Bulls On Parade: Inside Soccer City For The Final
Kris Fernandes (kris@insidesoccer.ca)
is a Toronto based soccer & futsal writer for Inside Soccer Magazine. Deeply immersed in soccer fandom and culture, he has been actively involved in spreading the love of the beautiful game in a uniquely Canadian way for a decade through media coverage, administration and coaching. He covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2008 UEFA European Championships from Austria/Switzerland for both CBC Sports Online and ISM.
It was ugly – 11 yellow cards and an expulsion – but they got the job done. Spain have finally shed the the underachievers label and have joined the champions club.
Spaniards on the pitch and in the stands were tearing it up like the bulls in Pamplona after Andres Iniesta scored the clincher in the 16th minute. It was a clinical finish in a game that was marred by shoddy officiating – yet again – and numerous missed opportunities from both squads.
Dutch Dreams
Kris Fernandes (kris@insidesoccer.ca)
is a Toronto based soccer & futsal writer for Inside Soccer Magazine. Deeply immersed in soccer fandom and culture, he has been actively involved in spreading the love of the beautiful game in a uniquely Canadian way for a decade through media coverage, administration and coaching. He covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2008 UEFA European Championships from Austria/Switzerland for both CBC Sports Online and ISM.
As expected, the vibe was definitely bumping in Cape Town when the Dutch beat Uruguay the other night. The anticipation for kickoff grew with every step towards the stadium and along the way hordes of fans as far as the eye could see were cheering for Holland, completely decked in the mandatory orange clothing that you will find at any tournament they are in. One innovative group of college girls set up their jam on a balcony on top of a pizza place along the vastly popular fanwalk by placing orange couches and chilled out, waving and cheering to those down below.
Naturally, many were supporting Holland merely because they despise the way Uruguay eliminated Ghana in the quarter-finals. A young couple bounced around the fanwalk; one painted with the word GOING, the other saying DUTCH. Both featured a black star with a white hand in the middle of it. The husband, gleefully drunk, said that it was to signify Suarez’s handball on the ‘Black Stars’.
The Oranje Glow
Kris Fernandes (kris@insidesoccer.ca)
is a Toronto based soccer & futsal writer for Inside Soccer Magazine. Deeply immersed in soccer fandom and culture, he has been actively involved in spreading the love of the beautiful game in a uniquely Canadian way for a decade through media coverage, administration and coaching. He covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2008 UEFA European Championships from Austria/Switzerland for both CBC Sports Online and ISM.
I have a tendency to stay awake the night before vital matches contemplating lineups and formations, replaying highlights in my head, and really just enjoying the anticipation of the next game.
Last night was different though.
At dusk, the horizon in Cape Town brims with fervent shades of pink, eventually settling on casting a dark orange for the night. Last night the glow was definitely brighter than what I have become accustomed too. The soccer fan in me couldn’t help but think it was a sign of things to come within the next 24 hours.
Practically everybody in this breathtaking coastal city is pulling for the Dutch in today’s pivotal semi-final clash against Uruguay. And they will be covered from head to toe in orange.
Invasion Of The Western Cape
Kris Fernandes (kris@insidesoccer.ca)
is a Toronto based soccer & futsal writer for Inside Soccer Magazine. Deeply immersed in soccer fandom and culture, he has been actively involved in spreading the love of the beautiful game in a uniquely Canadian way for a decade through media coverage, administration and coaching. He covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2008 UEFA European Championships from Austria/Switzerland for both CBC Sports Online and ISM.
It’s a brilliantly cool and sunny Saturday for an invasion..
Soldiers from the north dressed in white and black, some in lederhosen, have flown in while their enemies from South America, donning baby blue and white, have infiltrated Cape Town ready for an all out battle of epic proportions.
These two bitter rivals have met in two, more meaningful wars back in 1986 and 1990 – each having claimed supreme victory once – while this latest fight in the Western Cape will earn the victors bragging rights and more importantly the chance to fight another day for the ultimate prize in world soccer.
