Move aside Bafana Bafana. The world has a new favourite South African team, and their name is Vakhegula Vakhegula, which means “Grannies” in the local Xitsonga dialect. Why? Because they’re a team of grandmothers of course, ranging in age from 40somethinng to 80something and competing in an eight team local league in around the Nkowankowa [...]

There was a time when the names Diego Armando Maradona, Carlos Bilardo and the Argentine National team were synonymous with success. The magical run to the 1986 World Cup made both men house hold names in the sport, and heroes back home.
Boy, does that seem like a life time ago.

Big day for the big guns today. Italy booked their tickets to the big party in South Africa next summer, with a draw against the Republic of Ireland (who now are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs). A late, late Alberto Gilardino goal denied Ireland a famous victory, and gave Italy [...]

That goal could prove to be pretty important in terms of World Cup Qualifying. Egypt needed a win to stay in the hunt for 2010, and they got that win thanks to that fabulous strike. What it means, is that there will be a HUGE match between Egypt and Algeria on Wednesday. [...]

So a lot of the talk this week has been all about how we might be witnessing a World Cup in 2010 without Cristiano Ronaldo, or for that matter Lionel Messi. Its pretty unthinkable to imagine a World Cup without the two best players on the planet, but it could happen.
And while both Messi [...]

Construction work on South Africa’s World Cup 2010 stadiums will soon get going again, as the National Union of Mineworkers (which also includes construction workers) claims to have reached an agreement with the companies about their disputed pay increase:
“The strike is over,” said Lesiba Seshoka, spokesman for the NUM. “We got a good offer.”

Abedi Pele seems to think so, and he offers up some very fair points in the process.
It’s no secret that the host continent typically provides the winner. In fact only Brazil & Argentina have won it outside South America, and Argentina’s victory was still in the Americas, in Mexico. And it’s also no secret [...]

It’s June 11th 2009 and on June 11th, 2010, the World Cup will kick off in South Africa. Thus the South Africans decided to throw a little soiree for the one year countdown at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town. South African prez Jacob Zuma was there, along with various dignitaries and people who either put [...]

This picture is both a brilliant jab at a certain Portuguese winger by Albanian fans at the weekend’s qualifier and a stern reminder to the Portugal team that the name on your kit alone won’t book your ticket to South Africa, as spots for next summer’s tournament begun dropping off this weekend.
Most of the big [...]