Would you believe FIFA announced the new drug-testing regulations on the same day Diego Maradona proclaimed he would run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup?
Huh.
Before the World Cup actually kicks off roughly 35% of players (eight per team) will be selected at random for drug and urine testing, which an awfully big number – equating to 256 tests. Another 256 tests will take place during the tournament, so the whole thing’s on the up and up. Or not on the up and up, as it were.
More than the World Cup test themselves, which you’d have to think may produce a positive somewhere in the field given history, is the numbers of drug testing on the whole for football: it’s by and large a very, very clean sport.
Even though soccer occasionally gets mentioned in drug scandals in Italy or Spain, D’Hooghe is convinced there is no doping culture among the world’s 260 million soccer players. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that of the 35,000 doping controls annually, only 0.3 percent test positive. The overwhelming majority are for social drugs such as marijuana and cocaine.
“We had only nine anabolic steroids cases” last year, he said
All of which is very good until the world’s best player fails a drug test midway through the tournament and the whole thing falls apart and…yadda. (Don’t drink the water, Leo!)
In other news there will be a crackdown on harsh tackles which will see red cards flying around willy nilly.
D’Hooghe says “we will specifically tell our referees and let everyone know” to use the red card as soon as a career-threatening foul is committed at the World Cup.
You’ll notice that’s D’Hooge once again, not the head of referees. So a man who may or may not have the authority to do so will whisper orders into a referee’s ear. Sounds like Italy.
(GSM) – Argentina boss Diego Maradona was happy with his side’s performance against Canada. The Albiceleste cruised to a comfortable 5-0 friendly victory at El Monumental in Buenos Aires.
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Paraguay’s World Cup 2010 will be the story of three strikers: the perpetually injured golden boy Roque Santa Cruz, the tragically absent Salvador Cabanas and his surprise replacement, Lucas Barrios.
Cabanas was one of Paraguay’s key players throughout qualifying, leading the team in scoring and providing a fighting mentality atop the line. Unfortunately, not long after qualifying ended he was shot in the head in a Mexico City bar and though his life was saved, his World Cup, and perhaps playing career, wasn’t. This means Santa Cruz, Paraguay’s golden boy and a phenomenally gifted striker who’s been healthy enough to score more than 5 goals only once in his career (at 19), will need to avoid the inevitable injuries until mid-July. Or maybe it’ll be Barrios, the man who some were calling for Diego Maradona to bring to South Africa, but instead will be going with his mother’s Paraguay.
Whatever the case, Paraguay certainly won’t be lacking for inspiration.
Nickname:La Albirroja (White and red)
FIFA World Ranking as of April 28th 2010: 30th
Group F Matches:
Italy v Paraguay, June 14th, 8:30p, Cape Town
Slovakia v Paraguay, June 20th, 1:30p, Bloemfontein
Paraguay v New Zealand, June 24th, 4p, Polokwane
Coach:Gerardo Martino. Outside of a brief spell in Spain as a player, Martino’s entire career has been spent in South America, not giving him the global profile some coaches will enjoy. However, what he’s done with Paraguay has been nothing short of outstanding in his three years, taking to tops in qualifying before ultimately falling one point short of Brazil. They’ve drawn the short stick in the bracket, with Italy, Netherlands, Brazil and Spain looming, but if anyone can break Paraguay’s second round curse, it might be Gerardo.
Key Players: They want not for attacking talent, even if it’s not entirely productive: Roque Santa Cruz has scored 7 goals since his total of 19 three years and is the footballing lemon – always liable to break down – while Oscar Cardozo can’t buy goals for Paraguay even though he can’t stop scoring for Benfica. Luckily there is the Borussia Dortmund duo of Lucas Barrios, who scored 19 himself this year, and Nelson Valdez, and even though the former has stolen headlines, the latter will likely see the significant minutes.
Even though he hails from the Marcelo Bielsa football school, Martino’s mainly preferred a 4-4-2 with a comparatively unheralded Jonathan Santana, Victor Caceres, Cristian Riveros and Edgar Barreto across the pitch. And in the back, experience is the name of the game, if they can remember it, since the four plus keeper who were run out in qualifying - Dario Veron,Paulo da Silva, Julio Cesar Caceres, Claudio Morel Rodriguez and Justo Villa – are all on the other side of 30.
Player with best YouTube video: There’s really only one answer: Lucas Barrios. Borussia famously signed him after watching some YouTubers, and we can only assume Paraguay did the same.*
* – Dismiss the fact that Paraguayan head honchos likely saw him once or twice while keeping tabs on Nelson Valdez.
Player with best name: You know, as much pub as he gets for his status, Roque Santa Cruz just rolls off the tongue like some cheesy romance novel lothario, doesn’t it?
Don’t answer that.
Player with best nickname: Dario Veron for Hechicero, The Wizard, simply because it’s inspiration to defenders the world over – not all wizards are #10’s.
Qualification: They coasted near the top for awhile, beating Dunga’s Brazil and Diegos’ Argentina in the process, but settled out tied with Chile on points in second, one point from the top.
Interesting: Their World Cup preparations got off to a potentially ominous start when $100k was stolen from their French hotel. It’s the black cat of World Cup training camp.
(No, this isn’t quite as interesting to them.)
National Anthem: Paraguayos, República o Muerte (Paraguayans, Republic or Death)
World Cup History:
Expectations: Paraguay are likely the favorites to finish just behind Italy, but some might be sleeping on Slovakia, who played awfully well away from home in qualifying(played well at home too), so it’s a proper two team battle for second, with the winner likely to face the Netherlands. Paraguay might expect the knockouts, but anything after that will be a bonus.
Would you believe FIFA announced the new drug-testing regulations on the same day Diego Maradona proclaimed he would run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup?
Paraguay’s World Cup 2010 will be the story of three strikers: the perpetually injured golden boy Roque Santa Cruz, the tragically absent Salvador Cabanas and his surprise replacement, Lucas Barrios.
