With less than 90 days to go until the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it is a good time to start profiling the 32 nations that will be heading to South Africa, along with their respective groups and the stadiums that will be used in Africa’s first-ever hosting of the tournament. This is a guide to Group A, which includes the host nation South Africa.
Group Information:
In what could be described as a repeat of the Group A of the 1966 World Cup (Host Nation, France, Mexico, and Uruguay), South Africa face a trio of teams that may not have been their first choice, but still easier than it could have been. Despite the South African team’s low World Ranking, expect their home support to thrust them onto a par with their closely-matched rivals, as they look to avoid the unwanted fate of being the first hosts to not make it out of the group stage. Fans of Ireland and Costa Rica, meanwhille, will watch and wonder what might have been…
Teams:
Name: South Africa
FIFA Code: RSA
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 81
Continent: Africa
Qualifying: Host Nation
Previous World Cup Appearances: 2 (First in 1998)
Best-Ever Finish: Group Stage (1998 & 2002)
Nickname: Bafana Bafana (The Boys)
Home Colours: Yellow with Green trim
Away Colours: Green with Yellow and Black trim
Manager: Carlos Alberto Parreira (BRA)
Captain: Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth)
Star Players: Steven Pienaar (Everton), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Benni McCarthy (West Ham United)
An excited South Africa will become the first-ever African host nation, and is a symbol of just how far they have come since recovering from the aparthied. Home advantage will be a real boost for the team, as shown with their strong performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, eventually finishing 4th after narrow and unfortunate defeats to Brazil and Spain. The coach is journeyman Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, who will have the task of avoiding a first-round elimination. Good English-based players such as Pienaar, McCarthy, and Mokoena will be supported by local talents like Katlego Mphela, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Teko Modise, Itumeleng Khune, and the giant defender Matthew Booth. backed by the sounds of the [rather annoying] vuvuzelas, the Bafana Bafana could well surpass expectations.
Name: France
FIFA Code: FRA
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 7
Continent: Europe
Qualifying: 2nd in Group 7, won play-off against Ireland
Previous World Cup Appearances: 12 (First in 1930)
Best-Ever Finish: Winners (1998)
Nickname: Les Blues (The Blues)
Home Colours: Navy Blue with Red and White detail
Away Colours: White with Blue and Red pinstripes, Gold detail
Manager: Raymond Domenech
Captain: Patrick Viera (Manchester City)
Vice-Captain: Thierry Henry (Barcelona)
Star Players: Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Nicholas Anelka (Chelsea)
The most controversial of all the qualifiers, France booked their ticket to South Africa with a goal in extra-time against Ireland, thanks mainly to the well-publicised ‘hand of Henry’. The narrow qualification hides the fact that this is a team that is having to lose more and more of the champions of ’98 due to retirements, and have been inconsistent in major tournaments since their Euro 2000 triumph, with Euro 2008 a particular low-point, and eccentric Coach Raymond Domenech, a keen astronomer, in the past refusing to play people such as Robert Pires due to their star sign. The run to the final of the 2006 World Cup, though, is proof that you can never discount the French, and with emerging talents such as Ribery and Benzema, alongside the last of the previous generation such as Viera and Henry, they could surprise the world again…
Name: Mexico
FIFA Code: MEX
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 15
Continent: North America
Qualifying: 2nd in Group
Previous World Cup Appearances: 13 (First in 1930)
Best-Ever Finish: Quarter-Finals (1970 & 1986)
Nickname: El Tri
Home Colours: Green with Red trim
Away Colours: Black with Red and Green trim
Manager: Javier Aguirre
Captain: Rafael Marquez (Barcelona)
Star Players: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Carlos Salcido (PSV)
A team that reguarly features in FIFA World Cup Tournaments, Mexico are usually a solid performer in the group stage, only to fall in the second round. They have the honour of playing in the opening game with the host nation, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with playing against a team backed by a passionate and voiceful home crowd, something that is a key factor in their results at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Under new coach Javier Aguirre, they have achieved stability after going through four other managers in the space of three years, including Sven-Goran Eriksson. A good blend of home and European-based players, including World Cup veterans such as Blanco, Marquez, and Pardo, along with members of the world champion U-17 side of 2005 (including Vela and dos Santos), could prove to be their strong point.
Name: Uruguay
FIFA Code: URU
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 19
Continent: South America
Qualifying: 5th in Group, won Intercontinental Play-Off against Costa Rica
Previous World Cup Appearances: 10 (First in 1930)
Best-Ever Finish: Winners (1930 & 1950)
Nickname: Charruas, La Celeste (The Sky Blue)
Home Colours: Sky Blue with Black trim
Away Colours: Gold with Black trim
Manager: Oscar Tabarez
Captain: Diego Lugano (Fenerbache)
Star Players: Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Ajax), Martin Caceres (Juventus)
One of the main forces in the early years of World Cup, Uruguay have more recently been using the intercontinental play-off for coming 5th in their South American group as a means of reaching the finals, winning and losing against Australia in ’02 and ’06 respectivley, and scraping past Costa Rica this time around. Like France, thier qualification has come under question, as Costa Ricans complained that there was a foul in the build-up to a Uruguayan goal, although it has not been as well publicised or recieved. In Group A, Uruguay should prove to be a good challenge for their opponents, with the coach Oscar Tabarez calling on his team to perform well as a ‘duty to history’. Stars such as Forlan and Suarez will be the main goal threats, and they will be supported by a strong defence, as they attempt to get out of the group stage for the first time since 1990.
Fixtures:
RSA v MEX, Johannesburg (Soccer City), 11 June (15:00) (Opening Game)
FRA v URU, Cape Town, 11 June (19:30)
RSA v URU, Pretoria, 16 June (19:30)
FRA v MEX, Polokwane, 17 June (19:30)
MEX v URU, Rustenburg, 22 June (15:00)
RSA v FRA, Bloemfontein, 22 June (15:00)
Key Game: RSA v MEX, Johannesburg (SC), 11 June (15:00)
The opening game will see a colourful and entertaining ceremony, although it will be followed by a clash between South Africa, backed by 90,000 jubilant home supporters, and the unpredictable Mexicans. The result here could go a long way towards deciding a very tight group.
Stadium Focus
Host City: Pretoria
Stadium Name: Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Capacity: 51,750
Built: 1906 (renovated 2008)
Club Team(s): Mamelodi Sundowns
Matches Held: 6 (5 x Group Stage, 1 x Round of 16)
Like many of the top stadiums in South Africa, this venue is used for both football and rugby. As well as local club Malemodi Sundowns (who are coached by Bulgarian World Cup legend Hristo Stoichkov), the stadium has been part of the 1996 African Cup of Nations, and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. It is the oldest stadium in the country, and is located in the most regognised and established of South Africa’s three ‘capital cities’, Pretoria.
All player information in this guide is subject to change
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