 2 v Winner quarter-final 4 (2)

Third-place play-off
16 July: Loser semi-final 1 v Loser semi-final 2

Final
17 July: Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2

Past winners (hosts)
2007 Germany (China)
2003 Germany (United States)
1999 United States (United States)
1995 Norway (Sweden)
1991 United States (China)

So Group C looks like the Group O’Death and Group B the weakest of sauces.

Which means New Zealand is clearly going to go undefeated for the second World Cup in a row.

But in seriousness, Germany’s won the last two and now hosts the tournament. That betting line must be so even it doesn’t even show on the page.

Euro 2012 Mascots Go On Another Trip

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 11:25 AM PST

Last, or first, we checked in with the as of yet unnamed Euro 2012 mascots, they were chillin’ in the tropics of Donetsk, successfully avoiding black face and flashing disingenuous permasmiles.

Today we have a cartoon of their birth as mascots and football lovers, in which they awake from a slumber in the forest amidst magical footballs and pitches which appear from nowhere as they lie on their backs in nature.

All of which I’m 98% convinced is symbolism for tripping mushrooms.

[Spotted on Dirty Tackle]