Minggu, 14 Maret 2010

BARCELONA FOOTBALL CLUB

Full name Futbol Club Barcelona
Nickname(s) L'equip blaugrana (team)
Culers or Culés (supporters)
Blaugranes or Azulgranas (supporters).
Founded November 29, 1899
(as Foot-Ball Club Barcelona)
Ground Camp Nou, Barcelona
(Capacity: 98,772)
President Joan Laporta
Head Coach Josep Guardiola
League La Liga
2008–09 La Liga, 1st
Home colours

Away colours

Third colours
Current season

Futbol Club Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation: [fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish: [ˈfuðβol ˌkluβ barθeˈlona]), also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça (Catalan: [ˈbaɾsə], Spanish: [ˈbarsa]), is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More than a club). The official Barça anthem is El Cant del Barça by Josep Maria Espinàs.

FC Barcelona is one of only three clubs never to have been relegated from La Liga and the most successful club in Spanish football after Real Madrid, having won nineteen La Liga titles, a record twenty-five Spanish Cups, eight Spanish Super Cups, four Eva Duarte Cups and two League Cups. They are also one of the most successful clubs in European football having won fourteen official major trophies in total, including ten UEFA competitions.[1] They have won three UEFA Champions League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups (the forerunner to the UEFA Europa League), three UEFA Super Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 2009, Barcelona became the first club in Spain to win the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. The club is also the only European side to have played continental football in every season since its inception in 1955. FC Barcelona became the first football team ever to win six out of six competitions in a single year thus completing the sextuple, comprising the 2008–09 La Liga, 2008–09 Copa del Rey, 2009 Supercopa de España, 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, 2009 UEFA Super Cup and 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

Barcelona holds a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, with matches between the two teams referred to as "El Clásico". Unlike many other football clubs, the fans of FC Barcelona own and operate the club. The club is the world's second richest football club (€365m) in terms of revenue, only surpassed by Real Madrid.

History
Main article: History of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona in 1903.
Birth of Barcelona (1899-1922)

On 22 October 1899, Joan Gamper placed an advert in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club. A positive response resulted in a meeting at the Gimnasio Solé on November 29 where eleven players attended: Walter Wild, later to become the first director of the club, Lluís d'Ossó, Bartomeu Terradas, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol, Josep Llobet, John Parsons and William Parsons. As a result Foot-Ball Club Barcelona was born.[2]

Legend has it that Gamper was inspired to choose the club blue and red colours by FC Basel's crest. However, the Swiss team Gamper played for, FC Excelsior in his home canton of Zürich, and Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby, Merseyside, England have also been credited with or claimed to be the inspiration.[3] FC Barcelona quickly emerged as one of the leading clubs in Spain, competing in the Campeonato de Cataluña and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya, and also played in the first Copa del Rey final, losing 2–1 to Bizcaya.[4]
Joan Gamper

In 1908, Joan Gamper became club president for the first time as Gamper took over the presidency in order to save the club from disappearing altogether.[2] The club had not won anything since the Campeonato de Cataluña in 1905 and as a result came under financial distress. Gamper was subsequently club president on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925 and spent 25 years at the helm. One of his main achievements was to help Barça acquire its own stadium and thus a way of generating stable income.[2]

On March 14, 1909, the team moved into the Carrer Indústria, a stadium with a capacity of 8,000. Gamper launched a campaign to recruit more club members and by 1922, the club had over 10,000. This led to the club moving again, this time to Las Cortes, which they inaugurated the same year. Las Cortes had an initial capacity of 22,000, which was later expanded to 60,000.[5]

Gamper recruited Jack Greenwell as the first full-time manager in Barcelona's history. This saw the club's fortunes begin to improve on the field. During the Gamper era FC Barcelona won eleven Campeonato de Cataluña, six Copa del Rey and four Coupe de Pyrenées and enjoyed its first "golden age".[4]
Rivera, Republic and Civil War (1923–1957)

On 14 June 1925 in a spontaneous reaction against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the crowd jeered the Royal March.[5] As a reprisal, the ground was closed for six months and Gamper was forced to relinquish the presidency of the club. In 1928, the victory in the Spanish Cup was celebrated with a poem titled "Oda a Platko", which was written by a member of the Generation of '27, inspired by the heroic performance of the Barcelona keeper. On July 30 1930, Gamper committed suicide after a period of depression brought on by personal and money problems.[2]

Although they continued to have players of the standing of Josep Escolà, the club now entered a period of decline, in which political conflict overshadowed sport throughout society. Barça faced a crisis on three fronts: financially, politically and in sporting terms.[5] Although the team won the Campionat de Catalunya in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1938,[4] success at national level (with the exception of the 1937 disputed title) evaded them.

A month after the civil war began, Josep Sunyol was murdered by revolting soldiers near Guadarrama. In the summer of 1937, the squad was on tour in Mexico and the United States, in which it was received as an ambassador of the fighting Second Spanish Republic. That tour led to the financial saving of the club and also resulted in half the team seeking exile in Mexico and France. On 16 March 1938, the fascists dropped a bomb on the club's offices and caused significant destruction. A few months later, Barcelona was under fascist occupation and as a symbol of the 'undisciplined' Catalanism, the club, now down to just 3,486 members, was facing a number of serious problems.[5]

After the Spanish Civil War, the Catalan flag was banned and football clubs were prohibited from using non-Spanish names. These measures led to the club having its name forcibly changed to Club de Fútbol Barcelona and the removal of the Catalan flag from the club shield.[5]

In 1943, Barcelona faced rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals of Copa del Generalísimo. The first match at Les Corts was won by Barcelona 3–0. Before the second leg, Barcelona's players had a changing room visit from Franco's director of state security. He 'reminded' them that they were only playing due to the 'generosity of the regime'. Real Madrid dominated the match, thrashing Barça 11–1.[6] However, the historian Bernardo Salazar interviewed both Josep Escolà and Domènec Balmanya also known as Domingo Balmanya, who were part of the squad back then, and both denied these facts.[5]

Despite the difficult political situation, CF Barcelona enjoyed considerable success during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1945, with Josep Samitier as coach and players like César, Ramallets and Velasco, they won La Liga for the first time since 1929. They added two more titles in 1948 and 1949. In 1949, they also won the first Copa Latina. In June 1950, Barcelona signed Ladislao Kubala, who was to be an influential figure at the club.

On a rainy Sunday of 1951, the crowd left Les Corts stadium after a 2–1 win against Santander by foot, refusing to catch any trams and surprising the Francoist authorities. The reason was simple: at the same time, a tram strike took place in Barcelona, receiving the support of blaugrana fans. Events like this made FC Barcelona represent much more than just Catalonia and many progressive Spaniards see the club as a staunch defender of rights and freedoms.[7]

Coach Fernando Daucik and Ladislao Kubala, regarded by many as the club's best ever player, inspired the team to five different trophies including La Liga, the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa Latina, the Copa Eva Duarte and the Copa Martini Rossi in 1952. In 1953, they helped the club win La Liga and the Copa del Generalísimo again.[5]
Club de Fútbol Barcelona (1957–1974)

With Helenio Herrera as coach, a young Luis Suárez, the European Footballer of the Year in 1960, and two influential Hungarians recommended by Kubala, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor, the team won another national double in 1959 and a La Liga and Fairs Cup double in 1960. In 1961, they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup play-off.[8] To little avail, however, as they lost 3–2 to Benfica in the final.

The 1960s were less successful for the club, with Real Madrid monopolising La Liga. The completion of the Camp Nou, finished in 1957, meant the club had little money to spend on new players.[8] On the upside, the 60's also saw the emergence of Josep Fusté and Carles Rexach and the club winning the Copa del Generalísimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. Barça restored some pride by beating Real Madrid 1–0 in the 1968 Copa del Generalísimo final at the Bernabéu in front of Franco, having Salvador Artigas as coach, a former republican pilot in the civil war. The club changed its official name back to Futbol Club Barcelona in 1974.[9]

The 1973–74 season saw the arrival of a new Barça legend Johan Cruyff. Already an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the Barça fans when he told the European press he chose Barça over Real Madrid because he could not play for a club associated with Francisco Franco.[10][11] He further endeared himself when he chose a Catalan name, Jordi, for his son. Next to players of quality like Juan Manuel Asensi, Carles Rexach and the talented Hugo Sotil, he helped the club win the 1973–74 season for the first time since 1960,[4] defeating Real Madrid 5–0 at the Bernabéu along the way. He was crowned European Footballer of the Year in his first year at the club.[12]
Núñez and the stabilization years (1978–2000)

Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Zubizarreta (C)
Carlos
Koeman
Nando
Ferrer
Bakero
Eusebio
Guardiola
Laudrup
Salinas
Stoichkov
1992 European Cup Final starting lineup

In 1978 Josep Lluís Núñez became the first elected president of FC Barcelona, and since then members of Barcelona has elected the club president. The process of electiog sports presidents was closely tied to Spain's transition to democracy in 1974. His main objective was to develop Barça into a world-class club by giving to it stability both on and off the pitch. His presidency was to last for 22 years and his presidency deeply affected the image of Barcelona.[13]

On May 16 1979, the club won its first Cup Winners Cup by beating Fortuna Düsseldorf 4–3 in Basel in a final was watched by more than 30,000 travelling blaugrana fans.

In June 1982, Diego Maradona was signed for a world record fee of £3 million from Boca Juniors.[14] In the following season, under coach Menotti, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, beating Real Madrid. However, Maradona's time with Barça was short-lived and he soon left for Napoli. At the start of the 1984–85 season, Terry Venables was hired as manager and he won La Liga with stellar displays by German midfielder Bernd Schuster. The next season, he took the team to their second European Cup final, only to lose on penalties to Steaua Bucureşti during a dramatic evening in Seville.[13]

After the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the English top-scorer Gary Lineker was signed along with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta, but the team could not achieve success as Schuster was excluded from the team. Terry Venables was subsequently fired at the beginning of the 1987–88 season and replaced with Luis Aragonés. The season finished with the players rebelling against president Núñez, known as the Hesperia mutiny and the 1–0 victory at the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.[13]
The first UEFA Champions League trophy was won by FC Barcelona in 1992 against U.C. Sampdoria.

In 1988, Johan Cruyff returned to the club as manager and he assembled the so-called Dream Team. He used a mix of Spanish players like Josep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero and Txiki Begiristain while signing international stars such as Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário and Hristo Stoichkov.[15]

Under Cruyff's guidance, Barcelona won four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. They beat Sampdoria in both the 1989 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and the 1992 European Cup final at Wembley with a legendary free kick goal from Dutch international Ronald Koeman. They also won a Copa del Rey in 1990, the European Super Cup in 1992 and three Supercopa de España. With 11 trophies, Cruyff became the club's most successful manager to date. He also became the club's longest consecutive serving manager, serving 8 years.[16] Cruyff's fortune was to change and in his final two seasons he failed to win any trophies and fell out with president Núñez, resulting in his departure.[13]

Cruyff was briefly replaced by Bobby Robson, who took charge of the club for a single season in 1996–97. He recruited Ronaldo from his previous club, PSV and delivered a cup treble winning the Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the Supercopa de España. Despite his success, Robson was only ever seen as a short-term solution, while the club waited for Louis van Gaal to become available.[17]

Like Maradona, Ronaldo only stayed a short time as he left for Internazionale. However, new heroes such as Luís Figo, Patrick Kluivert, Luis Enrique and Rivaldo emerged and the team won a Copa del Rey and La Liga double in 1998. In 1999, the club celebrated its 'centenari', winning the Primera División title and Rivaldo became the fourth Barça player to be awarded European Footballer of the Year. Despite this domestic success, the failure to emulate Real Madrid in the Champions League led to van Gaal and Núñez resigning in 2000.[17]
Exit Núñez, enter Laporta (2000–)

The departures of Núñez and van Gaal were nothing compared to that of Luís Figo. As well as club vice-captain, Figo had become a cult hero and was considered by Catalans to be one of their own. However, Barça fans were distraught by Figo's decision to join arch-rivals Real Madrid and during subsequent visits to the Camp Nou Figo was given an extremely hostile reception, including one occasion, when a piglet's head was thrown at him from the crowd. The next three years saw the club in decline and managers came and went, including a short second spell by Louis van Gaal. President Gaspart did not inspire confidence off the field either and in 2003, he and van Gaal resigned.

Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Valdés
Oleguer
Márquez
Puyol (C)
Gio
Deco
Edmílson
van Bommel
Ronaldinho
Giuly
Eto'o
2006 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup

After the disappointment of the Gaspart era, the combination of a new young president Joan Laporta and a young new manager, former Dutch and Milan star Frank Rijkaard, saw the club bounce back. On the field, an influx of international players, including Ronaldinho, Deco, Henrik Larsson, Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto'o, and Rafael Márquez, combined with home grown Spanish players, such as Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Víctor Valdés, led to the club's return to success.

Barça won La Liga and the Supercopa de España in 2004–05, and stars Ronaldinho and Eto'o were voted first and third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

In the 2005–06 season, Barcelona repeated their league and Supercup successes. The pinnacle of the league season arrived at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in a 3–0 win over Real Madrid, Frank Rijkaard's second victory at the Bernabéu, making him the first Barça manager to win there twice. Ronaldinho's performance was so impressive that after his second, and Barça's third goal the Real Madrid fans felt compelled to applaud him. In the Champions League, Barça beat English club Arsenal 2–1 in the final. Trailing 1–0 to a 10-man Arsenal and with less than 15 minutes left they came back to win 2–1, with substitute Henrik Larsson, in his final appearance for the club, setting up goals for Samuel Eto'o and fellow substitute Juliano Belletti, for the club's first European Cup victory in 14 years.

Despite being the favourites and starting strongly, Barcelona finished the 2006–07 season trophyless. A pre-season US tour was later blamed for a string of injuries to key players, including leading scorer Eto'o and rising star Lionel Messi. There was open feuding as Eto'o publicly criticized coach Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho also admitted that lack of fitness affected his form.[18] In La Liga, Barça were in first place for much of the season, but inconsistency in the New Year saw Real Madrid overtake them to become champions. Barça advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, winning the first leg against Getafe 5–2, with a goal from Messi, bringing comparison to Diego Maradona, but then lost the second leg 4–0. They took part in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup, but were beaten by a late goal in the final against Brazilian sides Internacional. In the Champions League, Barça were knocked out of the competition in the last 16 by eventual runners-up Liverpool on away goals.

Barcelona finished 2007–08 season third in La Liga and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey, both times losing to the eventual champions: Manchester United and Valencia, respectively. The day after a 4–1 defeat to Real Madrid, Joan Laporta announced that Barça B coach Josep Guardiola would take over Frank Rijkaard's duties after June 30.[19]
Sextuple winning year (2009)

Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Valdés
Puyol (C)
Touré
Piqué
Sylvinho
Xavi
Busquets
Iniesta
Henry
Messi
Eto'o
2009 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup

In the pre-season of 2008–09, a motion of no confidence was raised against club president Joan Laporta. The no-confidence motion received 60% support, just short of the 66% required to oust him, prompting eight of the directors to resign.

As well as appointing Guardiola, Laporta also made major changes to the playing staff, selling Gianluca Zambrotta, Deco, Edmílson and Ronaldinho. Nearly €90 million was spent rebuilding the squad, with Begiristain and Laporta purchasing Seydou Keita, Piqué, Martín Cáceres, Dani Alves and Hleb. Despite this, the club retained its home-grown nucleus of players, such as captain Puyol, Messi, Xavi, Víctor Valdés and Iniesta.

On 17 January 2009, Barça set the record for the most points obtained in the first half of a La Liga season (50) after winning 16, drawing two and losing just one of their first 19 league games. The club also reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 1998 after defeating Mallorca in the semi-finals. Six days later, on 23 January, the International organisation IFFHS ranked Barça first in their list of the greatest football clubs of the last 18 years. The All-time Club World Ranking was determined by taking into account all the results of the national championships, the national cup competitions, the club competitions of the six continental confederations and the FIFA.
The Treble trophies – the Spanish Cup, Champions League and La Liga (left to right)

For the second time of the season, Barça played Real Madrid in El Clásico, this time at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Barça won the historic match 2–6, which amounted to the most goals ever scored in El Clásico by Barcelona and the biggest margin of victory for Barça at the Bernabéu since the 1970s, when Johan Cruyff led Barça to win 0–5. On 6 May 2009, just days after the comprehensive victory over their biggest rivals, Barcelona played against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Following a goalless first leg, Chelsea led the second leg at Stamford Bridge 1–0 from the eighth minute, until injury time, when Andrés Iniesta scored a dramatic equaliser in the 93rd minute from the edge of the penalty area, sending Barcelona through to the final on away goals.

On 13 May, Barça beat Athletic Bilbao 4–1 at the Mestalla to win the Copa del Rey for a record 25th time. Just days later, as Real Madrid lost to Villarreal, the domestic double was confirmed for Barcelona and the club was crowned La Liga champions for the 2008–09 season.

With a largely homegrown squad in which seven players of the starting 11 were products of their youth system, Barça defeated the defending champions Manchester United 2–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009, to earn their third UEFA Champions League title and achieve The Treble, having already won the La Liga and Copa del Rey in the same season.[20][21] This was the first time a Spanish team ever completed the treble.[22]


After signing Zlatan Ibrahimović for a club record fee of €69 million,[23] Barça went on to win the 2009 Supercopa de España against Athletic Bilbao (5–1 on aggregate)[24] and the 2009 UEFA Super Cup against FC Shakhtar Donetsk (1–0),[25] becoming the first European club to win both domestic and European Super Cups following a treble. In December 2009, Barça won the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates,[26] thus become the first team ever to accomplish the sextuple.[27][28]
Rivalries
El Clásico
Main article: El Clásico

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barça and Real Madrid is known as El Clásico. From the start, the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and other tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians.

During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco (1939–1975), all regional cultures were openly suppressed (e.g. all the languages spoken in Spanish territory, except Spanish itself, were officially banned).[29][30] Symbolising Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became 'more than a club' (Més que un Club) for the Catalans. According to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, best way for the Catalans' to demonstrate their identity was by joining Barça. It was less risky than joining a clandestine anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.

On the contrary, Real Madrid was widely seen as the embodiment of the sovereign oppressive centralism and the fascist regime at management level and beyond (Santiago Bernabeu, the former club president for whom the Merengues' stadium is named, fought with los nacionales).[31][32] However, during the Spanish Civil War itself, members of both clubs like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra suffered at the hands of Franco supporters.

During the 1950s, the rivalry was exacerbated further when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stéfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in the subsequent success achieved by the club.[33] The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the knock-out stages of the European Cup.
El Derbi Barceloní
Main article: El derbi barcelones

Barça's local rival has always been Espanyol. Blanc-i-blaus, being one of the clubs granted royal patronage, were founded exclusively by Spanish football fans, unlike the multinational nature of Barça's primary board. Their original ground was in the well-off district of Sarrià.[34][35]

Traditionally, especially during the Franco regime, Espanyol was seen by the vast majority of Barcelona's citizens as a club which cultivated a kind of compliance to the central authority, in stark contrast to Barça's revolutionary spirit.[36] Despite this background, the derbi has always been more relevant to Espanyol supporters than Barcelona ones due to the difference in objectives. In recent years, the rivalry has become less political, as Espanyol translated its official name and anthem from Spanish to Catalan.[37]

Though it is the most played local derby in the history of La Liga, it is also the least balanced of them all, with Barcelona being overwhelmingly dominating. In the league table, Espanyol have only managed to end above Barça on three occasions in almost 70 years and even the only all-Catalan Copa del Rey Final in 1957 was won by Barça. Espanyol has, however, the consolation of achieving the largest margin win with a 6–0 in 1951. Espanyol achieved a shock 2–1 win against Barça during the 2008–09 season, becoming the first team to defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou in their treble-winning season.[38]
Records
For more details on this topic, see FC Barcelona statistics.

Migueli presently holds both records for number of total and Liga appearances for Barcelona with a total of 548 games played in total, and 391 in La Liga. This record could be broken by the player with most international caps, Xavi, who as of March 13 2010 has played 342 league games and 513 games in all competitions.[39]

FC Barcelona's all-time highest goalscorer in all competitions (incl. friendlies) is Paulino Alcántara with 357 goals.[39] The record league scorer is Cesár Rodriguez, who scored 195 goals in La Liga between 1942 and 1955, a record not likely to be broken anytime soon, as the current leading league scorer Lionel Messi has scored 73 times in La Liga.[40] Only four people has managed to score over 100 league goals at Barcelona: Cesár Rodriguez (195), Ladislao Kubala (138), Luis Suárez Miramontes (114) and recently departed Samuel Eto'o (107).

On 2 February 2009, Barcelona reached a total of 5000 La Liga goals. The goal was converted by Lionel Messi in a game against Racing Santander, which Barça won 2-1.[41] Later that year, on December 18 2009, Barcelona beat Estudiantes 2-1 to win their sixth title in a year and became the first ever football team to complete the sextuple. Of other title records Barcelona holds the record for most Copa del Rey titles (25) and a joint record with Real Madrid for the most Spanish Supercups with 8 titles.

Barcelona's highest home attendance is 120,000 for a European Cup quarter-final against Juventus on 3 March 1986.[42] The modernisation of Camp Nou during the 1990s and the introduction of all-seater stands mean that the record will not be broken for the foreseeable future as the current legal capacity of Camp Nou is 98,772.[43]
Sponsorship

Since its founding, Barcelona has never worn corporate advertisements on their shirt. On 14 July 2006, the club announced a five year agreement with UNICEF, which includes having the UNICEF logo on their shirts. The agreement has the club donate €1.5 million per year to UNICEF (0.7 per cent of its ordinary income, equal to the UN International Aid Target, cf. ODA) via the FC Barcelona Foundation, and rejecting significant money offers to be the first shirt sponsor of the football team.[44]

The club has done this in order to set up international cooperation programmes for development, supports the UN Millennium Development Goals and has made a commitment to UNICEF's humanitarian aid programs through the donation of one and a half million euro for the next five years.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
1982–1992 Meyba None
1992–1998 Kappa
1998–Present Nike
2006–Present UNICEF
Stadium
A view of Camp Nou's home stand

* Name: Camp Nou
* City: Barcelona
* Capacity: 98,772

* Other Facilities:
o Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (FC Barcelona's training ground)
o La Masia (Residence of young players)
o Mini Estadi
o Palau Blaugrana (FC Barcelona indoor sports arena)
o Palau Blaugrana 2 (Secondary indoor arena of FC Barcelona)
o Palau de Gel
o Barça Parc [45]


Honours
Main article: FC Barcelona honours

All titles won are listed on Barcelona's homepage.[16]
Domestic competitions

* La Liga (19)

* 1928–1929, 1944–1945, 1947–1948, 1948–1949, 1951–1952, 1952–1953, 1958–1959, 1959–1960, 1973–1974, 1984–1985, 1990–1991, 1991–1992, 1992–1993, 1993–1994, 1997–1998, 1998–1999, 2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2008–2009.

* Copa del Rey (25)

* 1909–1910, 1911–1912, 1912–1913, 1919–1920, 1921–1922, 1924–1925, 1925–1926, 1927–1928, 1941–1942, 1950–1951, 1951–1952, 1952–1953, 1956–1957, 1958–1959, 1962–1963, 1967–1968, 1970–1971, 1977–1978, 1980–1981, 1982–1983, 1987–1988, 1989–1990, 1996–1997, 1997–1998, 2008–2009.

* Copa de la Liga (2)

* 1982–1983, 1985–1986.

* Copa Eva Duarte/Supercopa de España (12)

* 1945, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2009.

Major European competitions
See also: FC Barcelona in Europe
Barcelona players celebrating victory in the Champions League 2008–09

* European Cup/ UEFA Champions League (3)

* 1991–1992, 2005–2006, 2008–2009.

* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (4)

* 1978–1979, 1981–1982, 1988–1989, 1996–1997.

* European Fairs Cup (3) (forerunner to the UEFA Europa League)

* 1955–1958, 1958–1960, 1965–1966.

* UEFA Super Cup (3)

* 1992, 1997, 2009.

Major worldwide competitions

* FIFA Club World Cup (1)

* 2009.

Players
Main article: List of FC Barcelona players
For a list of all former and current FC Barcelona players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FC Barcelona footballers.

Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country. Also, players from the ACP countries—countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement—are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the Kolpak ruling.
Current squad
See Barcelona squad 2009–10

As of 2 September 2009.[46] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Country Position Player
1 Spain GK Víctor Valdés (2nd vice-captain)
2 Brazil DF Dani Alves
3 Spain DF Gerard Piqué
4 Mexico DF Rafael Márquez
5 Spain DF Carles Puyol (captain)
6 Spain MF Xavi Hernández (1st vice-captain)
8 Spain MF Andrés Iniesta (3rd vice-captain)
9 Sweden FW Zlatan Ibrahimović
10 Argentina FW Lionel Messi
11 Spain FW Bojan Krkić
13 Spain GK José Manuel Pinto
14 France FW Thierry Henry
15 Mali MF Seydou Keita
16 Spain MF Sergio Busquets
17 Spain FW Pedro Rodríguez
18 Argentina DF Gabriel Milito
19 Brazil DF Maxwell
20 Spain FW Jeffrén Suárez
21 Ukraine DF Dmytro Chygrynskiy
22 France DF Éric Abidal
24 Côte d'Ivoire MF Yaya Touré
27 Madagascar MF Jeremiah Jessandis

Notable players
Main article: List of FC Barcelona legends
Personnel
Current technical staff
Position Staff
Head Coach First Team Spain Josep Guardiola
Assistant Coach Spain Tito Vilanova
Goalkeeping Coach Spain Juan Carlos Unzué
Physical fitness coach Spain Lorenzo Buenaventura
Director of Football Spain Txiki Begiristain
Academy Director Spain José Ramón Alexanko
Head Coach Reserve Team Spain Luis Enrique

Last updated: 17 July 2009
Source: FC Barcelona Official Website
Notable managers

The following managers have all won at least one major trophy when in charge.
Name Period Trophies Total
Domestic International
LC SC SS LC FCWC UCL UCWC ICFC USC
to be assigned
Jack Greenwell (England) 1917–24

Jesza Poszony (hungary) 1924–25

Ralph Kirby (England) 1925–26

Romà Forns (Spain) 1927–29

Joan Josep Nogués (Spain) 1941–44

Josep Samitier (Spain) 1944–47

Enrique Fernández (Spain) 1947–50

Ferdinand Daučík (Czechoslovakia) 1950–54

Domingo Balmanya (Spain) 1956–58

Helenio Herrera (Argentina) 1958–60, 1980–81

Josep Gonzalvo (Spain) 1963

Roque Olsen (Argentina) 1965–67

Salvador Artigas (Spain) 1967–69

Vic Buckingham (England) 1969–71

Rinus Michels (Netherland) 1971–75, 1976–78

Joaquim Rifé (Spain) 1979–80

Udo Lattek (Germany) 1981–83

César Luis Menotti (Argentina) 1983–84

Terry Venables (England) 1984–87

Luis Aragonés (Spain) 1987–88

Johan Cruyff (Netherland) 1988–96

Bobby Robson (England) 1996–97

Louis van Gaal (Netherland) 1997–00, 2002–03

Frank Rijkaard (Netherland) 2003–08

Josep Guardiola (spain) 2008–

Presidents
Current Board of Directors
Joan Laporta, current President.
Office Name
President Spain Joan Laporta
Vice-president, head of social area and spokesperson Spain Alfons Godall
Vice president for marketing and media Spain Jaume Ferrer
Vice president for finance and treasurer Spain Joan Boix
Vice president institutional and assets administration Spain Joan Franquesa
Vice president for sports Spain Rafael Yuste
Secretary Spain Josep Cubells

Last updated: 17 July 2009
Source: FC Barcelona Official Website

Below is the official presidential history of Barcelona, from when Walter Wild took over at the club in 1899, until the present day.[47]

Name Years
England Walter Wild 1899–1901
Spain Bartomeu Terradas 1901–1902
Germany Paul Haas 1902–1903
England Arthur Witty 1903–1905
Spain Josep Soler 1905–1906
Spain Juli Marial 1906–1908
Spain Vicenç Reig 1908
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1908–1909
Germany Otto Gmeling 1909–1910
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1910–1913
Spain Francesc de Moxó 1913–1914
Spain Àlvar Presta 1914
Spain Joaquim Peris de Vargas 1914–1915
Spain Rafael Llopart 1915–1916
Spain Gaspar Rosés 1916–1917
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1917–1919
Spain Ricard Graells 1919–1920

Name Years
Spain Gaspar Rosés 1920–1921
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1921–1923
Spain Eric Cardona 1923–1924
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1924–1925
Spain Arcadi Balaguer 1925–1929
Spain Tomás Rosés 1929–1930
Spain Gaspar Rosés 1930–1931
Spain Antoni Oliver 1931
Spain Joan Coma 1931–1934
Spain Esteve Sala 1934–1935
Spain Josep Sunyol 1935–1936
Managing Commission[48] 1936–1939
Spain Joan Soler 1939–1940
Spain Enrique Piñeyro 1940–1942
SpainJosep Vidal-Ribas 1942
Spain Enrique Piñeyro 1942–1943
Spain Josep Antoni de Albert 1943

Name Years
Spain Josep Vendrell 1943–1946
Spain Agustí Montal Galobart 1946–1952
Spain Enric Martí Carreto 1952–1953
Spain Francesc Miró-Sans 1953–1961
Spain Enric Llaudet 1961–1968
Spain Narcís de Carreras 1968–1969
Spain Agustí Montal Costa 1969–1977
Spain Raimon Carrasco 1977–1978
Spain Josep Lluís Núñez 1978–2000
Spain Joan Gaspart 2000–2003
Spain Enric Reyna 2003
Managing Commission[49] 2003
Spain Joan Laporta 2003–2006
Managing Commission[50] 2006
Spain Joan Laporta 2006–2010

Rabu, 03 Maret 2010

MADAGASCAR NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

Madagascar national football team
Madagascar Nickname(s) Barea
Association Fédération Malagasy de Football (FMF)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Head coach Walter Meeuws (Belgium)
Captain Erym Katiry
Most Caps Habib Thalefa (115)
Top Scorer Erym Katiry (69)
Home stadium Mahamasina Stadium
FIFA code MAD
FIFA ranking 10
Highest FIFA ranking 10 (Februari 2010)
Lowest FIFA ranking 49 (November 1997)
Elo ranking 13
Home colours Green-Green
Away colours White-Red
First international Madagascar 1 - 2 Mauritius
(Madagascar; Date Unknown, 1947)
Biggest win Malagasy Republic 8 - 1 Congo
(Madagascar; April 19, 1960)
Biggest defeat Mauritius 4 - 0 Madagascar
(Réunion; July 31, 1952)
World Cup Appearances 7 (First in 1982)
Best result Quarterfinals, 2006
Africa Cup of Nations Appearances 16 (First in 1974)
Best result Winners, 1998, 2002, 2010
Confederations Cup Appearances 2 (First in 2001)
Best result Winners, 2009


The Madagascar national football team, nicknamed the Barea (a species of zebu that is depicted on the country's coat of arms),[1] is the national team of Madagascar and is controlled by the Fédération Malagasy de Football. It has never qualified for the finals of the World Cup or the African Nations Cup. Among its biggest wins was a 1-0 home victory over Egypt in the qualification rounds of the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Reflecting the official name of the country at the time, the team was known as the Malagasy Republic national football team between 1958 and 1975.


Madagascar Football Achievements

Indian Ocean Games :
* Champion (1990, 1993)

COSAFA Cup
* Champion (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010)

World Cup record
* 1930 to 1970 - Did not enter
* 1974 - Withdrew
* 1978 - Did not enter
* 1982 - Round 1
* 1986 - Round 1
* 1990 - Round 1
* 1994 - Round 1
* 1998 - Round 1
* 2002 - Round 1
* 2006 - Round 2

African Nations Cup record
* 1957 to 1970 - Did not enter
* 1972 - Did not qualify
* 1974 - Round 1
* 1976 - Round 1
* 1978 - Round 1
* 1980 - Semi-Final
* 1982 - Semi- Final
* 1984 - Quarter-Final
* 1986 - Round 1
* 1988 - Quarter-Final
* 1990 - 2nd Place
* 1992 - 3rd Place
* 1994 - Semi-Final
* 1996 - 2nd Place
* 1998 - Champion
* 2000 - 2nd Place
* 2002 - Champion
* 2004 - Quarter-Final
* 2006 - 2nd Place
* 2008 - 3rd Place
* 2010 - Champion

Confederation Cup Records
* 1992 to 1997 - Did not qualifying
* 1999 - Round 1
* 2001 - Did not qualifying
* 2003 - Round 1
* 2005 - Round 1
* 2009 - Champion

Olympic Games :
* 1 Time Gold Medalist (2000)


CURRENT SQUAD.
The following players were called up for the 2010 CAF African Nations Cup Angola on January, 2009.
No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
1 GK Habib Thalefa 23 August 1976 115 0 Dundee United
2 DF Marasy Madeputo 3 May 1986 36 10 Inter Milan
3 DF Christophe Lasanga 14 April 1983 7 1 Mamelodi Sundows
4 MF Kerry Kelchious 7 November 1983 45 16 Real Salt Lake
5 DF Edwin Sadounga 1 March 1980 59 2 Bordeaux
6 DF Franck Niamey 5 June 1985 3 0 Blackpool
7 MF Emile Kafouka 16 February 1984 43 18 Ajax
8 FW Pierre Ghourte 11 December 1987 4 2 Kaizer Chiefs
9 FW Benjamin Epousa 7 January 1987 31 20 FC Dallas
10 FW Erym Katiry 20 November 1977 110 69 Lille
11 MF Gael Goluar 8 May 1985 33 12 Adelaide United
12 DF Marion Mansou 27 June 1982 24 2 Wollongong United
13 GK Gossy Goypan 17 October 1978 4 0 Standard Liege
14 FW Coby Ifrasou 15 July 1989 3 1 Orlando Pirates
15 MF Olafuani Ogunlaya 4 March 1983 24 7 Bayer Leverkusen
16 DF Tobias Malandenga 29 April 1988 2 0 TP Mazembe
17 MF Yves Aketaly 23 January 1982 35 11 Monaco
18 MF Jeremiah Jessandis 28 March 1984 39 21 FC Barcelona
19 DF Richard Quastrell 11 March 1984 7 0 Leeds United
20 FW Maory Pirtaovy 15 June 1989 1 0 Tolagnaro
21 MF Mavousir Medgour 24 December 1980 1 0 AS Adema
22 GK Alain Alupara 6 November 1983 0 0 Varatraza Antsohihy
23 DF Sylvain Zalary 26 September 1990 2 0 Al Rayyan

Recent Call Ups.
No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
3 DF Aurelien Adrianoura 18 September 1985 34 6 FC Copenhagen
6 DF Yannar Barloufe 22 October 1984 43 1 Anderlecht
8 FW Renato Rikhamso 27 May 1983 42 23 AA Gent
11 MF Jeremy Fakabine 29 September 1981 6 0 AJS Ambodifataka
12 DF Nicolas Kepa 6 August 1989 1 0 Cannes
DF Yarain Yataisu 4 February 1982 1 0 Geylang United
13 GK Thomas Rayfun 14 August 1985 3 0 Bloemfontein Celtics
14 MF Jules Ritasvaovy 7 December 1984 1 0 3FB Fandriana
15 MF Jacques Asadiako 30 July 1979 2 0 Varatraza Antsohihy
MF Emmanuel Talay 5 April 1987 2 0 Groningen
16 DF Yannick Kasray 12 May 1980 19 1 RFM Andry
17 MF Aime Ayika 13 April 1989 3 1 Sivasspor
18 MF Bernard Ugayita 10 October 1984 3 0 FC Imango
19 FW Emerse Chamta 3 July 1983 2 0 FC Imango
DF Gabrielle Loumire 30 August 1987 4 0 Shenzhen Jianlibao
20 FW Gilbert Esayinga 7 June 1980 25 4 3FB Vatovavy
FW Roland Maylis 28 June 1990 1 0 FC Basel
21 MF Franck Isame 11 November 1978 39 7 Academie Ny Antsika
MF Romeo Mayindiva 1 December 1988 4 0 Eintrach Frankfurt
22 GK Hassan Bemiasu 5 August 1977 17 0 Empoli
GK Orlando Oyun 17 April 1988 0 0 Leicester City
23 MF Joel Kabingadi 19 May 1983 1 0 Al Khor

Description: The bold are the names selected for the World Cup in 2010.

Managers
1960-67, 1973-74 Henry Varlautte (Prancis)
1967-73 Theodore Malaobetsy
1975-86 Gervais Gummam (Prancis)
1986-90 Anthony M. Zwaaldran (Belgia)
1990-94 Wladislaw Katkowsky (Polandia)
1994-98 Fritzgolt Hofschicker (Jerman)
1998-01 Sedravaiso Saluamenga
2001- Walter Meeuws (Belgia)

Selasa, 02 Maret 2010

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

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2010 FIFA World Cup
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This article is semi-protected.
"2010 World Cup" redirects here. For other competitions of this name, see 2010 World Cup (disambiguation).
For the video game based on this competition, see 2010 FIFA World Cup (video game).
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country South Africa
Dates 11 June – 11 July
Teams 32 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s) 10 (in 9 host cities)
← 2006
2014 →

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.

This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.
Contents
[hide]

Host selection
Main article: FIFA World Cup hosts

Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a new policy to rotate the event among football confederations (which was later abandoned in October 2007). Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup:

* Egypt
* Libya / Tunisia (co-hosting)
* Morocco
* South Africa

Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya's solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.

After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich. South Africa was awarded the rights to host the tournament, defeating Morocco and Egypt.[1]
Voting Results
Country Votes
South Africa 14
Morocco 10
Egypt 0

* Tunisia withdrew on 8 May 2004 after joint bidding was not allowed
* Libya bid was rejected: bid did not meet the list of requirements and joint bidding was not allowed

Qualification
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

As the host nation, South Africa qualifies automatically for the tournament. However, South Africa did participate in World Cup qualifiers because the CAF qualifiers also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. They were the first host since 1934 to participate in preliminary qualifying. As happened in the previous tournament, the defending champions were not given an automatic berth, and Italy had to participate in qualification.

The qualification draw for the 2010 World Cup was held in Durban, South Africa, on 25 November 2007.
List of qualified teams

The following 32 teams qualified for the final tournament.

AFC (4)

* Australia
* Japan
* Korea DPR
* Korea Republic

CAF (5+1)

* Algeria
* Cameroon
* Côte d'Ivoire
* Ghana
* Nigeria
* South Africa (hosts)



CONCACAF (3)

* Honduras
* Mexico
* United States

CONMEBOL (5)

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Chile
* Paraguay
* Uruguay

OFC (1)

* New Zealand



UEFA (13)

* Denmark
* England
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Switzerland


Qualified countries in green

This is the first World Cup with no debutant associations, although two of the qualifiers (Slovakia and Serbia) have previously appeared only as parts of former competing nations. In both cases FIFA considers these teams to have retained the earlier nations' records.
Qualification controversies

Controversy surrounded several of the final qualification matches in November 2009.
Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: Ireland requests replay of FIFA World Cup play-off with France
Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: FIFA to make changes after Thierry Henry handball

In the second leg of the play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland French captain Thierry Henry, unseen by the referee, illegally handled the ball in the lead up to the winning goal, which saw France make the final 32 teams ahead of Ireland. The incident caused widespread debate on FIFA Fair Play, and how matches should be refereed at the highest level. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) requested a replay on grounds of fairness, but this was denied by FIFA under the Laws of the Game.[2] A widely reported later request by Ireland to be included as an unprecedented 33rd World Cup entrant was later withdrawn by the FAI, and dismissed by the FAI as peripheral to their other more substantial petitions for change in world football made to FIFA. [3] [4]

Costa Rica also complained over Uruguay's winning goal in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff.[5]

There was crowd trouble around two matches between Egypt and Algeria, with the Algerian team bus stoned before the first in Cairo, and reports of Egyptian fans ambushed after the second in Khartoum, Sudan. Local media made lurid reports, and diplomatic relations between the countries nosedived.

In response to the incidents during qualification, and to a match fixing controversy, on 2 December 2009 FIFA called for an extraordinary general meeting of their Executive Committee. After the meeting, FIFA announced that they would be setting up an inquiry into technology and extra officials in the game, but they did not announce the widely-expected move of fast-tracking the introduction of goal-line referee's assistants, already being trialled in the Europa League, and instead restated that the competition in South Africa would be officiated as before, with just one referee, two assistants, and a fourth official.[6] On the subject of fair Play, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said:

I appeal to all the players and coaches to observe this fair play. In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball but has social and cultural value...So we ask the players 'please observe fair play' so they will be an example to the rest of the world[7]

Prize money and club payments

The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA as $420 million, a 60 per cent increase on the 2006 tournament.[8] Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million. Thereafter, the prize money would be distributed as follows:[8]

* $9 million - Round of 16
* $18 million - Quarter-finals
* $20 million - Semi-finals
* $24 million - Runners up
* $30 million - Winners

In a first for the World Cup, there would also be payments made by FIFA to the domestic clubs of the players representing their national teams at the tournament. This would see a total of €26 million being paid to domestic clubs, amounting to just over €1,000 per player per day. [9]

This was the result of an agreement reached in 2008 between FIFA and European clubs to disband the G-14 and drop their claims for compensation dating back to 2005 over the financial cost of injuries sustained to their players while on international duty, such as that from Belgian club Charleroi S.C. for injury to Morroco's Abdelmajid Oulmers in a friendly game in 2004, and from English club Newcastle United for an injury to England's Michael Owen in the 2006 World Cup.[10][11][12]
Mascot
Zakumi, the mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is Zakumi (born 16 June 1994 (1994-06-16) (age 15)), an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair. His name comes from "ZA", the international abbreviation for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages.[13] The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.

Zakumi's birthdate coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa and their second group match. The year 1994 marks the first non-racial nationwide elections in South Africa. He will turn 16 in 2010.[14]

The Zakumi's official motto is: "Zakumi's game is Fair Play." The motto was seen in the digital advertisement boards during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and it will also appear at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[14]
Match ball
Main article: Adidas Jabulani
Jabulani, the official match ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be named the "Jabulani", made by Adidas, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu. The number eleven plays a prominent role in the new technologically advanced ball: it is the eleventh World Cup match ball made by the German sports equipment maker; it features eleven colours, one for each player on the pitch; and there are eleven official languages of South Africa. Also, the event will start on the eleventh day of June and end on the eleventh day of July.[15]

There have already been critics on the ball. FC Barcelona's goalkeeper, Víctor Valdés, said: "I'm scared about the ball, it's unpredictable".[16]
Venues
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In 2005, the organisers released a provisional list of thirteen venues to be used for the World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (two venues), Kimberley, Nelspruit, Orkney, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg. This was narrowed down to ten venues[17] which were officially announced by FIFA on 17 March 2006:
Johannesburg Durban Cape Town Johannesburg Pretoria
Soccer City Moses Mabhida Stadium Cape Town Stadium Ellis Park Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium
26°14′5.27″S 27°58′56.47″E / 26.2347972°S 27.9823528°E / -26.2347972; 27.9823528 (Soccer City) 29°49′46″S 31°01′49″E / 29.82944°S 31.03028°E / -29.82944; 31.03028 (Moses Mabhida Stadium) 33°54′12.46″S 18°24′40.15″E / 33.9034611°S 18.4111528°E / -33.9034611; 18.4111528 (Cape Town Stadium) 26°11′51.07″S 28°3′38.76″E / 26.1975194°S 28.0607667°E / -26.1975194; 28.0607667 (Ellis Park Stadium) 25°45′12″S 28°13′22″E / 25.75333°S 28.22278°E / -25.75333; 28.22278 (Loftus Versfeld Stadium)
Capacity: 91,141 Capacity: 70,000 Capacity: 69,070 Capacity: 62,567 Capacity: 51,760
Soccer City in Johannesburg.jpg Moses Mabhida World Cup Stadium.jpg CTS01.JPG Ellis Park Stadium 2009.jpg Loftus Versfeld - Pretoria.jpg
Port Elizabeth Bloemfontein Polokwane Nelspruit Rustenburg
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Free State Stadium Peter Mokaba Stadium Mbombela Stadium Royal Bafokeng Stadium
33°56′16″S 25°35′56″E / 33.93778°S 25.59889°E / -33.93778; 25.59889 (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium) 29°07′02.25″S 26°12′31.85″E / 29.1172917°S 26.2088472°E / -29.1172917; 26.2088472 (Free State Stadium) 23°55′29″S 29°28′08″E / 23.924689°S 29.468765°E / -23.924689; 29.468765 (Peter Mokaba Stadium) 23°55′29″S 29°28′08″E / 23.9247°S 29.4688°E / -23.9247; 29.4688 (Mbombela Stadium) 25°34′43″S 27°09′39″E / 25.5786°S 27.1607°E / -25.5786; 27.1607 (Royal Bafokeng Stadium)
Capacity: 48,000 Capacity: 48,000 Capacity: 46,000 Capacity: 43,500 Capacity: 42,000
View of Nelson Mandela Stadium.jpg South Africa-Bloemfontein-Free State Stadium01.jpg Estadio Peter Mokaba.JPG Seats and field of Mbombela Stadium.jpg Royal Bafokeng Stadium.jpg

South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
Durban
Port Elizabeth
Rustenburg
Nelspruit
Pretoria
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Polokwane
Preparations

Five new stadiums have been built for the tournament (three new match venues and two new practice grounds), and five of the existing venues are to be upgraded. Construction costs are expected to be R8.4bn.[18]

In addition to the stadiums being built and upgraded, South Africa is also planning to improve its current public transport infrastructure within the various cities, with projects such as the Gautrain and the new Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) titled Rea Vaya.[19] Danny Jordaan, the president of the 2010 World Cup organising committee, has said that he expects all stadiums for the tournament to be completed by October 2009.[20]

The country is also going to implement special measures to ensure the safety and security of local and international tourists attending the matches in accordance with standard FIFA requirements,[21] including a temporary restriction of flight operation in the airspace surrounding the stadiums.[22]
Construction strike

70,000 construction workers[23] who were supposed to be working on the new stadiums walked off their jobs on 8 July 2009. The majority of the workers receive R2500 per month (about £192, €224 or $313), but the unions allege that some workers are grossly underpaid – some receiving as little as R40 (£3.11) a week. A spokesperson for the National Union of Mineworkers said to the SABC that the "no work no pay" strike will go on until FIFA assesses penalties on the organisers. Other unions threatened to strike into 2011. The World Cup organising committee downplayed the strike and expressed confidence that the stadiums will be ready.[24][25][26]
Relocation rumours
Fans celebrating the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa (Camps Bay, Cape Town)

During 2006 to 2007, rumours circulated in various news sources that the 2010 World Cup could be moved to another country.[27][28] Some people, including Franz Beckenbauer, Horst R. Schmidt and, reportedly, some FIFA executives, expressed concern over the planning, organisation, and pace of South Africa’s preparations.[27][29] However, FIFA officials repeatedly expressed their confidence in South Africa as host, and stated that the event will not be moved, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter re-iterating that "Plan A... Plan B... Plan C is that the 2010 World Cup will be staged in South Africa".[30][31] Blatter stated that there is a contingency plan to hold the World Cup elsewhere but only in the event of a natural catastrophe, and that the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany also had a similar contingency plan.[31][32][33]

Despite reassurances by FIFA that the event would only be moved in the case of natural catastrophe, rumours continued to circulate about possible relocation of the event.[34] These rumours were criticised by South Africa's Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi, saying that some have targeted the event to reflect their persistent negativity towards South Africa and Africa.[35]
Controversies

As with many 'hallmark events' throughout the world,[36] the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been connected to evictions[37][38] which many claim are meant to 'beautify the city', impress visiting tourists, and hide shackdwellers. On 14 May 2009, Durban-based shack-dwellers took the KwaZulu-Natal government to court over their controversial Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act, meant to eliminate slums in South Africa and put homeless shackdwellers in transit camps in time for the 2010 World Cup.[39][40] They have gained a lot of publicity for their efforts even in the international media.[41][42][43]

The most prominent controversy surrounding preparations for the World Cup is the N2 Gateway housing project in Cape Town, which plans to remove over 20,000 residents from Joe Slovo Informal Settlement along the busy N2 Freeway and build rental flats and bond houses in its place in time for the 2010 World Cup.[44] The residents would be moved to the poverty stricken Delft township on the outskirts of the city and out of sight from the N2 Freeway.[45][46][47]

In July 2009, South Africa was hit with rolling protests by poor communities who demanded access to basic services, jobs, adequate housing and the democratisation of service delivery. These protests have been linked to the World Cup as protesters complain that public funds are being diverted away from social issues to build stadiums and upgrade airports.[48] [49]

Tournament organiser Danny Jordaan dismissed concerns that the terrorist attack on the Togo national team which took place in Angola in January 2010, had any relevance to the security arrangements for the World Cup.[50]
Final Draw
See also: 2010 FIFA World Cup seeding

The FIFA Organising Committee approved the procedure for the Final Draw on 2 December 2009. The seeding was based on the October 2009 FIFA World Ranking and seven squads joined hosts South Africa as seeded teams for the Final Draw. The committee also approved the composition of the other pots as well as the procedure for the final draw. Pot 2 was composed of teams from Asia, Oceania, and North and Central America and the Caribbean. Pot 3 included teams from Africa and South America. Pot 4 had the remaining European teams.

Hosts South Africa was automatically positioned as A1; the other seeded teams were drawn into the other groups B–H, but were always in position 1 of their group. Groups were drawn from A to H and the positions in the group were drawn for Pots 2 to 4. Geographical criteria also were respected, meaning that no two teams from the same confederation were drawn in the same group (except European teams, where a maximum of two will be in a group); i.e., South Africa cannot play the African teams from Pot 3 and Argentina and Brazil cannot be drawn against the three remaining South American teams. The first two African teams drawn from Pot 3 are placed with Argentina and Brazil. Similarly, hosts South Africa may not be paired with any of the other African nations (also placed in Pot 3).[51]
Pot 1 (Host & Top seven) Pot 2 (Asia, North America & Oceania) Pot 3 (Africa & South America) Pot 4 (Europe)

South Africa
Brazil
Spain
Netherlands
Italy
Germany
Argentina
England


Australia
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Honduras
Mexico
United States
New Zealand


Algeria
Cameroon
Côte d'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Chile
Paraguay
Uruguay


Denmark
France
Greece
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland

The group draw was staged in Cape Town, South Africa, at 19:00 (UTC+2) on 4 December 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.[52] The ceremony was presented by South African actress Charlize Theron, assisted by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.[53] The balls were drawn by English football star David Beckham and African sporting figures Haile Gebreselassie, John Smit, Makhaya Ntini, Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu.[54]
Referees

FIFA selected the following referees to work the World Cup:[55]

AFC
Saudi Arabia Khalil Al Ghamdi
Uzbekistan Ravshan Irmatov
Malaysia Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh
Japan Yuichi Nishimura

CAF
Algeria Mohamed Benouza
Mali Koman Coulibaly
South Africa Jerome Damon
Seychelles Eddy Maillet

CONCACAF
El Salvador Joel Aguilar
Mexico Benito Archundia
Guatemala Carlos Batres
Mexico Marco Antonio Rodríguez



CONMEBOL
Paraguay Carlos Amarilla
Argentina Hector Baldassi
Uruguay Jorge Larrionda
Chile Pablo Pozo
Colombia Oscar Ruiz
Brazil Carlos Simon

OFC
New Zealand Michael Hester
New Zealand Peter O'Leary

UEFA
Portugal Olegario Benquerenca
Switzerland Massimo Busacca
Belgium Frank De Bleeckere
Sweden Martin Hansson
Hungary Viktor Kassai
France Stephane Lannoy
Italy Roberto Rosetti
Germany Wolfgang Stark
Spain Alberto Undiano Mallenco
England Howard Webb

Matches
See also: 2010 FIFA World Cup schedule

All times are South African Standard Time (UTC+2)
Group stage

In the following tables:

* Pld = total games played
* W = total games won
* D = total games drawn (tied)
* L = total games lost
* GF = total goals scored (goals for)
* GA = total goals conceded (goals against)
* GD = goal difference (GF−GA)
* Pts = total points accumulated

The teams placed first and second (shaded in green) qualified to the round of 16.
Tie-breaking criteria

For the World Cup tournament, FIFA uses the following criteria to rank teams in the Group Stage.[56]

1. greatest number of points in all group matches;
2. goal difference in all group matches;
3. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
4. greatest number of points in matches between tied teams;
5. goal difference in matches between tied teams;
6. greatest number of goals scored in matches between tied teams;
7. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee or play-off depending on time schedule.

Group A
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




11 June 2010
South Africa Match 1 Mexico Soccer City, Johannesburg
Uruguay Match 2 France Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
16 June 2010
South Africa Match 17 Uruguay Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
17 June 2010
France Match 20 Mexico Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
22 June 2010
Mexico Match 33 Uruguay Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
France Match 34 South Africa Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Group B
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group B
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Korea Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Greece 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




12 June 2010
Korea Republic Match 3 Greece Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Argentina Match 4 Nigeria Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
17 June 2010
Argentina Match 18 Korea Republic Soccer City, Johannesburg
Greece Match 19 Nigeria Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
22 June 2010
Nigeria Match 35 Korea Republic Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Greece Match 36 Argentina Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Group C
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Algeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Slovenia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




12 June 2010
England Match 5 United States Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
13 June 2010
Algeria Match 6 Slovenia Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
18 June 2010
Slovenia Match 22 United States Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
England Match 23 Algeria Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
23 June 2010
Slovenia Match 37 England Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
United States Match 38 Algeria Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Group D
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group D
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ghana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




13 June 2010
Serbia Match 7 Ghana Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Germany Match 8 Australia Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
18 June 2010
Germany Match 21 Serbia Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
19 June 2010
Ghana Match 25 Australia Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
23 June 2010
Ghana Match 39 Germany Soccer City, Johannesburg
Australia Match 40 Serbia Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Group E
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group E
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Denmark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cameroon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




14 June 2010
Netherlands Match 9 Denmark Soccer City, Johannesburg
Japan Match 10 Cameroon Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
19 June 2010
Netherlands Match 24 Japan Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Cameroon Match 26 Denmark Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
24 June 2010
Denmark Match 43 Japan Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Cameroon Match 44 Netherlands Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Group F
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Slovakia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




14 June 2010
Italy Match 11 Paraguay Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
15 June 2010
New Zealand Match 12 Slovakia Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
20 June 2010
Slovakia Match 27 Paraguay Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Italy Match 28 New Zealand Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
24 June 2010
Slovakia Match 41 Italy Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Paraguay Match 42 New Zealand Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Group G
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group G
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Korea DPR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Côte d'Ivoire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




15 June 2010
Côte d'Ivoire Match 13 Portugal Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Brazil Match 14 Korea DPR Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
20 June 2010
Brazil Match 29 Côte d'Ivoire Soccer City, Johannesburg
21 June 2010
Portugal Match 30 Korea DPR Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
25 June 2010
Korea DPR Match 45 Côte d'Ivoire Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Portugal Match 46 Brazil Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Group H
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H
Team
v • d • e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0




16 June 2010
Honduras Match 15 Chile Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Spain Match 16 Switzerland Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
21 June 2010
Chile Match 31 Switzerland Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Spain Match 32 Honduras Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
25 June 2010
Chile Match 47 Spain Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Switzerland Match 48 Honduras Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Knockout stage
Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final

26 June – Port Elizabeth
Winners of Group A
2 July – Johannesburg
Runners-up of Group B
Winners of Match 49
26 June – Rustenburg
Winners of Match 50
Winners of Group C
6 July – Cape Town
Runners-up of Group D
Winners of Match 58
28 June – Durban
Winners of Match 57
Winners of Group E
2 July – Port Elizabeth
Runners-up of Group F
Winners of Match 53
28 June – Johannesburg
Winners of Match 54
Winners of Group G
11 July – Johannesburg
Runners-up of Group H
Winners of Match 61
27 June – Johannesburg
Winners of Match 62
Winners of Group B
3 July – Cape Town
Runners-up of Group A
Winners of Match 52
27 June – Bloemfontein
Winners of Match 51
Winners of Group D
7 July – Durban
Runners-up of Group C
Winners of Match 59
29 June – Pretoria
Winners of Match 60 Third place
Winners of Group F
3 July – Johannesburg 10 July – Port Elizabeth
Runners-up of Group E
Winners of Match 55 Losers of Match 61
29 June – Cape Town
Winners of Match 56 Losers of Match 62
Winners of Group H

Runners-up of Group G
Round of 16
26 June 2010
16:00
Winners of Group A Match 49 Runners-up of Group B Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

26 June 2010
20:30
Winners of Group C Match 50 Runners-up of Group D Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

27 June 2010
16:00
Winners of Group D Match 51 Runners-up of Group C Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

27 June 2010
20:30
Winners of Group B Match 52 Runners-up of Group A Soccer City, Johannesburg

28 June 2010
16:00
Winners of Group E Match 53 Runners-up of Group F Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

28 June 2010
20:30
Winners of Group G Match 54 Runners-up of Group H Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

29 June 2010
16:00
Winners of Group F Match 55 Runners-up of Group E Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

29 June 2010
20:30
Winners of Group H Match 56 Runners-up of Group G Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Quarter-finals
2 July 2010
16:00
Winners of Match 53 Match 57 Winners of Match 54 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

2 July 2010
20:30
Winners of Match 49 Match 58 Winners of Match 50 Soccer City, Johannesburg

3 July 2010
16:00
Winners of Match 52 Match 59 Winners of Match 51 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

3 July 2010
20:30
Winners of Match 55 Match 60 Winners of Match 56 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Semi-finals
6 July 2010
20:30
Winners of Match 58 Match 61 Winners of Match 57 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

7 July 2010
20:30
Winners of Match 59 Match 62 Winners of Match 60 Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Third place play-off
10 July 2010
20:30
Losers of Match 61 Match 63 Losers of Match 62 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Final
11 July 2010
20:30
Winners of Match 61 Match 64 Winners of Match 62 Soccer City, Johannesburg

In video games

In PlayStation Home, Sony has released a virtual space based on the FIFA 2010 World Cup in the Japanese version of Home on December 3, 2009. This virtual space is called the "FevaArena Lounge" and features an area for events, and area for presentations, a shop, a cafe-like area on the second floor and a quiz of FIFA.[57]

On 26 January 2010, EA Sports announced that they were making the official 2010 World Cup video game.[58]