Just how wrong I’ve got it so far & amended finals results

June 26, 2010

It’s a month and a day since I made my World Cup predictions and now with the group stage complete, I thought I’d re-look at my predictions and see just where I went wrong (or, in some cases, right). I thought I’d also re-adjust my predictions for the knockout phase of the competition and re-calibrate my predictions to take into account the teams that have made it thus far and are still in with a chance of winning the World Cup.

Here are my initial predictions, crossed out where necessary and replace with the actual results 

Group A

South Africa 1 -2 Mexico South Africa 1 – 1 Mexico

Uruguay 1 – 1 France 0 – 0 draw actual result

South Africa 1 – 2 Uruguay 0 – 3 actual result

France 2 – 1 Mexico France 0 – 2 Mexico

France 3 – 1 South Africa France 1 – 2 South Africa

Mexico 2 – 1 Uruguay Mexico 0 – 1 Uruguay

Group A
Team W D L GF GA Pts
FRANCE 2 1 0 6 3 7
MEXICO 2 0 1 5 4 6
Uruguay 1 1 1 4 4 4
South Africa 0 0 3 3 7 0

Group A
Team W D L GF GA Pts
URUGUAY 2 1 0 4 0 7
MEXICO 1 1 1 3 2 4
South Africa
 1 1 1 3 5 4
France 0 1 2 1 4 1

Group B

South Korea 1 – 1 Greece South Korea 2 – 0 Greece

Argentina 3 – 1 Nigeria 1 – 0 actual result

Greece 1 – 1 Nigeria 2 – 1 actual result

Argentina 3 – 1 South Korea 4 – 1 actual result

Greece 1 – 3 Argentina 0 – 2 actual result

Nigeria 3 – 1 South Korea Nigeria 2 – 2 South Korea

Group B
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ARGENTINA 3 0 0 9 3 9
NIGERIA 1 1 1 5 5 4
Greece 0 2 1 3 5 2
South Korea 0 1 2 3 7 1

Group B
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ARGENTINA 3 0 0 7 1 9
SOUTH KOREA
 1 1 1 5 6 4
Greece 1 0 2 2 5 3
Nigeria 0 1 2 3 5 1

Group C

Algeria 1 – 2 Slovenia 0 – 1 actual result

England 1 – 1 USA

Slovenia 1 – 2 USA Slovenia 2 – 2 USA

England 2 – 0 Algeria England0 – 0 Algeria

Slovenia 1 – 4 England 0 – 1 actual result

USA 2 – 1 Algeria 1 – 0 actual result

Group C
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ENGLAND 2 1 0 7 2 7
USA 2 1 0 5 3 7
Slovenia 1 0 2 4 7 3
Algeria 0 0 3 2 6 0

Group C
Team W D L GF GA Pts
USA 1 2 0 4 3 5
ENGLAND 1 2 0 2 1 5
Slovenia 1 1 1 3 3 4
Algeria 0 1 2 0 2 1

Group D

Serbia 1 – 1 Ghana Serbia 0 – 1 Ghana

Germany 2 – 0 Australia 4 – 0 actual result

Germany 2 – 1 Serbia Germany 0 – 1 Serbia

Ghana 2 – 2 Australia 1 – 1 actual result

Australia 1 – 1 Serbia Australia 2 – 1 Serbia

Ghana 1 – 3 Germany 0 – 1 actual result

Group D
Team W D L GF GA Pts
GERMANY 3 0 0 7 2 9
SERBIA 0 2 1 3 4 2
Ghana 0 2 1 4 6 2
Australia 0 2 1 3 5 2

Group D
Team W D L GF GA Pts
GERMANY 2 0 1 5 1 7
GHANA 1 1 1 2 2 4
Australia 1 1 1 3 6 4
Serbia 1 0 2 2 3 3

Group E

Netherlands 3 – 2 Denmark 2 – 0 actual result

Japan 1 – 3 Cameroon Japan 1 - 0 Cameroon

Netherlands 3 – 0 Japan 1 – 0 actual result

Cameroon 3 – 3 Denmark Cameroon 1 – 2 Denmark

Cameroon 2 – 3 Netherlands 1 -2 actual result

Denmark 2 – 1 Japan Denmark 1 – 3 Japan

Group E
Team W D L GF GA Pts
NETHERLANDS 3 0 0 9 4 9
CAMEROON 1 1 1 8 7 4
Denmark 1 1 1 7 7 4
Japan 0 0 3 2 8 0

Group E
Team W D L GF GA Pts
NETHERLANDS 3 0 0 5 1 9
JAPAN 2 0 1 4 2 6
Denmark 1 0 2 3 6 3
Cameroon 0 0 3 2 5 0

Group F

Italy 1 – 0 Paraguay Italy 1 – 1 Paraguay

New Zealand 1 – 4 Slovakia New Zealand 1 – 1 Slovakia

Slovakia 2 – 2 Paraguay Slovakia 0 – 2 Paraguay

Italy 5 – 0 New Zealand Italy 1 – 1 New Zealand

Paraguay 4 – 1 New Zealand Paraguay 0 – 0 New Zealand

Slovakia 1 – 3 Italy Slovakia 3 - 2 Italy

Group F
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ITALY 3 0 0 9 1 9
PARAGUAY 1 1 1 6 4 4
Slovakia 1 1 1 7 6 4
New Zealand 0 0 3 2 13 0

Group F
Team W D L GF GA Pts
PARAGUAY 1 2 0 3 1 5
SLOVAKIA 1 1 1 4 5 4
New Zealand
 0 3 0 2 2 4
Italy 0 2 1 4 5 2

Group G

Brazil 4 – 0 North Korea 2 – 1 actual result

Ivory Coast 2 – 2 Portugal 0 – 0 actual result

Brazil 3 – 2 Ivory Coast 3 – 1 actual result

Portugal 6 – 0 North Korea 7 – 0 actual result

North Korea 1 – 4 Ivory Coast 0 – 3 actual result

Portugal 2 – 4 Brazil Portugal 0 – 0 Brazil

Group G
Team W D L GF GA Pts
BRAZIL 3 0 0 11 4 9
PORTUGAL 1 1 1 10 6 4
Ivory Coast 1 1 1 8 6 4
North Korea 0 0 3 1 14 0

Group G
Team W D L GF GA Pts
BRAZIL 2 1 0 5 2 7
PORTUGAL 1 2 0 7 0 5
Ivory Coast 1 1 1 4 3 4
North Korea 0 0 3 1 12 0

Group H

Honduras 1 – 2 Chile 0 – 1 actual result

Spain 3 – 1 Switzerland Spain 0 – 1 Switzerland

Chile 1 – 1 Switzerland Chile 1 – 0 Switzerland

Spain 5 – 1 Honduras 2 – 0 actual result

Chile 1 – 4 Spain 1 – 2 actual result

Switzerland 2 – 2 Honduras 0 – 0 actual result

Group H
Team W D L GF GA Pts
SPAIN 3 0 0 12 3 9
CHILE 1 1 1 4 6 4
Switzerland 0 2 1 4 6 2
Honduras 0 1 2 4 9 1

Group H
Team W D L GF GA Pts
SPAIN 2 0 1 4 2 6
CHILE 2 0 1 3 2 6
Switzerland 1 1 1 1 1 4
Honduras 0 1 2 0 3 1

The Predicted Finals Results

Group of 16

Match 49(A1) FRANCE 2 URUGUAY 3(B2) NIGERIA 1
 SOUTH KOREA 1		 Match 50(C1) ENGLAND 2

USA 1

(D2) SERBIA 2

GHANA 0

England win pen.5-3

 Match 53(E1)NETHERLANDS 2 NETHERLANDS 3

(F2) PARAGUAY 1

SLOVAKIA 1

 Match 54(G1) BRAZIL 4 2

(H2) CHILE 2 1
Match 52(B1)ARGENTINA 4 2

(A2) MEXICO 1

 Match 51(D1) GERMANY 2

(C2) USA 1
 ENGLAND 0

 Match 55(F1) ITALY 1 PARAGUAY 2

(E2)CAMEROON 0 JAPAN 1

 Match 56(H1) SPAIN 3 2

(G2)PORTUGAL 2 1

Quarter-finals

Match 58(49) FRANCE 2 URUGUAY 1

(50) ENGLAND 1 USA 1

Uruguay win 2-1 aet.

 Match 59(52)ARGENTINA 3 2

(51) GERMANY 1 2

Argentina win 5 – 3 on penalties

 Match 57(53)NETHERLANDS 2

(54) BRAZIL 2

Netherlands win aet.3-2 Brazil win 3 – 2 on penalties

 Match 60(55) ITALY 1 PARAGUAY 1

(56) SPAIN 3 2

Semi-finals

Match 61(58) FRANCE 1 URUGUAY 1

(57) NETHERLANDS 2 BRAZIL 2

 Match 62(59) ARGENTINA 2

(60) SPAIN 2

Argentina win 5 – 4 on penalties

Third Place Playoff

(L61) FRANCE 1 URUGUAY 1 (L62) ARGENTINA 4 SPAIN 2

World Cup Final

(W61) NETHERLANDS 1 BRAZIL 2

(W62) SPAIN 3 ARGENTINA 3

Spain Argentina are the 2010 World Cup Champions!

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Posted by elcanguro76

World Cup 2010 South Africa – my tips, wild guesses & unsubstantiated analysis

May 25, 2010

Well, it’s that time of every fourth year and the next installment of the FIFA World Cup™ is just around the corner. Forget the Olympics, this is the biggest single sporting event on the planet - and surrounding galaxies. The World Cup Final is also the most watched event in the world with a ridiculous number of individuals from all walks of life, nations, religions, creeds and football affiliations across the globe tuning in closely to see just who will be the World Cup Champion. Legends are created, reputations tainted and fans are made as 32 squads of 23 men battle out to see what nation will win the ultimate football prize and bragging rights for the next four years. Or, next forty-four and counting in the case of England!

Seeing as I’m an obsessive football fan every four years from a month out from the World Cup until a day after the final, I thought I really should divulge my opinions, guesses and unsubstantiated analysis out onto the Internets for people who have even less idea than me about soccer. Given that I’m also between employment at this stage, I thought it would be a productive, useful waste of a day to pour over the team lists, check out the schedules and groupings in order to determine just who will win the Cup. I’ve covered all 64 matches – finals and all – predicted not only winners, losers and drawers but, also surmised the scores of every individual game on the table. Not only that but I’ve also put my money where my mouth and laid some cash on my predictions online. Thank you TAB Sportsbet.

The Combatants

The winner

For those who don’t like soccer or football or whatever you call it, here it is now, the winner of the World Cup so that you don’t have endure the hours of endless matches, analysis and random rantings and grunts from otherwise sane individuals every other time outside FIFA World Cup™ tournament month. The winner of FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa is Spain. Spain have the cattle, the ability, the form, the confidence and the je ne sais quoi to finally exorcise their underachieving demons in the big dance to hold aloft the Jules Rimet trophy come Sunday, June 11th 2010.

The runner-up & semi-finalists

Ok, now that we’ve got the winners out of the way. Let’s look at who will be the runner-up. According to my careful analysis and random guessing, I have concluded that the runner-up with be the Netherlands, who will lose to Spain 3-1 in the Final. The Netherlands may somewhat of a surprise pick but having gone through the draw and finals I came to the prediction that the Netherlands will face and ultimately beat France in the first semi-final to progress to the final match. In the other semi-final, the eventual champions – Spain will meet and beat the much-fancied Argentina 3-2 in an entertaining, fast-paced, star-filled match. Argentina will go on avenge their semi-final defeat to Spain by demolishing France 4-1 in the third place playoff.

The quarter-finalists & round of 16 entrants

Now, to the quarter-finalists. England, having beaten Serbia 5-3 on penalties - yes penalties! after a 2-all draw in the round of 16, will succumb to the immense pressure of their fans and the darstardly French losing 2-1. They will be left to rue yet again just what went gone and unfortunately for Fabio Capello, the Italian will be made the scapegoat – as there’s always gotta be a scapegoat – and swiftly sent back to Milan.

Germany, having disposed of the impressive Americans 2-1 in the round of 16 - a flashback to World Cup ’02 - will go down to the Argies 3-1 in their quarter-final.

Brazil, lacking the flair, the panache and the two Ronnies (Ronaldo & Ronaldinho) of previous World Cups will be a shadow of their usual selves and go down in the quarter-finals to the eventual runner-up, the Netherlands 3-2 in extra time after a 2-2 draw. Brazil’s last victory in the 2010 World Cup will be their 4-2 win over fellow South Americans, Chile in the round of 16 match.

The reigning World Cup champions and prima donnas of the highest order, Italy will not reach the dizzy heights of the final this time round falling at the quarter-final stage to the eventual champions, and much more likeable, Spain. The Italians will go down 3-1 to the Spaniards and yes, there will be tears – both from the victorious Iberians and from the distraught lads of Italia. Cameroon will see their World Cup campaign end in the round of 16 as a result of a clinical, defensive Italian 1-0 victory.

Nigeria will get through to the round of 16 as runner-up to the Netherlands in their group but will fall to France 2-1. Mexico, having finished second to France in their group, will be thoroughly outplayed by Argentina 4-1 in their round of 16 clash. Paraguay, the second placed team in Group F, will be kicked out by eventual runners-up, the Netherlands 2-1. And, the Portuguese will fall to the Spaniards 3-2 in the all-Iberian round of 16 match having finished second in Group G.

Having got the champion, runner-up, quarter-finalists and round of 16 entrants out of the way. Let’s now have a look at the confederations – which confederation will have good results, which will be disappointing, which realistically shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Africa (CAF)

First, let’s look at Africa as this is the first World Cup to be played on African soil and with a record six entrants from the continent, it’s only fair to start there. I think in this World Cup we have four very highly capable, skillful teams in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria; as well as two decent teams in Algeria and hosts, South Africa. Any or all of the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria – equipped with their star-studded lineups of European club match-harden players – are capable of knocking off the more established football nations and rightfully claiming their place in the final two weeks of the tournament. As luck would have it, or not have it, all four of the more-fancied African nations – barring Nigeria – are placed in tougher groups in the early stage of the competition and will find it tough to get through to the round of 16. As such, despite their immense ability and highly-skilled players, I don’t think Ivory Coast and Ghana will be able to get past their respective groups with Brazil and Portugal standing in the way for the Ivory Coast, and Germany, Serbia, and even Australia, standing in the way of Ghana and a round of 16 appearance.  Nigeria and Cameroon, credited with slightly easier groups should make it through to the round of 16 but, unfortunately I think that will be where their campaigns end as they come up against France and Italy respectively. Meanwhile, Algeria will be outmatched by their Group C opponents – England, the US and Slovenia – and will finish winless on the bottom of their group. And, perhaps the saddest news of the whole World Cup will be the failure of South Africa to score points against France, Uruguay and Mexico to be the first host nation not to make it past the group stage.

Asia (AFC)

Seeing as I’ve spent the past seven years in Asia and seeing as Australia is now according to FIFA an Asian nation – Or, perhaps, just an Oceanian nation with an identity crisis! - it’s apt that I look at the Asian combatants next. World Cup 2010 will not be a good World Cup for Asia. In fact, it will be a dismal World Cup for the Asian entrants and will question whether Asia truly deserves the 4.5 spots it receives for each World Cup - politics and economics however dictate that if anything Asia will be more likely of receiving more rather than less WC spots in the future. I predict that confronted by superior opponents with more skilled and battle-harden squads, none of the Asian nations will win a match in this World Cup and as such all of North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Australia will finish bottom of their respective groups. North Korea will not relive their 1966 heroics and will be lucky to score a goal against the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Portugal, and escape the gulag once they return to Pyongyang. Japan will be no match for the likes of the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark. South Korea, whilst along with Australia being the best prospect of Asian advancement in their final stages, will falter against Argentina and Nigeria, yet manage to regain some pride with a draw against Greece. Australia, a nation that has aged but not advanced in the four years since their heroic defeat to Italy in the round of 16 in Germany, will have little strength to withhold the might of Germany, Serbia and Ghana in Group D. My head says that Australia will be lucky to gain a point, hell a goal even!, against their opponents. However, I have gone with my heart and predicted that Australia will gallantly lose to the Germans 2-0 and go on to draw with the Serbians and Ghanians. Regardless, they will not progress to the next stage and questions have to be raised as to the immediate future of Australian football as there seems to be a lack of young talent ready to step in once this golden generation retires in the upcoming years.

Oceania (OFC)

Can you believe it? For two World Cups in a row there will be an Oceanic entrant. First in 2006, was now Asian, Australia carrying the flag for humble, little Oceania, and now in 2010 thanks to New Zealand knocking off fifth placed Asian competitor, Bahrain, we have another Oceania representative. New Zealand‘s fairytale run to make the World Cup is one of the happier stories of this World Cup and I’m sure that along with South Africa, New Zealand will be many people’s second team going into the finals. As evidenced by last night’s clash against Australia they will be competitive and will surprise with their tenacity and spirit. However, they really are outmatched by their opponents and truth be told Slovakia, Paraguay and Slovakia shouldn’t have too many problems against the All Whites, though I’d love to be proven wrong!

South America (CONMEBOL)

As mentioned before I believe Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay will advance to the second stage of the tournament with Argentina, semi-finalists and third place winners, being the best performed nation in the confederation. That leaves Uruguay, the only one of the five CONMEBOL contestants not to make the second round. Uruguay, as Australians all know, are undoubtedly a strong, competitive, skilled football nation. But, I believe that it will be Mexico, not Uruguay, going through Group A and into the second stage of the finals.

North and Central America (CONCACAF)

Three nations will represent the regions of North and Central America in this World Cup and the good news is that two of them – the US and Mexico will advance to the second round. The US are an improving outfit who are better than many believe will have a good World Cup, being runners-up to England in Group C, but do not yet have the answers to get past Germany in the round of 16. Mexico, a proud, competitive team will always play their best but will ultimately fall to the might of Argentina in their round of 16 match. Meanwhile, Honduras will be fairly competitive but will not have the talent, skill or battle-hardness to get past their Group H opponents – Spain, Chile and Switzerland.

Europe (UEFA)

Last, but definitely not least, is the largest confederation represented in South Africa with 13 members in the Cup – Europe. Europe will ultimately have a good World Cup as a whole with Spain picking up their first trophy meanwhile the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, England, Serbia and Portugal will all put in worthy performances and reach the second stage. Which leaves us with the European competitors who do not reach the second stage of the Cup: Greece, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. None of these teams will have a truly poor World Cup in my opinion, just not good enough to get through their groups to the round of 16. Greece, stacked against Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea will be the tight, tenacious unit they always are but will end up finishing third in their group with two draws. Slovenia will knock off Algeria and be competitive yet unable to beat the US and England. Denmark, placed against the might of the Netherlands and Cameroon will finish third in their group ahead of Japan. Slovakia will also finish third, taking account of New Zealand, failing against Italy and just missing out on the second stage to Paraguay on goal difference. And, Switzerland will manage draws against Honduras and Chile but fail against the champions, Spain, and finish number three in their group too.

The Star

The World Cup is the ultimate stage and is the event where legends can be set in folklore, or conversely egos are brusied and damaged beyond repair. Who will ever forget the exploits of the Pelés, the Maradonas, the Zidanes, the Ronaldos, even the Schillacis  and the Roger Millas. Who will be the one who will shine brightest in this World Cup? No one truly knows, not yet at least, but it’s the greatest opportunity available for a player to leave a permanent mark on the game of football. The individual who I believe will really shine in this World Cup is Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Messi will confirm his status as the world’s premier football player but will be unable to achieve in this World Cup what his coach, Diego Maradona, has achieved – a World Cup triumph. Not this World Cup at least.

The Golden Boot

Playing against minnows in the early group stages: Argentina, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil and Spain will all have ample opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net. However, whilst some of these teams will prove to find goals easily initially, not all will have as much success when the going gets tougher in the second stage of the finals. As such, I’ve narrowed down the golden boot recipient to be either a Spaniard or an Argentine - ie. Messi. After careful analysis I predict the Golden Boot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be Spain’s Fernando Torres, who along with David Villa provide a particularly potent striking combination upfront.

The Predicted Group Results & Standings

Now, the games results and predicted scores. A lot of these predictions were undertaken with little more thought than a guess, an inkling, a whim. As such, most of these scores and many results too are most likely not to occur - so don’t bet your house on them! But, I’ve put my money and ahem, reputation, on the line in making these predictions so I will stand by them despite the fact that there’s no way this many goals are going to be scored in the tournament unless the goalkeepers are on strike! Anyways, here are my tips. I look forward to seeing just how wrong I am!

Group A

South Africa 1 – 2 Mexico

Uruguay 1 – 1 France

South Africa 1 – 2 Uruguay

France 2 – 1 Mexico

France 3 – 1 South Africa

Mexico 2 – 1 Uruguay

Group A
Team W D L GF GA Pts
FRANCE 2 1 0 6 3 7
MEXICO 2 0 1 5 4 6
Uruguay 1 1 1 4 4 4
South Africa 0 0 3 3 7 0

Group B

South Korea 1 – 1 Greece

Argentina 3 – 1 Nigeria

Greece 1 – 1 Nigeria

Argentina 3 – 1 South Korea

Greece 1 – 3 Argentina

Nigeria 3 – 1 South Korea

Group B
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ARGENTINA 3 0 0 9 3 9
NIGERIA 1 1 1 5 5 4
Greece 0 2 1 3 5 2
South Korea 0 1 2 3 7 1

Group C

Algeria 1 – 2 Slovenia

England 1 – 1 USA

Slovenia 1 – 2 USA

England 2 – 0 Algeria

Slovenia 1 – 4 England

USA 2 – 1 Algeria

Group C
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ENGLAND 2 1 0 7 2 7
USA 2 1 0 5 3 7
Slovenia 1 0 2 4 7 3
Algeria 0 0 3 2 6 0

Group D

Serbia 1 – 1 Ghana

Germany 2 – 0 Australia

Germany 2 – 1 Serbia

Ghana 2 – 2 Australia

Australia 1 – 1 Serbia

Ghana 1 – 3 Germany

Group D
Team W D L GF GA Pts
GERMANY 3 0 0 7 2 9
SERBIA 0 2 1 3 4 2
Ghana 0 2 1 4 6 2
Australia 0 2 1 3 5 2

Group E

Netherlands 3 – 2 Denmark

Japan 1 – 3 Cameroon

Netherlands 3 – 0 Japan

Cameroon 3 – 3 Denmark

Cameroon 2 – 3 Netherlands

Denmark 2 – 1 Japan

Group E
Team W D L GF GA Pts
NETHERLANDS 3 0 0 9 4 9
CAMEROON 1 1 1 8 7 4
Denmark 1 1 1 7 7 4
Japan 0 0 3 2 8 0

Group F

Italy 1 – 0 Paraguay

New Zealand 1 – 4 Slovakia

Slovakia 2 – 2 Paraguay

Italy 5 – 0 New Zealand

Paraguay 4 – 1 New Zealand

Slovakia 1 – 3 Italy

Group F
Team W D L GF GA Pts
ITALY 3 0 0 9 1 9
PARAGUAY 1 1 1 6 4 4
Slovakia 1 1 1 7 6 4
New Zealand 0 0 3 2 13 0

Group G

Brazil 4 – 0 North Korea

Ivory Coast 2 – 2 Portugal

Brazil 3 – 2 Ivory Coast

Portugal 6 – 0 North Korea

North Korea 1 – 4 Ivory Coast

Portugal 2 – 4 Brazil

Group G
Team W D L GF GA Pts
BRAZIL 3 0 0 11 4 9
PORTUGAL 1 1 1 10 6 4
Ivory Coast 1 1 1 8 6 4
North Korea 0 0 3 1 14 0

Group H

Honduras 1 – 2 Chile

Spain 3 – 1 Switzerland

Chile 1 – 1 Switzerland

Spain 5 – 1 Honduras

Chile 1 – 4 Spain

Switzerland 2 – 2 Honduras

Group H
Team W D L GF GA Pts
SPAIN 3 0 0 12 3 9
CHILE 1 1 1 4 6 4
Switzerland 0 2 1 4 6 2
Honduras 0 1 2 4 9 1

The Predicted Finals Results

Group of 16

Match 49

(A1) FRANCE 2

(B2) NIGERIA 1

 Match 50

(C1) ENGLAND 2

(D2) SERBIA 2

England win pen.5-3

 Match 53

(E1)NETHERLANDS 2

(F2) PARAGUAY 1

 Match 54

(G1) BRAZIL 4

(H2) CHILE 2
Match 52

(B1)ARGENTINA 4

(A2) MEXICO 1

 Match 51

(D1) GERMANY 2

(C2) USA 1

 Match 55

(F1) ITALY 1

(E2)CAMEROON 0

 Match 56

(H1) SPAIN 3

(G2)PORTUGAL 2

Quarter-finals

Match 58

(49) FRANCE 2

(50) ENGLAND 1

 Match 59

(52)ARGENTINA 3

(51) ) GERMANY 1

 Match 57

(53)NETHERLANDS 2

(54) BRAZIL 2

Netherlands win aet.3-2

 Match 60

(55) ITALY 1

(56) SPAIN 3

Semi-finals

Match 61

(58) FRANCE 1

(57) NETHERLANDS 2

 Match 62

(59) ARGENTINA 2

(60) SPAIN 3

Third Place Playoff

(L61) FRANCE 1

(L62) ARGENTINA 4

World Cup Final

(W61) NETHERLANDS 1

(W62) SPAIN 3

Spain are the 2010 World Cup Champions!

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Posted by elcanguro76

Perhaps I should keep a low profile till this crap boils over

February 27, 2010

Big news in Korea is the disqualification of the South Korean women’s 3000 metres short-track skating relay team. The Korean ladies crossed the line first only to be disqualified by an Australian referee, Jim Hewish, with the gold subsequently going to arch-rivals, China. The result displeased many locals to put it midly with Jim Hewish, who happened to disqualify Kim Dong-sung in ’02 enabling Korean arch-nemsis Apolo Anton Ohno to win the men’s 1500 metre gold medal, being the subject of their ire.

While, in my opinion the decision was overly harsh and therefore  disqualification was not warranted,  I don’t think any sane individual can justify the following developments undertaken by the Korean netizen community: threatening to bomb the Australian Embassy in Seoul, death threats made against Mr. Hewish with his Sydney house subsequently being placed under police protection after his address and Google map image of his house was leaked onto the Internet via enraged Korean netizens as well as Mr. Hewish being placed under police protection in Vancouver and unable to officiate Friday’s racing due to death threats and 20,000 angry emails.

Here’s a Youtube video of the critical decision in the race, judge for yourself.

I posted my comments in regards to this situation on the Marmot’s Hole, who along with Brian in Jeollanam-do (now in western Pennsylvania) have covered this latest controversy.

With reports now that Hewish’s house in Sydney is under police guard due to threats from the Korean netizen community I think it’s finally time to say that yes, whilst the decision was quite harsh and a bad question, the netizen community has to take a deep breath, release any lingering han and chill the hell out because you’re not doing your country any benefit and in fact are potentially sabotaging any chances of South Korea holding a major sports event in the near-future.

Ohno and Jim Hewish in ‘02, the Swiss national soccer team and FIFA in ‘06 and now Jim Hewish and the Australian Embassy in Seoul – death threats, e-mail bombing and other malarkey may help overturn decisions within Korea but does bugger all for your cause in the rest of the world. FIFA and the IOC have long memories and it’s not a good idea to piss ‘em off if you hope to host a winter games in Pyeongchang and the ‘22 World Cup in Korea.

I think someone high up really needs to step in and tell the lunatic-fringe subset of the population that these shenanigans that follow any and every time something goes against Korea, has the potential to damage the country’s image far more than a hundred Korea, Sparkling™ ads can help the country’s image.

I hate when netizen losers sabotage Korea’s image as often the result is Korea making news for all the wrong reasons. One minute we have Kim Yu-na, the personification of grace, goodwill and ability; the next we have the netizen nutbars. *sigh*

P.S. I lost interest in short-track skating once Steven Bradbury retired.

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Posted by elcanguro76

The last few days …

December 14, 2009

It’s been pretty busy news-wise the last few days, we’ve had:

  • The ongoing trials and tribulations of the Tiger Woods infidelity scandal have continued as sponsor Accenture terminates partnership with the golf champ after six years but other sponsors such as Tag Heuer and Gillette decide to stand by their man, Tag Heuer releasing the statement that Woods is ‘the best in his domain’. Meanwhile, it looks like his wife, Elin Nordegren, has possibly bought a $2 million secluded house in Sweden, perhaps where the couple will sit out for the next few months and escape the media spotlight. No doubt of some comfort to Tiger is that Playgirl magazine has decided not to publish nude photographs allegedly of the golf star, as they can not verify 100% whether the photos are indeed of him.
  • Silvio Berlusconi was attacked by a projectile whilst signing autographs during a rally in Milan. The attack left the Italian Prime Minister with a bloody face and in considerable pain with a broken nose and two broken teeth. He will remain in hospital for the next thirty-six hours. His attacker allegedly has a history of mental illness.
  • Last month it was revealed that North Korea had been building bunkers under the DMZ from 2004 until 2008 during the leadership of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, whilst the two nations had a relatively closer relationship than now under the failed ‘Sunshine Policy’, which aimed to bring closer ties and trade with the view towards eventual reunification between the two Koreas. North Korea was found to have built 800 bunkers between 2004 and 2008, and had planned 1,000 bunkers all in all. Despite the Sunshine Policy, North Korea had plans and made war preparations with a look towards possible invasion by ground troops.
  • Meanwhile, just one week after US envoy Stephen Bosworth’s trip to Pyongyang, Thai authorities in Bangkok, following on a US intelligence tip, have seized a plane from North Korea piloted by a Belarussian and with four Kazahk crew members which contained a large amount of powerful weapons, in clear violation of UN-imposed sanctions on North Korea. The planned final destination of the plane is thus far undetermined.
  • And last, but definitely not least, straight off the press and Twitter. The Copenhagen Climate Summit has been suspended and is in chaos as member nations of the G77,which represents 130 developing nations, have decided to walk out of the Conference due to what they believe is Western reluctance to discuss a legally binding emissions treaty. This is coming after last week’s leak of a document supposedly delivered to developed nations in which they would sign a secret deal amongst themselves between the scenes of the Copenhagen Climate summit. No doubt more news on this to come…

Leave a Comment » | Conspiracy Theory, Current events, Environment, North Korea, Politics, The World in a Week | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by elcanguro76

Korea : more or less xenophobic now – interested in your thoughts

December 12, 2009

There’s been a lot of buzz lately in the Korean press, expat discussion boards, blogosphere, and now Western media over the Anti-English Spectrum group who have actively since 2005 been campaigning to protect Korean children and citizens from ‘rouge’ native English teachers. While on the surface this may sound like a noble enough quest, a quick look under the surface discovers their true modus operandi.

The group was set up largely as a result of a former ex-pat English teacher discussion board, English Spectrum, which by all accounts was very loosely moderated – to their detriment – and included a mock post on how to molest students, posts on sexual encounters with Korean women, and pictures of young ex-pats drinking and fondling consenting young Korean women at parties. These individuals posted enough highly provocative posts and pictures that it eventually (and inevitably) caught the attention of concerned Korean citizens and Anti-English Spectrum was born. The group’s profile and activities grew exponentially following the arrest of convicted pedophile, Christopher Paul Neil, in 2008 who had taught in Korea though had not committed any offences there.

Rundown on what the 'friendly' folks at Anti-English Spectrum believe lies within a Western English teacher's brain

From that point on, Anti-English Spectrum under its devoted leader, Lee Eun-ung, went into overdrive ‘protecting’ the Korean masses, in particular Korean children and women, from heavy drinking, sex offending, drug abusing, Korean women fondling, no-good Western dropouts who couldn’t find a job elsewhere – apparently the vast majority of native English teachers fit that bill according to the folks at Anti-English Spectrum. Their activities have including stalking native English teachers for months at a time until ‘finding’ an offense to take to the police, posting malicious, false and discriminating posts, having an audience with Government officials on one occasion, and having one member(/s) post death threats to a prominent expat union. Many ex-pats argue that Anti-English Spectrum have largely influenced public opinion of and laws pertaining to native English teachers through their efforts in liaison with the media, police and Government officials. Whereby they have often cited either misleading, incorrect, incomplete or downright false and inflammatory accounts of native English teachers to further their agenda feeding on age-old latent xenophobia still existing in modern South Korean society.

Korean women who hang out with Western males are also targets who are ridiculed, mocked and insulted by Anti-English Spectrum

Korean women who hang out with Western males are also targets of Anti-English Spectrum

A more complete coverage and rundown of Anti-English Spectrum, their history, actions and motives can be found at Andrea Vandom’s excellent, detailed study of the group along with; The Marmot’s Hole, Brian in Jeollanam-do, Gusts of Popular Feeling, three Korea-based ex-pat blogs along with that have extensively followed the Anti-English Spectrum group, their history and activities.

I arrived in Jeonju, South Korea in April 2003, less than one year after the fateful tank accident involving a US military tank and two Korean teenage girls and around the same time as the beginning of the Iraq War. There still was latent anger present at that time towards individuals appearing to be American – pretty much any Westerner -  though these feelings were largely dissipated once people found out your nationality, provided of course you weren’t American, it was a tough time to be American in South Korea.

At the time being wide-eyed and open to new experiences although I felt some tension, even animosity, at my presence from time to time and although many locals were extremely nervous and anxious around my presence during these times as sometimes you truly were the first foreigner locals had ever interacted with, the vast majority of the time I was treated with goodwill, kindness, sincerity and an eagerness to show me the best face Korea had to offer.

Since this time, I have inevitably gone through the peaks and troughs of living abroad in a culture that is vastly different to my home country and the resultant anxiety, alienation, isolation and anger that can result from such, particularly when the host culture is one of the most ethnically homogeneous on Earth with a documented history of xenophobia and mistrust of foreigners – often for purely valid reasons. Most foreigners who landed on Korean shores before mid-last century were not friendly neighbours but more conquerors, mercenaries and invaders.

As time has gone on I have changed and Korea has changed alongside with me. The change and development within Korea in the short time I have been here has been truly remarkable though some thing take longer to change than others. Korea, in my mind, is now more familiar with Westerners and while many may be more comfortable with our presence, this is not entirely true for all individuals. Whereas, when I first came to Korea I was often the source of constant astonishment, curiosity and interest this is not so much the case these days as most people have seen plenty of people who look similar to me for a number of years now.

Unfortunately, what has sometimes followed in its place is a feeling of jadedness, insecurity and in some individuals, even animosity and hate, to what I am and what I appear to stand for and represent. Whilst, by no means most individuals feel threatened, uncomfortable or even angry at my presence, it is there and has been something that hasn’t – nor probably will – leave Korean society, though the same is true of every society on Earth, there will always be those who dislike the different, the ‘outsiders’, the foreigners.

Learning a bit of the language and being able to understand a reasonable amount of what is being said in my presence – as any Korean learner in Korea can attest – can be a blessing and a curse for often locals with use their language as a cloak of fraternity and partnership among each other – essentially closing in the wagons and will often freely express their true feelings under this cloak – believing the foreigner does not understand – whilst often saying or appearing to say something different.

Whilst, Korea’s experiences are by no means unique and a clearly sign of a once homogeneous country coming to terms with a sudden, rapid influx of foreign nationals on its shores – something which all Western nations themselves have gone through to one degree or another. I often likened Korea to 1950s Australia, when all of a sudden the majority Anglo-Celtic population – who in 1947 comprised a whooping 90% of the Australian population – had to come to terms with the rapid influx of thousands and thousands of displaced Europeans (and in later waves from the 70s onwards Asians, people from the Middle East, Oceania and Africa) seeking a new life and more often than not coming with a different appearance, different tongue, different palate, different customs and different culture. In many ways, Australia itself – despite being one of the most multicultural Western democracies – still has a long way yet to go until there is true equality amongst all ethnic groups living in the country.

I believe Korea will grow from these growing pains of being a newly open, modern society and will move on to become more inclusive and accepting of individuals who may not look, act or speak like the local populace. Though, it will take time and it will take honest discussions and discourse on just what direction Korea wants to take, otherwise there’s the potential of a growing disenfranchised, maligned or disadvantaged subset of the local population creating problems for social harmony and integration of ethnically non-Koreans in Korean society.

Time will tell and sometimes I wonder I have the patience to stick around and see whether Korea can become the truly great, integrated society it has the potential to become. It does have a lot going for it.

I’m interested in your thoughts on modern Korean society and its race relations and xenophobia. What it was like in the past, what is it like now and what do you believe it will be like in the future?

1 Comment | Current events, Expat life, Korea, Korean culture, Korean history | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by elcanguro76

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