World Cup 2010 Blog: “FIFA World Rankings: August 2010” plus 1 more

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FIFA World Rankings: August 2010 Posted: 15 Sep 2010 08:30 AM PDT There are some big movers and shakers this month, with 30 spot jumps being made like it’s a Sunday stroll in the park and further evidence that hanging onto past glories will get you absolutely nothin’ – what have you done for me lately? Italy and France continue their freefall to oblivion and Bolivia (no, really – they’re holding up the Top 50) and a couple of relatively recent solo acts, Slovakia and Montenegro, are shooting up the table, proving once and for all: sometimes, parting ways with old friends will help your FIFA/Coca-Cola standing. (And that’s really what it’s all about.) But very genuinely in the case of Montenegro, people may want to start taking note – whatever they’re doing is working (producing players like Stevan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic is a start). They could very well become the next Slovenia, only with less than 700k population. And that with double September wins over Wales and Bulgaria in the qualifiers not yet counting for ranking purposes. Obviously starting from the bottom aids in the meteoric visual rise, but it makes this no less impressive. The August 2010 rankings:

Diego Maradona May Be Coming To A National Team Near You Posted: 15 Sep 2010 07:28 AM PDT Provided you live somewhere near the general region of Iberia, that is. With Carlos Quieroz unemployed and off to the sandy beaches of somewhere to ponder ways to behave like a polite, courteous human being, there’s a large hole atop the Portuguese national team just waiting to be filled – rather snappily, too, with qualifiers commenced again shortly. And wherever there is a large hole, you’re sure to find Diego Maradona lurking about, graciously offering his services to fill it. “It’s true [Maradona is interested]. Diego and I talked about it, and it is a project that attracts us. He is willing and has availability, but has not been contacted yet,” Alejandro Mancuso, one of Maradona’s assistants during his spell as Argentina coach, told the A Bola sports daily. The very obvious first thought is that Portugal is not Argentina – we bring the big facts here – and therefore they do not hold Diego in the same esteem, nor are they required to kowtow at his mere presence, ruling him out on things like common sense and basic footballing reasons. But then that’s not how football always works. Of course there are others, like Paulo Bento, seemingly the media favorite, as well as Javier Aguirre and Jose Pekerman, but it remains very plausible that Diego Maradona could be joining us as soon as October qualifiers, taking up a coaching seat as well as molding the still-impressionable mind of one Cristiano Ronaldo. God help us all.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: Togo National Football Team Was “Completely Fake”

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Togo National Football Team Was “Completely Fake” Posted: 15 Sep 2010 05:30 AM PDT Have you always wanted to play international football, but were never quite good enough? Not a problem, provided you’re willing to tell a few lies and trick a few people. Because that’s how a team of footballers claiming to be the Togo national team managed to play an international friendly vs Bahrain last week. Bahrain apparently won the September 7th friendly match 3-0, but were said to be “surprised by the poor quality of the Togolese team.” They asked a few questions, causing Togolese interim football federation chief Seiyi Memene to explain that: “The players that took part in the friendly match against Bahrain were completely fake. We have not sent any team of footballers to Bahrain. The players are not known to us.” All international games have to be arranged through a FIFA licensed agent, who makes it all above board and official. Seems this one was organized by a man pretending to be a FIFA licensed agent, and with a group of players pretending to be the Togolese national team, which makes it very much below board and unofficial. Looks to me like someone has taken advantage of the disorganization in Togolese football, which had its football federation dissolved by FIFA in December 2009 and will elect new permanent federation members later this year. The interesting thing here isn’t just that the fake Togolese players and agent were able to arrange and play an international football match without anyone getting suspicious. The really odd thing is that Bahrain only managed to win 3-0. Shouldn’t the Bahrain national team have destroyed these jokers by double digits? This is the same Bahrain team that was just one saved penalty kick away from making the 2010 World Cup instead of New Zealand. Sounds to me like this international football business is a lot easier than everyone makes out, so I’m off to make 10 quick phone calls and then challenge the Spanish national team to a kickabout.

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GMC Never Say Never Moments

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You are receiving this e-mail advertising GMC products and services in response to your entry into the GMC Never Say Never Sweepstakes. Should you wish to unsubscribe from these weekly e-mail updates, please click here. To opt out of future GMC communications, please click here. If you prefer not to receive any unsolicited marketing e-mails regarding GM(R) vehicles, please click here. Privacy Statement For GMC Customer Assistance, please call 1-800-462-8782. General Motors 100 Renaissance Center 482.A00.MAR Detroit, MI 48265-1000 © 2010 General Motors | Copyright & Trademark Information © 2010 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS OR OLDER WITH VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE TO ENTER. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 1/5/11. For entry and official rules with complete eligibility, prize description and other details, visit www.gmc.com/nfl . Sponsor: General Motors LLC, 100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, MI 48265.

World Cup 2010 Blog: “Euro 2012: Ukraine’s Stray Animal Problem” plus 1 more

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Euro 2012: Ukraine’s Stray Animal Problem Posted: 13 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT When a cow was slaughtered to bless the opening of Soccer City in the buildup to this summer’s World Cup, someone somewhere was surely protesting. However, where there are religious and cultural issues at hand, it’s a bit of a grey area and opinions are divided. This one’s a little bit less of a grey area, even for someone who’s anything but an animal lover (guilty): Ukraine may slaughter strays ahead of Euro 2012. Quick, somebody get Sarah McLachlan to do a commercial. Predictably, PETA’s pissed. Activist Tamara Tarnavska seems to be leading the charge while also informing us of all Euro 2012 has to offer (it’s like Vegas, but with football): "The idea is not to stop Euro 2012," she said. "Of course we cannot stop the fans. The fans want to see football [soccer], prostitutes in Kiev and vodka — I cannot stop them with the stray animals. But people who really care about the environment, who really care about the lives of others cannot visit Kiev or the other cities at this time." She continued: "Hundreds of thousands of animals [will be killed across Ukraine in the run-up to the tournament]. The Ukrainian authorities really haven't done anything to take care of the stray animals. No shelters or neutering work. Just catch and kill." "The problem will be resolved without question," said Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov, whose portfolio consists exclusively in making sure that Ukraine is prepared to host Euro 2012. "There will be enough money to save all the animals." But Tarnavska says that so far her official appeals have gone unanswered. What's more, she fears that the money dedicated to preserving the country's animals will disappear down a black hole of corruption, as it has in the past. Stereotypes are bad, but also are typically generated for a reason and Ukrainian authorities have been in enough hot water over a lack of progress that even if the money for the safe removal of animals isn’t used to buy Committee Member X’s mistress a new mink, it may go to other things deemed more important, like roadways or vodka. So the animals need saving, and the spotlight has been thrust into use: Already she says the movement has garnered the signature of several celebrities, including George Clooney, Brigit Bardot and Ukrainian world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Then they should simply allow the Klitschko brothers to run around town punching animal officials in the face, acting the part of superhero, while George Clooney pretends to be a superhero pretty well (but not quite good enough for an Academy Award). Problem solved.

Children Recreate Football’s Greatest Moments Posted: 13 Sep 2010 01:14 PM PDT This commercial, when stumbling in entirely oblivious, comes to realization in stages, something along the lines of…this is half-decent for a home video…hey, that kid’s fairly ridiculous – is that Gato?…wait, that’s Maradona recreated…and finally…oh, it’s a commercial. But seriously, is that first kid Gato? This commercial would also serve as a lesson to all those with designs on tugging at the heart strings of a futbol mad nation.

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