Nelson Mandela ‘leaving hospital’ in South Africa

 South African former President Nelson Mandela is being discharged from a hospital where he spent two nights, a senior police source said. Mr Mandela, 92, is said to be in good health. He had flown from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Wednesday for what the government described as “specialised” tests. The move prompted renewed speculation about the former leader’s frail health. Friends and family visited him amid tight security on Thursday. The senior police officer said a convoy of vehicles was at the rear entrance of Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, preparing to take Mr Mandela to his home in the suburb of Houghton.

GHANA IN HISTORIC FOOTBALL WIN OVER BRAZIL

Ten-man Ghana triumphed at the Under-20 World Cup with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Brazil.

Ghana, who had Daniel Addo sent off, produced a fabulous defensive display to deny the South Americans.

The final finished 0-0 after extra-time and Brazil were made to pay when Alex Teixeira’s weak effort was saved in sudden death.

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu scored the winner as Ghana became the first African team to win the tournament.

Both sides had missed two penalties out of the first five to add to the tension in the stadium by sending the game to sudden death.

Ghana were fired up after suffering a huge setback eight minutes before half-time.

Caught up the field as Brazil sprinted clear, Addo made a desperate tackle on the halfway line.

It was clearly a foul, but Addo was not the last defender and the challenge did not deserve a straight red card.

But he was sent-off and Agyemang-Badu dropped back into defence to replace him, depriving Ghana of a vital source of attacking possession.

Nevertheless, the Black Satellites went on to have their best and most incisive period of possession, but were unable to break the deadlock by half-time.

The game opened up in the second half, with Brazil taking advantage of their numerical superiority to create a series of chances for Teixeira and Alan Kardec, who was especially wasteful.

Brazil became more frustrated by their failure to score and started raining shots in from distance with no effect.

And although Ghana also fashioned opportunities, especially through Dominic Adiyiah and Dede Ayew, the 90 minutes finished goalless.

Ghana pressed early in extra-time but Brazil were denied a fabulous opportunity to take the lead by a point-blank save by Daniel Agyei.

Teixeira’s break down the left should have resulted in a goal but Kardec fluffed again and the follow up shot was well blocked by Agyei.

Ghana had a succession of corners at the end of the first extra period with Brazil’s defence looking shaky, but they could not secure the breakthrough and the game remained goalless and very tense.

Both sets of players were now very tired and more balls were going astray than were finding the right man.

Ghana had certainly not settled on penalties, with Agyemang-Badu creating one good chance right at the end.

But after 120 minutes the two most prolific goalscoring sides in this tournament could not be separated and spot-kicks decided the outcome.

A magnificent competition for the Black Satellites was capped by a deserving victory.

SOURCED FROM BBC

FIFA FINES IVORY COAST OVER STADIUM TRAGEDY

Fifa has fined the Ivorian Football Federation $47,000 following the enquiry into the stadium tragedy where 22 fans died in Abidjan in March.

Football’s world governing body imposed a series of safety measures after concluding the long investigation.

Fifa also announced a donation $96,000 to a fund set up for the families of the victims.

The safety measures will be in place for the Elephants’ next round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in September.

The capacity for the match against Burkina Faso on 5 September will be set at 20,000, with a control cordon to be set up at least one kilometre from the stadium.

A separate spectator control cordon around 200 metres away to prevent non-ticket holders getting through.

“The total capacity of the stadium (34,600) will only be allowed in subsequent matches if the above-mentioned measures are applied for each match,” Fifa said in a statement.

Fifa investigators spoke with Ivorian police, football and government officials but the disciplinary ruling did not blame anyone.

More than 130 people were injured as Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5-0, with a reported 36,000 trying to cram into a stadium which has a capacity of 34,600.

The crush occurred when thousands of fans massed outside the Felix Boigny stadium before the World Cup qualifier.

STRIKE THREATENS TO STOP 2010 WORLD CUP

70 000 construction workers are threatening to wreck the tournament if their demands for a 13% wage increase are not met.

Organizers say they are confident the grounds will still be ready unless the strike continues for months.

A court on Monday rejected a request from the employers to declare the indefinite strike illegal. .

“We are struggling for our country,” they chanted after downing their tools at midday.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), whose members include construction workers, has rejected the 10% wage increase offer from employers.

Six entirely new stadiums are being built for the World Cup, while four are being modernised.

Correspondents say if the strike continues of greater concern will be projects such as the high-speed rail link between the airport and Johannesburg, scheduled to be operational just two weeks before the tournament starts.

This is the first time the football World Cup will be hosted in Africa

SOURCED FROM BBC

IRAQ PLAY SOUTH AFRICA TO A GOALESS DRAW

Hosts South Africa and Iraq shared the spoils in the opening game of the Fifa Confederations Cup in Johannesburg. The hosts missed a hatful of chances with Kagisho Dikgacoi unlucky to see a goalbound header accidently blocked on the line by team-mate Bernard Parker.

Earlier South Africa’s Macbeth Sibayo saw his 20-yard shot tipped round the post by Iraqi keeper Mohammed Kassid. Striker Parker saw two efforts saved by Kassid while Thembinkosi Fanteni headed Teko Modise’s corner over the bar. Substitute Katlego Mashego should have done better for South Africa when finding himself one-on-one with Kassid.

But as was the case for much of the game the Iraq keeper proved to be unbeatable, doing well to smother the ball at the feet of Mashego. Iraq rarely threatened South Africa who were cheered on by a partisan crowd of 48,837 at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park. The one time the hosts did beat Kassid, Parker found himself in the way of Dikgacoi’s header, blocking it on the line and away to safety.

Earlier Fifa president Sepp Blatter had opened the tournament after a colourful ceremony at Ellis Park. “Fifa is committed to Africa,” said Blatter. “The world of football trusts you, and the confidence is in you. It is in Africa, it is in South Africa today.” Spain and New Zealand also await both teams in Group A.

South Africa: Itumeleng Khune; Siboniso Gaxa, , Aaron Mokoena (capt), Matthew Booth, Tsepo Masilela; Benson Mhlongo, Macbeth Sibaya, Teko Modise, Kagisho Dikgacoi; Bernard Parker (Steven Pienaar 85), Thembinkosi Fanteni (Katlego Mashego 78).

Booked: Fanteni 2, Sibaya 81

Iraq: Mohammed Kassid; Mohammed Ali Kareem, Basem Abbas, Fareed Majeed, Salam Shaker, Ali Hussein Rehema; Nashat Akram, Karrar Jassim (Hawar Mohammed 75), Mahdi Kareem (Salih Sadir 88); Emad Mohammed (Alaa Zahra 76), Younis Mahmoud (capt).

Booked: Akram 74, Att: 48,837, Ref: Jorge Larrionda (URU)

SOURCED FROM BBC

SOUTH AFRICA’S TIME TO SHINE

It’s hard for a lot of people to take the Confederations Cup seriously, although in Germany four years ago it did develop into a summer festival and in the end proved a tasty appetiser before the main meal 12 months later.

The field for South Africa is somewhat lob-sided: Brazil, Italy and the all-conquering Spanish are the strong favourites with the United States, Egypt and South Africa perhaps having the potential to create an upset. Iraq and New Zealand should pose few problems for the big teams.

Most importantly, though, this is a test of the organisational ability of the World Cup hosts, whose preparations for 2010 have been clouded by uncertainty. That has been partly because of international scepticism over the ability of an African country to organise an event of the magnitude of the World Cup and partly because South Africa have failed dismally to spin the positives of their bid.

But the evidence of potential is now beginning to emerge from beneath the mountains of bricks and dramatic skyline of cranes. The stadiums are all scheduled to be completed ahead of time and the country’s infrastructure is already looking sleeker and smarter, although new road works and airport upgrades continue at pace.

Ultimately, though, it will be the people who make or break the event. There is an underlying spirit of hospitality to South Africans but it is also a country with a dangerous crime rate that makes many visitors nervous. This month presents the chance for a good deal of positive marketing. Whether South Africa snatches up the opportunity remains to be seen.

SOURCED FROM REUTERS

AFRICAN NATIONS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR SOUTH AFRICA 2010

Twelve of South Africa’s neighbours have pledged to supply electricity to help prevent power cuts during the 2010 football World Cup. The Southern African Power Pool (Sapp), whose members already share electricity supplies, promised to transmit extra power to South Africa.

South Africa was hit by severe power cuts last year, which led some to doubt its ability to stage the showpiece. The shortages led South Africa to cut some power supplies to its neighbours. South Africa’s state-owned power company Eskom welcomed the pledges made at a meeting in the Mozambican capital, Maputo.

“This initiative confirms that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is truly and indeed an African event,” said Eskom Project 2010 unit managing director Johnny Dladla. This is the first time the World Cup has been hosted in Africa.

Some Sapp members, such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique, normally import power from South Africa, while others also suffer power shortages. The other Sapp members are: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.

Sapp has a long-standing plan to build a huge dam in DR Congo, which would provide electricity to the whole region.

SOURCED FROM BBC

2010 WORLD COUP TICKETS GO ON SALE

Around 3m tickets are being made available for the 2010 World Cup.

Tickets for the 2010 Fifa Cup in South Africa have gone on sale as Africa prepares to host the contest for the first time.

Around 3m tickets are available for the 64 matches, which will start in June 2010.

In the first sale phase, applications for tickets will be followed by a random selection draw in April.

Some 450,000 cheaper tickets are reserved for South African residents of which 120,000 will be issued free to stadium construction workers.

Overall prices range from $20(E14) for a category four tickets reserved for South Africans to $900 for category one tickets for the final.

World Cup organizer Danny Jordan said he can give 100% guarantees that every one will be 100% safe.

Ever since South Africa was awarded the football World Cup, questions have been asked about whether the country is capable of staging a successful tournament, says our correspondent.

This week, about 400 builders working on the construction of Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit were dismissed for going on strike.

Similar disputes have previously broken out at stadiums in Durban and Cape Town, but World Cup organizers say they are confident those projects will be completed by on time.

Ten stadiums in nine cities will play host to the tournament.

SOURCED FROM BBC

FAITH, CON-MEN AND A GRUDGE MATCH

‘3-1, nothing more that would be final score, the gold belongs to Nigeria’ a loud-mouthed bus conductor roared some hours after Nigeria had annihilated Belgium by four goals to one. ‘Why are you afraid of Argentina, we are as good as gold, Argentina had its time two years ago now is our time’ a female passenger two seats away from me boisterously announced. She was replying to chicken hearted men like me and a number of other travelers who were apprehensive of Saturday’s epic clash. One of the men quickly repented and asked that we all embarked on a vigil, however not a few laughed.

Twenty four hours after the dream team four’s five- star performance, the streets of Lagos are bubbling with great optimism; at bus-stops, newsstands, markets and offices there is belief that four could be the lucky number. The kind of optimism being expressed is redolent of the miraculous post semi-final win by dream team one over Brazil twelve years earlier. Not even the Argies heavy thrashing of mighty Brazil- 3-0 could sour the mood, though many Nigerians would have preferred Brazil. I fear many Nigerians are caught between the rock and the hard place, the truth is many Nigerians dread brazil or rather worship brazil on and off the pitch. Beside the Atlanta 96 Olympic football triumph, the Brazilians reconcile numeral four with Nigeria, four goals past the Nigerian goal posts and the general remark was ‘it’s Brazil again’. However with Argentina it is derision that replaces the awe for Brazil. The bus conductor had shouted ‘even if it was Brazil I won’t have minded losing but Argentina..’ he swore loudly, several passengers agreed, hissing loudly. At the bus stands there was more anger toward the Argies, ‘they have to pay for all their 419(fraudulent practices) a football enthusiast said. Surprisingly Nigeria has an infamous reputation worldwide for its advance fee fraud records, but Argentina’s pecadiloes however eclipses Nigeria when it comes to the beautiful game. Nigerians still seethe with anger when they remember Diego Maradona at the 1994 world cup and Lionel Messi more recently at the WYC in 2005, twice both men conned their way to help the Argies with dubious wins. Every encounter between both nations has always left a sour taste surprisingly even for the argies; they still claim Emmanuel Amuneke’s winning goal in the 1996 Olympic finals was offside. The Nigerian coach Samson Siasia calls this a grudge match and rightly too, he was at the helm when Lionel Messi was awarded two penalties just three years ago. On Saturday, five A.M (Nigerian time) when both teams file out at the birds nest, all eyes will be looking out for the conmen, faith-men  and perhaps a little more myth to add to a tantalizing epic story the Nigerians and the Argies are working hard to prolong

Aghogho, CONNECTAFRICA

EIGHT WORLD WONDER

The African continent had celebrated in no small measure when south Africa was awarded the hosting rights of football’s biggest prize; the world cup. It was a sweet victory after a bitter and controversial defeat to Germany 8 years earlier; one which had shown the deep divisions amongst the sub-continental organizations which make up FIFA. The African continent had unsuccessfully wooed the Asian continent for its votes, but then it had the Asians had wanted its pound of flesh after Africa had failed to support its bid for the same competition some years back when Oceania had presented a joint bid with south Korea and Japan.

It’s two years to the start of the epoch making event and no one is absolutely certain if the FIFA world cup theme-song will be playing at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg or any other stadia in south-Africa. The xenophobic attacks on a large pan-African population in several of South-Africa’s urban settlements a few months back left a sour taste on the taste buds of several Africans leaving them wondering what happened to the solidarity marches the rest of Africa held in support of the ANC and tears of joy we shed when south Africa won the bid less than two decades after the demise of apartheid. A sports commentator in south Africa  recently wondered the fate of several sports tourists who would be in the country for a period of thirty days when fellow African brothers aren’t guaranteed of their safety. Worse still is Johannesburg’s high crime statistics; recent reports place Johannesburg in the A-list of crime nations, you are five most likely to be robbed, mugged or raped on the city’s streets than New York. These negative observations conceivably gave rise to rumors last year that the venue could be moved from Africa fanned spectacularly by German football great Franz Beckenbauer. south Africa’s deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi had responded vehemently saying the critics had targeted the event to reflect their persistent negativity towards South Africa. On the back-thrust of this FIFA’s boss Sepp Blatter had echoed that South Africa was option A, B and C for the mundial. The football supremo was ready to turn a blind eye to the grave atrocities being recorded on country’s streets daily. But then South Africa was given a rude shock when FIFA revealed that three countries had been placed on stand-by for the 2010 world cup’s hosting; the South African nation had failed to heed the age-old maxim which says there’s no smoke without fire. Sepp Blatter had tried to allay South Africa’s fears by saying its routine practice. Now it will be fool-hardy for the South-Africa football governing body to dismiss Blatter’s comment except I now inexplicably speak Yiddish then I did not hear blatter say read my lips option A, B and C automatically means South-Africa, South-Africa and South-Africa. Jack Warner, a FIFA vice-president in 1995 had fooled local football wigs in Nigeria in December 1994 after concluding final inspection tours of stadia to host the FIFA under 21 youth championship that Nigeria had pulled a feat by getting everything in place, he said it was the eighth wonder of the world. Less than five months to the event’s kick-off FIFA unceremoniously pulled the rug off the country’s feet. It had based its revocation on reports of a break-out of cholera and meningitis in Kano and Enugu states. If SAFA thinks the under-21 world-cup is a different kettle of fish then she could enquire from Colombia who lost its hosting rights in 1986 to Mexico after a natural disaster occurred in the run-up to the world cup. Therefore rather than play to the gallery by treating this latest development as a political diatribe the local organizing committee would have to do more than its doing presently, for a start an aggressive media campaign and better collaboration with other African nations would not be too much work for the LOC. Next year every eye would be on the controversial Port –Elizabeth stadium which has to be ready for the confederation cup by every means possible, SAFA must produce for the continent an eight world wonder.

Aghogho, CONNECTAFRICA