How to Get Cheap Tickets to European Football and Tennis Events- Intro

2010 is a massive year for Sports. While South Africa plays host to large chunks of the world for the Fifa World Cup and India has the 2010 Commonwealth Games, I thought I would create more posts on how to sort out trips to sporting events taking place all the time in Europe.

No four-year wait for a Serie A or La Liga partida or the French Open and Wimbledon tennis tournaments. Being weekly and annual events, these sports offer plenty of opportunity to go and witness a live match at reasonable, if not plain old cheap, prices. I do it all the time. Last year, my brother (El Salmone) and I caught the last days of Beckham at the San Siro with AC Milan and Ladies Day (Women's Semis) at the French Open/Roland Garros. Both awesome spectacles and both reasonably priced when you plan things right- and I'm going to show you how.

After the shock of Rafael Nadal's early exit from Roland Garros in 09, wouldn't you want to be there to see him avenge that sad memory in typical Rafa-on-Clay indestructibility? His early form at the Abu Dhabi World Challenge Finals indicate he's back, with improvements.

For the Federer fans, the opportunity to see him try to retain the trophy or witness his silky prowess at June's Wimbledon?

Ugh hmn, too right you do!

More how-to posts will follow, with reliable recommendations and a thorough breakdown on handy logistics so you're good to go and not hampered by lack of conversational Spanish, Italian or French.

Starting with: How to Get- French Open 2010 Tickets

Photos: Wayne Rooney (Nike), Rafael Nadal (Getty Images)

World Cup 2010 Draw or Eurovision National Lotto?

I watched the long awaited presentation of the group draw for the World Cup 2010, taking place in South Africa. Charlize Theron acted as co-host, but this was no Oscars. The South African influence played out with a lively pre- music show. Unfortunately this was a FIFA run affair from then on in: no fun skits to be found, no spontaneity allowed to seep out. Considering they had an Oscar winning actress on hand, they really made no use of Theron at all.

I always feel like Fifa gigs come across as a mix between a Eurovision song contest and the National Lottery weekly draw. There's no audio, but the pic above sets the scene- DRY.

As it turns out, Theron added unscripted comedic relief to the dry-as-toast French co-host who led the 30 minute proceedings. Signor Pain Rassis [stale bread] kept interrupting Theron's charm offensive with the draw 'assistants' that included Haile Gebrselassi ("Haile, you need to smile more- Smiley Haile!" owing to the Ethiopian running legends' infectious, ever present smile), David Beckham ("Are you sure that's the best ball?" more coquettish flirting with David) and other South African elite athletes. He also had an odd professorial manner about him; his grammatically perfect English lacking the conversational subtleties that someone with lesser English would have used. Consequently, his linking comments came off as blunt, useless pieces of football trivia about which team played another team delivered by ear piece seemed random. All the while Charlize made me chuckle with her rolling eyes, barely disguised annoyance with Signor Pain Rassis and sly put downs ("Wow, you're like a little Facts Machine!"- elbow to the ribs).

The funniest skit- you gotta make you're own entertainment when watching a Fifa fiesta- was when SPR asked Theron about some match in the 1950's, to which she retorted "Wait a minute, how old do you think I am?! You're asking me about something in the '50's?" shock thinly veiled in her voice.

One thing to be thankful for- the draw didn't last long, and England's group isn't half bad!

Group G, however- ouch. Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal and North Korea: Group of DEATH

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece,
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia
Group E: Holland, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark,
Group F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland.

The Hand of Gaul: Incompetent Linesmen Strike Again!

Well, well. The start of terrible, avoidable football eff ups begins already. With every Fifa World Cup to roll by, we're treated to not only excellent displays of football and shocking fouls, but brazenly wrong linesmen decision making.

Tonight's controversy merely wets the appetite for howlers so sublime us viewers will really have need of endless replays and multi-angle TV coverage. France were playing the second leg of their World Cup play off match against a plucky Ireland, and were trailing 0-1. Deep into extra time, France penetrating again and again, Thierry Henry used his hand to touch the ball down (TWICE) and threaded it through to William Gallas, who neatly put the goal away.

Where do we start, in analysing what went wrong tonight?

• One, France had a man off-side at the start of that fateful charge.
• Two, Thierry handled the ball...twice. Swedish ref, Martin Hansson, wasn't sure and conferred with the linesman.
• Three, conferring with any linesman in football is always a wasteful decision in the majority of cases, owing to the fact that linesmen never see anything, even infringements occurring under their nose.

Watch any EPL game and the evidence is there for all to see. In theory, Hansson, old linesman should be able to tell you what happens on his line. In case you missed it. Too bad, he saw nothing and will scurry away Scot free into the dust long before the consequences of his god awful decision does.

People will blame Thierry Henry, and label him a cheater. He'll have to take it, and so long as his country are through, I doubt he'll care. But the real culprits are the officials who have all the rules on their side, but once again show that even the obvious incidents can waltz right before them before they action the rules correctly.

It's sad to see a team who tried so hard be denied the fruits of their labour, all because of incompetence. Make no mistake- that is what it was. Every time a ball crosses the line, yet is declared not. Every time a goal from a free kick is scored, but the ref cites 'foul' based on an inconsequential tussle in the wall. Every time a striker is onside, yet called off. These all add up to more than a slip of the eye. These amount to unfair, arbitrary advantage given by those whose job it is to monitor the game, not blemish it with their presence.

The time is coming for use of video technology during play. Human error as big as this and as frequent occurring in any other area of the sport, would result in a P45. The stakes are too high. It's introduction need not threaten the role of the officials, and for the accountable ones, it wouldn't.

The old arguements and fears about changing the nature of the game, the high tempo speed it's played in and the trust in officials decisions? Someone needs to send a memo to Fifa: that ship has long sailed.