From foxsports.com.au Socceroos defender Scott Chipperfield is the player at the centre of the scandal surrounding comments made about Harry Kewell, Bernie Mandic has told Melbourne's SEN radio station. ...

By Reuters from abc.net.au Real Madrid midfielder Kaka has undergone an operation on his left knee and could be ruled out for three to four months, the clinic which carried out the surgery said. ...

Well it takes all kinds of people to frequent the football. This young man tried to capture more than his standing room only ticket allowed by jumping over the fence and snatching the Wolrd Cup Trophy. If it wasn't for the quick minds of the security this could have been very ugly. Check it out. ...

Bar their great victory against Serbia, the Socceroos 2010 World Cup campaign will be seen as a lost opportunity to build on the heroics that eventuated four years earlier in Germany. Here are the 10 lessons Australia must learn in their quest to ensure a positive World Cup showing in Brazil and beyond. 1. No guts no glory - The Socceroos were woeful against Germany in their opening group game, and rightfully payed the price for playing such conservative football. The fact that their only scoring chance throughout the entire match came from a set piece, clearly proves why a defensive mindset will cost any team, let alone a second tier side like the Socceroos.  A repeat of their adventurous and direct approach against Serbia however should see Australia regularly progress past the group stages. 2. Play possession football on the ground - No nation in recent years has come close to matching Spain’s dominance. Why? Maybe it has something to do with the way they use the football when in possession. Rarely do you see the Spanish play long high balls in comparison to nations such as Australia and England. Spain’s game is heavily influenced by their support play and their constant ability to keep the ball on the ground when passing. It is a simple yet effective way of not only playing beautiful football, but also giving yourself the best chance of achieving World Cup glory. 3. Australia needs discipline - From the moment New Zealand fell victim to Australia’s constant foul play in the Socceroos send off match before the World Cup, one could sense Pim Verbeek’s men would struggle dearly in South Africa. Having struggled to better the All Whites, the Socceroos physicality proved their undoing against the might of Germany, as they were humbled 4-0 thanks to a lack of discipline coupled with clinical attacking play from their opponents. Harsh as it was, even Cahill’s tackle was ordinary to say the least and should have never occurred in the first place, especially with Australia 2-0 down. A crackdown on bad player behaviour is a must if the Socceroos are to realise their ambition of becoming world champions. 4. Dutch philosophy must go - The ‘total football’ that has become synonymous with Holland has now died, given their ordinary performance against Spain in the World Cup final. The Dutch system will not deliver the Socceroos the success they crave on the world stage. A new road must now be taken and it must lead to the appointment of current Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa as Socceroos manager. Sure, Bielsa doesn’t speak too much English but he will make Australia understand the beautiful game, and most of all, apply it on the pitch. Although Bielsa’s success with Chile was achieved with a hugely talented roster, there is no doubt the Argentine can transform the Socceroos into an offensive force to be reckoned with. 5. Future Socceroos must target Spain or German leagues - Too often do we hear about promising Australian players wanting to ply their trade in the English Premier League. If any Socceroos player wants to further develop their skills as a footballer, than a trip to either the Spanish La Liga or the German Bundesliga will do wonders for a players evolution. Footballing wise, these two leagues are head and shoulders above any other in Europe and will provide the best platform for the Socceroos to develop the technical aspects of their game. ...

Todd Lamansky @ Bleacherreport To describe this slide show as hot women in soccer jerseys only tells half the story. Likewise, describing them as half-naked would only be a half-truth. The girls on the following pages are representing nations from around the world wearing nothing but body paint. They don't call it "the beautiful game" for nothing. Argentina fans may have been disappointed by their country's exit at the quarterfinals stage, but this ought to give them a reason to cheer. This is a rematch of the 1994 World Cup Final in France. Costa Rica may not have qualified for the 2010 World Cup but that didn't keep me from including them in this list. ...

World Cup befits Spain - by George Caulkin in Johannesburg from theaustralian.com ...

Holland and Spain are on the cusp of attaining their first ever World Cup crown and both will rightfully fancy their chances as the 19th championship of football comes to a close. With both sides in great form, one takes a look at the decisive factors that could play a vital role in deciding the fortunes of two nations who have underperformed on the world stage until now. Why Holland will win: ...

Diego for World Cup MVP - by Leander Schaerlaeckens from soccernet.espn.go.com If this was goodbye, it's hard to imagine it being any sweeter than the one Diego Forlan had at this World Cup. ...

How fitting is the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final? In a World Cup that has been filled with firsts, the finale continues to throw up more. Here is a look at just some of the firsts so far in 2010: ·         France and Italy are the first finalists from a previous World Cup to fail to advance out of the group stage in the preceding World Cup. ·         South Africa becomes the first host nation to fail to advance beyond the group stage. ·         All five South American teams advanced to the knockout stage. ·         New Zealand’s Winston Reid scores the first ever World Cup goal for his country. ·         This is Serbia and Slovakia’s first World Cup since they have formed their own countries. FIFA does not see it that way but I bet the people of these two countries do. ·         Paraguay and Ghana reached the quarter-finals for the first time. The firsts did not stop in the group stage or the knockout stage. They carried all the way to the finals. This final will feature Spain against the Netherlands, here are some of the firsts the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final: ·         This will be the first final won by a European team not on European soil. ·         Whoever wins, Spain or the Netherlands, it will be their first World Cup title. ·         This is Spain’s first World Cup Final. ·         Also this is the first World Cup Final not to have Germany (in some form), Italy or Brazil. ·         For the first time ever, the two European powerhouses Spain and the Netherlands meet in the final of a major tournament. ·         If Spain wins, it will be the first time that a team has lost its opening game and went on to win the World Cup.2010 World Cup Final, down to the wire. In a wonderful side story, the top two scoring players will meet in this World Cup Final. Both David Villa of Spain and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands lead the tournament with five goals apiece. Villa and Sneijder are in contention for the Golden Boot Award given to the player who scores the most goals. Both players will also be contenders for the Golden Ball Award given to the best player of the tournament. Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas will be a top contender for Yashin Award, given to the top goalkeeper of the tournament. Casillas has kept a clean sheet in three straight games and four out of six games in the World Cup. The amazing thing about Spain is the fact that besides Villa only two other players have scored for this team. Andrés Iniesta scored the game winner against Chile and Carles Puyol scored the only goal against Germany to send Spain into the final. Spain since the knockout stage has controlled games keeping possession and playing tough defense. The Spanish have found the only goal they needed while playing keep away from the other team and defending. The Red Fury is trying to win their second straight major tournament since winning Euro 2008. To do so they could possibly need some sort of production from injured star Fernando Torres. Torres was relegated to a substitution role in Spain’s last game against Germany. A goal in the final from Torres in a Spanish win would forgive his disappointing play in the rest of the tournament. ...

Klose has a chance to equal Ronaldo's 15 FIFA World Cup goals - by Christopher Boyd at foxsports.com.au If Germany and Uruguay players are struggling for motivation ahead of the World Cup third place playoff, one can be certain that Die Mannschaft striker Miroslav Klose isn't one of them. ...