2006 FIFA World Cup Soccer News and Blog

France so near yet so far
France went further than virtually everybody anticipated at Germany 2006 but defeat by Italy in the Final left a bittersweet aftertaste for Raymond Domenech and Co…

World sport (The West Australian)
Soccer journeyman Dean Gordon has spurned the opportunity to add a Japanese stamp in his passport by quitting Auckland FC for ailing A-League wooden spooners the New Zealand Knights.

South Africa: Shilowa Affirms World Cup Readiness (AllAfrica.com)
GAUTENG premier Mbhazima Shilowa told delegates from the world’s largest soccer exhibition, Soccerex, in Dubai yesterday that SA would be ready to host the Fifa World Cup in 2010.

Cape Town may lose World Cup semifinal (Independent Online)
The government should revoke Cape Town’s permission to host a 2010 Soccer World Cup semifinal match if city residents go to court to block the proposed development of the Green Point stadium, politicians have said. Ben Maclennan reports…

Fox Soccer Channel to Telecast the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 for Second Consecutive Year (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
LOS ANGELES—-Fox Soccer Channel will once again offer live and exclusive coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 in Japan.

SPOTLIGHT ON TENNIS: Soccer legend shows Davis Cup support (Miami Herald)
As if the Russian Davis Cup team didn’t have enough to worry about this weekend with Argentina across the net for the final, word is Argentine soccer legend and super-fan Diego Maradona plans to travel to Moscow to cheer on his countrymen.

No Colorado bailout for World Cup skiing (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nov. 30 (UNION-TRIBUNE): There’s not enough snow in Europe and not enough dough in America. In a surprise announcement last night, Guenther Hujara, director of the men’s World Cup, said there wasn’t enough sponsorship money for Colorado resorts to hold some of the ski races that have been scrapped by warm weather and a lack of snow in Europe.

Barca aim to better the “dream team” in Club World Cup (Reuters.co.uk)
MADRID, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Barcelona are aiming to go one better than Johan Cruyff’s “dream team” of the early 1990s and win the Club World Cup in Japan next month.

South Africa: Dubai Soccer Expo Assured SA Will Host Successful World Cup (AllAfrica.com)
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa has assured delegates at the Soccerex football expo in Dubai that South Africa will be ready to host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Germany 2006: The award winners
Take a look back at the players and teams who claimed the awards on offer at the 2006 FIFA World Cup…

Bafana’s Parreira blamed for World Cup flop (SABC News)
Juninho a Brazilian and FC Lyon midfield star, has blamed Carlos Alberto Parreira, the new Bafana Bafana coach, for Brazil’s World Cup exit in Germany earlier this year.

Juninho: Brazil was unprepared at World Cup (Sports Illustrated)
Brazil’s team at the World Cup earlier this year was poorly prepared and not selected on form, according to Lyon midfielder Juninho.

Portugal have cause for pride
Portugal returned home as heroes after reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years. FIFAworldcup.com reflects on their campaign in Germany…

Zidane, Ronaldinho, Cannavaro Make Player of Year Shortlist (Bloomberg.com)
Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) — Zinedine Zidane is on a three-man shortlist to win a record fourth FIFA world soccer player of the year award even after he head-butted an opponent in the World Cup final, the last game of his career.

German Stocks Including Infineon Fall; Volkswagen Shares Gain 
Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) — German stocks including Infineon Technologies AG dropped. Europe’s second-biggest semiconductor maker reported a seventh straight loss on costs to split off its memory-chip unit and on the insolvency of its biggest customer.

Perhaps Sting should stick to pop 
Sting has always considered himself a student of English history. With Songs From the Labyrinth, the husky-voiced British pop star delves into the life and works of a considerably earlier English musical great, Elizabethan lutenist and composer John Dowland (1563-1626).

German Stocks Rise, Led by MAN, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler 
Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) — German stocks rose after U.S. consumer prices fell for a second consecutive month, easing concern inflation is climbing in the world’s biggest economy.

Weekly soccer column: World Cup win won’t come easy (Daily Breeze)
U.S. women’s national team coach Greg Ryan had 29 games to mold a new generation of players into a unit capable of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.

Germany 2006 in numbers
After 31 days and 64 games the curtain came down on the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany with Italy holding the Trophy aloft amid an outpouring of joy inside Berlin s Olympiastadion. FIFAworldcup.com rounds up the statistics from a memorable tournament…

South Africa: Dubai Soccer Expo Assured SA Will Host Successful World Cup (AllAfrica.com)
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa has assured delegates at the Soccerex football expo in Dubai that South Africa will be ready to host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

South Africa: Shilowa Affirms World Cup Readiness (AllAfrica.com)
GAUTENG premier Mbhazima Shilowa told delegates from the world’s largest soccer exhibition, Soccerex, in Dubai yesterday that SA would be ready to host the Fifa World Cup in 2010.

Germany win more than just third place
The Nationalmannschaft ended up making the headlines for all the right reasons at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany thanks to their attractive play and unexpected third-place finish…

Loud Cheers Banned at Soccer’s Blind World Cup (WPVI-TV Philadelphia)
It’s no ordinary World Cup: the soccer ball sounds like the clatter of a rattlesnake’s tail, fans are barred from cheering too loudly and the sidelines are clear plastic walls meant to keep the players in-bounds.

Auf Wiedersehen Germany - Wamkelekele eMzansi Africa
Germany was the perfect host for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , offering a warm, friendly face to the entire world. Now the mantle of hosting world football’s greatest event passes to South Africa…

Long wait begins as national women’s soccer team looks forward to World Cup (Canada.com)
Canada’s Christine Sinclair, center, fights for the ball with USA’s Catherine Whitehill during the second half of their final CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer game in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006.

Fox Soccer Channel to Telecast the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 for Second Consecutive Year (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
LOS ANGELES—-Fox Soccer Channel will once again offer live and exclusive coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 in Japan.

Juninho: Brazil was unprepared at World Cup (Sports Illustrated)
Brazil’s team at the World Cup earlier this year was poorly prepared and not selected on form, according to Lyon midfielder Juninho.

France so near yet so far
France went further than virtually everybody anticipated at Germany 2006 but defeat by Italy in the Final left a bittersweet aftertaste for Raymond Domenech and Co…

Auf Wiedersehen Germany - Wamkelekele eMzansi Africa
Germany was the perfect host for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , offering a warm, friendly face to the entire world. Now the mantle of hosting world football’s greatest event passes to South Africa…

Cannavaro Beats Buffon to Win Europe’s Top Soccer Player Award (Bloomberg.com)
Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) — Fabio Cannavaro, who captained Italy to soccer’s World Cup title in July, was voted European footballer of the year.

Nigeria/South Africa: World Cup 2010 Organisers Fuel Doubts (AllAfrica.com)
The media, including numerous representatives of the international press and television, walked out en bloc from a briefing on Tuesday afternoon by the board of directors of the local 2010 World Cup Organizing Committee.

South Africa: Shilowa Affirms World Cup Readiness (AllAfrica.com)
GAUTENG premier Mbhazima Shilowa told delegates from the world’s largest soccer exhibition, Soccerex, in Dubai yesterday that SA would be ready to host the Fifa World Cup in 2010.

Germany win more than just third place
The Nationalmannschaft ended up making the headlines for all the right reasons at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany thanks to their attractive play and unexpected third-place finish…

Long wait begins as national women’s soccer team looks forward to World Cup (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News)
CARSON, Calif. (CP) - The long wait now begins for the national women’s soccer team.

Long wait begins as national women’s soccer team looks forward to World Cup (Canada.com)
Canada’s Christine Sinclair, center, fights for the ball with USA’s Catherine Whitehill during the second half of their final CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer game in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006.

Fox Soccer Channel to Telecast the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 for Second Consecutive Year (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
LOS ANGELES—-Fox Soccer Channel will once again offer live and exclusive coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 in Japan.

Soccer: Paying a cruel price for watching a world game (International Herald Tribune)
Sometimes the compulsion to watch a soccer game on screen is almost beyond our comprehension.

Argentina counting on Maradona for Davis Cup support (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Argentina Davis Cup captain Alberto Mancini said on Tuesday he was counting on the support of soccer great Diego Maradona to give his team a boost in this weekend’s final against hot favorites Russia.

Loud Cheers Banned at Soccer’s Blind World Cup (WPVI-TV Philadelphia)
It’s no ordinary World Cup: the soccer ball sounds like the clatter of a rattlesnake’s tail, fans are barred from cheering too loudly and the sidelines are clear plastic walls meant to keep the players in-bounds.

Players compete in World Cup for Blind (AP via Yahoo! News)
The ball at the World Championships of Soccer for the Blind clatters like a rattlesnake’s tail. Fans are barred from cheering too loudly and clear plastic walls keep the players in-bounds. Every four years, players compete for Cup glory in an eight-nation tournament drawing hundreds, not millions, of fans to a game without the noisy hype of media and merchandising. Save for the goalkeepers, all

Germany win more than just third place
The Nationalmannschaft ended up making the headlines for all the right reasons at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany thanks to their attractive play and unexpected third-place finish…

Cannavaro Beats Buffon to Win Europe’s Top Soccer Player Award (Bloomberg.com)
Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) — Fabio Cannavaro, who captained Italy to soccer’s World Cup title in July, was voted European footballer of the year.

2010 World Cup preps need own budget: ZCT (The Herald)
ZIMBABWE S tourism industry can only derive maximum benefits from the 2010 World Cup soccer finals in South Africa if the Government allocates a separate budget for preparations, the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism has said.

Germany 2006: The award winners
Take a look back at the players and teams who claimed the awards on offer at the 2006 FIFA World Cup…

Weekly soccer column: World Cup win won’t come easy (Daily Breeze)
U.S. women’s national team coach Greg Ryan had 29 games to mold a new generation of players into a unit capable of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.

Building on infrastrucure hopes (News 24 South Africa)
Top Fix,yet another construction aligned group hoping to cash in on Gautrain and the Soccer World Cup, comes to the AltX next week, writes Marc Hasenfuss

Soccer: Nagoya to ditch veteran defender Akita (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News)
_ J-League first-division club Nagoya Grampus Eight said Tuesday they will not renew the contract of former World Cup defender Yutaka Akita.

Cannavaro Beats Buffon to Win Europe’s Top Soccer Player Award (Bloomberg.com)
Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) — Fabio Cannavaro, who captained Italy to soccer’s World Cup title in July, was voted European footballer of the year.

Cup spot secured, USA faces Canada (USA Today)
One down, one to go. Less than 100 hours after securing a berth in the 2007 World Cup, the U.S. women’s soccer team will seek the CONCACAF Gold Cup championship Sunday against Canada. The USA qualified for the World Cup with a 2-0 semifinal victory Wednesday against Mexico.

Long wait begins as national women’s soccer team looks forward to World Cup (Canada.com)
Canada’s Christine Sinclair, center, fights for the ball with USA’s Catherine Whitehill during the second half of their final CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer game in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006.

Nigeria/South Africa: World Cup 2010 Organisers Fuel Doubts (AllAfrica.com)
The media, including numerous representatives of the international press and television, walked out en bloc from a briefing on Tuesday afternoon by the board of directors of the local 2010 World Cup Organizing Committee.

Players compete in World Cup for Blind (AP via Yahoo! News)
The ball at the World Championships of Soccer for the Blind clatters like a rattlesnake’s tail. Fans are barred from cheering too loudly and clear plastic walls keep the players in-bounds. Every four years, players compete for Cup glory in an eight-nation tournament drawing hundreds, not millions, of fans to a game without the noisy hype of media and merchandising. Save for the goalkeepers, all

German Stocks Rise, Led by MAN, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler
Bloomberg - Nov 16, 2006… EM.TV AG (EV4 GY), the media company that owned the merchandising rights for the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament, climbed 29 cents, of 8.2 percent, to 3.83 …

Perhaps Sting should stick to pop
Columbus Dispatch, OH - Nov 12, 2006… But the first and last selections are different versions of a work that the singer s son, Placido Domingo Jr., composed for the 2006 World Cup soccer match. …

After World Cup: Germany’s economy up, but soccer down (China Daily)
More than four months after the World Cup, the German economy is rising, but the same can hardly be said for the country’s soccer.

Canadian women set to face U.S. in Gold Cup final (Canada.com)
Canada’s goalie Erin McLeod (22) joins her teammates Isabelle Morneau (7) Randee Hermus (11) and Candace Chapman as they celebrate after defeating Jamaica, 4-0, is during their CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer semifinal game in Carson, Calif. Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006.

Loud Cheers Banned at Soccer’s Blind World Cup (WPVI-TV Philadelphia)
It’s no ordinary World Cup: the soccer ball sounds like the clatter of a rattlesnake’s tail, fans are barred from cheering too loudly and the sidelines are clear plastic walls meant to keep the players in-bounds.

Germany, post-World Cup: economy up, soccer down (Sports Illustrated)
More than four months after the World Cup, the German economy is rising, but the same can hardly be said for the country’s soccer.

Canada comes up short in Gold Cup final (TSN)
Kristine Lilly scored on a penalty shot in the 30th minute of overtime Sunday to give the United States a 2-1 victory over Canada in the final of the Gold Cup women’s soccer tournment. It was a heartbreaking, overtime loss for the Canadian women who had fought back from an early 1-0 deficit and looked poised to push the game into penalty kicks.

Canadian women defeat Jamaica to clinch berth in women’s soccer World Cup (CP via Yahoo! Canada News)
CARSON, Calif. (CP) - Christine Sinclair scored twice and set up Rhian Wilkinson’s goal early in the second half has Canada defeated Jamaica 4-0 Wednesday night to clinch a berth in the FIFA women’s World Cup of soccer.

Germany 2006: The award winners
Take a look back at the players and teams who claimed the awards on offer at the 2006 FIFA World Cup…

Domestic sport (The West Australian)
Italian soccer great Gianfranco Zola is heading to Sydney - but not to play in the A-League. The former Italian World Cup star has been confirmed to play a one-off match between NSW Premier League clubs Marconi and APIA Leichhardt on Friday, December 29 at Marconi stadium.

Perhaps Sting should stick to pop
Columbus Dispatch, OH - Nov 12, 2006… But the first and last selections are different versions of a work that the singer s son, Placido Domingo Jr., composed for the 2006 World Cup soccer match. …

German Stocks Rise, Led by MAN, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler
Bloomberg - Nov 16, 2006… EM.TV AG (EV4 GY), the media company that owned the merchandising rights for the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament, climbed 29 cents, of 8.2 percent, to 3.83 …