Archive: The Scene in Germany
The Lights of Hamburg
From Steven Goff: They're everywhere! These beautiful fluorescent blue, lighted goal posts (left post, right post, crossbar; no net) that have been erected all over this wonderful city. One is above the main entrance to the grand town hall, the Rathaus; others are atop office buildings, standing guard on apartment complexes, and in the port; there is one aboard a barge sitting in the lower Alster Lake and miniature versions on store and hotel counters. In all, an estimated 300 of the luminescent pipe sets are scattered about the city. At night, when the sun finally fades at around 10 p.m., it is a mesmerizing sight. (If you can read German, the concept is explained on this site; it has some pictures, too)...
By Steve Goff | June 8, 2006; 03:07 AM ET | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
Know Your Germans
Here's a post appealing to what I imagine is a huuuuge slice of this blog's readership: single women who are traveling to Germany for the World Cup. For you, ladies ... enjoy....
By Jon DeNunzio | May 31, 2006; 03:25 PM ET | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Guarding Team U.S.A.
The bus the U.S. team will use in Germany does not have an American flag painted on the side or back. All the other 31 team buses will bear the country's colors. It's a security measure: At the 2002 World Cup, the United States was among the most heavily guarded teams. When the Americans arrived at Incheon International Airport, about 500 police formed a corridor the players walked through as they came out of customs, with SWAT team commandos mixed in. That's not so fun. On the lighter side, check this out....
By Jon DeNunzio | May 4, 2006; 03:59 PM ET | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)
The Definitive Injury Post
Well, maybe that's too strong. But FIFAWorldCup.com does a nice job in this piece of getting us up to date on the major injury worries as June 9* (not to mention May 15**) approaches. Will they or won't they? XI on the fitness trail Oleksander Shovkovsky, Ukraine goalkeeper Gabriel Heinze, Argentina defender Sol Campbell, England defender Ledley King, England defender Ashley Cole, England defender Xavi, Spain midfielder Pablo Aimar, Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi, Argentina midfielder Francesco Totti, Italy forward Jan Koller, Czech Republic forward Michael Owen, England forward Did they miss anyone? Am I right in thinking the U.S. is fortunate not to have a major injury concern right now? * - Matchday 1 of the 2006 World Cup, as if you didn't know. ** -- FIFA's deadline for final roster submission....
By Jon DeNunzio | April 19, 2006; 11:04 AM ET | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
Stately Understatement
"It's well-known that Brazilians are more laid-back than Germans." That insight courtesy of Cyrus Heydarian, the manager of the Kempinski Hotel Falkenstein, which will serve as Brazil's home base from June 5 through 16 (and possibly later in the tournament, too). The hotel looks beautiful -- and it ain't cheap. FIFAWorldCup.com reports that "rooms cost between 300 and 999 euros (360 to 1,290 dollars) a night." And the town of Koenigstein im Taunus seems pretty psyched: "It's the most important event since Kaiser Wilhelm II came to visit," said Karl-Gustav Schramm, one of the town officials responsible for the Brazilians' visit. They have a logo and web page dedicated to the Brazilians' stay (in German). And: Pupils at the local high school would have had a bird's eye view of the Brazilian stars training - the Koenigstein training ground is next to the school building - but their classrooms are...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 13, 2006; 03:15 PM ET | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Prostitution at the World Cup
If that headline doesn't grab readers, what will? Sepp Blatter says FIFA is powerless to stop forced prostitution. From the AP report: The German Women's Council estimated 40,000 extra prostitutes would be in Germany [where prostitution is legal] for the event, but did not know how many would be there against their will. Also intriguing: A Swedish official recently urged the country to withdraw from the World Cup to protest the expected surge in prostitution. The suggestion by Claes Borgstrom, Sweden's equal opportunity ombudsman, was rejected by the Swedish soccer federation. The soccer group warned that the country could be excluded from future competitions if it boycotted the event. Prostituiton ... not funny....
By Jon DeNunzio | April 13, 2006; 12:48 PM ET | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Mid-Morning Kick-About
Taking my place in the wall as the day lines up for another free kick ... - Nice piece on FIFAWorldCup.com on the "water-carriers" of World Cup history. I always loved Deschamps; love to see him get his due here. - Brazil's coach is " more relieved than worried" tha Ronaldo is hurt. Okay. But Parreira said that the rest could be just what Ronaldo needs to be at his best ahead of their FIFA World Cup defence. "He can recover and line out in his best physical form for Brazil," Parreira told the Brazil sports agency Placar. - Good old-fashioned begging might get you a spot on the national team. Twenty goals don't hurt, either. If this BBC.com piece I linked to yesterday is to be believed, Bent and Jermain Dafoe are the bubble boys for England's last forward spot. - One of England's top refs say the men...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 12, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
A few headlines of note this morning: - The Guardian says Sven-Goran Eriksson has told Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole they are in his plans. - Match of the weekend? Arsenal-Manchester United. - FIFAWorldCup.com runs through Argentina's striking options. After Brazil, who looks better up top (on paper, at least) than these guys? - How often do you get to type this: Q&A with Cha-Bum Kun! Interesting to note that one of South Korea's best strikers, Lee Dong-Gook, did not play in 2002, but is expected to be there this time around. - Player wins injunction vs. German far-right party. The pamphlet pictured a white player wearing Owomoyela's jersey below the words: "White, not just a jersey color! For a real national team!" - Finally, I can't read much Italian, but I know what this quote from Carlos Alberto Parreira on Pippo Inzaghi means: E' come Paolo Rossi (He's like...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 7, 2006; 08:05 AM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
