The 31 things you need to know about the World Cup(1)

June 17, 2010 - PRLog -- As the World Cup gets set to kick off, we look at 31 things that should impact the course of the tournament in South Africa.

1 Vuvuzelas
Those big damn horns will blare everywhere: In the streets, stadiums and bathtubs, probably. Experts are already warning fans to expect hearing loss. Several groups, including Japan’s football association, have called for the stadium horn to be banned from games. FIFA has refused.

2 Local customs
South African tribal chiefs burned incense and slaughtered a cow outside Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium in order to appease spirits living there. “It is a unifying cow. We don’t want our spirits to be scared of all the different languages,” said the ritual organizer.

3 Hooligans
They are already being stopped at the border, having travel visas revoked and being warned by the British government to be on their best behavior. Hooliganism has been relatively dormant on the international stage in recent years, but England’s high expectations could have blood boiling again.

4 Extremists
A radical group called the Afrikaner Resistance Movement has declared war on South Africa’s black community and warned foreigners not to attend the World Cup. That is not to mention the direct threats from Al-Qaeda, or the possibility of G20 protesters stopping in en route to Toronto.

5 The home crowd
No host nation has ever been eliminated in the first round, ever. Vitriolic fans carried 2002 co-host South Korea past heavily favoured Portugal, Italy and Spain en route to the semi-finals. The World Cup has been won by a team on home soil six times, so don’t discount a miracle run from 83rd-ranked South Africa.

6 Traffic
With as many as 500,000 visitors expected at the month-long event, traffic is among the toughest challenges facing the host nation. More than 16 roads have been built or upgraded around Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium alone. Soccer fans swarming stadiums and dozens of other public gathering places will push South Africa’s infrastructure to the limit.

7 Work? What work?
Workers of the world unite, in procrastination, during the World Cup. Productivity tends to drop as footie-mad staff stay home, or chew up office bandwidth by watching games online. The effect will be big in Britain, where half of polled employees admit they will be watching games daily, but also throughout Europe and North America.

8 Tricky North Korea
In an attempt to sneak an extra striker onto their 23-man roster, North Korea listed Kim Myong-Won as their third goaltender. They claimed it was an administrative error when FIFA noticed and ruled the speedy forward could only play in net during the tournament. The hermit state is holding practices under lock and key and refusing to meet with media; are there more tricks to come?

9 Tackling Tanaka
It was a tackle by Japanese defender Tulio Tanaka that fractured the arm of Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba during a friendly last week and dampened the African nation’s chances to surprise at the World Cup. Drogba is an icon in his native continent, so you can expect fans to voice their displeasure with Tanaka. Is it a coincidence that Brazil, where Tanaka was born and his family still lives, is grouped with Ivory Coast in the first round? Yes, it is.

10 Naked in the streets
FIFA protocol deems it improper for a player to remove his shirt while celebrating a goal, but that doesn’t mean the tournament will be void of precocious nudity. Argentine coach Diego Maradona has promised to run naked through the streets of Buenos Aries if his team wins the World Cup. The odds of that happening? 13-2, according to British bookmaker William Hill.

11 Dark horses
Pick one: Greece, Algeria, New Zealand or Honduras. So little is expected from them, and a small handful of others, that one will inevitably exceed expectations. A spectacular draw, an upset win or a second-round showing; at least one also-ran will go home as heroes.

12 Hot on the spot
Germany has had a glut of good fortune in games decided by penalties. In 2006, they broke a draw with Argentina in the quarters by making four straight penalty kicks. Not only have they never lost a World Cup shootout, they have only missed once (in 1982) in 17 shots.

13 Not on the spot
In 2006, England battled Portugal to a 0-0 quarter-final draw before losing 3-1 on penalties. They shouldn’t have been shocked. England has now appeared in three World Cup shootouts and dropped them all. Frank Lampard, who had his shot blocked in 2006, has vowed to break the curse.

14 The art of the dive
More than a few players — more than a few times a match — will drop to the pitch in apparent life-altering pain in a shameful attempt to lure a penalty or retain ball possession. Crowds will boo and opponents will act aghast. Until they themselves get a chance to dive, that is. It is the one thing soccer neophytes know to expect.

15 The name game
Like Canada, South Africa calls the beautiful game soccer. They have their own version of football: rugby (partially explaining why the CFL has never caught on there). So chances are a fight will break out when a European fan belittles a group of South Afrikaners for this, only to be told to stuff it.

16 House of cards
A total of 373 cards — 345 yellow and 28 red — were doled out during the 2006 World Cup in Germany; a record high. Will referees rein calls in this year? That’s uncertain, although FIFA’s medical staff has given orders to clamp down on hard, potentially career-ending tackles. There were 12 serious facial injuries in 2002, and only two in Germany four years ago.

17 Miracle on Grass
In 1950, an upstart American squad made up of semi-pros pulled off a startling 1-0 upset over a dominant England. The Brits barely believed it, while America barely noticed. Expect much to be made of this game, named the Miracle on Grass, when the two teams meet again on June 12.

18 First call for alcohol
Something about watching top athletes playing for the pride of their nation seems to make people want to drink. Pints at the pub go hand-in-hand with the World Cup. Bars across Ontario are free to pour as early as 10 a.m. through the tournament, while Washington, D.C.’s city council has legalized alcohol sale as early as 7 a.m. for registered bars. In England, bars are anticipating a major influx of customers during the month-long event. Liverpool has even gone so far as to establish “football safety zones” that heavy drinkers must avoid.

19 Canadian content
The most Canadian thing about these World Cups could be Steve Nash. The NBA’s two-time MVP will be reporting and shooting video for CBSSports.com. Nash was born in Johannesburg and raised in Victoria, B.C. and grew up a serious soccer fan. He is part owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who will join Major League Soccer in 2011, and his brother Martin is a former member of Canada’s national team.

Related:
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