Well done FIFA, well done...

Greetings minions -

Welcome to "Dodgy as Feck", where myself and my co-creator The Puck will frequently share our thoughts on international athletics (chiefly at least, among assorted other topics). Likewise, through this media you can find yourself humored, question our lack of rational, say whatever you want in response...frankly, it doesn't matter. It's nice to have you along.

Obviously you all know that the draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa just came out. If not...you should probably catch up on athletic competition, generally speaking.

Before the draw, I have to say I was rather perplexed...CONCACAF teams could've gotten placed with CAF teams in Pot #2, right? There were 3 CONCACAF, 3 CONMEBOL, 5 CAF, and 5 AFC teams...since CONMEBOL was missing their top 2 seeded teams (Brazil, Argentina), were they really better than CONCACAF (US, Mexico, Honduras) and deserved to go in the same pot with the CAF teams? FIFA, you sat around and had meetings all week, yet still couldn't get things squared away (and that's not including your Thierry Hand-ry ordeal)...sort it the feck out. Other than that, my thoughts were that the Group of Death would have to include France, Portugal, or Serbia (...or all 3).

After the draw was released, my overall impressions by group:
A) The media keenly pointed out that no host has failed to get out of the group stage; I agree with them that South Africa won't make it, and sadly that's in an easy group too. I can't believe Mexico got this fortunate after looking so vulnerable in qualifying; I'll be embarassed for you if you don't qualify (and that's kind - typically I'd feel nothing toward your national side). If not, I'll be sure to pester your immigrated countrymen. Uruguay, count your lucky stars too, you're in the same boat as Mexico...I just know less immigrated countrymen of yours. And France - after all this trouble, you deserved the Group of Death the most. (And consider if the Irish had this spot? How mad are they right now...)

B) If there are 4 easy groups and 4 hard ones, this is a tough one. Argentina struggled through qualifying, but do you really want to line up against sky blue and white stripes on match day? I think not. South Korea is also a difficult side to match up with; obviously renowned for team speed, they are always well organized and close down ball and passing lanes well. Nigeria isn't nearly the side they used to be, but you never know which of these players will be the next big transfers in the European market. Although I couldn't think of even one player they had offhand (before "The Snake" keenly reminded me of Jon Mikel Obi), they are a group of raw talent not to be under estimated. Lastly, Greece famously won Euro 2004, and most of its players all play in the same league, know each other inside out, and are always well coached mentally and tactically. Any match in this group is critical to the overall outcome, but at least there there is some foreshadowing in one matchup...Ah, to relive the prowess of Batistuta...


C) Every World Cup needs at least one storyline with some politics behind it, and so far the opener of this match is it - the Yanks vs. the Red Coats (and I wonder if England will have to wear their red kits...?). Algeria advanced in a pressure situation over Egypt, so they aren't a pushover, but it seems they and Slov__ia (insert "en" where appropriate) relied on matches at home in order to qualify. Tough to see them making a splash at a neutral site.

D) Did any of these teams really want to draw one another? I highly doubt that. For obvious reasons, no one wants to play Germany when you look at their starting XI. Add their solid qualifying campaign and their current form, and they are as formidable as ever. Some would say Australia is the cupcake in the group, but in their first time in AFC they rolled through competition (Iraq, AFC Cup Champion; China, recent qualifier; Japan, traditional power) virtually unscathed. Serbia took the more talented athletes from Mentenegro and destroyed their group in UEFA qualifying, taking France to the brink. And Ghana is one of the CAF teams from Pot#3 that no one wanted to face. (Do you want to match up with Michael Essien? Got someone on your national team that can? Yeah, didn't think so...good luck with that.)

E) The Netherlands qualified before anyone else did I believe, and by the end of the World Cup you know that the player's on their side you don't know will be coveted by the allied Big 14 clubs in UEFA. Japan is a side similar to South Korea; fast and tactically sound. They've proven on the world stage that they are never a roll over. Similarly, despite the lack of names on this version of Cameroon's squad, they are all developed under the mindset of the "Indominable Lions". Surely Samuel Eto'o will take his last appearance on this stage with the ultimate seriousness, and you will see many faces from this side transfer to UEFA clubs after the tournament. Lastly, Denmark has the majority of its players playing domestically and they have a good understanding for one another. The Danish League's competitiveness in the UEFA Champions League indicates their potential.

F) Simply put, Italy: you belong in the same category as Mexico as well. I can heckle your immigrated countrymen as well, but because of my heritage I'd like to stray from this if possible. That being said, if you fail miserably, I won't feel sorry for Giuseppe Rossi. (NOT ONE FECKING BIT!!!) Paraguay always plays well as a cohesive unit, look for them to do well after a solid qualifying campaign. New Zealand, good luck; hopefully this time when you score 3 on Italy, you don't give up 4 (and 2 in the final minutes nonetheless...see 2009 Confederations Cup warmup). Slov__ia (use "ak" this time kids) could quietly sneak up on any of these teams here, as it achieved certain impressive results in qualifying.

G) I don't want to add more hype than the media has already brought to this group, although it's easy to see why. Brazil's play is like many of the internationally acclaimed women that come from there - typically easy on the eyes, usually do good work in their field, and more often than not produce results that meet expectations. That being said, they will have to compete with the Ivory Coast and Portugal. See my "Essien" statement above and consider Drogba and Toure comparable. Add in an undefeated qualifying run and add an estimate for the talent that isn't a household name yet, and you're stirring a pot on the verge of boiling over. Despite Portugal's struggle to qualify, you know the matchup between the Portugese countries here will be compelling. If someone can get under Cristiano's skin, I wouldnt be shocked if it's Lucio or another Brazilian defender. Notice how I didn't say anything about competition with North Korea? You probably figured it wasn't worth it either...

H) Here's my preliminary line -
Spain, Pld-3, W-3, D-0, L-0, GF-10, GA-1, GD-+9, Pts-9. Cakewalk, even when the other Spanish-speaking sides solve their mysterious lisp. The Swiss, while being at a linguistic disadvantage against the other Spanish-speakers, will hold their own with a young squad. Chile had a surprisingly strong qualifying run, and can also make a legitimate run to get out of the group with a series of young talent that has done well during recent youth international tournaments. As for Hondouras...well, without major international experience on the roster, they might be best off trying to fend off being overwhelmed by the big stage and just enjoy the event and the national recognition that comes with it.


As 6 months pass, I'm sure we will all analyze more and perspectives will change.

At the moment, Group D is my Group of Death, despite what the experts have claimed. In regards to how it stacks up with Group G, it has greater overall quality in each of the 4 slots (re: no pushover...yes, that means you North Korea). This is evidenced by Group G's average ranking of 26.75 (I know, it's that stupid Coca-Cola system, but still), versus an average of 21 for Group D. Likewise, when you match up similar seeds from Group D with Group B - Serbia is stronger than Greece, Ghana has more established players and better chemistry than Nigeria, Australia has been beating up on South Korea in AFC national team and club competitions, and Germany is certainly on better form than Argentina. Why is nobody talking about this group?

Anyway, in regard to major American sports, I considered discussing some pointyball, particularly that of the Civil War in my former home state. However, with college games yet to play this weekend and bowl season around the corner, I'm sure I will have plenty more to say later on. Maybe my fine comerade will even address it then again...


Enjoy the conference championships,
Platapus (aka The Dodgy Keeper)