Old wounds have been reopened and angry words exchanged. The mind games are at full throttle before the biggest draw of the quarterfinals at Cape Town on Saturday. The cracking tie between Argentina and Germany has received all the attention and hype it richly deserves and the watching world can’t wait for the real action to begin.

Dunga sacrificed Brazil’s famed beautiful game in order to win, and win ugly. But, a 1-2 loss to Holland in the World Cup quarterfinals, and the former World Cup winning captain’s legacy could forever be tarnished.

Cristiano Ronaldo may have packed his bags and gone home, but his alleged lady love – socialite heiress Paris Hilton – and Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio are just a few of showbiz’s big names to have descended on South Africa as the Fifa World Cup enters the home straight.

Paraguay’s historic run to the World Cup quarterfinals is being lived and breathed by Salvador Cabanas, their star striker who had to miss the finals after being shot in the head in January.

The bid to win the rights to host the Fifa World Cup is a high-stakes affair with a very thin line dividing what is legal and what is deemed unethical.
The Football Federation of Australia in their hopes of getting the World Cup Down Under may have crossed that thin line, and Fifa has said it would investigate allegations that they offered illegal inducements and gifts to sway the opinion of the voters.

Ghana need more than the pride of playing for an entire continent and the pumping of adrenalin when they face Uruguay at Soccer City in the quarterfinals on Friday. The thought of becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup should be their biggest motivation.

These are tough times for referees. The World Cup has seen them stumble from one blunder to another and the heat on them is unmistakable. The best referees remain invisible during matches but anonymity has eluded the men in black here.

To err is human, goes the old adage. Under-fire Fifa is in no mood to have any of it and have sent back three of the referees whose blunders re-opened the debate to include technology to aid the officials.

Ghana will become the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup if they beat Uruguay at the Soccer City Stadium on Friday. But they could be without four key players as they attempt to make history.

Brazil defender Juan believes the Selecao has what it takes to snuff out the attacking threat posed by Arjen Robben and company quarterfinal clash with The Netherlands.
“Robben is a great player, who is in great form,” Juan said on Wednesday in Johannesburg. “Our job is to stop the balls getting forward to him. It will be an important step on the road to victory. We have to be very well organised in defence so that nothing surprises us,” said Juan.