One should not mix sports and politics. But sports has always been used as a platform to voice opinions about political and human rights issues.
Some thoughtful Algerian fans take their time out to make known the plight of the Gaza inhabitants because of tbe human rights violations in the Gaza strip.
The South Africans stunned the Mexicans by holding them to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup.
This young South African fan was hoping that his Bafana boys would put up a good show against the Mexicans. And their respectable performance was reason enough for this young bloke to hold out his placard.
England were the most overhyped team at this World Cup.
They failed miserably, but the fans never gave up hope.
After two horrid performances in the first two matches, the English fans' cheers reached a cresendo and England beat Slovenia 1-0.
This female fans displays a naughty message for Ronaldo.
We don't know if he read it, but the woman surely drove home her point.
Swiss fans show the Spanish supporters the bitter truth of a 1-0 loss through food talk.
The songs and slogans have been replaced by the noisy vuvuzelas. Fans and players are not taking kindly to it.
Here a fan shows his displeasure towards the vuvuzela.
The Black Stars overshadowed the bigger teams this World Cup. Ghana have shown that they can't be taken lightly.
They are worthy of their place in the quarter-finals having beaten the United States.
This Ghanaian fan is over the moon after the victory.
There were lots of doubts whether South Africa would be able to pull off the first football World Cup in Africa without any glitches. So far, so good!
The football has been great in the first ever World Cup Finals in the African continent. All of this has seemingly gladdened this young fan, who is telling the world to watch how the show is run.
Spain's Fernando Torres has given himself a new look with haircut and all.
But long hair or short, he continues to find place in the hearts of female fans.
This lady spoke her mind -- loud, legible and clear -- during the match between Spain and Chile.
Germany have lived up to their billing as one of the real contenders for the World Cup.
They have missed the services of some of their big names, but haven't let their fans down.
See this one cheer the Germans to victory over Ghana.
Most German fans have been unable to travel to South Africa but their support from home has as much of an affect on the team.
Fans cheer for the German team as they watch their boys tame the English Lions.
Australian fans also made their presence felt in South Africa.
Here we have an Aussie fan showing his loyalty in perfect Aussie lingo during the match against Serbia.
The Dutch team is a talented bunch, but somehow has never shown the characteristics to be serious contenders for the Cup.
But their fans still put their faith in the Oranje brigade. The support is for all to see.
The Netherlands lost a few fans after scraping past Slovakia to enter last eight, but this one definitely knew who is leading the Dutch charge.
Heading into the World Cup, Brazil's coach Dunga was heavily criticised for his defensive tactics in the tournament qualifiers.
Brazil lost it's flair and the football pundits had written off Dunga and his boys, labelling them the most boring Brazil team to play in the World Cup in a long time.
But the fans never lost hope; they continued to support their team vociforously. They came in their numbers to South Africa.
Here we see a group of fans showing their support to coach Dunga during Brazil's drab draw against Portugal last Friday.
Like all big events, the Football World Cup 2010 has captured the attention of the media. But it's the fans who make it a true success.
From all croners of the globe they have travelled to Rainbow Nation to support to their favourite teams and players.
And, it's not just their presence that matters, but what they say. So, be it banners, body art or placards, if it's on the mind it's there for all to see.
A few one-liners that caught our attention.
Argentina's main-man Lionel Messi has mesmerised many a football fan and player with his antics on the field. And his countrymen -- read women --- are enchanted by the pocket-sized dynamite. The placard says it all.
We wonder what Messi will have to say about this unique request!
Images of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o are still festooned on posters all over South Africa -- but sadly for them that's their only involvement as the World Cup reaches its final stages.
Along with the likes of Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Lionel Messi of Argentina and Fernando Torres of Spain, they were supposed to score goals, lead by example and have a battle royal to prove themselves as the world's best player.
It did not quite work out like that.
Messi, who has had an excellent tournament so far without scoring a goal, and Torres, who has had an indifferent tournament without scoring either, are still involved with Argentina facing Germany in their quarter-final and Spain playing Paraguay in theirs.
They still have time to leave an indelible mark on this World Cup but the chance has gone, for at least another four years, for Rooney and Ronaldo. For Drogba, who will be 36 in 2014 and Eto'o, who will be 33, the chance may have gone for good.
Rooney undoubtedly had the worst World Cup of the lot.
The build-up to the tournament in England was dominated by stories of how an-in form Rooney would lead England to the semi-finals at least.
Rooney though, was never on form, played without a smile as if he would rather be anywhere else, and although he came close to a goal in England's final Group C match against Slovenia, he had a miserable sullen campaign.
It was summed up by a wild, ludicrous "shot" at goal during England's 4-1 second round defeat to Germany in Bloemfontein when his effort appeared to be heading for the landlocked nation of Lesotho 80 miles away rather than the back of the German net.
Rooney's old Manchester United team mate Cristiano Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player, also rarely rose above the mediocre.
He came close to starting the tournament in glory with a long-distance strike that crashed against the Ivory Coast post and was mostly ineffective for the rest of that game.
He did shine, though, in the 7-0 rout of the North Koreans, firing shots against the bar, the side netting and the keeper as well as making some delightful passes and breaking his long dry spell for the national side with a comical late goal.
With Portugal's defensive approach in the final group game against Brazil, the winger saw little of the ball and, excepting the odd useful pass, his threat was nullified by imposing centre back Lucio.
The second round tie against the Spaniards offered Ronaldo a great chance to shine but Portugal's direct method to counter their opponents' passing game left him with little service and his main chance came from a fierce, swerving free kick that Iker Casillas struggled to defend.
Frustrated by not being able to make darting runs and with his free kicks mostly flying into the stands, Ronaldo spent most of the tournament pouting.
His tournament ended sourly after he told journalists to "speak to Carlos Queiroz" when asked to explain the loss to Spain and then had to retract the comments in a statement.
Spain's Torres came in direct opposition to Ronaldo on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque deploying him in a two-pronged attack with strike partner David Villa.
After returning from knee surgery shortly before the tournament, he has been totally outshone by Villa, who has netted four in four matches to draw to within two of Raul's national scoring record of 44.
Torres looks to be lacking the pace and strength that have made him such a terror for defenders in the past and is a shadow of the player who scored the brilliant winning goal in the Euro 2008 final against Germany.
"It's not easy coming back after an operation," the 26-year-old said last weekend. "I think I still have a little way to go before I am back at 100 percent, although I am close."
Torres at least, like Messi, is still involved. Messi, the World Player of the Year, has had a series of excellent games with Argentina seemingly on course for a final showdown with Brazil.
Of all the "poster boys" Messi still has the chance to etch his name on the finals just as Diego Maradona did in 1986.
The two big African stars of the pre-tournament build-up had moderate successes, even though their teams failed to survive the group stage.
Drogba played with a protective cast for Ivory Coast after fracturing his arm before the tournament, and at least had the satisfaction of becoming the first African to score a goal against Brazil in the World Cup when he netted in their 3-1 defeat at Soccer City.
Cameroonian Eto'o managed to get on the scoresheet twice before his side also exited at the group stage.
They never came close to emulating the 1990 Roger Milla campaign and will be remembered among the footnotes when the story of this tournament is recalled in the history books.
Massive egos landed England [ ] in football World Cup misery, said Holland star Johnny Heitinga.
The Sun quoted the Everton star as saying: "When you look at all the players in their squad, you've got maybe the best team in the world. But if you want to win a big title like the World Cup, the most important thing is to be a team, to work for the team and to fight for each other."
"It doesn't matter if someone makes a mistake, you have to cover his back and fight for each other. You have to put your ego away and play for the good of the team. That is what we have done with the Netherlands. You can see we are all together and united," he added.
David Platt believes a lack of harmony in the England camp helped to bring them down.
The former England captain also believes that the problems are more deep rooted than a simple change of manager could solve.
Platt believes technique is not the problem.
He said: "I just wonder if our players have the right tactical know-how. But as a group with England there seemed no tactical awareness among the players as to where each other was. They knew their own positions but not where other people's positions were."
Elano's [ ] nagging ankle injury has ruled him out of Brazil's [ ] quarter-final with Netherlands, prompting him to criticise World Cup referees for not clamping down on violent play.
Brazil team doctor Jose Luiz Runco said Elano was suffering a bone bruise, the result of a crunching tackle he received during Brazil's second group game against Ivory Coast on June 20.
"He can walk and run without changing direction, the problem is the impact, when he puts weight on it," Runco told reporters. "The bone is swollen inside, hence the name.
"The treatment is to avoid impact, he can work in a swimming pool and on the exercise bike.
"He could be better in a few days, a week or a month. We still hope he can play next week but I can't say that categorically. He is working intensely so we have to see if nature can give a helping hand," he added.
Brazil face the Dutch in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
Elano had initially shown signs of improvement and had hoped to play Monday against Chile.
But he felt discomfort on the eve of the match, being replaced by Dani Alves, and then limped out of a light practice on Tuesday after again feeling pain in the ankle.
Elano, who was taken off after the tackle in the second half of the Ivory Coast match, complained that the referee did not even give a foul.
"I told the referee that he didn't even give a free kick for a tackle which could have broken my leg," he said.
"The same player then committed another heavy foul on Robinho [ ] for which he should have been sent off.
"They have to have another look at this type of violence because the people who are losing out are the ones who get injured.
"In our team, we have players with different characteristics but you never see our players committing a malicious tackle, in contrast to some of our opponents," he added.
Elano, who scored in each of Brazil's first two games, said he was philosophical about what had happened.
"I feel sad occasionally but it passes quickly. I'm very optimistic. I've been through a lot of difficult things in my life and this is just another rock on my path.
Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has suspended the national soccer team from international competition for the next two years following their poor performance in the World Cup, a senior adviser said on Wednesday.
"Mr President has directed that Nigeria will withdraw from all international football competition for the next two years to enable Nigeria to reorganise its football," Ima Niboro, a special adviser to Goodluck Jonathan, told reporters.
"This directive became necessary following Nigeria's poor performance in the ongoing FIFA [ ] World Cup."
Nigeria were knocked out in the first round.
Spanish goal hero David Villa [ Images ] has rallied behind Fernando Torres [ Images ] after his strike partner turned in another disappointing World Cup performance in the European champions' 1-0 win over Portugal on Tuesday.
Torres has looked well short of his best after returning from knee surgery days before the tournament and Spain's passage into the last eight, where they will face Paraguay, was only secured after he was replaced in the second half by burly Basque striker Fernando Llorente.
Llorente succeeded in sowing chaos among the Portugal defence where Torres had failed and was involved in the move that led to Villa scoring the second-half goal that gave Spain a 1-0 victory over their European neighbours.
"We know what state his knee was in a month ago and I don't agree with those who say that Fernando Torres's performances have been below par," Villa told reporters at Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.
"The only blame you can pin on him in the opening stages (of the World Cup) is that he hasn't scored," he added. "His desire to be with the team has been spectacular."
Coach Vicente del Bosque has kept faith with Torres, deploying him in attack with Villa from the start in Spain's last three matches in South Africa [ Images ] after bringing him on as a substitute against Switzerland [ Images ] in their opening Group H game.
The Liverpool striker has yet to repay that faith with a goal and Llorente's impressive contribution on Tuesday could prompt Del Bosque to reconsider his tactics.
Del Bosque told a news conference after the Portugal match that he had withdrawn Torres because the striker was tired.
"More than a tactical change, it was about bringing on a player who was fresh," he said. "Llorente brought that physical vitality to the team."
The coach also had warm praise for Villa, who netted his fourth goal of the tournament and is now just two short of Raul's national scoring record of 44.
"Apart from the goal he scored, you have to recognise the enormous amount of work he did for the team," Del Bosque said.
"He is used to playing up front but today he helped out in defence in a way that left me feeling very pleased."
Spain play their quarter-final against Paraguay at Johannesburg's Ellis Park [ Images ] Stadium on Saturday and the winners will take on Argentina or Germany [ Images ] for a place in the final.
The model is also seen keeping her mobile phone between her breasts, and has joked she would like to replace it with the World Cup, according to the Daily Mail.
It has also helped push Riquelme's popularity as she has gone from relative obscurity to one of the most searched people on the Internet thanks for Paraguay's success at the ongoing World Cup.
Argentine coach Diego Maradona was the first to make such a promise when he said that he would run naked around the streets of Buenos Aires if his team triumphed at the World Cup.
Paraguay has enjoyed a dream run in the tournament so far when they beat Japan 5-3 on penalties to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
Paraguay go into a last-eight meeting with pre-finals favourites Spain having boosted the South American quarter-final tally to four teams including Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
The 24-year-old beauty told Globoesporte that she would shed her clothes and run 'with my body painted with the colors of Paraguay.'
In the search for tactical supremacy, soccer's big guns and some young pretenders have turned to the chapter marked 'counter-attack' to blast their way into the World Cup quarter-finals.
Mouth-watering matches between Argentina and Germany, and Netherlands and Brazil are next in line while neutrals will no doubt be willing on Uruguay, Paraguay, who are in the last eight for the first time, or Ghana, who carry the hopes of Africa.
Spain marched on by ending the challenge of neighbours Portugal as number two in the world overcame number three in as dominant a 1-0 win as is possible, while Paraguay got past Japan on penalties after the only goalless encounter.
After the 48 group matches produced an average of just over two goals per game, the 16 second-round games delivered just under three.
On the downside there were two monumental blunders by the match officials with England and Mexico on the receiving end, which immediately reopened the debate over goalline technology and even prompted a rare apology from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter.
After the upsets of the group stage when Italy and France were sent packing, the second-phase games went largely to form.
Photographs: Reuters
Brazil, seeking to win the World Cup on a fifth continent, looked ominously impressive in a 3-0 victory over a Chile side who played right into the hands of Dunga's team.
With marauding fullbacks and fizzing front men showing the counter-attacking approach they have perfected under Dunga, Brazil were like a venus fly trap and when Chile ventured too close, too often, they were picked clean in an instant.
Brazil's second goal, a high-speed combination by Robinho and Kaka to set up Luis Fabiano, was a classic.
"Brazil, which has always been the country of attacking football and pressure, is now the country of defence and a powerful counter-attack," 1970 World Cup winner Tostao wrote in a recent column.
"Brazilian football which is admired all around the world for its touch, for exchanging passes and dominating the game, no longer exists. Now it's a game of tough marking and counter-attacks -- often brilliantly carried out."
Germany's counter-attacking was even more devastating, though they were helped by some terrible England defending.
Two Thomas Mueller goals in three minutes moved Germany on from a precarious 2-1 lead to a 4-1 thrashing and came after an England throw-in and a free kick respectively were given away in the German area.
Seconds later on both occasions the ball was in the English net as Germany's youngsters roared forward with deadly intent.
Netherlands always looked in command against Slovakia but they too turned the match by breaking up an attack.
Wesley Sneijder delivered a perfect 60-metre pass into the path of Arjen Robben and the winger cut inside to put his side on the path to a 2-1 success.
Argentina, growing in confidence with every game, Uruguay and Ghana also cooked up decisive breakaway goals and though Spain bucked the trend with their usual crisp-passing pressing game, in general counter-attack has become the tournament trademark.
"Normally, you see the stronger teams pressing but here you have Brazil and also Germany, first they drop back a little bit and then they wait for that one mistake," Frank de Boer, former Netherlands defender and now assistant coach, said.
"Then two or three guys will come out very quickly, like with us Sneijder who you can give the ball.
"These days you don't have that much space so you have to create your own space.
"A wasted pass can be deadly and, especially with Brazil, if you lose the ball in midfield, it's almost suicide."
Companies ready to cash in if FIFA [ ] accepts goalline technology after World Cup refereeing howlers say they are not yet convinced soccer's governing body will adopt measures common in other sports.
England [ ] and Mexico fell victim to mistakes by officials in their second-round matches on Sunday, prompting an apology from FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the decision on Tuesday not to retain the refs who made them for the rest of the tournament.
Blatter, who rejected the use of goal-line technology just three months ago, said the game's governing body would look again at the issue, although he did rule out using video replays to decide possible offsides.
A German company and an English firm specialising in goalline systems welcomed Blatter's change of heart and said controversy over refereeing does nothing but detract from the beautiful game.
"The good stories are in the players and the competition, you don't need to create artificial stories by creating officiating controversy," Paul Hawkins, founder of Winchester, England-based company Hawk-Eye Innovations, told said.
Debate over goal-line technology reignited at the weekend when Argentina were awarded an offside goal in their second round clash against Mexico and England were denied an equaliser in their clash against old rivals Germany [ ].
Germans complained for decades that England were unfairly awarded the decisive goal in the 1966 World Cup final from a Geoff Hurst which bounced down from the bar, but all acknowledged that Sunday's 20-metre (65-foot) shot from midfielder Frank Lampard [ ] did cross the line.
If it had been awarded, the goal would have levelled the scores at 2-2. England went on to lose 4-1.
GOAL SENSOR
Oliver Braun, communications director at German firm Cairos Technologies AG, said the company's goal sensor technology would have given the equaliser.
"The first thing I thought was 'thanks for not using the technology' because I'm a Germany supporter, but of course the second thought was that it was clearly a goal," Braun said in a telephone interview.
"We're happy because when something like this happens the discussion starts again and people see that you might need technology to resolve the issue," he said.
"The Uruguayan referee will have to live with this for his whole life and that's something we don't want to happen."
Uruguayan Jorge Larrionda, who refused to award the clear England goal, and Italian Roberto Rosetti, who allowed the offside Argentina goal to stand, were not retained for the remainder of the tournament, FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Hawk-Eye's ball tracking device is already used in cricket and tennis, while Cairos's "Smartball" localisation system was tested at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2007.
Any decision by soccer's governing body to accept such systems would be a huge boon to business, but both companies say any concrete change of position could prove elusive.
"We're not cracking open the champagne. There have been many times in the past when we were a lot closer to providing goal line technology than we are today," Hawkins said.
"We'll just wait to find out whether this is just a little statement to defuse the current public pressure."
Disappointed Japan [ ] coach Takeshi Okada said he is likely to step down after his side lost their World Cup last 16 tie with Paraguay 5-3 on penalties following a dire 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
Japan, bidding to reach their first ever quarter-final and carry the hopes of Asia, barely had a clearcut effort at goal in one of the worst matches of the tournament so far with Paraguay little better.
"I don't think I have anything left to do now, probably," Okada told a news conference when asked if he would now be leaving, although he said a definite decision would take time.
"It's my responsibility, we did not insist enough. I can not elaborate any further. When I look back at what I could have done for the players and what I did as a head coach I should have been more insistent on winning."
The match was drifting towards penalties as early as the middle of the second half but Okada was adamant he was going for the win, even if his side did not really up the tempo.
"All substitutions and changes I made were to try to push," said Okada, who boldly targeted a semi-final spot prior to the tournament but almost ended his second spell in charge after defeat in a World Cup warm-up against South Korea.
"It's difficult to narrow down why we couldn't score. We are not a team that can score lots of goals."
David Villa has found the rich vein of form that can win a World Cup and as long as he continues to mine it, Spain will be quietly confident of adding soccer's biggest prize to their European crown.
Villa's cool finish under pressure against Portugal on Tuesday, his fourth goal of the tournament and his 42nd in 62 appearances, sent Spain through to the last eight to face Paraguay.
It also underscored his status as one of the game's most lethal marksmen and showed how coach Vicente del Bosque has been able to get the most out of Villa in South Africa while some of the world's top forwards have failed to deliver.
Villa's strike partner Fernando Torres had another poor game at Cape Town's Green Point stadium as Spain beat Portugal 1-0 on Tuesday, while Portugal's former World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo disappeared almost completely in the second half and heads for home with only one goal to his name.
Torres returned from knee surgery shortly before the tournament and looks to be lacking the pace and strength that have made him such a terror for defenders in the past.
Del Bosque withdrew him just over 10 minutes into the second half, and his decision to throw hulking Basque forward Fernando Llorente into the fray proved a masterstroke.
Spain had enjoyed their customary dominance of possession against a defensive-minded Portugal side but lacked ball speed and penetration and central defenders Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho were in firm control.
Llorente made an immediate impact, using his upper body strength and height to hold the pair off, win headers and generally shake things up.
He was involved in the intricate move of short passes that led to Villa's goal and almost scored twice himself. Llorente will be a valuable weapon for Del Bosque to have in reserve against the Paraguayans and beyond.
But it was Villa who again made the difference for the Spanish and his goal leaves him only two short of Raul's national scoring record of 44 goal.
He displayed his versatility as his initial, left-foot strike was saved by Eduardo but he had the presence of mind and speed of reaction to switch to his right and fire high into the net with a defender closing him down from behind.
Villa was top scorer at Euro 2008 and did not even play the final due to injury but if Spain clinch a first World Cup triumph on July 11 it will not be a huge surprise if the nippy Asturian nets the crucial goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a peripheral figure for Portugal, who clocked a couple of decent first-half chances but had few complaints after failing to score for the third time in four games in South Africa.
"Given the number opportunities, Spain had their victory and it sits well with what happened in the game," said coach Carlos Queiroz.
"It must be recognised that Spain moved the ball extremely well and had a greater degree of possession.
"We had a number of opportunities but we allowed Spain to play the same type football up to the point where they scored," he added.
Spain looked dangerous from the off as Fernando Torres and Villa stung goalkeeper Eduardo's palms three times cutting in from the left in the opening seven minutes.
Portugal plugged that gap however and, settling about their task, worked hard to ensure Spain's crisp passing made patterns in the midfield instead of inroads towards goal.
Portugal actually had the clearer chances of the first half as a swerving Ronaldo free kick almost got past Iker Casillas while striker Hugo Almeida missed a great headed opportunity.
Spain continued to dominate possession after the break but struggled to find a way through until Del Bosque's inspired substitution after 58 minutes.
A weary-looking Torres gave way to Fernando Llorente and two minutes later the big striker forced Casillas into a great save with his first touch - a diving header.
His presence upset Portugal's concentration and spurred Spain to accelerate their approach.
It paid off decisively in the 63rd minute when after another crisp move from deep, Xavi cleverly rolled Andres Iniesta's pass into the path of Villa and though the forward's left-foot shot was saved he reacted quickly to ram in the rebound with his right for his fourth goal of the tournament.
Sergio Ramos, Villa and Llorente all went close to a second, with Eduardo keeping his side clinging on.
But in reality Portugal, semi-finalists four years ago, were going out of the tournament and like a leaf in a whirlpool there was absolutely nothing they could do about it as Spain's incomparable possession play deprived them of the ball.
Portugal's disappointing night was completed with a harsh red card for Ricardo Costa after a mild off-the-ball clash with Joan Capdevila but Spain march on.
"It was a great collective effort, we tied to keep possession, keep the style of football we've been playing," said man-of-the-match midfielder Xavi.
"I think this is the best match we've played in this World Cup," he added.
