Ex-England star tips Eagles for World Cup semis

From The Tide Online

Ex-Manchester United and ‘England defender, Paul Parker has tipped Nigeria to reach the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Parker, who does media work for Euro Sports and BBC in England and writes for various newspapers on sports, also picked Senegal and Cote D’ Ivoire as potential semi-finalists at the next Mundial.

“Since the World Cup would be held in Africa, then African teams have a chance to reach the semi-final stage of the competition, but it may be difficult to win the cup,” Parker told Tidesports’ source in Abuja prior to Wednesday’s charity game.

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Teddy's Comment: I don't know why Parker ruled out the chance of South Africa. Do you remember the outstanding performance of Japan and Korea in World Cup 2002 ? The host country can perform higher than their standard. Also, I don't think Senegal will qualify the World Cup 2010 Finals.

World Cup ball auction drive gets a flying start

From Gulf Times

QATAR Airways created history yesterday by flying the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final football which is set to raise a significant amount at the November 4 Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) charity gala dinner in The Ritz Carlton.

The ‘Golden Ball’ was given special treatment as a ‘first class passenger’ onboard Qatar Airways Flight QR005 from Doha to London Heathrow ahead of a promotional tour.

The football is set to be auctioned off at the much-anticipated Reach Out To Asia gala dinner.

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