He is one of the most well known and well respected football players in the world. More than that, he is one of the most famous athletes in the world… It’s been a pleasure watching what David Beckham has done for the game of soccer, but yesterday the 38-year-old announced his retirement from the game. A great innings, an incredible career and we look forward to what he will be doing going forward.
Thanks for the memories David! Salute.
Happy Easter to those celebrating it today. I trust you’re having a wonderful family day with your loved ones and that the extremely long weekend is treating you well. I’ve broken Lent with copious amounts of chocolate already and while my sugar rush is still running through my blood, I feel I might circum to an afternoon nap later. That isn’t such a bad thing because I’ll need some energy later because I’m off to see the legendary rockers The Eagles. The band will be playing their third gig on South African soil at the FNB Stadium (Soccer City). I’ll be filming three minutes (the usual story) but I’ll also be taking pictures of the Hotel California hit-makers too. I’ll bring you all those deets tomorrow. For now, enjoy arguably their biggest hit to date in the video above.
Soccer fans and many others are at this moment praying for Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba. The 23-year-old collapsed during the Premier League Match earlier from what many are suspecting to be a heart attack. Bolton was taking on Tottenham at White Hart Lane. This happened with just five minutes to go in the first half of the match. Below is a brief statement from Bolton.
“Bolton Wanderers can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has been taken to hospital following his collapse at White Hart Lane this evening during the FA Cup quarter-final”.
There are no new updates available at this point but I wish him well and I’ll keep him and his family in my thoughts and prayers at this hour. You two can send him your well wishes by following the #PrayForMuamba trend on Twitter.
News and details to follow as and when available.
Last night I made my way to the FNB Stadium (more affectionately known as Soccer City) for the U2 360 Degree tour. Now, on Friday I brought you some of the images ahead of the big show, but nothing compares to what I experienced last night. U2 is incredible. Read more about my experience below:
4pm- We left Fourways, Jozi with more then enough time to get to the stadium, find a descent parking space and witness the magic of the stadium and the biggest concert we’ve ever experienced. We were told that we would need to give ourselves a lot longer, 2-3 hours to get there. It took us a whole fifteen minutes to get there. When we arrived, other patrons had set up their braais, skottels, the camper chairs. The boots were blaring different U2 tracks and the alcoholic beverages were flowing nicely. The vibe was really great.
5pm- we made our way through to the stadium, where we were meeting a couple of other friends. The Heineken beer tent was pumping and the crowds just kept coming from all different directions. Buses were arriving in their droves, the train came in from town and there were a couple of limos arriving too. It’s always great to do some people watching. Continue reading
Okay not quite a soccer team, but you get my drift… David Beckham and his wife Victoria are expecting! The couple confirmed the news to People Magazine at the weekend:
“David and Victoria Beckham are delighted to confirm they are expecting their fourth child in the summer. Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are very excited about the arrival of their new brother or sister.”
Congratulations to the Becks. Hopefully they’ll be welcoming a little princess into their brood when the big arrival happens in a few months time.
A friend of mine and I were recently talking about the amazing feeling, the vibe; the sense of pride and the overwhelming emotions we were filled with in the build up to and during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We showed the world that we have the ability, the drive and passion to host the biggest event in world sport. You know that cheesy line, “I was there” that we kept hearing? Well I was and as cheesy as it was/ is I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The stadia were beautiful, the soccer so exciting- and this all coming from someone who wasn’t a big soccer fan in the first place. I loved the world cup, but more importantly I grew to love my country and its people even more then what I did before. See the video below just to get a brief idea of what I mean..
So with all of that in mind, we were discussing a way forward. We quizzed each other about how we keep that feeling going? How do we keep that passion? That common love and pride we all had? How do we keep the gees; the flags, the beanies… the whole lot? How did we keep a small minority from destroying that feeling by senselessly attacking foreign nationals in the threatening xenophobic attacks? We were a bit dumbstruck; at a loss, but we decided it needed to come from us first. So we started by dedicating 67 minutes of our time for Nelson Mandela Day. Was that enough? Of course not, but it’s a start! Then when I woke up this morning, my radio was tuned into Talk Radio 702 and it was then that I first heard about Lead SA- an initiative set up by Primedia Broadcastings and Independent Newspapers. In short, it’s be the change you want to see- they’ve hit the nail on the head. Lead SA was exactly what all of us were thinking, but didn’t know how to verbalise. Now it’s time to do it. What will you do? What will I do? Time to stop bitching and moaning, it’s time to change. Let’s go.
Check out the full press release below:
Continue reading
Cute man. I think he might even do the Waka Waka by Shakira and Freshlyground better then what I do!
Check out some of the amazing pictures from last night’s FIFA World Cup Closing Ceremony here. I thought Shakira and Freshlyground did an amazing Waka Waka; I though the ‘Everywhere you go’ track by several top African artists was okay. I was a bit shocked that Kelly Rowland wasn’t there. I know she’s busy getting her new material out there, but seriously you can’t ask for a bigger platform then this. So I feel she lost out. As for the 3D technology? Well. That was simply magnificent. It kept the themes and cultures associated with Africa, but modernised it in such a way so as to prove to the rest of the world (and the haters) that this continent is special, splendid and world class.
Besides the fireworks at the end of the game, which saw Spain winning the World Cup for the first time, the highlight for me was seeing our former president, Nelson Mandela riding across the field. From his golf cart, the almost 92-year-old living legend waved and in a sense blessed this momentous occasion. I was at the official fan park in Sandton, Johannesburg and let me tell you as soon as the 35 000 + crowd saw him, everyone jumped to their feet to honour his presence; clapping and cheering loudly. I will shamelessly admit that I was so moved when I saw him that I had many a tear in my eyes! His blessing, his presence. Wow. Such an wonderful, good and wise spirit.
Well done to South Africa and its citizens for hosting this event in true style. To Danny Jordaan and the rest of the Local Organising Committee; to Sepp Blatter and his FIFA team; to the media and to all our foreign guests: Well done and congratulations. This is a once in a lifetime event that I will hold close to my heart for a very long time. Blessed, humbled and thankful to be able to say, I was there!
Today has arrived… the day Spain takes on Holland in the finals of the FIFA World Cup. It’s been an amazing month, one that I will treasure for a long time! Apart from the incredible soccer, the amazing people I’ve met from all over the world; the tremendous patriotism in South Africa, the one thing that stands out for me is the proof. Proof that we did it. Now the most important thing for all of us South Africans is to internalise all of this and believe that we are a world class African city. We rocked the party and Phillip… I will miss you too much. I hear he is changing his name to Phillipo and moving to Brazil, shall we go?Ha!
Oh and…HUP HOLLAND HUP!!!
It’s come to this… A Netherlands versus Spain final in the FIFA World Cup. I can’t believe it’s almost over, but I think the two teams in the final are both deserving and either way, this is history! If I have to choose though, I’m going with Holland. I hope they win. Their fans have been amazing, met some really cool Dutch people; they’re festive and fun! Hup Holland Hup!
UPDATE: Paul the ‘Psychic’ octopus has made his decision and he’s going with Spain to win and Germany to triumph over Uruguay in tomorrow’s match. Let’s wait and see.
