The world . . .
It's here! It's really here!
Yes, I'm behaving like I am young enough to be eligible for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, not old enough to be the father of some of these players.
But this is going to be great fun. Even if, er, Fifa is embroiled in just a MINOR bit of scandal right now.
Let me just remind you why this event is going to be so great:1 The standard of football will be off the charts.2 Seriously. You won't believe how talented some of these players are.3 It's the ultimate game of talent-spotting. Identify the future Lionel Messis and Steven Gerrards, and keep an eye on the world's major leagues in future years to see if you were right.4 How many events in New Zealand bring people from countries as diverse as Mali and Mexico?5 Oh, right, back to the Fifa corruption saga. Shall we agree to focus on the football for the next three weeks and then revisit what is shaping as the biggest scandal in the history of sport?
. . . is gathered here
Most neutral-ish observers have asked me one of two questions in recent weeks:1 Who will win the tournament?2 What sort of crowds do you think we will get?(Yes, question two tends to come from Dunedin people, who remain OBSESSED with crowd numbers and ticket sales.)The answers?1 How on earth would I know? Argentina is sort of the favourite, and obviously Germany and Brazil come into the equation because of their pedigree. Let's chuck in Uruguay, Nigeria and Portugal as smokies.2 Hmm. I'm a realist. This is a big event - but it is still a youth tournament. Ticket prices aren't too bad - but times are tough for a lot of people.
There certainly won't be 20,000 or 15,000 or even 10,000 in the Glasshouse for these games. I'd suggest organisers would be delighted with about 7000.
Will our cups . . .
Speaking of major world tournaments, did you know it is just 69 days until the Netball World Cup, and 111 days until the Rugby World Cup?Our cricketers had a glorious tilt at World Cup glory but came unstuck at the final hurdle.
What chance, then, of one or both of the other major teams going all the way?Netball first.
The Silver Ferns, of course, have the ''easiest'' path, because they are basically in a two-horse race.(Yes, England is a vastly improved team, but it will not win the World Cup this year.)The problem is that the leading horse is extremely good, is playing at home, and has utterly dominated the transtasman rivalry in recent years.
I don't think this is a particularly good Silver Ferns team, though it could be carried on the shoulders of Laura Langman and Maria Tutaia.
Australia to beat New Zealand by six goals in the final.
. . . runneth over?
Predicting how the All Blacks will go at the World Cup feels really weird this year.
The monkey is gone - they won the 2011 tournament - so there is no real angst or desperate need to win to, you know, save an entire nation.
If you're a cynic, you might argue a handful of All Blacks are getting old and really not firing.
But you could equally point to the dynamic young talents of Brodie Retallick, Beauden Barrett, Julian Savea and others, and the presence of players in their prime like Kieran Read, Ben Smith and Ma'a Nonu, and be optimistic of defending the title.
I'm not convinced.
I see the All Blacks making the final but being beaten by England or France. Sorry.
End of an era
Farewells all over the place. Last week, I tipped my cap to (the now former) Southland Times sports editor Nathan Burdon. This week, it's Brent Edwards.
Brent worked at the ODT for 30 years before ''retiring'' and settling into his role as a twice-weekly columnist for more than a decade.
He's been everywhere, done everything and seen it all, and Otago sport has been lucky to have him.
He was a mentor who became a mate. I have the greatest respect for him, and I wish him well.
The first quote
''Football is the beautiful game because the field is flat: it is available to everyone no matter where you come from. It has lifted billions around the globe. But the game was hijacked. That flat playing field was tilted in favour of those who were looking to gain at the expense of countries and kids.''
- FBI chief James Comey sets the ball rolling on the Fifa corruption scandal.
The second quote
''The choreography of the arrests brought to mind the climactic baptism scene in The Godfather, except that on this occasion it was the mafia that was on the receiving end.''
- The Guardian editorial sums up the scenes as Fifa officials are taken away.
Triumph
Queensland's State of Origin team is too old, eh. Pfft.
Disaster
Dylan Hartley. England rugby's bad boy is at it again. This time, it's a four-week suspension for head-butting.
