Davide Somma Pic: Sowetan

The Bafana Bafana vs Egypt match will be live on SABC on  Sunday 5 June at 8.30 pm.

That is good news because  the Boys need to know that all their fans are watching and cheering them on in this important AFCON qualifier against the Pharoes at the Cairo Military Academy Stadium .

CAF 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier

Record seven-time champions Egypt face a fight for CAF Africa Cup of Nations survival this weekend. Bottom-of-the-table Egypt host Group G pacesetters South Africa in Cairo desperate to avenge a 1-0 loss in Johannesburg three months ago and avoid the humiliation of becoming the first title holders not to reach the finals.Egypt have just one point from a possible nine after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Sierra Leone in Cairo and losing in Niger and South Africa.

Pitso Mosimane Won’t Change Tactics

According to Football 365, Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed he will not change his tactics if Steven Pienaar is ruled out against Egypt.

Mosimane will wait until the last minute before deciding whether or not to gamble with the Tottenham man’s fitness, but admits he will not change his game plan even if Pienaar is unavailable.

“I am sticking to my original tactics even if Pienaar does not play,” he said. “It is too late to change anything now.

Attacking Bafana Bafana Line-up

Something that will make Bafana Bafana fans happy is the fact that Mosimane also revealed he will field an attacking line-up at the Cairo Military Academy Stadium despite the fact they can eliminate their opponents by simply avoiding defeat.

Frontman Davide Somma

Part of that line up is Leeds front man Davide Somma who has been part of the Bafana Bafana set up since November last year. This is his first trip to Egypt.

He spoke to Football 365,”I think we did well to beat them at Ellis Park and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do the same there.

“In the past we have had difficulties against them, but the coach has conditioned us well.

“I also love the spirit in the camp which is teeming with talented players.”

A win for Bafana Bafana would push them one step closer to qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations, with two matches left to play.

Vuvuzela South Africa is back – after an agonizing four months “off the air” we are up and running just in time to blow our vuvuzelas for the boys when they run onto the pitch against Egypt.

Our new coach, Pitso Mosimane seems to be doing us proud and has taken Bafana Bafana up the Fifa Coca Cola World Rankings, where South Africa now  at No 38 and molving up. Will this be the year that South Africa  win the Africa Cup of Nations?

Steven Pienaar image Safa

Bafana Bafana vs Kenya is going to  be one of those matches where the boys are quick out of the starting block – according to coach Pitso Mosimane.

The encounter against the Harambee Stars will be the coach’s last chance to see his team in competitive action ahead of next month’s crucial African Nations Cup qualifier with Egypt.

Looks like Steven Pienaar is the “face” of tonight’s Bafana Bafana clash against Kenya at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 20H35.

Schillo who seems to have recovered from a head injury runs onto the pitch as vice captain and is hopeful for victory, which will put the team in the right frame of mind against Egypt next month.

Pienaar and Khumlo talk about Egypt

On the South African Football Association website, Steven Pienaar explains: “We know the importance of the game against Egypt that is why it is key that we do well against Kenya as this is the only preparation we have before we face Egypt. We can’t afford to make mistakes tomorrow night, but have to ensure that we rectify them when we play the North Africans, so tomorrow night game is very crucial to us. Many people are expecting us to win easily and this makes it a difficult match against Kenya as they will come here with nothing to lose. Every game we play we want to win, no matter the opposition, and we should take this mentality into every match,” said Pienaar.

His words were echoed by defender and teammate at Tottenham Hotspur, Bongani Khumalo.

“To many people this is just a friendly match, but for us in the team it’s more than that. It’s a big game for us and we need to make the best of it by getting positive results. We have done well by climbing high on the FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings, so a good result will help that trend continue. Also we are preparing for Egypt so there is no motivation needed for any of the guys, we all want to be part of that squad against the reigning African champions,” said Khumalo.

What’s up in the Bafana Bafana Squad

• Kermit Erasmus had to withdraw  through injury
• With Bafana Bafana’s regular left back, Tsepo Masilela out of the team, Ruben Cloete of Orlando Pirates will be hoping for a run against Kenya, but he is aware there is strong competition for the position.Forward Sifiso Myeni is the only newcomer in the squad but will not let that distract him.
• And then there is Leeds United Striker – David Somma who is in shining form – I mean he has managed to ne 11 goals in 19 appearances for the Whites.

Image: Steven Pienaar SAFA

Lionel Messi - Ranked World no1

What criteria do you use to rank the top 50 players in world football?

According to the Bleacher Report, “selecting the best football players in the world right now is a hard assignment, which eventually attracts weighty debates. Sometimes, it even paves the way for offensive arguments to take place.

As we are currently surrounded by several thousands of potent footballers from around the globe, this is all a matter of taste. If a list of best football stars is to be created, then it has to be based on a determined scale so as to soften things.”

No 1 is Lionel Messi

No 50 is Feiburg’s Papiss Demba. Cisse who is currently going through the best season in his career and No 1 is Lionel Messi. He was selected as the 2009 World Player of the Year. It would not be insulting to crown him with FIFA’s most precious individual award in January 2011 also—despite his failure to lift the 2010 World Cup trophy.

Bleacher Report has a great slideshow, where they set their sights on the most popular football players worldwide who are currently benefiting from strong dominations subsequent to the media’s powerful influence. They say ” this consequently pushes us closer to the UEFA zone; although other confederations are not totally left out.”

Al Shamal Stadium - Qatar 2022 World Cup - proposed designs

Qatar has won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup – it will be the first World cup to be held in the Middle East. Lets take a look at the proposed design of some of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Stadiums.

For Qatar this means that their team will automatically qualify – they have 11 years to get their team into shape!

Designboom.com recently unveiled images of stadiums, designed by German architectural firm AS & P – Albert Speer & Partner, for the bid of Qatar for the World Cup Soccer 2022. There will be three completely new stadiums and two existing stadiums that will be subject to extension.

Al-Shamal Stadium

Above is a view of the brand new Al-Shamal stadium which has a capacity of 45,120 with a permanent lower tier of 25,500 seats and a modular upper tier of 19,620 seats. the stadiums shape is derived from the ‘dhow’ fishing boat of the Arabian gulf. Spectators are expected to arrive from the Doha expressway, water taxis, the Bahrain-Qatar friendship bridge and the new metrorail.

First let’s take a look at Qatar and get to know a bit more about this small country with one of the highest GDPs in the world. We know that Dawlat Qatar is already known for its breathtaking architecture, so the proposed stadiums for the 20 22 World Cup are also very much out of the box.

Qatar – Ruled by the al-Thani Family

Qatar, also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qa?ar, is an Arab country, known officially as an emirate, in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south; otherwise, the Persian Gulf surrounds the state. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island nation of Bahrain.

Qatar is an oil- and gas-rich nation, with the third largest gas reserves and the first or second highest GDP per capita in the world. An absolute monarchy, Qatar has been ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-19th century and has since transformed itself from a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues.

In Standard Arabic the name is pronounced , while in the local dialect it is .In English-language broadcast media within Qatar—for example, television commercials for Qatar Airways and advertisements concerning economic development in Qatar—the name is pronounced “KA-tar” (not “KAT-ar”).

Economic Growth

Qatar has experienced rapid economic growth over the last several years on the back of high oil prices, and in 2008 posted its eighth consecutive budget surplus. Economic policy is focused on developing Qatar’s non-associated natural gas reserves and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors, but oil and gas still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues.

Oil and gas have made Qatar the second highest per-capita income country – following Liechtenstein – and one of the world’s fastest growing. Proved oil reserves of 15 billion barrels should enable continued output at current levels for 37 years. Qatar’s proved reserves of natural gas are nearly 26 trillion cubic meters, about 14% of the world total and third largest in the world.

The Qatari peninsula juts 100 miles (161 km) north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia and is slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut, USA. Much of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the spectacular Khor al Adaid (“Inland Sea”), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers.

Football in Qatar

Association football is the most popular sport in the country closely followed by cricket. The Qatar Under 20 national football team finished second in the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship after a 4-0 defeat to Germany in the final.

The Asian Football Confederation’s 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals will be held in Qatar in January 2011. It will be the fifteenth time the tournament has been held, and the second time it has been hosted by Qatar, the other being the 1988 AFC Asian Cup.

Al-Gharafa Stadium - 2022 FIFA World Cup

Al-Gharafa stadium

The existing 21,175 capacity Al-Gharafa stadium will be expanded to 44,740 seats using modular elements forming an upper tier. the facade will be made up of ribbons representing the nations that qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will symbolize football and the mutual friendship, tolerance and respect that the tournament represents. the stadium will be downscaled to its existing capacity after the tournament ends.

For more pictures of Qatar 2022 Stadiums

Qatar info Source: Wikipedia