World Cup 2010 Blog: “FIFA World Cup 2026: Colombia!” plus 2 more

Link to World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010

FIFA World Cup 2026: Colombia!
World Cup 2010 National Anthems: South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay
World Cup Moments: Philipp Lahm Kicks Off The World Cup Properly, 2006.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Colombia!

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 04:40 AM PDT

warner.533 There are many things which FIFA isn’t very good at. One of them is putting anyone in the organization in front of a microphone, or allowing spilled words onto a page into the hands of the media. Another is running the world’s football organization.

So FIFA, after handing this year’s World Cup to the country with the second highest per capita murder rate, are looking to outdo themselves by sponsoring a World Cup bid by the world’s most dangerous country, Colombia. Hip hip.

Jack Warner – ever a maestro with words and speaker of such classics as “England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football” , and “Nobody in Europe likes England” - sat in front of some microphones and urged Colombia to bid for a World Cup spot in 2026.

Warner formed part of a FIFA delegation that visited Colombia in order to inspect the venues for next year’s Under-20 World Cup, which is by some considered a final test ahead of a senior World Cup bid.

“In 2014, the World Cup will be in Brazil. Twelve years later the World Cup will once again be for South America. I think this will be a good start for Colombia in order to place a bid for the 2026 World Cup as they will have first class venues by then,” Warner stated.

Colombia’s earned a World Cup bid once before, in 1986. The same tournament which was held in Mexico because Colombia couldn’t scrape up enough cash to improve facilities.

Colombia’s also the same country which allowed a player back onto the pitch 6 months after he murdered a fan.

Of course this won’t stop FIFA from doing everything possible to get the World Cup in Colombia. Jack Warner lives there, you see, and by the time the vote happens for WC2026, enough ~~envelope~~ ballot stuffing will have occurred to get his wish.

Unless a cryogenically frozen Sepp wants it in his living room.

World Cup 2010 National Anthems: South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 04:40 PM PDT

mandela_afpgetty_164909t Seems like the most popular part of our World Cup 2010 preview podcast was the national anthems segment. I would agree, in that any segment where we’re not talking is instantly preferable to the segments where we are. But since those podcasts contain only 10-15 second lyric-less samples, I thought it was worth expanding the idea into a full series of posts about national anthems.

As you hopefully know, the national anthems of each team will be played before every World Cup game, adding to both the atmosphere and the sense of occasion. For this first post, may I present the national anthems of Group A: South Africa, France, Mexico and Uruguay.

South Africa National Anthem

From 1957 to 1997, South Africa had two national anthems. Broadly speaking “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (which means “God Bless Africa” in Xhosa) was the black anthem, while “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (which means “The Call of South Africa” in Afrikaans) was the white anthem. Which The current South African national anthem was adopted in 1997, three years after the end of apartheid.

As a result, it carries a strong element of integration and national unity. Not so much in the lyrics, but in the way it was constructed. The new anthem combines elements of both “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” and “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” and throws in a new English language verse too. The anthem also features not one language, not two, but five of the eleven most widely spoken languages in South Africa. Which puts Wavin’ Flag’s multilingual credentials in the shade.

Here are the lyrics to the South Africa national anthem in English:

God [Lord] bless Africa
May her glory be lifted high
Hear our petitions
God bless us, Your children.

God we ask You to protect our nation
Intervene and end all conflicts
Protect us, protect our nation, our nation, South Africa – South Africa

Ringing out from our blue heavens,
From our deep seas breaking round,
Over everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound.

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

France National Anthem

The French national anthem is titled “La Marseillaise”, and was apparently the rallying call during the French Revolution. It was written/composed in 1792, and so seems to be mostly about the French defeating invading armies. Easily the most stirring rendition of “La Marseillaise” (for me anyway) occurs in the movie Casablanca, where it’s sung in defiance of the occupying Nazis:

The lyrics to “La Marseillaise”, in English, are:

Ye sons of France, awake to glory,
Hark, hark! what myriads bid you rise!
Your children, wives and white-haired grandsires.
Behold their tears and hear their cries! (repeat)
Shall hateful tyrants, mischiefs breeding,
With hireling hosts, a ruffian band,
Affright and desolate the land,
While peace and liberty lie bleeding?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!
The avenging sword unsheath,
March on, march on!
All hearts resolv’d
On victory or death!

Now, now, the dangerous storm is rolling
Which treacherous kings confederate raise!
The dogs of war, let loose, are howling,
And lo! our fields and cities blaze! (repeat)
alt: And lo! our homes will soon invade!
And shall we basely view the ruin
While lawless force with guilty stride
Spreads desolation far and wide
With crimes and blood his hands embruing?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

With luxury and pride surrounded
The vile insatiate despots dare,
Their thirst of power and gold unbounded,
To mete and vend the light and air! (repeat)
Like beasts of burden would they load us,
Like gods would bid their slaves adore,
But man is man, and who is more?
Then shall they longer lash and goad us?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

O Liberty, can man resign thee
Once having felt thy generous flame?
Can dungeons, bolts or bars confine thee
Or whips thy noble spirit tame? (repeat)
Too long the world has wept, bewailing
That falsehood’s dagger tyrants wield,
But freedom is our sword and shield,
And all their arts are unavailing.

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

Mexico National Anthem

The Mexican national anthem was chosen after poet Francisco González Bocanegra’s lyrics won a national competition. A second competition was held to find suitable music, and so the “Himno Nacional Mexicano” (also known as “Mexicanos, al grito de guerra” (Mexicans, at the cry of war!) was established in 1854. Like the French anthem, it’s all about defeating invading armies. Popular theme.

Lyrics to the Mexican national anthem, in English, are:

Mexicans, at the cry of war,
prepare the steel and the steed,
and may the earth shake at its core
to the resounding roar of the cannon.

Gird, oh country, your brow with olive
the divine archangel of peace,
for your eternal destiny was written
in the heavens by the hand of God.

But if some strange enemy should dare
to profane your ground with his step,
think, oh beloved country, that heaven
has given you a soldier in every son.

War, war without truce to any who dare
to tarnish the country’s coat-of-arms!
War, war! Take the national pennants
and soak them in waves of blood.

War, war! In the mountain, in the valley,
the cannons thunder in horrid unison

and the resonant echoes
cry out Union,
Liberty!

Oh country, ‘ere your children

defenseless bend their neck to the yoke,

May your fields be watered with blood,
may they trod upon blood.

And may your temples, palaces and towers
collapse with horrid clamor,
and their ruins live on to say:
This land belonged to a thousand heroes.

Oh, country, country, your children swear
to breathe their last in your honor,
if the trumpet with warlike accent
should call them to fight with courage.

For you the olive branches!

A reminder for them of glory!

A laurel of victory for you!

For them a tomb with honor!

Mexicans, at the cry of war,
prepare the steel and the steed,
and may the earth shake at its core
to the resounding roar of the cannon.

Uruguay National Anthem

“Himno Nacional Uruguayo” (National Anthem of Uruguay) is apparently the longest national anthem in the world at 105 bars. Or, as Wikipedia calculates “about five minutes”. The lyrics are by Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, who may also be the author of Paraguay’s national anthem, which would make him pretty prolific in the “number of different national anthems written” category.

Lyrics to the short version of the Uruguayan national anthem, in English, are as follows:

Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
We will fulfill. We will fulfill. We will fulfill.
Liberty, Liberty, Orientals. This is the outcry which our nation saved and its braves in fierce battles of sublime enthusiasm enflamed
Liberty, Liberty, Orientals. This is the outcry which our nation saved and its braves in fierce battles of sublime enthusiasm enflamed
This Holy gift of Glory we deserved Tyrants: Tremble !
Tyrants: Tremble !
Tyrants: Tremble !
Liberty in combat we will Cry Out! And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
Liberty in combat we will Cry Out! And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
Freedom we shall also Shout !
Freedom we shall also Shout !
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
We will fulfill. We will fulfill. We will fulfill.

World Cup Moments: Philipp Lahm Kicks Off The World Cup Properly, 2006.

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 07:00 AM PDT

164471811_06e6569a63

When discussing the history of any sport, any talk of the “greatness” is bound to be met with a quick hop in a time machine, going back into the ~~annuls~~ annals where myth and storytelling often displace fact and reality to the back seat. And this was necessary in a time when most could only follow sport through the words of others; words which were often embellished, contorted, polished, creating an aura which far superseded the event. Similar to the children’s game which starts with a simple sentence at one end of the room and morphs into something entirely different by the time the exercise ends.

A lot of times, great moments are much simpler than we think. Sometimes great moments are just that: moments. Moments without grand results, without a decisive impact, without parades, and without babies being made on the streets. Merely a single moment in time meant to be enjoyed. And equally as often, these moments are right underneath our noses.

Philipp Lahm had been injured in the buildup to the World Cup, you may remember, and he was still in a cast when Germany met up with Costa Rica to kickoff the 2006 World Cup in Munich. This never put his spot into doubt, really, but you also didn’t meant you would expect that, a mere five minutes into arguably the biggest game of his life, he would send the crowd into an uproar. His crowd in his country. It was the perfect opening to what would become a wonderful World Cup run for Germany.

It was also a brilliant goal from a mite of a man who’s long been mentioned in the discussion of the world’s best fullbacks. And it was proof that great moments don’t need to end with a trophy.

But perhaps greatest of all are the opening seconds of that movie, in which Lukas Podolski hurries to throw the ball in five minutes into a group game, yet acting like it was the last minute of injury time in the final with Germany down a goal. And this would be the part where we open up the forum to German fans for jokes, potshots and everything in between.

[The genius stroke of photographic timing above found on flickr.]

- You can find more World Cup Moments here.

World Cup 2010 Blog: “World Cup 2010 Jerseys: Mexico” plus 1 more

World Cup 2010 Jerseys: Mexico

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 03:10 PM PDT

palancia We continue our review of World Cup 2010 kits with a look at what Mexico will be wearing in South Africa. As mentioned before, I have zero fashion credentials. Unless sitting through The Devil Wears Prada and finding it reasonably enjoyable counts. Which I’m pretty sure it doesn’t. But I can offer an honest reaction that hopefully stays away from being either too snarky or too serious.

Big news is that between World Cup 2006 and World Cup 2010, Mexico made the switch. The big switch. From Nike to adidas. So the home and away versions of their three stripe manufactured World Cup 2010 kits (as modeled very seriously by Francisco Palencia to the left there) can be found below.

Mexico Home Shirt

mexico home 2

- Want one? Find your Mexico World Cup 2010 home jersey in the World Cup Blog store.

If you’re thinking “that looks a bit plain” then I’d agree with you. At first glance anyway. Because after a few looks at the Mexico home shirt I’ve come to think of it as very clean and simple, in a good way. The green, white and red colours of El Tri are very clearly represented. Green body, red stripes on the shoulders, and white collar with a red trim. Everything just right. Except… my only complaint would be the armpits. As with all adidas World Cup 2010 jerseys, there’s a splash of colour under the arms. This works better with some jerseys than with others. Unfortunately the effect in this Mexico home jersey is that the wearer appears to bleeding from the armpits. Like maybe it’s on a bit too tight (which may be true in the case of Francisco Palincia, above. Go up a size man!)

Possibly the best thing about this jersey is the underlying pattern. As with the adidas South Africa jersey, the body of this Mexico jersey features a symbolic pattern. For South Africa it was the flag, for Mexico it’s feathers, which apparently represent the Eagle Warrior (the bravest in the Aztec army) and also the eagle on the Mexican Football Federation crest.

Mexico Away Shirt

mexico away

- You like? Find your Mexico away shirt in the World Cup Blog store.

Mexico’s away shirts have been white for as long as I can remember. But no more. For World Cup 2010 Mexico’s away jerseys will be black. It’s such a big change that you’ve got to admire the balls it took to make this decision. I’d say the black suits the feather motif nicely, and also helps the red and green elements stand out. Even better, armpits are green. So no armpit blood here. Only complaint is that the black design means there’s no room for white, and so one of the “El Tri” colours is missing.

What do you think of Mexico’s home and away kits for World Cup 2010?

Wavin’ Flag: The Song You’ll be Singing at World Cup 2010

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 09:30 AM PDT

You may as well have a good listen to this song now, because you’re going to be hearing much much more of it during World Cup 2010. It’s called “Wavin’ Flag” by Somalian-born Canadian-rasied hip-hop artist K’naan, and and is the official song of Coca-Cola’s World Cup 2010 campaign. For the record it’s NOT the official song of World Cup 2010. It just may as well be, given Coca-Cola’s prominence as World Cup sponsors.

For the fizzy pop and football version, K’naan is joined by Latin-Grammy winning Spanish pop singer David Bisbal for an Anglo-Hispanic version that’s intended to represent global unity. Might sound cheesy, but I’d argue that having one song that people of two languages can enjoy has to be a good thing. Unless you speak only French, German or Japanese.

As for the song itself… have a listen. Try and tell yourself you don’t like it. Then realize that the song is still playing in your head long after the above video has finished. Now wave your flag.

Thanks to Tomás Rodriguez of Something Like Football for sending the video to tips[at]theoffside.com

Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious

Thursday, March 18, 2010