Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

World Cup 2010 Blog: Match-Fixing 2010: He Said, She Said

Link to International Football News - World Cup Blog

Match-Fixing 2010: He Said, She Said

Posted: 07 Aug 2012 09:26 AM PDT

Alarming news coming out today: something involving FIFA might be corrupt. Tis true.

A former security official for FIFA has said that the game between Greece and Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup was, at least at one point, under investigation for match-fixing, which would be the first World Cup fixture ever. FIFA refutes this claim.

Of course they do.

Australian Chris Eaton told UK's Channel 4 that the body is examining the match, which Greece won 2-1 for its first ever World Cup win, in connection to allegations of spot-fixing.

Eaton said that suspicions were raised after the match that Nigerian player Sani Kaita earned himself a red card in the 33rd minute of the match due to an alleged arrangement with a fixer who bet on the incident.

"It's certainly an interesting circumstance and we know a lot about it," said Eaton. «It’s a manifestation of, potentially anyway, a manifestation of an attempt at a fraud that is, is unique…and perhaps to be replicated in the future, so we have to be cautious about it.”

And then there was FIFA’s denial.

Onto more important things: who else, when hearing Nigeria was involved, thought that this was the game in question instead?

Saturday, August 4, 2012

World Cup 2010 Blog: Alex Morgan’s Knee Joins The Olympics

Alex Morgan’s Knee Joins The Olympics

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT

They say one must be bonkers to be a keeper. Jens Lehmann is indisputable proof that it at least helps. Aleex Morgan’s knee does nothing to dissuade this line of thinking.

New Zealand’s keeper is Jenny Bindon. You can send her flowers and aspirin. Heavy emphasis on the latter.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

World Cup 2010 Blog: Euro 2012 Twitter In Pretty Colors

Euro 2012 Twitter In Pretty Colors

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:09 AM PDT

twitter_euro_football

Because that’s what it’s all about: pretty colors. (Or just colors.)

The visual data representation of the #euro2012 hashtag during…wait for it…Euro 2012. Sadly, not enough individual focus on Andres Iniesta.

[Link - with more pretty colors.]

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

World Cup 2010 Blog: Spain Wins More Silver Stuff

Spain Wins More Silver Stuff

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 10:19 AM PDT

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Just stop it already.

All it took was one, that damn Fernando Torres goal way back in 2008, and now Spain can’t stop winning. Everything. After Iniesta & Co. took home their third senior trophy on the trot, the u19 squad casually won the European title with a 1-0 victory over the poor Greeks, who had to know the ending before the chapter had even begun. Because nobody but Spain is going to win anything again. Ever.