June 2014 Edition

Contents

1. Write up - After IPL it’s FIFA World Cup

2. Journal - An Affair with Argentina

3. Narrative - The Save that stunned Football

4. Snippet – Sudden Death (Malayalam)

5. Chronicle - Top 10 Upsets of FIFA cup

6. Photographs - Acusis Fives

The contemporary history of the world's favorite game spans more than 100 years. It all

began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on their

different courses and the Football Association in England was formed - becoming the sport's

first governing body. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament in

South Africa.

CURRENT FORMAT

FIFA decides beforehand the number of spots awarded to each of the continental zones. For

the 2014 World Cup, the following numbers are being used -

UEFA (Europe) – 13 berths

CAF (Africa) – 5 berths

AFC (Asia) – 4 berths

CONMEBOL (South America) – 4 berths, plus the host Brazil

CONCACAF (North and Central America and Caribbean) – 3 berths

2 berths for the winners of play-offs between the best team from the OFC (Oceania), as well

as additional teams from the AFC, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. The pairings for these play-

offs will be determined by an open draw.

OFFICIAL EMBLEM

The inspiration for this design comes from the iconic photograph of

three victorious hands together raising the world’s most famous

trophy. As well as depicting the uplifting humanitarian notion of

hands interlinking, the portrayal of the hands is symbolic of the

yellow and green hands of Brazil warmly welcoming the world to

Brazilian shores.

OFFICIAL SONG AND ANTHEM:

The official song for the tournament is "We Are One (Ole Ola)" by Pitbull, Jennifer

Lopez and Claudia Leitte.

The secondary theme song will be Shakira’s Dare (La la la).

Official anthem is “Dar um Jeito” (We will find a way) written by Avicii, Carlos Santana,

Wyclef Jean and Alex Pires has been chosen as the of the 2014 FIFA Wold Cup.The official

music instrument of the tournament is “Caxirola”; a percussive instrument created by

Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown.

OFFICIAL BALL

The official Ball that will be used in the tournament is

called “Brazuca”, this means 'Brazilian' and signifies

the Brazilian way of life.

This is the first match ball that was named by the fans

after a public vote. Brazuca is made of six

polyurethane panels which keeps the ball water-

resistant, and the bladder is made of latex, this

providing a much better rebound than any of the balls

used before.

Also, “Brazuca” is said to be more aerodynamic than

“Jabulani”.

OFFICIAL MASCOT

An Armadillo that defends itself from predators by

rolling up into a ball, was chosen as the official mascot

by FIFA. The official mascot is named “Fuleco”.

"Fuleco" is the combination of the words "Futebol"

("Football") and "Ecologia" ("Ecology").

GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY :

After a lot of debate, finally the Goal-line technology

will be used in the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

After England was denied a goal against Germany

erroneously, pressure to introduce an appropriate

technology increased.

The German company GoalControl will be the official

technology provider.

AWARDS

There are currently six awards:

Golden Ball (currently commercially termed "adidas Golden Ball") for best player

Golden Boot (referred to again as the Golden Boot) for top goal scorer

Golden Glove Award for best goalkeeper (first awarded in 1994);

Best Young Player (currently commercially termed as "Hyundai Best Young Player") award

for best player under 21 years of age.

FIFA Fair Play Trophy for the team with the best record of fair play (first awarded

in 1970);

Most Entertaining Team to the team that has entertained the public the most.

Vijayakumar M

For a suburban kid, the economics of football is real simple. No matter

how many kids are there to play, we just

need one ball and two pairs of slippers (to

set goal ). The crystal catalyst in this

gooey mix is the never-ending passion for

the game. It is probably this passion of a

single man that hooked the 80-borns to football and

to the blue and white stripes. Diego Maradona, the

man with hand of God and feet of devil, both played

its part in arguably the best match ever played, the

quarter finals against the English team in 1986.

By the time I watched my first FIFA World Cup, Italia 90, Diego had

already past his prime and yet he was the rockstar on the ground.

FIFA month is the most exciting as a kid, being awake at middle of

night, cheering and shouting, fighting with friends, all way past sleeping

hours. Some of the highlights I could remember from 1990 are the

Argentina’s first game loss to Cameroon, the goal-dance of Roger Milla,

and the Oscar performance of Klinsmann inside the box.

Argentina went home as runners up with teary eyed Maradona waving to

the crowds. That was it, the fading charisma of Diego played a pivotal

role in fading charisma of Argentina. They could never cross the quarter

finals after 1990.

Now the fiesta is again around the corner and the fans

are waking up to the beats of samba, Brazil 2014.

Brazuca is going to captivate the dreams of billions

and keep us all awake for the next one month. Even

though our brain screams in favor of Brazil or Spain, the heart still

bleeds out for Argentina. The blue and whites now heavily rely on their

wonder kid Messi, who has dominated the

Spanish league seasons for over ten years now.

The little man (thanks to growth hormone

deficiency) is now at top of his game and is

likely to show some magic in Brazil. With all

teams garnering big names on the field, it is

going to be an exciting world cup and an

awesome month to remember.

Gordon Banks was a great keeper

but the former England

international will always be

remembered for one save in

particular - an incredible stop to

deny the Brazilian great what

seemed like a certain headed goal

in. So sure Pele was that he had

scored, he immediately shouted

'Golo'. Banks had other ideas.

"I know I scored that goal; Banks

ran away with it!" Pele

Football; a game that is loved by all is not just a team game. It is game of surprises delivered by

underdogs and mostly of upsets. The order may change as how one see the game, but the below were

unquestionably biggest upsets of the football world.

10 “NORTHERN SHOCK” Korea-Japan 2002

South Korea (2) Italy (1)

For the few who believe "home-field advantage" is the biggest nonsense in professional sports, use

South Korea's shocking defeat of Italy as proof to the contrary. When the underdog host nation

equalized in less than 90 minutes, From Milan to Sicily, Italy’s collective heart sunk to the floor. When

the Koreans sent Italy packing with a Golden Goal in extra time, the Azzurri became the laughingstock

of international football. After 36 years Italy was shocked again by the Koreans, this time by the North.

09 “THE BULGARIAN MAGIC” USA 1994

Bulgaria (2) Germany (1)

In a quarterfinal stunner for the ages, Bulgaria came back from a 1-0 deficit with two late second-half

goals to send the Germans home. The Germans, in a way the reigning champions as West Germany

had won the World Cup in 1990, were playing as a unified country for the first time since World War II.

The man who scored the crucial goal in Bulgaria's 2-1 win over the Germans was journeyman

midfielder Yordan Letchkov. Dotingly called 'The Magician', Letchkov scored an audacious header with

12 minutes to play.

08 “FALL OF THE ROMANS” England 1966

North Korea (1) Italy (0)

Long regarded as the patriarchs of football, the Romans expected little to no opposition from some

little-known country from across the globe. Not only did they get opposition, but they fell victim to one

of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. To this day, it is forbidden to mention the name Pak Doo Ik

in some parts of Italy. OK, maybe not. But it should be

07 “THE IRISH WILL” España 1982

Northern Ireland (1) Spain (0)

On neutral soil, Spain would have been the heavy favorite in this clash. But this wasn't on neutral soil.

The World Cup was held in Spain in 1982. Northern Ireland shocked the hosts, 1-0, a result made all-

the-more surprising, given that Northern Ireland played much of that second half with 10 men.

06 “THE OPENING SHOCK” Korea-Japan 2002

Senegal (1) France (0)

What a way to open the tournament! Though France was missing their heart and soul in Zinedine

Zidane (who was out with an injury), it was no excuse for the world champion Les Bleus' uninspired loss

to the Senegalese rookies. It was the beginning of the end for France, who failed to become the first

team in 40 years to win back-to-back titles, and didn't even make it through qualifying. Senegal would

advance out of the group stage, while France was held scoreless in all three games, marking the worst

performance ever for a defending champion.

05 “THE BATTLE OF BROTHERS” West Germany 1974

East Germany (1) West Germany (0)

Have you ever seen a FIFA World Cup match between Brazil and Brazil, France versus France or Italy

versus Italy? Probably not. Then perhaps you will appreciate the uniqueness of the encounter of 22

June 1974, when Germany FR (West) met Germany DR (East) in the first round of the 1974 FIFA World

Cup in Hamburg’s Volkspark stadium. In a game whose meaning extended far beyond the pitch, the

meek East Germans shocked their mighty brothers by defeating them 1-0. But even though East

Germany won the battle, West Germany won the war, as Der Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer and his boys

took home the cup.

04 “THE MIRACLE OF MILAN” Italia 1990

Cameroon (1) Argentina (0)

The defending champion Argentinians came in to the tournament the odds-on favorite to repeat.

Maradona leading the charge probably had a little something to do with that. Cameroon was a 500-1

long shot to take home the trophy, and by the end of the match they found themselves playing with

only nine men. Although Argentina ultimately advanced to the finals, “a humble team with an

insignificant past” could proved to the world that, yes, miracles do happen.

03 “THE RULE CHANGERS” España 1982

Algeria (2) West Germany (1)

In the first match of Group 2, the mighty West Germany would surely crush the unknown novices from

Algeria. That, at any rate, was the German attitude. Apart from their skill and speed, Algeria played

with formidable fluency and a rare dynamism. Certainly Algeria was the better team in the first half

and deserved their opening goal when it came in the 54th minute. Rummenigge equalized in the 67th

minute, but if the Germans thought order had been restored, they were wrong. From the restart, a

nine-pass Algerian move ended with Belloumi arriving unmarked to slam the ball in from close range.

What followed this was called ‘The Shame Of Gijon’, which eventually resulted in the rule changes by

FIFA. From 1986 on, the final round of group matches played simultaneously.

02 "MIRACLE ON TURF" Brazil, 1950

U.S. (1) England (0)

The Americans came into the match having lost seven consecutive international games by a combined

score of 45 -2. The odds of the English winning the World Cup were 3-1; the odds of the Americans

winning were 500-1. And it was certainly a miracle that Brit lost the game to Uncle Sam’s boys.

01 THE MARACANÃ BLOW" Brazil, 1950

Uruguay (2) Brazil (1)

On par with the shocking U S win over England from that year, but this one gets the nod because it was

in the final. Under the old rules of the World Cup, in which point totals were used to determine the

winner, not just the winner of the match. Brazil needed only a draw against Uruguay. Oh, and Brazil

were the hosts! Brazil had won their previous two matches by a combined 13-2 score and was big

favorites in the final. On that day, 200,000 people filled Estadio do Maracana to watch the home side.

Brazil took a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but Uruguay would equalize soon thereafter and score

the winner with just over 10 minutes to go. The result is considered to be the biggest upsets in football

history, and the term Maracanazo (Portuguese: Maracanaço, roughly translated as "The Maracanã

Blow") first became synonymous with the match.

As we close in for Brazil 2014, many more upsets are awaiting to shake up the world.

A T

Acusis Bangalore Christmas- Day out Fun Teams in action