Monday 26th June BandarqqSchwabach. Köln.

Tickets for games at this World Cup have been seen as prized possessions, something akin to the Golden tickets issued giving admittance to Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. Outside the stadiums people proudly have their photographs taken by friends, stadium in the background clutching their ticket. People will enquire about how you got your ticket and tell you how lucky you are. But for each ticket I have there is usually a tale to tell. For example in the last play bazaar few days a Japanese friend (thanks Tetsuma!) emailed me to explain that he had received an offer of a conditional ticket for the game in Köln, and asked if I would like to use it.

The conditional tickets were one of many different options FIFA offered, with this scheme the wording on the website led you to believe that if you applied for a ticket for seven games they would give you a ticket for one of them, although there could only be 36 hours between an e-mail being received and the match itself.

There followed the small matter of working my way round the regulations that FIFA have introduced, so thanks to Tetsuma not feeling well (I hope you are better now) and my dad not having used his allocation of seven tickets (Thanks dad!). I was able to take up this offer.

Further luck was to come my way as at the same time as sorting all this out I received an e-mail advising me that I had been awarded a conditional ticket for Hannover, the next day.

Tuesday 27th June Köln. Hannover.

In this latest round of games, those people with tickets in their hands outside were no longer the lucky punters but those who thought they were about to make some ill-gotten gains. Apart from the Mexico, Germany and England games this has not been the case.

Immediately outside the ground I heard a Frenchman trying to sell a ticket proclaiming firstly that the game was sold out (aren’t they all!) and that it would be Zidane’s last game!(Guess the French didn’t fancy their chances beforehand).

People were trying to sell tickets for at least €250 and those in the know could see that the demand for tickets was no longer there and at kick off tickets for the game would be available for less than face value.

The policing of the tournament has been well handled and it looked as though initially touts would have a free reign. But softly, softly policing has seen police step in, checking that the tickets touts were selling were genuine and then when problems arose taking people away for further questioning when it was found that they were selling tickets for more than face value. This has been a commom sense approach, which goes against all that has been said by FIFA.

There have been checks on people’s identity at the turnstiles but when people have been identified as having a ticket in another persons name they have simply been asked to complete formalities to change the name on the ticket, and have not been charged for this!

Among the tickets I have obtained on the black market were ones issued by the Paraguayan FA, Mastercard and Security!!! I was aware before I came out of the fact that tickets close to the pitch had not been sold as FIFA were concerned over safety issues, and that they had asked the military if they would provide personnel to occupy those seats. The military agreed but stated that its people would be in uniform. FIFA declined this offer and seem to have given tickets instead to their own security personnel. So there I was on the front row with access to the pitch to avoid the plastic cups being thrown by the Koreans after the second Swiss goal was allowed to stand.

Why should a football fan who has acquired a ticket be denied the right to watch the game that they have chosen to purchase a ticket for? FIFA’s talk of punishing those that support the game is a worry that the ticketing issue may go the wrong way. In Greece for the Olympics, people were not allowed to sell tickets for more than face value, this eliminated extortionate prices and generally meant that people offloading tickets sold them at a discount and if there was a buoyant market the touts could sell them at face value.

You could argue that FIFA feel upset that they have missed out on more revenue and maybe their answer to this would be to auction all tickets to the highest bidder! This could result in a crowd being present that is not remotely interested in the spectacle unfolding in front of them, I for one do not think that FIFA would be able to market the World Cup without the passion and colour the spectators that care, add.

Asian fans shouldn’t then beat themselves up about the standard of their domestic set-ups, it would be truly miraculous if their leagues could even be compared to those of even average European nations and it is a credit to Japan that, in terms of professionalism and organization at least, the J-League can.Madhur matka

The problem is that during the World Cup, they are compared with the best by people watching all over the world simply because that is the nature of the tournament. Sat in Leipzig’s Stadium before the Korea – France clash, a quick glance at FIFA’s team sheets revealed the size of the challenge facing the 2002 semi-finalists. Players from Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings were facing those from Real Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich -it is to Korea’s credit that they came away with a 1-1 draw.

Bin Hamman said that Australia succeeded because their players play in big leagues but what he is forgetting is that those leagues are not Australian. He can’t have it both ways – praising a nation who fielded just one or two A-League stars in the World Cup while telling others to improve their domestic set-ups. International experience is good for players and national teams but a strong league provides a much stronger foundation for continued success.Madhur matka

It is tough to find a balance. Immediately after Korea’s loss against Switzerland, Dick Advocaat told his soon-to-be-ex employers that the K-League has to improve. At the same time in a different part of Hanover’s World Cup Stadium, Lee Chun-soo, perhaps Korea’s best player in Germany and the 2005 K-League MVP, was telling reporters that he wanted another try in Europe.

Just days after giving his advice, Advocaat is getting ready to take two of the K-League’s best players, Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho, with him to his new club Zenit St. Petersburg. It is a little like going to a friend’s party, telling them it’s boring before taking some of the best music and drinks to another party. The experience in Russia may improve the players and therefore the national team but what about the K-League?

It is hard to blame the players especially as they are usually encouraged to head overseas by media and supporters who are proud to see their home-grown stars strutting their stuff on a weekly basis in such strong leagues England, Spain or Germany.

France’s second division couldn’t be classed as such though that is where one of Asia’s brightest stars Masashi Oguro chose to play – a decision that shows there is still much work to be done.

The striker was one of the successes of the 2005 J-League season and his goals helped Gamba Osaka lift a first-ever league title. He broke into the national team and helped Team Nippon qualify for the World Cup. Instead of staying with Gamba, one of the biggest and best teams in Asia, to defend their title as well as participate in the Asian Champions League, he instead chose to join mid-table French second division team Grenoble Foot38 with an average attendance of only 5,000 ..

While it is welcomed that there seems to be a renewed realization that matters need to improve, it will take time, patience and a good deal of administrative will. Attention shouldn’t be overly fixed on the World Cup, a target of competitive domestic leagues is not a means to an end but an end in itself and the AFC, the respective domestic organizations, the media and the fans must be in it for the long haul.

If that happens then, despite the disappointment of the past month, there is a glimmer of hope that the 2006 World Cup may eventually seen as a watershed in Asian football.

An indication of how big Kennedy had become was that he was flown out to Sardinia during Italia ’90 to entertain the England squad with a flourish of the Four Seasons.

Football still clearly matters for him as he took the stage in a Villa shirt with ‘Agbonlahor’ on the back, and alongside the claret and blue were the red and white stripes of KS Cracovia, his adopted Polish club (he lives in Krakow with his Polish wife.)

For ‘Nigel Kennedy’s World Cup Project’, the now middle-aged wild one, still sporting his trademark quiff, jammed with the at times industrial Madhur matka roar of his Polish entourage, while the time capsule of the famously fated qualifier played out above them. Some Polish lads had come with shirts and scarves as if for a real match, cheering and clapping every wonder save from ‘the clown’ (as Brian Clough famously called him), Jan Tomaszewski.

The match itself was fascinating, even if the result was known beforehand. England needed to win to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and deserved to progress in terms of the enthusiasm and physical endeavour they displayed at Wembley. But despite laying siege to the Polish goal and peppering Tomazsewski until he sneezed, Alf Ramsay’s men could only draw 1-1. Poland went to Germany; England stayed at home and Ramsay, England’s so far only World Cup-winning coach, got the sack.

The attack-attack-attack style England played that night created many a six-yard box scramble and last-ditch Polish tackle, but despite the overwhelming dominance of England, the Polish net only billowed once. I could not help feeling a good team today would take a more psychological approach and try to draw the opposition out and hit them on the counter once it was clear they were going to stick every man behind the ball and play for a point.

Top-level football today is about playing in phases – understanding when to funnel men into attack, when to put men behind the ball and when to frustrate and tire out your opponents by maintaining possession. This 1973 England had but a single phase – an attacking one, which soon became predictable as one ball after another was lobbed into the box or thumped down the channels.

“He is a good player. It could be possible.” Now call me Captain Sensible but surely saying something like “absolutely no chance, we don’t need him.” might be a better way of getting the price down should there be any substance to Mancini’s comment?

City have made the bed that they will have to lie in for the duration of their Sheiky Love In. John Terry was not for sale. Neither was satta king Lescott. Or Santa Cruz for that matter. This fact did not put City off in the warped belief that every player has his price. It is no surprise that they are being held to ransom as they once again employ the scatter gun approach of linking themselves with every player possible.

The problem is that the price of anybody half decent is vastly inflated so every other club is sitting waiting for City to close their wallet. Then they can all go out and see who is left or grab a bargain from the host of rejects that Mancini deems surplus to requirements at Eastlands.

*Shinji Kagawa hit a brace and Keisuke Honda added another as Japan downed South Korea 3-0 in Sapporo. Players wore black armbands in honour of former Japanese international Naoki Matsuda, who died a week ago, and observed a minute’s silence.

*Tottenham’s home match with Everton on Saturday has been postponed as the clean-up continues following the riots in London. The north Togel SingaporeLondon area was the epicentre of the violence which spread to other satta king English cities and forced an emergency debate today in the House of Commons.

*Cesc Fabregas’ move to Barcelona looks set to be finalised by the weekend. Arsenal are also negotiating to transfer Samir Nasri to Manchester City, leaving the Gunners three weeks to replace their best two players before the transfer deadline.

*Jack Warner ally Lisle Austin has been banned from football for a year by FIFA. The CONCACAF official was involved in the crazy in-fighting in May after Chuck Blazer shopped Warner and Mohamed Bin-Hammam for bribery. Austin ‘fired’ Blazer without authority, leaving CONCACAF to issue a press statement contradicting its acting president, who was subsequently dismissed. When Austin went to the Bahamian court to get his job back, FIFA isolated him.

*The FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia has reached the quarter-final stage. Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia and South Korea fell by the wayside in the second round.

QF lineup: Brazil v Spain, Mexico v Colombia, France v Nigeria, Portugal v Argentina

*Jurgen Klinsmann’s first game in charge of the USA ended in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in front of 30,000 in Philadelphia, World Champions Spain lost 2-1 to Italy in Bari and Germany beat Brazil 3-2 in Stuttgart.

 “It is not good timing to be releasing the movie due to the current tensions between the North and the South right now,” admitted Kye and added, “but in 2009 when I started making this movie, we were planning to release it before the 2010. I had no choice but to follow the schedule for the movie distribution.”

The film’s message is not hard to guess and play bazaar it is a positive one.

“Football can’t solve all diplomatic problems, but I believe that football, which is world’s most loved sport, could certainly bring people together and contribute to establishing peace in the world. Korea is the last remaining vestige of the Cold War and we’re a divided nation. Also I think this touching story about football told with a comic twist makes the movie appealing to viewers from all over the world.

South Korea is in the running to host the 2022 World Cup and there is talk of allowing Pyongyang to host a couple of games if the bid is successful and it is something that the director agrees with. “Football is the most popular sport in Korea and it has given this nation true confidence and peace. I sincerely hope that we will be the host of the 2022 World Cup.”

‘The Moken Tribe’s World Cup’ is a rather different affair. Just on the Thailand-Myanmar border resides the Moken tribe. Used to playing with footballs made from bound papaya leaves, this documentary tells the story of how Korean Kang Sung-min, a very talented player, trains and teaches the local boys how to play the beautiful game.

It is an inspiring tale of how this motley group of boys who have never seen a real football before are molded into a tight-knit team, based, partly at least, on the training routines introduced by Guus Hiddink in 2002.

The film doesn’t end there, the cameras travel with the team as they are allowed to enter a regional under-14 tournament for the first time. There, the boys, who play bare-footed, take on teams physically bigger, stronger and better-equipped but not necessarily better.

“Football is life and dream and hope for these children,” director Shin Hyun-won told me. “Once they acquire nationality (the tribe are not yet officially citizens of Thailand) I’m certain that they can become professional players and even national team players beecause these Moken children have passion for football. And Kang created 100 football teams for children all over the region. Among the children taught by Kang are national team players, female national team players, youth national team players and many more.

“There are 3500 youth players and 100 coaches from all over southeast Asia who learned from Kang. I believe that Korea must take the leadership role to contribute to world’s football as Asia’s football powerhouse with eight appearances at the World Cup.”

‘Hara’s Heroes’ Togel Singaporehint at ‘Zac Japan’ to come

Hara’s Heroes hint at Zac Japan to come.

In the end, interim Japan coach Hiromi Hara’s greatest concern was whether it might be too hot to wear a tie on the touchline.

The former Urawa Reds and FC Tokyo coach and current Japan Football Association technical director ultimately opted for a snappy grey number, and he had every reason to be relaxed going into Japan’s Kirin Cup clash with Paraguay at a sold-out Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.

Hara took charge on a caretaker basis for the two-match series against Paraguay and Guatemala, however Alberto Zaccheroni was the real star of the Togel Singaporeshow after it was revealed late last month that he would take over as Japan’s new coach.

Visa constraints forced Zaccheroni to watch the clash with Paraguay from high in the stands along with 65,157 fans on a hot evening in the famous port city, and the Italian will have been delighted with what he saw as a goal from Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa fired Japan to an entertaining 1-0 victory.

The match was a rematch of Japan’s heartbreaking Round of 16 penalty shoot-out defeat to Paraguay at the recent World Cup, and Samurai Blue fans must be wondering why Kagawa did not travel to South Africa after he turned in a satta king virtuoso display in midfield.

The 21-year-old scored the only goal of the game following an incisive pass from playmaker Kengo Nakamura, who threaded an inch-perfect ball into the path of the on-rushing Kagawa, and he took one touch before firing an unerring finish beyond Justo Villar in the Paraguayan goal.

Alberto Zaccheroni

The slightly-built ex-Cerezo Osaka star wasn’t the only Japanese player in good form, as Lierse SK goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima pulled off a series of impressive saves to deny the powerful Paraguay attack.

The display left Zaccheroni beaming as Japan’s fluid one-touch football thrilled the capacity crowd on hand, although the ease with which Paraguay ploughed through a porous back four will nevertheless give the much-travelled tactician some cause for concern.

who have signed Sepp Blatter and Jerome Valcke, to move the Qatar tournament to the European winter months, probably in January, when the African Nations Cup is held, to avoid defeating summer heat on the continent.

“Tourists are advised not to travel to Qatar during the summer months,” said FIFPRO spokesman Tijs Tummers. “The people of Qatar have left most of the country this time.”

The Tummers went on to point out how fans would satta king endure the afternoon heat at 50 ° C. “The summer months in Qatar do not provide suitable conditions for a football festival.”

Has anyone named a supporter? These old enthusiasts pay an arm and a foot to support millions of pounds of stars around the world, instead of looking at their i-Pad at home. Since when have they become the subject of interest of Swiss game makers?

South Africa is a challenge for them: the distances between the places are so great, public transport next to the left and the road network is completely insufficient for a great performance at the World Cup. The hidden single-lane road to and from Rustenburg will live on in the memory of this European fan for a long time to come.

They also won the Emperor’s Cup for good measure, although an eighth place finish in the league provides an ominous warning for those wishing to achieve success both at home and abroad.

Thanks for coming – Consadole Sapporo

No team has been as unprepared for top flight football since, well, Yokohama FC the season before. Yet Consadole Sapporo were always going to face an uphill task.

Their collection of Hokkaido-born misfits and loan-signing cast-offs got off to an inauspicious start when they were belted 4-0 by Kashima Antlers on the opening day – Kashima missed two penalties in that game – and things rarely got much better as Sapporo notched up a mildly embarrasing four wins for the season.

Japanese football is stronger for the presence Indian satta of the Hokkaido-based side, but until they can sort out some stable finances and uncover some more locally-produced talent, Consadole could struggle to gain a foothold in the top flight.

Most predictable comeback – Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s romp through the Second Division was as predictable as it was unnecessary.

The southern outfit should never have been relegated in the first place, but after losing the 2007 promotion/relegation playoff to a plucky Kyoto Sanga, Sanfrecce quickly set about pulverising all and sundry on their way to amassing 100 points and 99 goals in J2.

Lead by the prolific Hisato Sato and with a team containing such young talent as Yosuke Kashiwagi and Yojiro Takahagi, Sanfrecce fans will hope to put behind them a wasted year in the bottom tier as Hiroshima look to re-establish themselves back in the top flight.

OTTAWA (CP) – Officials suspect a multimillion-dollar fraud ring may have been operating for up to 10 years in at least two federal departments – National Defence and Public Works – and possibly elsewhere, a key source told The Canadian Press on Friday.

So far, only one federal employee, civilian director Paul Champagne, has been fired after auditors discovered National Defence had paid $160 million for military computer hardware and support services it never received.

Federal audits continue and an RCMP investigation is underway.

The principal company involved, Hewlett Packard, has said that Steve Bailey, a sales representative who worked with Champagne, is no longer with them.

But a highly placed government source said play bazaar others are believed to have been involved in what Public Works Minister Stephen Owen described as a “very sophisticated criminal scheme” that racked up $160 million in phoney billings.

“We don’t know how extensive, but I would be very surprised if the RCMP investigation and the Ingatbola88 audit didn’t uncover more involvement than simply one or two people,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for HP said the company’s own investigation pointed to that conclusion, as well.

There is no suggestion at this point, however, that any of the six companies subcontracted to do the work were considered “Liberal-friendly,” said the official.

In Windsor, Ont., Prime Minister Paul Martin emphasized the scandal occurred before he was prime minister.

“I have met with the minister of Defence, the RCMP are on it,” Martin said.

“The Department of Defence has already brought in the lawyers and is very, very confident that we’re going to get our money back, and that those who engaged in this are going to be punished.”

Federal ministers say HP chose the subcontractors at its own discretion. HP says the government instructed it to use specific subcontractors for unspecified work.