KARACHI: The first batch of the Palestine football team arrived in Lahore on Saturday to play two test matches of the four-match bilateral series against Pakistan. Eleven players and five officials of Palestine were extended warm welcome at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials, also including the secretary of the PFF Col Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi. The liaison officer of the Palestine team and former Pakistan football team manager Irfan Niazi told ‘The News’ from Lahore that the next batch of the visitors including ten players and two officials are scheduled to land in the Punjab capital on Sunday (today). He said that the Palestine team has been boarded in Park Plaza and their the coach, captain and chef de mission will hold a press conference at 1:00pm at the FIFA Football House in Lahore on Sunday. The team will also practice at the Punjab Stadium at 4:00pm. As per the itinerary, at 1:30pm on Monday, the managers’ meeting will be held at Park Plaza, followed by training of the tourists at 6:30pm at the Punjab Stadium and official dinner in the honour of the team at the Football House at 8:00pm. Chef de mission, coach, captain of the tourists and coach and captain of the Pakistan team will appear in a live programme Meena Bazaar of the Pakistan Television (PTV) at 8:30am on Monday. The first Test match is at the Punjab Stadium on March 1 at 7:00pm.
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The enthusiasm triggered among Pakistani football lovers during the FIFA World Cup has been evaporated as Pakistan decided not to send its football team to China for Asian Games.An official from Pakis…
JOHANNESBURG: Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was on Sunday surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World Cup. Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the tournament as his country finished in fourth place after losing Saturday’’s third-place play-off to Germany. The former Manchester United player polled 23.4 percent of the votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8 percent, and David Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9 percent. “This is award which I won thanks to my teammates,” wrote Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a photograph where the striker is standing with other players. “It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool,” he explained. Uruguay’’s performance at the World Cup was the country’’s best in 40 years. Forlan succeeds Zinedine Zidane who was named top player of the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final defeat to Italy. Forlan’’s victory was a surprise as five players who featured in Sunday’’s final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and Holland’’s Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list of 10 nominees. The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa League last season with Atletico Madrid. Thomas Mueller was given two reasons to celebrate after the German starlet was named Young Player of the World Cup and picked up the Golden Boot for the tournament’’s top scorer. The 20-year-old Bayern Munich forward finished the tournament with five goals, the same number as Forlan, Sneijder and Villa. He was awarded the Golden Boot because he had supplied three assists, which was more than any of his rivals. Mueller was elected the tournament’’s outstanding young player by FIFA’’s Technical Study Group, beating off competition from Ghana winger Andre Ayew and Mexican forward Giovanni dos Santos. Spain’’s Iker Casillas was voted the best goalkeeper after his side won the trophy by beating Holland 1-0 in the final. Casillas, who twice crucially denied Robben with the score at 0-0, gets FIFA’’s Golden Glove award after conceding just two goals in seven matches. Capping a fine night for Spain was the award for fair play for having the best disciplinary record.
Written on July 12, 2010 | Posted in
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JOHANNESBURG: Spain stunned the Netherlands to win their first World Cup on Sunday in sensational fashion with a goal in the last minutes of extra time. With the scoreless match inching toward a penalty shootout, and the Netherlands down to 10 men, Andres Iniesta collected a pass from Cesc Fabregas to fire home from close range and break Dutch hearts four minutes from the final whistle. It was the first time the European champions had reached a World Cup final and a bitter disappointment for the Netherlands who finished runners-up for the third time after previously losing the 1974 and 1978 finals. It was also the first triumph by a European side outside their continent. The result caused agony in the Netherlands and ecstasy in Madrid where fans shed tears of joy and fireworks went off all over the city. More than 10O,000 people had gathered to watch on giant screens and many went hoarse with screams of joy. In contrast, Dutch cities became deadly silent as their dream of finally winning the trophy evaporated. Some 180,000 fans trudged away quietly from Amsterdam’’s museum square. The game was far from the classic final to Africa’’s first World Cup that many had hoped for from the two most impressive teams in the tournament. Spain looked dominant for long passages but a ferociously physical Netherlands broke up their rhythm and their renowned precision passing in midfield, often reducing the game to a sterile stalemate. BRUISING ENCOUNTER In a bruising encounter in the huge Soccer City stadium, referee Howard Webb showed 13 yellow cards — a record for the final — and sent off Dutch defender John Heitinga in extra time. Despite the disappointing quality of the match, it was a triumphant end to a highly successful tournament for South Africa who confounded years of pessimistic predictions that it would be ruined by violent crime and chaos. To cap their pride, Nelson Mandela, much loved father of post-apartheid South Africa, briefly toured the pitch waving to the 85,000-strong crowd just before the match began. Mandela, 91, who is in frail health, was driven around in a golf cart surrounded by bodyguards and greeted by an adoring crowd chanting his clan name Madiba. The former president, who led South Africa out of apartheid in 1994, was unable to attend the opening ceremony because of the death of his great grand-daughter in a car accident the night before. Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque told television: “It was a very difficult match. We have fantastic players. We could have scored another goal or two. But I think the result was deserved. It’’s a very happy day for me.” Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said the better team had won in the end: “It is very sad. These three or four final minutes and then you lose. I really had thought even with 10 we would be able to do the penalty shoot out. “It is bitter but that is sport. It is harsh.” Both sides missed good goalscoring opportunities, most notably Dutch winger Arjen Robben who was twice denied by brilliant saves from Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas. TELEVISION AUDIENCE FIFA said a worldwide television audience of more than 700 million had been expected to watch the final. The victory will raise spirits in Spain which is torn by bitter political infighting over how to address Europe’’s highest unemployment and crippling debt. Despite being the first host nation knocked out at the group stage, South Africans have remained enthusiastic spectators, helping this tournament to be the third best attended, with three million seats sold, behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006. President Jacob Zuma dubbed them true champions. Chief local organizer Danny Jordaan said the tournament had brought the races together and enabled South Africans to walk tall after being told for years they were inferior. But African joy at a tournament credited with rebranding both South Africa and the continent was blighted by two bomb blasts in the Ugandan capital Kampala that killed at least 23 people watching the final in bars, police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Written on July 12, 2010 | Posted in
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ABUJA: Nigeria’’s government lifted a two-year ban it imposed on its national football team after a dismal World Cup showing, avoiding a collision with world governing body FIFA in the process. The government issued a statement saying the country’’s football federation apologised to the president and informed him that the national team would be disbanded with the aim of building a new one. “Based on these assurances, and the appeals of well-meaning Nigerians, including former leaders, President Goodluck Jonathan has decided to review the earlier two-year ban on the country from all international football competitions,” it said. Nigeria last Wednesday slapped a two-year ban from international competition on the squad after the traditional African powerhouse finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point from three matches. Jonathan also ordered an audit into how the funds allocated for the team at the World Cup were used. But the move led to an angry reaction from FIFA, which takes a dim view of political interference in the sport. FIFA gave Nigeria until 1600 GMT on Monday to reverse the decision or face “the suspension of the Nigerian (football) federation.” FIFA confirmed that it had been informed of Nigeria’’s change of heart.
Written on July 6, 2010 | Posted in
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CAPE TOWN: Uruguay will face Netherlands in the first semi final of FIFA World Cup 2010 match today. It is the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town that hosts the match between the two countries and the winner opens for itself the doors to the finals on July 11th. The FIFA event is in its full glory as the world waits to see the winner of this world stage, the most watched event of this year. Uruguay Vs. Netherlands semi final match is important for Uruguay for many reasons. Uruguay reached the semi final stage of FIFA World Cup 2010 after defeating Ghana at the quarterfinals by 0-1. Netherlands, on the other hand managed to top the Group E points table with 9 points. The team entered semi finals of FIFA World Cup 2010 after defeating the mighty Brazilians by 2-1 at the quarterfinals.
JOHANNESBURG: Football governing body FIFA gave Nigeria 48 hours to reverse its decision to ban the national football team from international matches following its poor showing at the World Cup. FIFA’’s general secretary Jerome Valcke said he would meet the Nigerian executive member representing Nigeria at FIFA to discuss the decision. “Nigeria went too far and Nigeria will be suspended if they don”t change their position in the next 48 hours,” Valcke said. “You can”t allow a government to say all national teams can”t play anymore in any international tournaments,” said Valcke. He said the decision to suspend Nigeria would be in line with the governing body’’s efforts to retain the independence of football from political interference.
ABUJA: Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has suspended the national soccer team from international competition for the next two years following their poor performance in the World Cup, a senior adviser said on Wednesday. “Mr President has directed that Nigeria will withdraw from all international football competition for the next two years to enable Nigeria to reorganise its football,” Ima Niboro, a special adviser to Goodluck Jonathan, told reporters. “This directive became necessary following Nigeria’’s poor performance in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.” Nigeria were knocked out in the first round.
JOHANNESBURG: Brazil will take on Chile while Holland will face Slovakia today in Fifa World 2010. Holland and Slovakia match will begin at 7: 00 PST whereas Brazil, Chile match will kicked off at 11:30 PST at Ellis Park Stadium.
Written on June 28, 2010 | Posted in
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Fifa Worldcup 2010 is picking up pace and so is the competition between our mobile operators. Mobilink Jazz is providing their customers an opportunity to watch Fifa Worldcup 2010 live on big screen all across Pakistan. You can be part of the audience at Cinepax Islamabad from June 26 to July 11, Cinestar Lahore from
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