Police Obtain Approximatively $493,000 in fake World Cup Shirts

South African police has reportedly seized about 10,000 at the Swaziland border sometime Saturday. Along with other counterfeit items the total street estimate for all of the trucks contents were $520,000. The shirts were apparently made in China and are in popular demand. The Vancouver 2010 Olympics had the signature red mittens, what will be the signature clothing for the 2010 World Cup? Who knows, but police spokesman Colonel Vishnu Naidoo has notified FIFA and will be cracking down on counterfeit gear at the 2010 games. More of the story @ World Cup Shirt Seizure.

This week in World Cup.

Fear of terrorism? "We are fully convinced that the security forces, supported by our intelligence community and all other role-players, are 100 percent prepared to efficiently secure this event," says Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa. Mthethwa Interview.

The final phase of 2010 world cup ticket sales begins on the 15th of April. Approximately 500 000 tickets are being sold for 63 out of the 64 total matches. Tickets can still be purchase on line at www.FIFA.com. More on the story @ Ticket Increases South African Excitement.

Italian coach Marcello Lippi keeps it positive. Lippi FIFA Interview.

Rooney, still out and set to miss next regular season match. Rooney Update.

Picture of the week:
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the 51 762 seat stadium located in Pretoria, South Africa. The stadium was names after Robert Versfeld, the founder of organized sports in Pretoria. The site has had sports played on it since 1906, but the first structure did not go up until 1923. The stadium was one of the arenas choosen to host the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. It is also hosts to ruby matches and concerts.


Hospitals:

Jakaranda Hospital

213 Middelberg Street
Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Phone #:012 421 6700

Hotels:

Arcadia Hotel Pretoria‎515 Proes St
Pretoria 0083, South Africa
Phone #:012 326 9311

Protea Hotel Manor‎
Burnett Street
Pretoria 0083, South Africa
Phone #:012 362 707

Pretoria Backpackers and Travellers Lodge‎
425 Farenden Street
Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Phone #:012 343 9754

Hatfield Protea Lodge-a SNR Hotel‎1080 Prospect Street
Pretoria 0083, South Africa
Phone #:012 362 6105

Illyria House‎327 Bourke Street
Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Phone #:012 344 5193

Shopping:

Brooklyn Mall‎Corner Fehrsen and Lange Streets
New Muckleneuk 0181, South Africa
Phone #:012 346 1579

Menlyn Park‎
Cnr. Atterbury Rd & Lois Avenue 1, Menlo Park
Pretoria 0184, South Africa
Phone #:012 348 8766

Bidvest Bank Brooklyn - Cherry Lane Shopping Centre‎Shop 24, Cherry Lane Shopping Centre, Cnr Fehrsen & Middle Str, New Muckleneuk
Pretoria 0181, South Africa
Phone #:012 460 3961

Wayne Rooney Injured

The English star striker was injured today in a match against Bayern Munich. An ankle injury will possibly take Rooney off of England's 2010 world cup team. Initial reports hint at the injury being minor. Rooney suffered an injury before the 2006 world cup, an injury which some blame for his poor performance. If Wayne is not able to compete England will lose it's 2nd star player in just a few weeks.

Ellis Park Stadium

73 days to go, and may I present to you the   $7 453,    62 567 seat Ellis Park Stadium. You heard me right, breaking ground in 1927, the stadium was completed in 1928 for only $7 453 (with inflation for 2010 roughly $100 000). The venue is located in Johannesburg, and is home to soccer, rugby and cricket matches. The stadium has hosted 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1995 Rugby World Cup.


Hospitals:
Milpark Hospital
Guild Road, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
Phone: 011 480 5600‎


Life Healthcare Fourways Hospital
Cedar Road & Cedar Road WestFourways, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 875 1000
‎

Malls, Shopping & Food:
Cresta Centre
Shop U30 Cresta Mall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 678 5303‎

Clearwater Mall
Shop LM120, Clearwater Mall, Strubens Valley, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2147, South Africa
Phone: 011 467 7810‎

Sandton City
1st Floor Medical Mews Sandton City Management Of Sandton City Complex, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2146, South Africa

Mugg & Amp; Bean Maponya Mall
Shop 238 Maponyamall, Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 938 1381‎

Seattle Coffee Company Killarney Mall
Shop 8A Killarney Mall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 646 6455‎

Hotels nearby:
Town Lodge
Sandton -Montrose Road Off Bekker Rd Waterfall Park, Johannesburg 1685, South Africa
Phone: 027 784 8850‎

Mapungubwe Hotel
Marshall Street, Johannesburg 2048, South Africa
Phone: 011 429 2600‎

Robertsham Hotel
87 Harry Cnr Delamare St, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 680 5387‎

Gold Reef City Casino Hotel
Data Cresent at Northern Pkwy, Ormonde, Johannesburg 00000, South Africa
Phone: 011 248 5200‎

Booysens Hotel & Conference
33 Booysens Road, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 493 8740‎

Inyati Private Game Lodge
Booysens Station Street, Johannesburg 2016, South Africa
Phone: 011 880 5907‎

Hotel Gold Reef City Village
14 Shaft Street, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 248 5700‎

Southern Sun InterContinental Airport
SunJohannesburg International Air, Johannesburg 000, South Africa
Phone: 011 961 5400‎

Hotel Southern Sun JNB International
Po Box 200 Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Wavin' Flag - Young Artists For Haiti Version

This is the version of Wavin' Flag that was devoted to the Haiti effort. Put together by the well respected Canadian producer Bob Ezrin, the video features K'naan preforming with a large cast of celebrities in effort to raise money for Haitian recovery. Donations can be made by visiting the youtube page.

Cape Town Stadium

Presenting the brand new 69 070 seat Cape Town Stadium. Built for the 2010 FIFA tournament the stadium is located in Cape Town, Western Cape. The venue was built on top of the 18 000 seat Green Point soccer stadium, this added a staggering 51 070 seats to the Cap Town Stadium. Sadly after the games the stadium will be reduced to 55 000 seats. Estimated cost of this arena was $400 million.

Airports & Hospitals:
CPT - Cape Town International Airport 
Cape Town International Airport, Terminal Entrance Rd, Cape Town, Western Cape 7525, South Africa

Christian Barnard Hospital 
181 Long Market Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa 
Phone#: 021 480 6111
  
Hotels: 
The Mount Nelson Hotel 
76 Orange Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Phone#: 021 483 1000‎

Protea Hotels
152 Main Road, Cape Town 8005, South Africa
Phone#: 012 430 5125‎

Cape Town Lodge Cc
101 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa 
Phone#: 021 468 7240‎


De Waterkant Village
1 Loader Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Phone#: 021 409 2500

Hotel One&Only Cape Town 
Dock Rd, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Phone#: 021 418 0181‎ ‎

Shopping:
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Pty Ltd
East Pier Road, Cape Town 8002, South Africa
Phone#: 021 408 7500‎ 

Gardens Shopping Centre
Mill Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Phone#: 021 465 1842‎

79 Days To Go!!

Here is the official song for the 2010 world cup, Wavin' Flag by K'naan.

K'naan is a Canadian-Somali rapper, musician and poet. Only 31 years of age K'naan now leads the 2010 FIFA World Cup with his original anthem. Wavin' Flag was chosen by Coca-Cola to be the main theme song for the event. The song also has an Haiti benefit version, which features other artists such as:
Nelly Furtado, Pierre Bouvier, Drake, LIGHTS, Matt Mays, Avril Lavinge, Justin Bieber, Sam Roberts, Bob Ezrin and many more.

Moses Mabhida Stadium

The glorious Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa seats an amazing 70 000+ spectators. A $450 million work of art the stadium broke ground in 2006 and was completed in 2009. The building features a 350m long and 105m wide arch with a translucent roof which covers 88% of seating. There is a total of 7 500 seats in 150 corporate hospitality suites.

Airports:
Durban International Airport 
Durban Int Airport Rd, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 4029, South Africa

Hospital:
Addington Hospital
Erskine Terrace, Durban 4001, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 327 2000‎

Hotels:
Blue Waters Hotel 
175 Snell Parade, Durban 4001, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 332 4272

Quarters Hotel Florida Road 
101 Florida Road, Durban 4001, South Africa
Phone#: 031 303 5246‎ 

SunCoast Hotel & Towers 
20 Battery Beach Road, Durban 4001, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 314 7878‎

Southern Sun North Beach
 83 Snell Parade, Durban 4056, South Africa
Phone#: 031 332 7361‎

Audacia Manor Hotel 
11 Sir Arthur Road, Durban 4016, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 303 9520

Shopping:
City View Shopping Centre
Greyville, 10 Mathews Meyiwa Ave (Stamfordhill Rd), Durban 4001, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 309 6737‎ – 0837 785 108‎ (Mobile)

Gateway Theatre of Shopping 
1 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga 4320, South Africa 
Phone#: 031 566 2332

Durban is the third largest city in South Africa. It has a population of 3 468 086 in 2 291km². Durban was formed in 1835 by a British Lieutenant however ancient tribes have lived there dating back to100 000BC.

Beckham Injured & Will Miss The 2010 World Cup

The world renown football star will be missing the 2010 games in South Africa due to a torn Achilles tendon. This would have been the soccer pros 4th World Cup. Just repeating "it's broken", David stumbled off the field grabbing his ankle in the 88th minute. Last nights game was a 1-0 victory AC Milan so it was not all a loss. He is expected to return in 6-8 weeks.

More about the story can be found at:
David Beckham to miss World Cup with Achilles injury | International Football - Times Online

Soccer City Stadium - Johannesburg

With a seating capacity of 94 700, Soccer City Stadium is the biggest venue in the 2010 games. Construction began in 1986 in the Soweto district of Johannesburg, South Africa, and was completed in 1989. It was renovated in 2009 to make way for the FIFA World Cup Of Soccer in 2010.

There will be a total of 8 matches being played at the stadium. This includes the opener, quarter finals and the final game.

Here is the schedule for the arena:

June 11th 2010
16:00 (4:00pm) South Africa vs Mexico Group A

June 14th 2010
13:30 (1:30pm) Netherlands vs Denmark Group E

June 17th 2010
18:00 (6:00pm) Argentina vs South Korea Group B

June 20th 2010
20:30 (8:00pm) Brazil vs Côte d'Ivoire Group G

June 23rd 2010
20:30 (8:30pm) Ghana vs Germany Group D

June 27th 2010
20:30 (8:30pm) Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A Round of 16

July 2nd 2010
20:30 (8:30pm) Winners of Match 49 vs Winners of Match 50 Quarter Finals

July 11th 2010
20:30 (8:30pm) Winners of Match 61 vs Winners of Match 62 Final

Hotels nearby:

Gold Reef City Casino Hotel
Data Cresent at Northern Pkwy, Ormonde, Johannesburg 00000, South Africa
Phone: 011 248 5200‎

Town Lodge
Sandton -Montrose Road Off Bekker Rd Waterfall Park, Johannesburg 1685, South Africa
Phone: 027 784 8850‎

Robertsham Hotel
87 Harry Cnr Delamare St, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 680 5387‎

Booysens Hotel & Conference
33 Booysens Road, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 493 8740‎

Inyati Private Game Lodge
Booysens Station Street, Johannesburg 2016, South Africa
Phone: 011 880 5907‎

Hotel Gold Reef City Village
14 Shaft Street, Johannesburg 2091, South Africa
Phone: 011 248 5700‎

Hotel Southern Sun JNB International
Po Box 200 Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Mapungubwe Hotel
Marshall Street, Johannesburg 2048, South Africa
Phone: 011 429 2600‎

Southern Sun InterContinental Airport
SunJohannesburg International Air, Johannesburg 000, South Africa
Phone: 011 961 5400‎

Malls, Shopping & Food:

Sandton City
1st Floor Medical Mews Sandton City Management Of Sandton City Complex, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2146, South Africa

Cresta Centre
Shop U30 Cresta Mall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 678 5303‎

Clearwater Mall
Shop LM120, Clearwater Mall, Strubens Valley, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2147, South Africa
Phone: 011 467 7810‎

Mugg & Bean Maponya Mall
Shop 238 Maponyamall, Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 938 1381‎

Seattle Coffee Company Killarney Mall
Shop 8A Killarney Mall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 646 6455‎

Hospital:

Milpark Hospital
Guild Road, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
Phone: 011 480 5600‎

Life Healthcare Fourways Hospital
Cedar Road & Cedar Road WestFourways, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Phone: 011 875 1000‎



Soccer City Stadium happened to be where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man. The co-ordinates for the stadium are 26°14′5.27″S 27°58′56.47″E.

The Low-Down

So like I said before each post will be about the stadium and the area surrounding it. Places to eat, sleep, shop and everything else!

First off let's start with getting there. Some great websites to plan your flight are:
Expedia.com (USA)
Expedia.ca (Canada)
Expedia.co.uk (UK)
Cheapflights.ca (Canada)
Priceline.com
[An insiders tip- you can often find the flight you are looking for cheaper on the actual airline website- use these sites as a reference]

South Africa?!?! Isn't that a country!?

You are absolutely correct! It is also one of the only countries to completely contain another within it! There are 9 provinces (or "states") in South Africa, the FIFA world cup will be held in 9 cities in these provinces. There are 10 venues that the games will be played at. The main venue is the massive 94 700 seat Soccer City stadium in the Soweto district of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

Slightly confusing am I right? Well on this blog I will have week by week all of the stadium related info posted. For example we will start next week with the Soccer City Stadium, posted will be where it is, dining, shopping, soccer related events, hotels and any other relevant info pertaining to that stadium!

Here's a taste, all 10 stadiums and their location:

Stadium
1.) Soccer City
District
- Soweto
City
- Johannesburg
Province
- Gauteng
Seating
- 94 700

Stadium
2.) Moses Mabhida Stadium
City
- Durban
Municipality
- eThekwini
Province
- KwaZulu-Natal
Seating
- 70 000+


Stadium
3.) Cape Town Stadium
City
- Cape Town
Municipality
- City of Cape Town
Province
- Western Cape
Seating
- 69 070

Stadium
4.) Ellis Park Stadium
City
- Johannesburg
Municipality
- Greater Johannesburg
Province
- Gauteng
Seating
- 62 567

Stadium
5.) Loftus Versfeld Stadium
City
- Pretoria
Municipality
- City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Province
- Gauteng
Seating
- 51 762

Stadium
6.) Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
City
- Port Elizabeth
Municipality
- Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
Province
- Eastern Cape
Seating
- 48 459

Stadium
7.) Free State Stadium
City
- Bloemfontein
Municipality
- Mangaung Local Municipality
Province
- Free State
Seating
- 48 000

Stadium
8.) Peter Mokaba Stadium
City
- Polokwane
Municipality
- Polokwane Local Municipality
Province
- Limpopo
Seating
- 46 000

Stadium
9.) Mbombela Stadium
City
- 6 Km west of Mbombela
Municipality
- Mbombela Local Municipality
Province
- Mpumalanga
Seating
- 43 500


Stadium
10.) Royal Bafokeng Stadium
City
- Phokeng
Province
- North West
Seating
- 42 000

Some great World Cup Of Soccer Sites:
FIFA.com
Wiki-FIFA
Wiki-FIFA 2010
WorldCup2010SouthAfrica.com
Wiki-South Africa
Wiki- Association Football
Tsn.ca/Soccer
Espn-Soccer

A little introduction...

In the next few weeks I will be uploading relevant information about the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. I don't like to think of this as a blog, more of an information resource. Stay tuned!