Costa Rica are (unofficial) World Champions!

 

When you think of footballing World Champions, you think of Brazil, Spain, Argentina. You wouldn't realistically think that Scotland are ranked number 1 in the World - but you'd be mistaken.

I imagine that none of you have ever heard of the Unofficial Football World Championship (UFWC), but it is something that captures the imagination, and cannot really be argued against.

The current holders of the UFWC Trophy are Costa Rica (Ranked =24th). Odds are, they do not know this - but by beating Uruguay (11th) on the 14th June, they took the title and have held it ever since. England (2nd) had a chance to claim it off of them, but the 0-0 in their final group game was not quite enough. Costa Rica's match against Greece (=17th) on Sunday will determine whether they hold onto it for a little longer.

You see, the UFWC is a competition that has gone on since the very first international football match was played between Scotland and England, in 1872. Back then, there were no other teams and thus, the winner of that game could claim to be the best in the World! It finished 0-0 of course, but they had a rematch in 1873 which England won 4-2. England were Champions!

Imagine the UFWC as a belt in boxing. You defeat an opponent, you get the title. Every match is a 'title fight', whether it be a World Cup Final, or a seemingly pointless friendly.

Through 142 years of international footballing history, the title has passed through the hands of some huge teams, as well as some minnows of the footballing World. Even the likes of Angola (=24th), North Korea (=20th) and Wales (=15th) rank higher than teams such as Portugal (=38th) and Belgium (=30th).

1 point is scored for the team who wins the vital match involving a UFWC title holder. A draw counts for nothing, and is considered a successful defence of the title. Owing to the fact that most international matches in the 19th century were contested by the home nations, England and Scotland are a few points clear of the rest - but that will all change in time.

So if you follow the 142 year UFWC lineage of over 800 international competetive and friendly matches, following who beats who, and starting with the first ever International Football match, you discover that Costa Rica are the current Unofficial Football World Champions.

So grab a beer, and tune in on Sunday because Costa Rica vs Greece is the next UFWC Cup Final!

UFWC Rankings (Top 10)

 1 SCOTLAND 86
 2 ENGLAND 73
 3 ARGENTINA 57
 4 NETHERLANDS 49
 5 RUSSIA 41
 6 BRAZIL 29
 7 SWEDEN 28
 8 GERMANY 27
 8 ITALY 27
10 FRANCE 25

 

All information gained from http://www.ufwc.co.uk/about/

Suarez, England and Today's Predictions

Today brings in the final group games of the tournament, giving us a day off tomorrow before the serious games start.. It's been an awesome tournament so far, with a couple of talking points I'd like to discuss.

Luis 'Jaws' Suarez. 

This man is a fool. He has had a brilliant season with Liverpool, despite starting it with a 10 game ban for biting Ivanovic. He managed to turn things around, and even had some of us believing that he had turned a page. Alas, he has not. He is still a bitey wanker - highlighted by the chunk he decided to take out of Chiellini's shoulder in Uruguay's game against Italy.

His punishment? A 9 game international ban, and 4 month ban from footballing activities worldwide. This now means that since 2010, Suarez has been banned from playing in 34 matches without receiving a red card.

I think it's a generous punishment. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if in 18 months from now, he has bitten someone else and we go through this process all over again. He is a waste of great talent. I also think that if someone like Joey Barton were to do the same thing, he would be out of contract and unemployable - but alas, this is Suarez. He scores goals blah blah.. anyway, enough about him.

England
I think the criticism of the England team has been pretty harsh. I was very positive after the game against Italy, and thought we got some good things out of it. We were never going to do particularly well in this tournament, and knew that we had a tough group. Uruguay frustrated us, and the Costa Rica game was meaningless. I always suspected the Italy game would define who goes out of the group, and I was correct - though I certainly didn't expect Costa Rica to defeat anybody and win the group.
We have very few players in their prime at the minute - either too old or too inexperienced - and the one chap who should be in his prime is constantly being slaughtered by the media. We got what we realistically expected, and that's fair enough.
I would like to have seen more of Lambert in the World Cup, and more of Adam Lallana - Sturridge missed too many chances for my liking, and there's only so many times the likes of Barkley or Sterling can try and wiggle their way through an opposition's defence.

Saying that, I think we did OK. Yes, it is disappointing to not progress - the same can be said for any team who gets knocked out in the first round - but I don't think we were too bad.

Right, on to today's matches!

USA vs Germany
Huge game for USA and Klinsmann this, who have done well to be where they are. Nicked a victory out of Ghana, and just missed out on a huge upset against Portugal - USA are punching above their weight, and this game could see them either scrape through or narrowly miss out. Germany have looked alright, but not as great as you might expect.
Prediction - USA 1-2 Germany

Portugal vs Ghana
Both teams need a victory, and in Portugal's case - a pretty decent one - and I think they'll get it. Ghana have frustrated me because they have some great players, but don't have the composure to put the ball in the net when it matters. Muntari has been sent home alongside Kevin Prince Boateng, arguably two of their better players, and so it falls on the shoulders of the Ayew brothers, Christian Atsu, and former Sunderland man Asamoah Gyan to blag a win. Portugal have been crap so far and really need a performance. I imagine that Ronaldo will take it upon himself to win this, and will possibly be awesome.
Prediction: Portugal 3-0 Ghana

South Korea vs Belgium
I don't have a lot of faith in the Korean team. Losing to Algeria was pretty poor, and they lack the quality to do anything against a decent Belgium squad. Belgium haven't quite hit the heights yet in a relatively easy group, but this game should be the chance for Lukaku, Hazard and co to shine.
Prediction: South Korea 0-4 Belgium

Russia vs Algeria
Really? This game sounds crap but you never know. I've not got much of an opinion on either team, though I'd quite like to see Algeria blag it through to the next round and so I'll be cheering them on. Russia need a victory to have any chance - so should nab a goal, but have been largely disappointing for Mr Capello so I'm going for an unlikely victory for the African team.
Preditcion: Russia 1-2 Algeria

World Cup Predictions - Groups C & D

Here's how I got on with yesterday's games - not too bad!

Spain vs Australia
Predicted result: 4-0
Actual result: 3-0

Holland vs Chile
Predicted result: 1-2
Actual result: 2-0

Brazil vs Cameroon
Predicted result: 4-0
Actual result: 4-1

Croatia vs Mexico
Predicted result: 1-0
Actual result: 1-3

So overall not too bad - I was hoping for a Chilean surprise, and thought Croatia would be Mexico but ultimately they were outplayed. I predicted the other two games pretty accurately. This all means that Brazil will play Chile in the next round, and Holland get to play Mexico. Cameroon, Spain and Australia had already packed their bags and Croatia will be joining them on the plane home. 

Today sees England back in action, this time against the surprise package of the tournament - Costa Rica. Uruguay face Italy in the other Group D clash, a game in which the winner will progress. In Group C, Colombia have already qualified and face a Japan team who must win, and hope that Greece beat Ivory Coast in the other clash. Ivory Coast will qualify with a victory, and will also qualify with a draw provided Japan don't win by more than one goal. Greece can still qualify, but must beat Ivory Coast and hope that Japan don't beat Colombia. Cor!

On with the predictions!

England vs Costa Rica
Woy is making 9 changes to his starting lineup, keeping only Sturridge and Cahill in place from the last game. I think in general this is a good idea, as it'll give the likes of Barkley and Shaw a chance to impress - though Foster in goal is always shaky, and could prove to be the weak link against a Costa Rica team who appear fearless. Costa Rica will damage England if Joel Campbell plays in 'Beast Mode', though they aren't desperate for the win so may elect to rest some players for the next round.
Prediction: England 3-2 Costa Rica

Italy vs Uruguay
Uruguay simply must win this one, with a draw favouring the Italians. I simply don't think they will though - Italy looked decent against England, but pedestrian against Costa Rica. Both teams will need to step up their game to have any hope of doing well in the tournament, and I think Italy will do just that.
Prediction: Italy 2-0 Uruguay

Colombia vs Japan
The Japanese team have not done much thus far, and I don't think they'll do much here. They have slim hopes of qualification, and must win in order to have a chance. Colombia have already qualified and may rest the likes of Cuadrado and Rodriguez in this game, but should still be a tough team to beat. Colombia lack quality in the fullback positions, and should Japan exploit that they could be in trouble - but they won't. Colombia should still win this.
Prediction: Colombia 2-0 Japan

Ivory Coast vs Greece
I've been disappointed with the Greek team in this tournament. I never expected them to set the World alight, but I thought they'd put up a fight. Two games in, and 0 goals scores doesn't bode well - though they do still have a chance of qualification. Ivory Coast are a strong team, the best of the African teams, but have had some difficulties to overcome - most notably the brother of Kolo and Yaya Toure passing away. Bony and Drogba are a very strong attacking threat, and I just don't think Greece will cope with them.
Prediction: Ivory Coast 3-0 Greece

Roundup and Predictions for Groups A & B

It seems as though this World Cup is determined to make me look foolish. Not only have the games been ridiculously entertaining, they have also been completely random. Costa Rica beating both Uruguay and Italy?! Dezko failing miserably, putting my "watertight predictions" post to rest, Iran almost pulling off an incredible draw against Argentina, Spain out, and France spanking Switzerland. What a tournament!

I haven't posted for a few days. For what it's worth, the predictions I had in my head were all wrong (I had put a sneaky £1 on a 6-0 Argentina win) - so without further ado, here's what is blatantly not going to happen in the games today!

We see the final group games this week, and today we have four games - deciding the fate of those countries who are yet to know whether they'll soon be going home;
Group A
Brazil vs Cameroon
Croatia vs Mexico

Group B
Spain vs Australia
Chile vs Holland

Let's look at Group B first, as they are the 5 o'clock kick offs:

Spain vs Australia
This game is a dead rubber, and therefore entirely unpredictable. Australia are without the iconic Tim Cahill, and Spain are miserable and would probably much rather just disappear into the Brazilian abyss.. That said, I still can't rule out the Spanish as the quality in their squad is incredible. Perhaps if they decide against starting with Diego Costa, and give some of their younger players a chance they may well have a nice, fresh finish to their tournament.
Prediction: Spain 4-0 Australia

Chile vs Holland
The winner of this game will most likely avoid Brazil in the next round, so it is a game that both teams will want to win. A draw would see Holland top the group, and so Chile have to go for the win - though their performances so far have been impressive, and a match against Brazil wouldn't be too daunting. With neither team wanting to risk any potential injuries, I think this may be a tentative affair - and with the tournament being random so far, I'm gonna punt for Chile to nick the win.
Prediction: Chile 2-1 Holland

In Group A, the only team with nothing but pride to play for is Cameroon who face Brazil. A Cameroon win in that game opens the door for both Mexico and Croatia. Brazil will only go out if Cameroon beat them more heavily than Croatia beat Mexico. A draw in the Croatia vs Mexico game could also see Brazil out of the competition, provided Cameroon win by 2 or more goals.

Cameroon vs Brazil
Let's face it, it could happen. Brazil haven't looked great and the African teams have been impressive.. That said, Cameroon have not yet scored in this tournament so realistically it doesn't look great for them. If the useless Fred is left out of the Brazil lineup, they should do well. If he plays, then I imagine we'll have a frustrating game on our hands.
Prediction: Cameroon 0-3 Brazil

Croatia vs Mexico
Huge game here, and basically the loser goes out of the competition. Mexico got a decent draw against Brazil, and Croatia were unfortunate to lose in the opening game. Croatia need a result, and I think they'll get it. They have looked a solid outfit and I think they will be a bit too organised for Mexico, who have so far impressed against teams who are not known for their defensive discipline.
Prediction: Croatia 1-0 Mexico

World Cup Predictions - Groups H & A

Yesterday's games:

Germany vs Portugal
Predicted score: 3-1
Actual score: 4-0

Iran vs Nigeria
Predicted score: 1-1
Actual score: 0-0

Ghana vs USA
Predicted score: 3-2
Actual score: 1-2



I only managed to watch one half of these games as I was in work, the second half of USA vs Ghana - which looked as though Ghana were pretty dominant, but had no patience in the final third, thus wasting chance after chance. They equalised with 10 minutes to go and I thought they might go on to grab a winner, but USA hit back immediately and held on until the end. Germany thrashed Portugal in a game where Portugal were reduced to 10 men, and I'm led to believe the Iran vs Nigeria game was a pretty dull affair. My predictions weren't bad at all, and the first draw of the tournament did indeed come about in the worst game of the day.

So - today we see the last few teams play their first matches of the tournament, as well as Brazil vs Mexico going into the next phase where qualification is achievable.

Belgium vs Algeria
I'd be surprised if Algeria really do anything much in this game, but I said the same for Costa Rica when they played Uruguay. That said, Belgium are one of the teams in with a good chance of reaching the latter stages, and have a strong, youthful squad with bags of potential. Algeria have a former Crewe player in their squad, a Tottenham youth player and a bunch of extras to make up the numbers. I can't imagine this one will be much of a competition.
Prediction: Belgium 4-0 Algeria

Brazil vs Mexico
Our second game of the day sees two teams with one victory to their names already. Brazil saw off Croatia in a not-so-convincing display, and Mexico were unfortunate to only beat Cameroon 1-0 when it could've been 3. Having played relatively defensively against Cameroon, Mexico are expected to essentially park the bus here and may frustrate the home team - though it could also lead to a whipping.
Prediction: Brazil 4-1 Mexico

Russia vs Korea Republic
With Fabio Capello at the helm, Russia are a well organised outfit who qualified top of a group that included Portugal, amongst others. They will be tricky to beat, having only conceded 5 goals during the qualification process and should see of the Koreans without too much trouble. Korea on the other hand finished second behind Iran in a group that included Uzbekistan, Lebanon and Qatar. They lost in their two friendlies vs Ghana and Tunisia and just aren't looking like much of a force. I imagine this will be a pretty efficient display from Russia.
Prediction: Russia 2-0 Korea Republic

World Cup Predictions - Groups F & G

Yesterday's games.

Switzerland vs Ecuador

Predicted score: 1-1

Actual score: 2-1

France vs Honduras

Predicted score: 3-0

Actual score: 3-0

Argentina vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Predicted score: 3-2

Actual score: 2-1

I did pretty well with yesterday's predictions. Got the France win spot on - and also suggested that Honduras would be a dirty team, proven by the red card issued to Palacios just before half time. Switzerland scored their winner in the 93rd minute, so that was pretty damn close too and Argentina only won by the 1 goal as I predicted, though I expected a slightly more open game. 

Today we have a few tricky ones to predict, so let's see how this goes.

Germany vs Portugal

Similar to Spain vs Holland, and England vs Italy, this game puts two strong European teams up against each other. Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo and a few other, tricky, players but struggled slightly through qualifying and their main man isn't 100% fit. Germany had doubts over Lahm and Neuer, but both seem to have shaken off niggles for the opening match. In Joachim Low, Germany have a manager who has taken them to the Semi Finals of every competition they've entered since taking over in 2006 - and I think this tournament will be no different. I reckon they'll be too strong for Portugal, who rely too heavily on their main man.

Prediction: Germany 3-1 Portugal

Iran vs Nigeria

Not likely to be a classic, and not quite so highly anticipated as the first game today, Iran vs Nigeria is the kind of game that makes the World Cup what it is. I love seeing two teams with relatively unknown players pitting themselves against each other on the biggest stage. Both will need a win to stand any chance of sneaking through their tricky Group F, and I fear that means we'll end up with the first draw of the tournament. Iran have the highly experienced Carlos Quieroz as manager, and though their players are less familiar to most people, I think he'll find ways to frustrate Nigeria and grab the draw. Nigeria have some good individuals, but nothing World Class.

Prediction: Iran 1-1 Nigeria

USA vs Ghana

The last three times these teams have met, Ghana have won. I like Ghana, I think they have a decent team and could start their tournament off with a victor - they had some good results in their friendlies, and might just be able to carry that momentum into the tournament. USA too, have had a good build up and appear to be full of confidence, but I can imagine that bubble bursting in this must-win game. With Portugal and Germany left to play in the group, both teams need a win so we will hopefully get an open game.

Prediction: USA 2-3 Ghana

World Cup Predictions - Groups E & F

Let's have a look at how my predictions matched up yesterday

Colombia vs Greece

Predicted score: 1-0

Actual score: 3-0

Uruguay vs Costa Rica

Predicted score: 4-0

Actual score: 1-3

England vs Italy

Predicted score: 0-0

Actual score: 1-2

Ivory Coast vs Japan

Predicted score: 3-1

Actual score: 2-1

So overall, not great. Certainly didn't think Costa Rica would walk away with anything - but with great performances from Joel Campbell and their 'keeper, Keylor Navas, they ended up with a deserved 3 points.

Colombia and Greece played out a quite open match, which was very different to what I was expecting, though the win for Colombia was at least correct. England and Italy also played out a quite entertaining game, and I though I thought England should've come out with a draw, the Italians exploited the gaps in behind the fullbacks and scored a couple of decent goals.

I didn't stay up to watch the Ivory Coast game, though the report suggests that Ivory Coast dominated the game but just couldn't put the ball in the net - limiting them to a narrow victory rather than something more dominant... So overall, two correct results, no correct scorelines and a couple that were just simply wrong. Meh.

Today's games!

Switzerland vs Ecuador

I can't say that I'm particularly interested in this game - but with Switzerland sitting at 6th in the FIFA World Rankings, they should be taken quite seriously. They're ahead of countries such as England, France, Colombia, Italy, Holland and Belgium in the rankings. Ecuador on the other hand are sat alongside Scotland in 26th place, and so you'd assume it's a straightforward result.. But rankings can lie, and I actually think this will be quite tight. Ecuador have a couple of dangerous players, and will have a lot more support in the stands.

Prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Ecuador

France vs Honduras

The French have underachieved for a number of years now, but you can't deny that they have a very good team. They seem to be turning a corner now, and I think they might have a decent little tournament. Honduras, on the other hand, should not pose a threat. After watching them play England, it seems their only tactic involves hard tackling and dirty play, so I'd expect a few cards and a frustrating game. That said, I reckon France will get the ball in the back of the net more than once.

Prediction: France 3-0 Honduras

Argentina vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

There are many strong players in the Argentina squad, and they have been tipped by many to win this tournament. Lionel Messi has often not performed for his country but since being given the captain's armband, he has transformed into the player we see at Barcelona. Bosnia have some surprisingly good players too, though, and having scored 30 goals in 10 games of qualifying they know how to find the back of the net. I think Argentina will win this one, but not as comfortably as you might think.

Prediction: Argentina 3-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina