Осьминог Пауль, прославившийся на весь мир своим умением предсказывать результаты матчей с участием сборной Германии на чемпионате мира по футболу в ЮАР, поведал, кто же станет обладателем золотых медалей мундиаля, сообщает голландская газета De Telegraaf.

Финал мирового первенства, в котором сыграют сборные Нидерландов и Испании, пройдет 11 июля в Йоханнесбурге.

В четверг осьминог Пауль, проживающий в океанариуме Sea Life в Оберхаузене, предпочел стеклянный ящик с голландским флагом коробке с испанскими национальными цветами.

Ранее представительница сети океанариумов Sea Life рассказала РИА Новости, что Пауль предскажет исход игры за третье место, где сыграют команды Германии и Уругвая. Этот поединок пройдет 10 июля.

До этого момента представитель головоногих делал прогнозы только на матчи с участием сборной Германии. Процедура предсказания не меняется с самого первого матча “бундестим” в ЮАР. В аквариум, где живет осьминог, для предсказания помещают два стеклянных ящика с несколькими мидиями в каждом и с флагами команд на стенках. Пока Пауль не допустил ни одной ошибки и угадал исходы всех встреч мирового первенства в ЮАР.

Что сделают с осьминогом Паулем?

Since 1948 it has undergone perennial upgrades. It has been used for both rugby and football matches and is home to one of the country’s top rugby teams, the Blue Bulls. Loftus Versfeld is in the heart of Tshwane/Pretoria and currently has a seating capacity of 50,000. It has hosted many significant matches including during the 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations. It is now used by Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United as their home ground.

South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, achieved its first ever victory over a European side at this venue when they beat Sweden 1-0 in 1999.

Peter Mokaba Stadium

Named after one of the renowned sons of the struggle and emancipation of South Africa against the apartheid regime, the Peter Mokaba Stadium holds much historical significance in South Africa. Peter Mokaba was born and bred in Polokwane and was renowned for his fighting spirit and for his inpirational leadership.

The design of the largely concrete structure is inspired by the locally iconic Baobab tree, with the steel structure supporting the roof plane gathered together at each corner of the stadium and supported by giant ‘trunk’ structures which accommodate vertical circulation ramps and service cores.

The stadium was built next to the old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane in the Limpopo Province. The newly-built Peter Mokaba stadium is situated approximately 5km from the city centre, with a total seating capacity of 45,000.

Former African player of the Year, Didier Drogba made his international debut for Côte d’Ivoire in a memorable and decisive CAF African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium, with the home side prevailing 2-1.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, set on the shores of the North End Lake is the first football dedicated stadium in the city or surrounding areas. The stadium, one of the newly-built stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, was completed a year prior to the commencement of the world’s greatest show on earth – a major milestone for the city.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will host the match for third place , and a quarter-final amid a total of eight matches during the FIFA World Cup. The stadium has an eye-catching, unique roof-structure and a spectacular view, overlooking the North End Lake.

Before the construction of this multi-purpose venue, all international football matches were played at the Eastern Province rugby stadium, the EPRU Stadium. The playing field is going to be of natural grass with the outer /surrounding area to be artificial turf. One of its first major test events was the coveted Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs – a game that attracts capacity crowds in South Africa.

Другие стадионы:
Green Points Stadium
Durban Stadium
Ellis Park Stadium
Soccer City
Free State Stadium
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Mbombela Stadium
Peter Mokaba Stadium
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Loftus Versfeld Stadium

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe European Zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of Montenegro.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(UEFA)

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa, kicking off on 11 June and concluding with the final at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on 11 July 2010.

Ten venues
A total of 32 teams will compete at the finals over ten venues: Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, the Free State Stadium in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, the Durban Stadium in Durban, the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, the Port Elizabeth Stadium in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth and the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane/Pretoria.

International breakdown
Of the teams competing in the final tournament, 13 will be from Europe – the nine winners of the qualifying groups and the winners of the four play-offs between the eight best runners-up from the nine groups. They will be joined by six teams from Africa – including the hosts – eight from North, South and Central America and a further five from Asia and Oceania.

Ноги-мячики, или Бекхем плачется в грудь Виктории

Кайт тут как тут
В субботу “Челси” ограничился ничьей с “Эвертоном” (3:3), а “Манчестер Юнайтед” и вовсе уступил дома “Астон Вилле” – 0:1. Так что “Арсенал” получил возможность поправить турнирное положение. В первом тайме “Ливерпуль”, шедший в чемпионате четыре матча без поражений, взял нити игры в свои руки. В том, что за четыре минуты до перерыва мерсисайдцы вышли вперед, не было ничего удивительного. Голкипер “канониров” Мануэль Альмуния не совладал с ударом Стивена Джеррарда со штрафного, и Дирк Кайт добил мяч в сетку.

Переполох в защите
Во втором тайме лондонцы выравняли игру. На 50-й минуте Самир Насри прострелил, и Гленн Джонсон неудачно отправил мяч в свои ворота. Через восемь минут неуверенная игра обороны “Ливерпуля” привела ко второй пробоине. Андрей Аршавин прицельно ударил из-под защитника в ближний угол – Пепе Рейна даже не шелохнулся. В прошлый визит в Ливерпуль (4:4) капитан сборной России наколотил хозяевам четыре гола. На этот раз для победы хватило одного. Проиграв в шестой раз за сезон, красные расположились на седьмой позиции и отстают от “Челси” на 13 очков. “Арсенал” замыкает тройку лидеров, имея игру в запасе.

Wrapped and ready
The giant logo will be literally under wraps in the square over the weekend, having been lovingly gift-wrapped in anticipation of the official launch on Monday. The event will also witness the first public outing of the slogan that has been chosen for the competition; for UEFA EURO 2008™ in Austria and Switzerland it was the memorable ‘Expect Emotions’.

Honoured guests
UEFA President Michel Platini will attend the ceremony along with Polish Football Association President Grzegorz Lato, his Football Federation of Ukraine counterpart Grigoriy Surkis and representatives from the eight host cities: Gdansk, Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Lviv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kyiv. The launch proceedings will be followed by a news conference at the nearby Intercontinental Hotel.

Visual identity
The purpose of the logo is to give UEFA EURO 2012™ a distinct personality of its own, and the accompanying visual identity combined with the logo will be applied across a wide range of promotional applications from tickets to web banners. The objective is to help promote the tournament as one of the world’s biggest sporting events – by providing an easily recognisable identity inspired by the cultural reference of the Wycinanki pattern from both host nations.