FIFA today (Friday 20 February) kicked off the ticket sales process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with the launch of the first sales phase, which will last from 20 February to 31 March 2009. Tickets for the biggest single-sport event in the world can be requested online via FIFA.com.
South African residents also have the opportunity to register through ticket application forms available at FNB National Bank branches in South Africa, where they will receive a FNB Visa Official Mascot Prepaid Card in exchange for an amount equal to that of the tickets that they apply for.
"The fervour is already palpable within South Africa and all around the world: everyone wants to take part in this extraordinary event. Our ticketing policy has been drawn up to reflect our determination to ensure that FIFA's flagship competition is accessible to all football fans. We hope that you will come and enjoy the game!" said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.
Our ticketing policy has been drawn up to reflect our determination to ensure that FIFA's flagship competition is accessible to all football fans,
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.
"The start of the ticket sales kicks off the chance for fans from all over the world to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a FIFA World Cup match in South Africa. We have strived to give everyone a fair and equal chance to access a ticket, so that that all people around the world have a possibility to enjoy the wonderful celebration that we will have next year," added Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa.
All applicants who register correctly by the end of the first sales period will have an equal opportunity to obtain tickets, as this sales phase is not on a first come, first served basis. A random draw will be conducted on 15 April to determine which applicants receive tickets for oversubscribed matches.
For more information about the ticket sales process, please click on the links on the right-hand panel of this story.
Rating
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Laws of the Game
On 1 July 2008, the new Laws of the Game, modified at the 122nd Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Perthshire, Scotland on 8 March 2008, came into force.
To see the current Laws of your favourite game, click on the link in the "Read more" section below.
Authorised by the International Football Association Board
This booklet may not be reproduced or translated in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of FIFA.
To see the current Laws of your favourite game, click on the link in the "Read more" section below.
Authorised by the International Football Association Board
This booklet may not be reproduced or translated in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of FIFA.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Zakumi - a Mascot with attitude
Zakumi - a Mascot with attitude
So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!
Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.
Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.
He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.
Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!
He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.
Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent
The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.
Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.
"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi
So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!
Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.
Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.
He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.
Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!
He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.
Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent
The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.
Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.
"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi
Bradley brace stuns Mexico
Bradley brace stuns Mexico(FIFA.com) Thursday 12 February 2009
Michael Bradley scored a goal in each half to help the United States beat arch-rivals Mexico 2-0 in Columbus and take an early lead at the top of the CONCACAF standings.
The United States beat ten-man Mexico in a frigid, windswept and soggy Columbus Crew Stadium in central Ohio on Wednesday night. A goal two minutes before the interval from Michael Bradley - son of head coach Bob - had the Americans on their way against their biggest rival in North, Central America and the Caribbean. He repeated the dose with a low drive in the dying moments of the game, to see the Americans take an early lead in top spot of the final round ‘hexagonal' qualifying group for the FIFA World Cup South African 2010™ after matchday one.
The Americans looked the brighter side early on in, hardly slowed down by the soggy pitch and buoyed by the strong support of the 23,776 fans in attendance. Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and the big target man up front, Brian Ching, combined to good effect as the Mexicans looked content to hit out on the occasional break.
On the half hour, Donovan signalled the home side's intent with a well-disguised free-kick that had Oswaldo Sanchez rooted to the spot as the ball spun narrowly past his post. The Americans were steadily improving as the first period wore on and in the 43rd minute they looked like scoring with the best chance up to that point. A fine ball in from the left from Beasley picked out Donovan, who headed back to Clint Dempsey, but Sanchez was at his best to prevent the Fulham striker's shot from bulging the back of the net.
When the US breakthrough finally came it was via a similar pattern. This time Beasley's ball came in from the other side - a corner kick - and it was again headed back across the face of goal by Donovan. Sanchez saved again, this time from Oguchi Onyewu's shot, but Bradley was Johnny-on-the-spot to hammer the bobbled ball home from point-blank range.
When the whistle went for half-time, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men looked a forlorn lot. Down a goal and without Nery Castillo, subbed after a hamstring injury, left no cause for celebration in the Mexican dressing room.
The 65th-minute brought even more consternation for the visitors. After a near miss that should have been an equaliser, a frustrated Rafa Marquez lashed out at American goalkeeper Tim Howard - who had precious little to do up to that point - and was promptly shown a red card.
The Americans took full advantage of their numerical superiority. After captain Carlos Bocanegra cleared off the line with ten minutes to go to keep the 1-0 scoreline safe, Bradley added a stoppage time second to make the scoreline 2-0.
"Obviously it's great to start with a win, especially when it's against our big rivals Mexico," USA boss Bob Bradley said after the game. "I don't think individually we played as well as i would have liked tonight, but we got the job done as a team. Now we need to get better, and we're looking forward to the rematch at the Azteca."
Mexico have now failed to win on US soil in 11 attempts, a period spanning back to 1999. The USA, for their part, have turned Columbus Crew Stadium into a virtual fortress, and are undefeated at the ground.
Michael Bradley scored a goal in each half to help the United States beat arch-rivals Mexico 2-0 in Columbus and take an early lead at the top of the CONCACAF standings.
The United States beat ten-man Mexico in a frigid, windswept and soggy Columbus Crew Stadium in central Ohio on Wednesday night. A goal two minutes before the interval from Michael Bradley - son of head coach Bob - had the Americans on their way against their biggest rival in North, Central America and the Caribbean. He repeated the dose with a low drive in the dying moments of the game, to see the Americans take an early lead in top spot of the final round ‘hexagonal' qualifying group for the FIFA World Cup South African 2010™ after matchday one.
The Americans looked the brighter side early on in, hardly slowed down by the soggy pitch and buoyed by the strong support of the 23,776 fans in attendance. Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and the big target man up front, Brian Ching, combined to good effect as the Mexicans looked content to hit out on the occasional break.
On the half hour, Donovan signalled the home side's intent with a well-disguised free-kick that had Oswaldo Sanchez rooted to the spot as the ball spun narrowly past his post. The Americans were steadily improving as the first period wore on and in the 43rd minute they looked like scoring with the best chance up to that point. A fine ball in from the left from Beasley picked out Donovan, who headed back to Clint Dempsey, but Sanchez was at his best to prevent the Fulham striker's shot from bulging the back of the net.
When the US breakthrough finally came it was via a similar pattern. This time Beasley's ball came in from the other side - a corner kick - and it was again headed back across the face of goal by Donovan. Sanchez saved again, this time from Oguchi Onyewu's shot, but Bradley was Johnny-on-the-spot to hammer the bobbled ball home from point-blank range.
When the whistle went for half-time, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men looked a forlorn lot. Down a goal and without Nery Castillo, subbed after a hamstring injury, left no cause for celebration in the Mexican dressing room.
The 65th-minute brought even more consternation for the visitors. After a near miss that should have been an equaliser, a frustrated Rafa Marquez lashed out at American goalkeeper Tim Howard - who had precious little to do up to that point - and was promptly shown a red card.
The Americans took full advantage of their numerical superiority. After captain Carlos Bocanegra cleared off the line with ten minutes to go to keep the 1-0 scoreline safe, Bradley added a stoppage time second to make the scoreline 2-0.
"Obviously it's great to start with a win, especially when it's against our big rivals Mexico," USA boss Bob Bradley said after the game. "I don't think individually we played as well as i would have liked tonight, but we got the job done as a team. Now we need to get better, and we're looking forward to the rematch at the Azteca."
Mexico have now failed to win on US soil in 11 attempts, a period spanning back to 1999. The USA, for their part, have turned Columbus Crew Stadium into a virtual fortress, and are undefeated at the ground.
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