June 1 saw politics the likes of which has never been seen before and the result…………..Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President for another term. This was despite him being the only candidate and despite the English FA finally standing up for the game and demanding the election be postponed until all allegations of corruption were investigated. So what happens now? ...

Last month on that fateful day in Zurich, Australia saw their dreams of hosting the 2022 World Cup go up in flames as Qatar somehow managed to secure the rights despite FIFA’s own evaluation report highlighting the risks and hazards of a Qatar World Cup. People offered suggestions that money could’ve been paid under the table. People suggested that this was a political decision with a hidden agenda somewhere further down the line and that this decision was going to ensure that Blatter stayed on as President. But is this actually true? I have come across a whistle blowing website called "Transparency In Sport" which has released documents concerning: a) The World Cup Bidding Processb) What bidding nations have to agree to in regards to hosting The more I read these documents, the more I become alarmed at how FIFA seem to consider themselves above normal people and organisations. Not being legally trained, a lot of the wordings of these documents were just puzzling and baffling to me but when they get summarized, it then becomes clearer and yet more alarming. When it comes to host cities, they have protected zones around the stadiums which prevent activities impacting on the World Cup match from taking place, bars and pubs open later and rules with regards to billboards and advertising are all enforced but these are what the bidding organisations have to comply with. That makes me concerned and makes me wonder whether we’ll actually ever get to host a World Cup. One cause for alarm was this compliance feature: "That people wishing to attend the competition shall not be denied entry visas unless satisfying FIFA of reasons for denial." Basically FIFA are trying to say here that everyone wishing to attend the World Cup must be granted an entry visa without restrictions unless people responsible for issuing visas provide FIFA with reasons for denying someone a visa. Talk about a potential security crisis here. Why should an organisation like FIFA be privy to this sort of information? Another is this: "That any labour laws (limitations on working hours etc) that impact on the ability of people to perform competition duties or activities shall be suspended for the duration of the cup related to ‘said’ people." FIFA want to trample on workers rights here. We have workers rights for a reason and that’s to ensure that all workers are treated fairly and not subject to horrible working conditions. The only people that can change these laws are governments and no-one would do this as the people would revolt. Why should an organisation like FIFA be able to trample on such laws? And then: "That no taxes be collected on profits made by FIFA and anything associated with the World Cup (i.e. delivery of goods and services, accounting credits, other deliveries, applications and/or remittances made to FIFA or it’s subsidiaries)" Where would you like to start with regards to an objection here? This is FIFA basically setting up a tax haven in the country that is hosting the World Cup. Essentially what it’s saying is that while businesses and individuals have to pay tax in their country, an organisation such as FIFA coming in and running a World Cup should be exempt from such taxes. This boosts money FIFA receive and surely this shouldn’t be allowed. ...

It's been interesting to observe the Australian reaction since the hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup were handed to Qatar by FIFA last Thursday in Zurich. Shock and anger soon turned into conspiracy theories, corruption, collusion and bribery claims. Is such a reaction that of sore losers?It's worth noting that Football Federation Australia has steered clear of getting involved in any accusations since the announcement.As was the theme with the World Cup bid, FFA chairman Frank Lowy and co decided not to ruffle any feathers despite the simmering tensions bubbling beneath the surface regarding conspiracy plots and FIFA politicking.It's the right reaction in the public sphere, particularly for the long-term, if Australia does bid again for another World Cup down the line. There is nothing to be gained from making any enemies now.After Thursday's announcement, Lowy said: "We are extremely proud at how we conducted ourselves in the bidding process and of the great technical aspects of our bid.“We have made many friends across the world over the past two years and we should use this experience to our advantage. Australian football is firmly on the map and is talked about positively around the world."I would like to congratulate Qatar for running an impressive campaign and their victory is a great boost for the Asian region."As Diplomatic and gracious as ever, Mr Lowy.But in direct contradiction to Lowy's grace in defeat has been the reaction of Australian football fans in the blogosphere and on online forums.The reaction of the Fox Sports commentators during the World Cup decision coverage appeared to spark these sentiments.Robbie Slater and Mark Bosnich were clearly devastated at the announcement and expressed their outrage by blasting the fact the decision appeared to be leaked to the media early.And, of course, Andy Harper's reaction was a clear display of anger. At no stage throughout this entire process did Harper give Qatar a shot so when they were announced as winners he was clearly angry and had an axe to grind.Unfortunately, in my opinion, Harper was stubborn with his views on the Middle East nation, who had together a pretty impressive World Cup bid.Of course people are upset but some of the things which have been written and said about corruption, collusion or bribery are based on hearsay and little else.The forumites and bloggers have taken to those comments and run with them and it's getting beyond a joke. It makes you wonder what the reaction will be the next time Australia play Qatar on home soil, which happens quite often nowadays in the Asian confederation. Far from welcoming, I'd fancy.But as tensions appeared to have settled down, SBS's The World Game aired an interview with FFA bid consultant Peter Hargitay who spoke about conspiracy theories within FIFA.And then there were comments about Australia losing the World Cup bid because we were too clean and didn't resort to financial inducements for votes.Hargitay's comments certainly add to fuel to the fire for the angry mob.We should, however, question the credibility of this man, who has a murky past and is known as a spin-doctor.Is there anything to be gained from Hargitay's comments? ...

Socceroos stay in the top 20 - from au.fourfourtwo.com ...

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. ...

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. ...

With the dust now settling on another FIFA World Cup, it’s time to look forward to Brazil 2014. The big question is – will the Socceroos be there for a third consecutive appearance in the finals?  Plenty are sceptical, but here’s a tip from the Angry Punter – the Socceroos will make it. Age is catching up with the so-called Golden Generation - Craig Moore, Vinny Grella and Scott Chipperfield are at the end of their illustrious Socceroo careers. Super Stopper Mark Schwarzer turns 38 in September, while the likes of Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill, Jason Culina, Marco Bresciano, Brett Emerton and even Tim Cahill are closer to the end than the beginning. Our greatest player, Mark Viduka, is gone (but not replaced), and Josip Skoko, John Aloisi and Mile Sterjoski are now back in Australia easing into retirement via the A-League. The creation of the A-League, however, has given young players a defined pathway from the anonymity of club football to the elite level.  While we may not have as many big names playing in the big clubs, we do have greater depth in our playing ranks than ever before – because more players are involved in full time professional ranks than ever before.  This new found depth should lead to greater consistency, and a less pronounced reliance on a core group of superstars. The new core of the Socceroos squad will come from the 20-somethings who established themselves at International level during this campaign – including the ever-reliable Luke Wiltshire, along with Carl Valeri, Mile Jedinak, Josh Kennedy, Rhys Williams, the vastly improved Brett Holman and keepers Adam Federici and Brad Jones.  A bunch of new faces, however, will be joining them in the green and gold. So with a view to Brazil 2014 and beyond, here’s Angry Punter’s Form Guide on the likely Futureroos, many of whom have graduated from the A-League to form our very own A-Team, and who will be striving to give Australia a third consecutive World Cup appearance.   STRIKERS: Richard Porta (24, AC Siena).   Porta has made a name for himself as a goal-scorer with Uruguay’s River Plate de Montevideo – where he is playing on loan from Italian club AC Siena. Born in Australia, he moved to Uruguay with his parents at age 1. Despite his success in Uruguay, the Australian hierarchy has not yet invited Porta to join the Socceroos program. The new manager should roll the dice and give Porta a chance. The Asian Cup in Qatar would be the perfect opportunity to see if Porta can be the answer to Australia’s goal scoring problems. Nikita Rukavytsya (23, Free agent).   The former Perth Glory striker’s career is at a crossroads following his release from Dutch Eredivisie club FC Twente.  His future may be looking brighter, however, following some promising performances with the Socceroos in the lead up to the World Cup.  Always blessed with speed, Rukavytsya’s Achilles’ heel has been his ability to control the ball and to find the back of the net consistently.  More European experience will hopefully give the Ukranian-born Aussie the polish he needs to succeed at international level. Bruce Djite (23, Genclerligi).   Skillful and strong over the ball, Djite was one of the few Australian’s naturally suited to the lone-striker role favoured by Pim Verbeek, but strangely he was never considered in Verbeek’s World Cup plans.   Djite was also left disappointed when inexplicably left out of the Olyroos squad for the Beijing Olympics by coach Graham Arnold.  After making a splash with Adelaide United alongside fellow young gun Nathan Burns, Djite has been learning his craft in Turkey with Genclerligi and on loan with Diyarbakirspor.  Djite is also eligible to play for the USA, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, but Socceroo fans can be reassured that he wants to continue playing in the green and gold – if the new coach actually gives him a game. ...

Anyone placing their bets based on the dietary desires of an octopus need to take a hard look at themselves and ask themselves the question - "am i really doing this?". ...

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. ...

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