SAMUEL ETO’O AND FELLOW LIONS INTERVIEW
An interview with Cameroon and Inter Milan star Samuel Eto’o as well as past and present Cameroon stars courtesy of Puma:
You’ve had a fantastic season does that help you going into the World Cup?
Even if my season with inter Milan hadn’t been that good the World Cup is motivation enough.
How important is the World Cup in Africa?
The World Cup is a huge party for everyone in Africa. So I hope African countries will do the best for the image of Africa.
How much pressure is there on you at the World Cup?
Football is a huge party so we just try and have a good time. My hope is that I have an enchanted moment and if god helps and I score goals that would be fantastic of course but my aim is to help the team and I’m absolutely sure that if we think as a group and work as a group we’ll have an amazing World Cup.
How do you rate your chances in Group E?
We have the same chances as any other country in the group but it’s not an easy group and well need to play at 200 percent if we are to progress to the next step. We hope that luck will be with us.
It’s been a long time since you got to the knock out stage. Is this your year?
Quarter final in itself is not a title. For me there’s no point: in my career I’ve done better than that before. I think we should have a dream to reach the last day and if God can help us that would be fantastic.
What does Africa Unity mean to you?
We should all look in the same direction. Puma has given us the orientation – when a team is playing we shouldn’t just support one country but a whole continent.
How does it feel to wear a whole continent on your shoulders?
It’s like wearing a whole continent on your shoulders.
What experience has Paul Le Guen brought to the team?
He was a fantastic player and is now a great coach. He brought all the professional aspects to Cameroon: the calm, the vision and the focus to get everybody to do their jobs.
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- Cameroon legend Roger Milla on…
Samuel Eto’o
“He’s the best centre-forward in the world”
Cameroon 2010 vs Cameroon 1990
“Today African teams are more organised and focused – at this World Cup we could do amazing things”
- Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni on…
Their Group E rivals
“We respect the other teams in our group but we don’t fear them”
The influence of the Premier League
“The Premier League gives Cameroon players a strong spirit It is a hard league and those players who play there give us extra spirit”
The importance of goalkeepers
“Some people just talk about strikers but if you don’t have a goalkeeper you can’t win a game”
- Cameroon striker Mohammadou Idrissou on…
Being Indomitable Lions
“I believe we can win the World Cup We have the name We are Cameroon We are lions”
Group E favourites Holland
“We don’t need to be afraid of Holland They need to be afraid of Cameroon”
Progressing to the Second Round
“I believe that Holland and Cameroon will go through”
Reputations
“It’s not enough to have big players from big teams They need to be ready”
The Group E dark horses
“Everybody talks about Holland but we know that Denmark won nearly every game in qualifying This is a serious group”
The importance of Samuel Eto’o
“Eto’o is a good player and a team player He’s a great captain and we need him But we have 23 players and we all need to fight”
Tactics
“Paul Le Guen has shown us that we can’t just attack – we need to also defend”
Motivation
“The World Cup is different from the Cup of Nations – it won’t be hard to get motivated there”
- Rigobert Song on…
His third World Cup
“This will be by most special World Cup as it will be my last one I’ve given a lot to Cameroon but I
will treat this one like my first World Cup I’ll be like a young player who wants to improve – I want
to do something special”
Winning the tournament
“I do think we can the World Cup If we can beat Japan and make it through to the second round
then I’m very confident”
His record of two red cards in two World Cups
“I got my two red cards at World Cups when I was learning my trade It was a period of transition but if you look at my record these days I get much less cards”
His career future
“I’m coming to the end of a two year contract with Trabzonspor but I’m waiting to see what will happen after the World Cup”
- Cameroon’s 1990 Olympic gold medal winner Patrick Mboma on…
Being slow starters
“Cameroon’s problem is we’re slow to start in tournaments but we don’t have that luxury because we have to win that first game against Japan It’s better to play Netherlands with six points in the pocket”
Cameroon’s two striking legends
“Eto’o has won so much but Roger Milla opened the door for other players”
ADIDAS CUSTOMIZE WORLD CUP BALLS
Adidas will – like the World Cups before – customize every ball used in the World Cup fixtures. Here is a look at the one which will be used in the opening game between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
ADIDAS UNVEILS HISTORICAL BALL SET AT NELSON MANDELA BRIDGE
When adidas launched Jabulani in Cape Town, Dock Road (the road leading into Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront) was lined with all the official match balls from the previous 11 World Cups.
adidas will continue the tradition of displaying the historical matchball set at Nelson Mandela bridge this morning. The historical matchball set has all the 11 balls that adidas has produced since 1970.
We look forward to some more images of the ball set like this one from Dock Road:
SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALL
This year, the global spotlight will be on Africa. When it comes to African football, this is a stark contrast from the past and proof of a shifting landscape. The past few years have seen the rise of the ‘African’ star. Premier League clubs now rely heavily on their African players. Think about Chelsea without Essien or Drogba. Manchester City without Adebaor, Everton without Yakubu, Arsenal without Song… The list goes on.
There is a saying that ‘Europe plays football, Africa plays soccer’. The reason for this is a simple matter of style. Europe is all about technique, tactics and discipline. Africa has technique and tactics but more than anything, their greatest asset is passion. It has been one of the biggest frustrations for Bafana Bafana’s (the South African national soccer team) fans. When it comes to a ‘big’ game Bafana can kick ball with the best but stick them in a friendly and they will disappoint you. That’s where the exposure to European football clubs has helped South African players and African players in general. Some of South Africa’s best players have plied their trade in the English Premier League. Quinton Fortune donned the Red of Manchester United while the iconic Bafana captain, Lucas Radebe is a legend amongst Leeds fans. Now the likes of Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena fly the South African flag in one of the world’s greatest Leagues. Benni McCarthy is a UEFA Champions League winner with Porto. He put two past Manchester United on his way to securing a winner medal with Jose Mourinho.
Now Europe comes to Africa and it is a chance for Africa’s greatest talent to shine on home soil. We take a look at some of the bright stars of South African football and zoom in even closer at the playing conditions and boots we can expect to see come June 2010.
So who are the next batch of players to make a noise in Europe? With the World Cup in their backyard, South African’s have a great opportunity to show their worth to the elite. Here are some of the players we think can make a big impact for Bafana and perhaps for a Premier League club come next season.
Itumeleng Khune: The young (just 22 years old) Kaizer Chiefs stopper has become a firm favourite to wear the Bafana number 1 in the World Cup. A brilliant shot stopper, he has been referred to as ‘the biggest goalkeeping talent South African football has produced in recent times’.
Siphiwe Tshabalala: Another Kaizer Chiefs player, Tshabalala is the face of Nike CTR360s in South Africa. A skillful winger and play-maker, Tshabalala is strong, fast and tricky. He resembles James Milner rather than his fellow South African winger Steven Pienaar.
Teko Modise: There was a lot of speculation about Modise and the interest that some clubs showed in the Orlando Pirates winger last summer. Manchester City, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Birmingham City were all rumored to have shown interest in him and a good display at the World Cup could see him receiving some concrete offers.
Siboniso Gaxa: Was one of Bafana’s stand-out players in the Confederations Cup. The Mamelodi Sundowns right back might not be the biggest player (just 5ft 10inch) but his skill and pace make him a threat down any teams flank. A refining of his talent in Europe could produce a real gem.
Katlego Mphela: Mphela made a name for himself after a majestic 30 yard strike against Spain in the Confederations Cup. The Mamelodi Sundowns striker has struggled to maintain his form for the national side but has been prolific in the Premier Soccer League – netting 17 goals and finishing with the Golden Boot.
The boot landscape in South Africa is similar to that of Europe. Nike seems to be the firm favourite amongst South African players with all of the above wearing Nike Vapours (except Tshabalala who wears Superflys). Nine out of the eleven starters against Jamaica in Bafana’s last friendly wore Nike boots.
Under Armour also have an amazingly large market share in the PSL. They sponsor triple champions SuperSport United (who have a partnership with Tottenham Hotspur). Adidas are the official kit suppliers for the federation and boast contracts with players such as Steven Pienaar and Matthew Booth. Puma are possibly the most recognizable brand throughout Africa and their work with nations North of South Africa has been amazing. They are currently behind Nike and Adidas within South Africa but don’t expect this situation to remain for long. Umbro have recently seen their stocks rise throughout the world and it is no different in SA. They also have some ground to make up however.
Most of South Africa experiences its rainy season in the summer, so winter (June/July) is a dry, cold month. The need for long studs is therefore not as important as it is in England. In South Africa, hard ground studs are often used as the playing surfaces are not always as good as the pitches in Europe. You can be sure that the standard has been raised for the upcoming World Cup however.
BAFANA ACKNOWLEDGE UMU SUPPORT
Bafana Bafana players will use the warm up session for the game against Thailand this Sunday as a platform to acknowledge the support that has been shown to them by South African fans that have signed on the adidas Giant Bafana Bafana jersey.
The jersey signing campaign, which is called Unite Mzansi Unite (UMU), all soccer fans that sign the jersey being given the yellow bandana-like items called the UMUs.
“Since November 2009, we have taken the giant Bafana Bafana jersey to all provinces of South Africa in order to rally South Africans behind the World Cup and our team Bafana Bafana. The response that we have got from the fans has been phenomenal and the players would like to wear the yellow adidas item – which has been given to all signatories of the Giant jersey – as an acknowledgement of that support,” says Zobuzwe Ngobese, Public Relations Manager at adidas South Africa.
All Bafana Bafana fans are urged to wear their yellow items as well as their jerseys at all Bafana Bafana games. “From now on we would like to see a sea of yellow whenever Bafana Bafana is playing,” he says.
The Giant jersey is 60 X 48 metres and adidas is expected to show the signed jersey before the kick-off of the World Cup. The leading football brand is also expected to make an important announcement about the significance of these yellow items next week.
ENGLAND’S PROVISIONAL SQUAD
After much speculation, Fabio Capello has named his provisional 30 man squad for the Word Cup later this year in South Africa. Owen Hargreaves’ race to be fit has failed while young Adam Johnson has done enough to find his name among the 30 man squad. (We have highlighted the 7 players who we don’t think will make the final cut.)
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders
Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King,
John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard,
Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney
Who we would have liked to have seen there (and who we would have left out):
Carlton Cole (Heskey), David Bentley (Wright-Phillips), Ashley Young (Walcott), Micah Richards (Upson),
Paul Robinson (Green), and Phil Jagielka (Carragher).
If injury didn’t ruin their chances: Owen Hargreaves, Johnathan Woodgate.
ENGLAND SQUAD: WILL THERE BE SURPRISES?
Today Fabio Capello will announce his 30 man preliminary squad for the World Cup. We thought we’d take a look at some of the players who we think may surprise us and make the cut.
With the injury to Gareth Barry, there may just be an extra space for another midfielder – especially a defensive one. That could open the door for someone like Scott Parker or Tom Huddlestone. Both have been in superb form for their respective clubs. Huddlestone’s performances against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City proved he can ‘do it’ in big, pressured situations. There will also be a call for Owen Hargreaves to be included in (at least) the 30 man squad. The Canadian born midfielder has only played about 1 minute this season but it may still be worth taking him along. If he can find form, there is no better defensive midfielder in England. Michael Carrick has been a part of the squad for a while and should be the obvious choice to step up. He plays more as a distributor than a ball winner however. With the defensive woes of Ferdinand’s fitness and Terry’s form, a ball winner is a must.
Talking defense… Ledley King seems to have played himself into contention. His knees have found some strength from somewhere and his form for Spurs has been outstanding. He will surely go to South Africa as back-up for Ferdi and Terry. But he may just solve a problem… King has been used as a defensive midfielder (albeit with limited success) in the England setup. He won’t displace either Ferdinand or Terry at the back but could find himself getting game time in the middle of the field. James Milner is another option. It is possible however, that playing him in the middle will limit Lampard’s ability to get forward as Milner is a playmaker himself.
If you ever read our ‘Right Winger Series’ (which we admit is now slightly out of date…) we rated Beckham, Lennon and Milner as the three best choices for England’s right wing spot. Beckham is injured and Milner has been a central midfield revelation so that leaves Lennon as our only pick. His return from injury has been timely. While he was injured, Wright-Phillips and Walcott both failed to take their opportunity to stamp their authority on the number 7 shirt. Ashley Young seems to fly under Capello’s radar but the Aston Villa winger has been putting in some impressive performances – as has Manchester City winger Adam Johnton. We like all three, but there is another player who seems to have snuck into contention. Lennon’s injury provided a golden opportunity for David Bentley – an opportunity he took with both hands. We all know he has ability. He also has had an attitude in the past but Harry’s skills as a man-manager have brought out the best in him. His performances have been world class and when you think that both Crouch and Defoe have a great shout at being in the squad (if not the starting XI), Bentley would be a great option. His deadball skills and accurate crossing will be a valuable asset. Wayne Rooney credits most of his goal scoring endeavors this season to the quality of Antonio Valencia’s deliveries. England could benefit from a Crouch, Rooney, Bentley combination.
We haven’t heard the name Heskey for a while and the lack of movement by the big fellow leaves us wondering if he will make the cut. Heskey has been a starter for most of Capello’s reign and that may not change. We feel that he has been left behind in the past 6-8 months by Crouch and co. Bent, Cole and Zamora have all been more prolific and seem a better option. Crouch, Rooney, Defoe and Cole would provide England with plenty of options and variety.
Goalkeeper is another sore point for the England boss. Green is the current number 1, but is he ‘special’ enough? To win the World Cup one needs XI great players. Green is solid but we don’t feel that he is ‘great’. Joe Hart, on form, should be England’s number 1. David James and Paul Robinson would provide good cover and experience.
In the end it is up to Capello. Somewhere in the 30 and then in the final 23, we will find someone we feel should be there and someone we feel shouldn’t. Capello has to win the trophy and he can do it his way. The question is: Does he take the tried and tested? Or have one or two players played themselves into the Italians plans? We will find out soon enough.
ADIDAS HANDOVER 10 000 TICKETS AT MINI TOURNAMENT
adidas, the leading global sports brand, will present and distribute the remaining 10 000 tickets to school learners as part of its FIFA Ticket Fund campaign, at the finals of the School’s Mini World Cup in Marks Park, Emmarentia this weekend.
The adidas Ticket Fund campaign is a FIFA initiative aimed at making 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches more accessible to those South African learners who do not ordinarily have the means to purchase tickets for the tournament.
adidas, a FIFA partner of more than 35 years, has received 15 000 tickets from FIFA for the global football showpiece and the brand has chosen to work with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in distributing these tickets to deserving learners from schools throughout South Africa. The learners have been participating in art and football competitions in their respective provinces, culminating in the national finals this month.
Last weekend’s activities saw the finals of the art competition in the education pillar held in Pretoria where 5000 learners and teachers from all nine provinces received tickets.
“We are continuing where we left off last weekend by entering the second stage of the competition – which is schools football – the pillar of development. We chose to partner with the DBE in order to make sure that we fulfil FIFA’s mandate of giving away match tickets to the deserving young people of South Africa. We saw some great performances from the learners that participated in the art competition last weekend and we hope to see some exciting skill and goals when the football finals take place starting tomorrow. This way we have ensured that the school learners do not get these tickets as handouts but through making some effort in both the art and the football competitions,” says Zobuzwe Ngobese, the Public Relations Manager at adidas South Africa.
All learners participating in the finals of both pillars are winners as they are guaranteed tickets irrespective of how they perform at the national finals. adidas will hand over the tickets to all learners while winning learners from both legs of the competition will be presented with prizes.
Provinces breakdown
- Eastern Cape: 4 schools (Portugal, Ivory Coast, USA, Switzerland)
- Free State: 6 schools (Italy, Germany, Slovakia)
- Gauteng: 6 schools (South Africa, Serbia, Nigeria, Australia)
- KwaZulu Natal: 4 schools (Paraguay, Cameroon, Algeria, Greece)
- Limpopo: 6 schools (Mexico, Slovenia, Argentina, New Zealand)
- Mpumalanga: 6 schools (Chile, Ghana, Honduras)
- Northern Cape: 5 schools (Uruguay, Brazil, Netherlands)
- North West: 6 schools (Korea Republic, England, Spain)
- Western Cape: 5 schools (France, Japan, Denmark, Korea DPR )
Schedule
Friday, 7 May: Teams arrival and registration
Saturday, 8 May: Starting time at 9am
Sunday, 9 May: Starting time at 9am
Venue: Marks Park, Emmarentia
NIKE LAUNCHES ‘ELITE SERIES’ FOOTBALL BOOTS
Supercharged boots designed to give footballers an edge and engineered for enhanced on-field visibility
BEAVERTON, Ore. (May 3, 2010) – NIKE unveiled its supercharged Nike Elite Series football boots providing new levels of performance. Nike’s Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, CTR360 Maestri, Total90 Laser III and Tiempo Legend III all feature new performance upper to improve on-field visibility and a reengineered outsole to deliver lightweight performance for every style of player.
Nike designers have reduced the weight of each boot so players can perform at their best. Lightweight construction, intricate engineering, carbon-enforced strength and high contrast colors distinguish the boots.
The high contrast colors (Metallic Mach Purple and Total Orange) are engineered together for enhanced visibility. For a footballer this unique combination is designed to increase visual performance enabling them to quickly spot their teammates and execute a game-changing pass.
“At Nike, we have a relentless focus on product innovation to give athletes a real competitive edge and deliver the best products in the world,” said Andrew Caine, Nike Design Director for Football Footwear. “The Nike Elite Series delivers lightweight and highly engineered boots for the leading players in the world to perform on the biggest stage this summer”.
Lightweight performance and enhanced on-field visibility
Research shows that the average energy expenditure of an elite player is over 1,000 Kilo Calories per game for a 75kg player. Reducing the weight carried by players helps reduce the energy needed over the course of 90 minutes. By delivering lightweight supercharged performance to all four of Nike’s statement level boots the goal is to give players an edge in the final stages of a game.
Super-strong, lightweight carbon fiber plates mean the Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II is 5% lighter. The CTR360 Maestri is 19% lighter. Both the Total90 Laser III and Tiempo Legend III are 16% lighter.
With nearly four years of game analysis, biomechanical studies and player testing the design team and Nike Sports Research Lab (NSRL) collaborated to understand how to deliver new product innovations including incorporating visual performance benefits into boot design.
An average person’s vision is 99% peripheral. Under 1% is considered foveal, or focused vision. To spark increased focus of peripheral vision Nike designers analyzed the color spectrum to identify two, high-contrast colors, so that when a player is running with these boots the colors trigger a stimulus to rapidly tune peripheral vision. Mach Purple and Total Orange provided the perfect blend to create this effect and performance advantage.
The Elite Series is available to players at all levels and also incorporates Nike Football+ which features exclusive insider access to the world’s best coaches, players and teams for total game improvement. Nike Football+ Master Series builds expertise in Control, Accuracy and Speed through elite insights and pro training. This includes a special Elite Series signature move from Atletico Madrid and Argentina star Sergio Aguero that will launch at the end of May.
All four Elite Series boots, the Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, Nike CTR360 Maestri, Nike Total90 Laser III and Nike Tiempo Legend III, are available at retail and at www.nikestore.com as of May 22, 2010.
NIKE INTRODUCES 2010 NATIONAL TEAM KITS
Nike have launched the new Team Kits for a host of Federations taking part in the World Cup in South Africa.
View all the kits here:
Portugal, Netherlands, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Serbia, and Slovenia.