Cape Town-based outfit (and one of Howzit-HongKong’s favourites) Freshlyground announced on Friday that their song “Time for Africa” has been chosen as the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

The band will perform their song at at least three opportunities before and during the world biggest sports event in June and July this year.  To top off Freshlyground’s success, they will be joined by popular Colombian pop star Shakira.

Shakira and Freshlyground will perform the song at the World Cup kick-off concert in Soweto on June 10, and at the tournament’s opening ceremony as well as shortly before the July 11 final.

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The band also announced that “Time for Africa,” should be ready for release on radio stations across the world next week while a download facility should be available around April 26.

For readers not familiar with Freshlyground, here’s one of our favourites:

Freshlyground is: Zolani Mahola, Peter Cohen, Kyla-Rose Smith, Simon Attwell, Julio Sigauque, Josh Hawks and Shaggy Scheepers.  Find them online on Freshlyground.com

Leonardo Di Caprio said it in his movie Blood Diamond: “T.I.A…. this is Africa” 

FIFA is fast learning the realities of this line.

First they insisted that tickets to the 2010 World Cup only be sold online and in phases using only a credit card.

Yesterday, Sep Blatter’s FIFA succumbed to the realities of a developing country and started selling tickets, for the first time ever, over the counter and in cash.

And they even messed that one up.

A student is squeezed against a window in a ticket queue (Pic: Craig Nieuwenhuizen, Beeld)

While I’m typing this (Friday, mid-day) South Africans are phoning in to radio stations with their horror stories about trying to get their hands on a ticket or two.  Angry callers bombarded talk-shows the whole of last night venting their frustrations.

FIFA spin doctors blamed the “volume of demand.”

In Cape Town, where people queued for hours overnight, frustrations ran high when a computer malfunction delayed sales for a long time.  An excited punter from Mitchell’s Plain died from an apparant seizure waiting in line.

Cops try to maintain order in a Cape Town queue (Pic: Stephen Williams, Die Burger)

Yesterday we reported that FIFA will be selling some 500 000 tickets through the over-the-counter system.  Today it was revealed that not all 500 000 tickets were, in fact, available yesterday.  However, the cheapest Category 4 tickets (around R140) were reported to have been sold out (“un-available” in FIFA-speak) during yesterday’s melee.

Hopefully yesterday’s chaos will have taught FIFA something and the next over-the-counter sales day will go smoother.

Here at Howzit-HongKong.com we believe that if FIFA had put all 500 000 tickets on sale yesterday, even with the frustrations, they would have sold most tickets in this way.  All said and done, we stand by our forecast when we say,

2010 stadiums will be full come June/July 2010.

Our friends at Zoopy.com posted the following video report from Cape Town:

Read more on yesterday’s chaos on iol.com and News24.com

The major cities in South Africa are in the grip of 2010 soccer fever as FIFA made about 500 000 tickets available to the South African public.  Tickets went on sale at around 9am today (Thursday, April 15).

Excited supporters queued overnight in order to be one of the first to purchase 2010 tickets.

Forced by poor ticket sales abroad, the football body decided to sell tickets over the counter, for the first time in the history of the World Cup.  Prospective buyers only need their identity document while they can purchase tickets with a credit card or cash.  FIFA’s rules were also changed because the majority of the local soccer-loving public either do not have a credit card or access to the internet.

People wait outside a Cape Town ticket centre earlier today (Pic: Renee)

Around the country, radio stations played their part by urging listeners to make use of this rare opportunity to purchase tickets while some stations also broadcast live from the dedicated ticket outlets and some branches of First National Bank (FNB).

Football Fridays watched the crowds at this ticket outlet in Johannesburg:

The media reported recently that ticket sales abroad, especially in traditional football countries such as the UK, Germany and the Netherlands have been particularly disappointing.  These countries’ football bodies also returned thousands of unsold tickets to the June/July spectacular in South Africa.  However, FIFA was buoyed by huge sales in the US, made possible in part by their national side’s great performance at the recently-held Confederations Cup.

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This is how things shaped up in the Mother City of Cape Town:

While we will sadly not be there to share in the excitement, here at Howzit-HongKong.com HQ we are of the opinion that the 2010 stadiums will be FULL come June 2010:

Full of South Africans!

Now that’s Ayoba.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is but mere days away but alas, Howzit-HongKong.com can confirm that we will miss out on Afrika’s grandest gathering. 

That said, we will continue to do what we do best, get YOU to go and experience the warmth and love that only our homeland can give. 

HongKongers LOVE football, however you have to experience the heart and soul of the sport; that there is more to the game than just to win or lose a fistfull of dollars at your nearest HK Jockey Club outlet.

Go to Afrika in June 2010.  You will find it there.

Every great event needs a good soundtrack. Come June 2010, when we sit in front of our tv screen here in Hong Kong, sipping our Nederburg Twenty10 Cabernet Sauvignon to balance out the sweetness of our favourite char siu bao, all the time watching the world visiting South Africa, this will be our soundtrack to the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

Welcome to my home and…

Feel Afrika.

Mike Jansen

“We came, We saw, We tried!” Cheers Akon for the Video: Oh Africa

Nederburg’s Twenty10 range is available at your nearest Park ‘n Shop.

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Organisers of the 2010 HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens announced today (13 April) that Dutch football giants Ajax will make their debut at next month’s Soccer Sevens.

Another English club in the form of Sunderland will also make their first appearance in the tournament and will be joined by Premier League rivals Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Ham United.

Last year’s Soccer Sevens winners Glasgow Celtic are returning to defend their title while the team they beat in the final, arch rivals Rangers, will also be back.

Former Manchester United and England striker Andy Cole will lead his own team in the Masters competition while other ex-Premier League players will feature for the IP Global All Stars, Southampton Veterans and Nottingham Forest All Stars.

Cole was guest of honour at Hong Kong Football Club earlier today as the draw for the 2010 tournament took place.

Andy Cole receives his HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens team shirt from Tim Murphy, MD IP Global (Pic: Thomas Lam/Soccer Sevens)

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “Hong Kong is a lovely place and I’m looking forward to coming back out here next month to play some football and to enjoy myself.

“I’m in the gym four times a week, so I keep myself in shape. I’ve got a charity game for United on 1 May so I’ll be using that to get myself ready for the Soccer Sevens.”

Ajax rank as one of the world’s greatest clubs, with four European Cup triumphs and countless domestic titles to their name, and tournament organisers were delighted to announce their participation.

Soccer Sevens chairman Tony Bratsanos added:  “It is no exaggeration to say that the Ajax youth academy has produced more truly great players than any other club in world football, including the legendary Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert, to name just a few. We are extremely excited to be seeing the next generation of Ajax stars in action here in Hong Kong.

“Andy Cole, meanwhile, has been one of the modern era’s great strikers. He won the Champions League, five Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United, was capped 15 times for England, and ranks second in the all-time list of top Premiership scorers with 187 goals – all adding up to a truly fantastic career. I’m sure Hong Kong fans are looking forward to seeing him in action.”

The 2010 HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens will be held from 14-16 May at Hong Kong Football Club with a total of 32 teams taking part, 16 in the Main competition and 16 in the Masters.

Sport24 in South Africa today featured a preview of the FIFA 2010 World Cup tickets.  Normally one of the most-guarded FIFA secrets, the ticket was unveiled on Friday by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke and Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan at Maponya Mall in Soweto.

Sport24.co.za reports:

The tickets will be made available to the general public in a week’s time, on April 15, when the fifth and final ticketing sales phase kicks off. This will coincide with the opening of the FIFA World Cup ticketing centres in all nine Host Cities and the start of the over-the-counter sales.

“For this last phase, we have made a big effort to assist football fans by introducing various additional means to purchase a ticket,” emphasised Jérôme Valcke. “We are committed to facilitating the process for all fans and giving them this last chance to attend the matches and experience the excitement of this first World Cup in Africa.”

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In all, 500 000 tickets for 63 matches (including all Host Cities and all knock-out matches except the final) will be made available.

Manchester United legend Andy Cole will lead his own all-star team at this year’s HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens.

The Old Trafford great will captain a star-studded line-up of former teammates and friends in the three-day spectacle at Hong Kong Football Club in May.

Cole, a key striker in United’s famous Treble-winning team of 1999, said he was looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m delighted to be coming to Hong Kong to take part in the HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens,” he said. “I’ll be bringing some old friends and teammates with me and we’re looking forward to enjoying ourselves and hopefully giving the fans plenty of entertainment.

“It is recognised as the premier sevens tournament worldwide and, while it’s played in a friendly spirit, we’ll certainly be coming with the aim of winning. As former professionals, we never lose that desire to do well and I can assure everyone in Hong Kong that we’ll be very competitive.”

The Andy Cole All Stars will feature former United players David May, Lee Martin, Clayton Blackmore and Andy Ritchie.

They will be joined by a trio of former England internationals – midfielder Michael Thomas, defender Ugo Ehiogu and goalkeeper Ian Walker, plus ex-Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair.

Thomas will be forever remembered as the scorer of one of the most famous goals in English football history, the last-gasp winner that won the league title for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield in 1989.

Manchester United great Andy Cole will grace the pitch at the Soccer Sevens (Pic:Two Up Front/Getty Images)

Cole won the Champions League, five Premier League titles and two FA Cups with United in a glittering career.

Capped 15 times for England, he also played for Newcastle, Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City, among others, and he ranks second behind Alan Shearer in the all-time list of top Premiership scorers with 187 goals.

Cole is looking forward to returning to Hong Kong, having previously played in the territory on pre-season tours with United.

“I know from my years at Old Trafford that football fans in Hong Kong are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the game so it will be a pleasure to play in front of them again,” he said.

And he promised he and his teammates would be out and about in the community during their Soccer Sevens trip.

“It’s also great to know that a key focus of the Soccer Sevens is youth football and community involvement,” he said. “We’re relishing the chance to meet people, conduct some coaching clinics and do our part to reach out to the fans. It promises to be a memorable week.”

The 2010 HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens will be held from 14-16 May with a total of 32 teams taking part, 16 in the Main competition and 16 in the Masters.

Since it was first held in 1999, the tournament – sanctioned by the Hong Kong Football Association – has developed into the world’s premier seven-a-side soccer event.

The Main competition has become famous for unearthing the “stars of tomorrow” while the Masters section features former elite players from Europe’s top leagues.

The Andy Cole All Stars will be one of the top attractions in the Masters together with two other teams containing former Premiership players, the IP Global All Stars and the Hood All Stars.

The full line-up of teams in each competition will be announced next month, when the tournament draw will also be held.

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale shortly. As in previous years, all children under the age of 16 will be allowed in free.

Former South African (Bafana Bafana) footballer Mark Fish will visit Hong Kong this week as a guest of the South African Consulate. 

South African Consul-General in Hong Kong Ms Tembi Tambo has been actively promoting events around South Africa’s 2010 Soccer World Cup and invited Mark Fish, who is also a 2010 World Cup Ambassador, to Hong Kong. 

2010 Ambassadors Mark Fish (left) and Lukas Radebe with President Zuma (Pic: WEF)

Today (March 2, 2010) marks the official 100-day countdown to the start of the World Cup in South Africa.  During a media event to be hosted by local broadcast rights-holder iCable tomorrow (Wednesday March 3), Fish will unveil a special World Cup countdown clock at the piazza at Times Square, Causeway Bay.

During his stay in Hong Kong, Mark Fish will also conduct two football clinics for aspiring players at the Hong Kong Football Club as well as in Kowloon City.

Love them or hate them, the Vuvuzela will be a major must-have during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, now just over 100 days away.

During the recent Confederations Cup ‘test event’ some spectators and in particular the TV broadcasters complained over what they called the ‘mindless, monotonous cacophony’ emitted by these plastic horns.

However, this has just spurned a whole new industry around the horn and we were very amused to see the following t-shirt print in the SA dailies this past week proudly exclaiming:  Africa is a noisy place!

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An innovative Cape Town-based outfit called K.E.L.P. came up with a very environmentally friendly way of satisfying what will ultimately be a best-selling soccer-tourist keepsake from the first World Cup in Africa.  KELP is an acronym for Kelp Environmental Learning Projectwhich aims at promoting environmental awareness and to educate the public about marine conservation and environmental matters.  The business uses dried kelp horns to create vuvuzelas which are painted and branded.

Have a look a how they do it:

WikiPedia has the following to say about the origin of the Vuvuzela:

A vuvuzela, or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. It is also used in other countries such as Mexico, Brazil, or Israel. The origin of the name is disputed. It may originate from the Zulu for “making noise,” from the “vuvu” sound it makes, or from township slang related to the word for “shower.”

Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s.

La dooooooooooo ma!

Is crime in South Africa this bad or is this company just trying to make some money out of the rampant (FIFA allowing) commercialism that comes with hosting a major sports event?

ProtectorVest has come up with a personal protection clothing item called a “stab vest” made especially for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa.  It promises to “protect the vital inner body parts from stabs, cuts, slashes and blows from sharp, edged or spiked weapons.”

The company will even brand the vest in your favourite team’s colours!

Eish!  Where will it stop?!