The Ball is Round

So we have it: the Netherlands will meet Spain in the final on 12th July, while Uruguay and Germany will play for third place on 11th July. I've refrained from speaking my team preference in the World Cup, but let me just say that I have more of an emotional stake in the third place play-off. :P

Apologies that I've taken so long to get around to it (the lack of sleep doesn't help), but I've updated the welcome post with a fiction policy that includes RPF. I've stated my reasoning in the post, but if it's still unclear, please comment or PM me with questions.

We are, as they say, on to squeaky-bum time. How are you all doing?

First to take to the pitch tonight (26th June) are Uruguay vs Korea Republic in Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The winner of this match will meet the winner of United States vs Ghana, also to be played tonight, in the next round. The Black Stars are now CAF's sole representative remaining in the World Cup -- good luck, gentlemen.

On 27th June, we will have the pleasure of watching how one of football's long-standing rivalries will play out this year, in Germany vs England. The second match also features a football rivalry: Argentina vs Mexico, which is incidentally officiated by one of my favourite referees since Collina retired.

Netherlands vs Slovakia opens 28th June, with Brazil vs Chile next in line. Will the underdogs surprise the heavyweights? My tea leaves say "we'll see", which is not very helpful. The Moses Mabhida Stadium, where the latter match will be played, was named after the late union organiser and former General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa. The stadium for the first match, Ellis Park Stadium, share with Soccer City the honour of the having the highest altitude -- at 1753m -- of World Cup 2010 venues.

The last of the matches for the round of 16 will be played on 29th June: Paraguay vs Japan and Spain vs Portugal. I've... run out of things to say, so over to you, dear readers. :D

#WorldCup referees assert: Hand of God belongs only to God.
-- FromaLeftWing, during Serbia v Ghana

I was going to post this after the last of tonight's matches but I have to be up and about early in the morning, so: How's the World Cup treating you (and your team) so far? What say you about the refereeing? Any surprises? Have you got your eye on a particular player?

And on that note, I updated the welcome post to spell out football's spoiler policies. Apologies, I should have done this earlier.

If you follow football writing, have there been pieces worth reading? I don't know about you, but it's been absolutely fascinating following (English-language) media and blogosphere narratives on the World Cup so far: the hand-wringing over the initial rash of draws, the moaning over the "dullness" of group stages matches with the exception of Germany v Australia (clearly they were not watching Korea Republic v Greece), etc etc. I've also been following news of the workers' protest, though updates have slowed down.

Three illuminating and interesting pieces recently read:

World Cup 2010: Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and South Africa - my boys

From Johannesburg, lesbian footballers chosen to play, choosing to live

What if the women's NTs played in place of the men?