2010 World Cup

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South Africa Proves World Cup Ready
 South Africa Proves 
 World Cup Ready 
analysis
Jul 1, 2009 4:50 PM CDT

South Africa Proves World Cup Ready

Critics hushed by successful Confederations Cup

(Newser) - With the just-completed Confederations Cup a success, South Africa has passed its dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup, Nicolas Brulliard writes for GlobalPost. The African nation faced more scrutiny than any previous host, but that now appears overblown. Enthusiastic fans turned up despite the winter chill, and the nation’...

Stunning US Soccer Upset Matches 'Miracle on Ice'

Underdog US team's surprise win over Spain is a victory to be savored

(Newser) - Last night's stunning soccer victory over Spain by the US team ranks up there with 1980's "Miracle on Ice" Olympic defeat of the Russians as one of the greatest upsets ever pulled off by Americans, George Vecsey writes in the New York Times. The Confederations Cup victory over the...

Obama May Attend 2010 World Cup

US on verge of qualifying for soccer's biggest event

(Newser) - The world's soccer body has invited Barack Obama to next year's World Cup in South Africa, reports the AP, the first time the tournament will be held on the continent. "Obama has said, 'If I can, I will come,'" says FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. The United States team...

Iran Soccer Team Quietly Backs Mousavi

Green armbands send clear message in football-mad country

(Newser) - Iranian national soccer team players donned green wristbands and armbands on the field in Seoul today, a move many back home took as a sign of solidarity with Mir Hossein Mousavi, CNN reports. Green is the opposition candidate’s campaign color. Spectators at the match waved signs that said "...

N Korea, Iran Battle to Soccer Stalemate

Result could hurt Ahmedinejad's election chances

(Newser) - There was more than World Cup qualification riding on the soccer game between the two remaining members of George W. Bush’s "axis of evil" today, the Financial Times reports. Mahmoud Ahmedinajad has long been criticized for interfering with the national team, and today's frustrating 0-0 stalemate with North...

22 Fans Crushed at Ivory Coast World Cup Qualifier

50,000 came to see European stars play

(Newser) - At least 22 people were killed and 132 wounded in a stampede yesterday at a packed Ivory Coast soccer match, the Telegraph reports. The panic was sparked as fans without tickets broke down a stadium wall and poured inside. Victims were treated just yards away as Ivory Coast beat Malawi...

Argentina's Soccer Saint Is Back

It's cocaine-addict, stomach-stapled, socialist saint

(Newser) - Diego Maradona arrives at practice like an eclipse. Suddenly, no one much cares about the players on the Argentinean national team—not even the great Lionel Messi. It’s the coach, a 48-year-old, graying, thick-bodied man who draws the media swarms, reports the Washington Post in a profile. Maradona was...

Peace Meeting Called Off Over Dalai Lama Ban

South Africa stands firm as Nobel winner Tutu, others protest

(Newser) - South Africa’s decision to bar the Dalai Lama from entering the country has scuttled this week’s scheduled conference for Nobel laureates, the BBC reports. Laureates were to discuss how next year’s soccer World Cup could fight racism and xenophobia, but homegrown winners Desmond Tutu and FW de...

South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From Peace Conference

Move outrages fellow Nobel laureates

(Newser) - One notable Nobel laureate won’t be at this week’s peace conference in South Africa: The Dalai Lama. South Africa has denied the Tibetan spiritual leader entry, bowing to pressure from trading partner China, the Times of London reports. The Nobel laureates organizing the event are outraged, with Archbishop...

South Africa in Crisis as Cabinet Walks Out With Mbeki

After Mbeki's ouster, 10 resignations could trouble economy

(Newser) - Most of South Africa's cabinet, including the powerful and respected finance minister, resigned today following the ouster of President Thabo Mbeki over the weekend. The walkout could be a devastating blow to the economic stability of Africa's most powerful nation, and to the new administration expected to take over on...

Soccer Is Key to Get S. Africa to Play Ball on Zimbabwe

Use 2010 World Cup to pressure Mbeki: writer

(Newser) - The last few weeks have further exposed Robert Mugabe as a tyrant—and Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, as a "vacillating, dithering, morally compromised figure," writes Peter Godwin. In an op-ed for the New York Times, the Zimbabwe-born author says that the West must force Mbeki to act...

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