This picture graced the front page of my local daily this morning, I thought that I’d share.
The picture shows the children of Diaz Primary School, only 50 days to go, very colourful isn’t it? You can see our wonderful new stadium in the background.
50 days to go, the infrastructure is still a shambles, the roads incomplete and ‘beautification’ projects well behind schedule. My offer to buy Sepp a Kruger Rand if our new rapid bus transit system is fully operational by kick off still stands! 🙂
I haven’t collected my tickets yet, the offices and computer systems have been overwhelmed (read crashed) by fans who couldn’t book early, perhaps I’ll go collect them next week.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Let’s hope Kilmanjaro doesn’t erupt, Soutie. 🙂
Good pic … I’m sure it’ll be a great World Cup.
amboseli_kil_b
I think it’s far enough away not to matter.
I just meant that it might put an ash cloud between here and there, ZR. In another few million years, perhaps.
It is almost a talisman to me, a very prominent feature of my early days.
Amboseli National Park (Amboseli – ‘the locate of water’ in Maasai language)
Thanks, Soutie, I still have problems with pictures!
I’m afraid to try a picture in case Bearsy gets angry. 🙂
Just kidding. I have no real impulse to put pics in comments.
Hello Soutie: Here’s a little promotion from an unlikely source – Today’s Wall Street Journal.
Ha ha ha 🙂
Brendano, if you change your mind try at between 5.00 and 9.00pm (there’s a good chance he’ll still be in bed ;)) that’ll give me enough time to either correct or delete it!
I liked the one with the black pentagons and white hexagons … it seemed incredibly cool in 1970, like Brazil. I could hardly believe it when I first got my hands on one.
Thanks, Soutie. 🙂
Brendano: Nothing to it, just follow Soutie’s instructions.
Off topic, thanks for Colm Toibin’s article (sorry I can’t do accents), fine writing.
Hello LW
An interesting article thanks “One* motivation is money. Every time Adidas produces a new design for a World Cup ball, it sells replicas in all sizes, and FIFA receives a royalty on sales. World-wide, Adidas sold 15 million versions of its 2006 World Cup ball, ranging in price from $12 to $150.”
*I’d have thought that substituting the word “One” with “The only” would be nearer the truth, same with replica shirts, a money making racket, they have no shame 😦
You’re welcome, LW.
I’m also a bit cynical about the extent to which a football or a football jersey can be ‘improved’.
Don’t know why they bother, might as well give the cup to Australia now, it’s as good as ours. Pity the Irish can’t make it, but, no time for the defeated, Advance Australia fair and all that. 🙂
Howzit IS
Nothing wrong with positive thinking. We would be happy to get past the group stage (France, Mexico, and Uruguay (heard of them? ;))
Australia will meet Germany in the World Cup.
Good for me. Firstly I get to cheer at every goal that’s made and then celebrate the winner.
It doesn’t come better than that.
Rainer, nah its gonna be England …. realistically though I see a Brazil V Spain final looming.
Soutie, how are the ticket sales going?
Hello Rainer, that’s a tough group, Germany, Oz, Serbia and Ghana, good luck!
Soutie
I know.( But wont tell anybody around here :))
Evening Kev
Over the counter ticket sales opened last Thursday, the outlets were overwhelmed sold 50,000 Thursday and a further 50,000 Friday, (145,000 in the first 4 days!) a whole lot of additional outlets opened today through what is probably our largest supermarket chain.
Obviously not all matches will attract big crowds (Switzerland v Chile anyone? ;)) but I think that we’re sitting on over 80% sold possibly 85%
FIFA’s ticketing policy has been a disaster, a first world system for a third world country here’s why-
Booking was through the internet, I doubt if 90% of our soccer loving supporters have ever operated a computer never mind gone ‘on-line’
You had to have a credit card, another mistake, this is very much a cash society our soccer supporters who have c/cards probably maxed them out over Christmas.
Paying for something and not getting it is a foreign concept in these parts.
Good Morning Soutie!
I would imagine that would apply in quite a few other countries as well – it makes one wonder where these people in FIFA keep their brains…
… definitely in their toes!
Hello Boa
FIFA are a law unto themselves, its their way or no way, no matter what advice they are given the advice is normally ignored perhaps you encountered similar with the Olympics.
Here’s another quirk, the ‘official’ beer of FIFA 2010 is Budweiser no other beer allowed within so and so meters of FIFA venues. Budweiser isn’t even sold in South Africa! (well not my part anyway)
Don’t get me started on so-called ambush marketing, everything from hot dog stands to broadcasting live games in my local pub, they want a slice of it (that by the way is worth a post on its own, which I’ve been considering and will write closer to the time 👿 )
I wouldn’t know about the Olympics, Soutie, but I expect you are right. As you probably know, I find all these sporting jamborees horrifying. I really do wonder whether the host countries get much out of them… I’d be interested in your perspective after the event.
To my mind, FIFA and all the other sporting bodies are major rip-off merchants. As you said earlier, changes in ball design, clothing (strip?) etc, all to get more money out of the punters. Grrrr!! 🙂
I would not bet on that Soutie, Bud. is now owned by INBEV they are probably only brewing one beer and selling it as Stella, Budweiser, Becks, Bass, Jupiler, Michelo, Labatt and Lowenbrau.
Hello again LW
None of the beers that you mention are available here in the Eastern Cape, I saw Becks a while ago but not recently.
Here’s another, the ‘official soft drink’ is I think Pepsi and 7up, while Ive seen Pepsi available never 7up!
It was the same during the Cricket World Cup, they shipped in 7up by the boat load, just for the stadia, you couldn’t get it anywhere else!
Oops! The ‘official soft drink’ is Coke, however that doesn’t lessen the point I made about 7up and the Cricket World Cup.
😳
Soutie, you might be interested in this.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/50-reasons-to-look-forward-to-the-world-cup-1950315.html
Nice one Brendano, I haven’t gone through them all yet, its a very slooow format!
It disappointments me that even in his absence they still have to ‘have a go’ a David Beckham, its a culture that I don’t understand 😦
Yes, I agree with you on Beckham. He’s played around 100 times for his country, after all.
Perhaps you’ll be fed up of the WC by the time it starts. 🙂