Fallen Leafs

Hup hup hol.

Total Football indeed.

The Taeguk Warriors are rewarded for their attacking and technical style by finally booking a place into the 2nd Round of the World Cup. While there are several concerns about their defending, today is not the day to worry. Park Chu Young was brilliant and once again, proved to be Korea’s best player so far in this tournament. Park Chu Young sort of reminds me of a St. Bernard, but his skills are sublime and inventive. Soju shots for all!

As for Nigeria, they were a disappointing team undone by iffy defensive play and inconsistent offence. However, a measure of sympathy goes out to them because the Nigerian players really wanted to do well in front of their hometown fans and Africa as a whole. Unfortunate Team Nigeria did not do better, but the lack of quality players performing at their peak levels was quite noticeable.

Next for Team Korea in the knockout stages,

(Photos via Getty Images)

2nd Round Celebration: Seoul, Korea style

As for the Republic of Korea: there will be many thoughts of missed opportunities to control the pace of the game and slow it down, something they will have to focus on against the Super Eagles of Nigeria if they are to advance for the first time on non-Asian soil. They are talented enough to make a solid run, but they have to turn that momentum into chances and solid scores now. (via 2010fifaworldcup)

As for the Republic of Korea: there will be many thoughts of missed opportunities to control the pace of the game and slow it down, something they will have to focus on against the Super Eagles of Nigeria if they are to advance for the first time on non-Asian soil. They are talented enough to make a solid run, but they have to turn that momentum into chances and solid scores now. (via 2010fifaworldcup)

There’s the right way and then there’s the Korean way. What’s the Korean way? Well, it’s the right way, but full of Soju.

ESPN: Female athletes often targets for rape

worldcupreport:

By Soraya Soemadiredja

Eudy Simelane was a well respected midfielder and captain of the South African women’s national soccer team, Banyana Banyana, passionate about the game. She was also gay and that’s why she was murdered. On the 28th of April 2008, at the age of 31 she was gang-rapped[sic] and stabbed while being subjected to “corrective rape”. Simelane’s teammate from the Tsakane Ladies football club, Girlie “S’gelane” Nkosi, aged 37, a lesbian activist actively fighting against hate crimes, was stabbed and murdered a year later in Kwa-Thema, where they were both from.

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The World Cup in South Africa is on the brink of chaos. Transport and electricity workers, realising the fabulous blackmail possibilities of tournament disruption, are either already on strike or threatening strikes during the event and other groups of workers are poised to emulate them. The state electricity company is so worried about the power supply that it is handing out warnings that it may cut power to many users in order to guarantee that the floodlights don’t go out on games. Householders have been told that they may need to switch off all appliances except their TVs (so that they can receive announcements of coming power outages). Sex workers have been making loud and angry declarations that security regulations are being invoked to cramp their trade. South Africa’s police chief has announced that he is hoping against hope that the US team will not get through the opening round since that will signal President Obama’s arrival and an enormous increase in the security load.

Musical Chairs « LRB blog (via ayjay) (via dlbrows)

I hate to be one of those condescending “I’m not surprised” outside observers, but South Africa is still beset with problems of inequality and discrimination. Forget the difficulties in delivering security to the event. When the country is suffering from widespread corruption and general disorganization in delivering law and order to many local communities, a World Cup is going to be merely a temporary reprieve to showcase the elites and the already rich. At the end of the day, this is a glorified international soccer tournament that will not solve or even address the numerous injustices ongoing in South Africa, even if FIFA claims that the World Cup is more than just sport. I’ll watch the games with fervoured interest as a sports fan, but any talk about the World Cup representing more than just revenue and promoting market brands will fall on deaf ears.