Friday, December 4, 2009

Live - World Cup draw

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England's World Cup qualifying highlights

BUILD-UP AS IT HAPPENS (all times GMT)

606: DEBATE
Your thoughts on the build-up

To get involved use 606 or text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide). (Not all contributions can be used)

By Jonathan Stevenson


1245: The World Cup does strange things to people. I mean, look at me - it's taken over my entire life already. The BBC's Magazine takes a look at just how the biggest tournament on earth can turn a nation on its head.

1243: The Ivory Coast are considered Africa's best hope for next summer by many pundits. Their captain, Chelsea's Didier Drogba, told the BBC: "I'm excited, but I'm also a little bit scared. In the last World Cup, we faced Argentina, Holland and Serbia, so it was really difficult." He said facing England this time would be "not good at all, because they are strong and have a big chance to go far".

From BaldwinBoy5 on 606: "In the practice draw Charlize Theron pulled out France and read out Ireland. Beautiful and hilarious. The perfect woman?"

1236: Wasn't England's qualification brilliant? If you, like me, enjoyed every single minute as Fabio Capello marched his adopted country to the World Cup finals, then why not relive the campaign by watching the highlights? Enjoy.

1233: Many South Africans are said to be worried about their team's prospects. Currently ranked 86th in the world, they have won just one match out of 11 since June, against Madagascar. But Mark Fish, the former South African captain, told the BBC he wants the supporters to be positive. "It's important that we just get behind our national team. The team hasn't changed much, it's still the same players - I think the commitment has just changed," he said.

From El_MUERkO on Twitter: "I'd love England to get France and then stuff them so badly that Platini's hair falls out... can you tell I'm Irish?"

From Benjabi on 606: "I'm in Copenhagen with a German, a Spaniard and of course some Danes. All watching with interest. Why the hell have you started the live updates five hours before it starts?"

From DinefwrShark, via text on 81111: "Just spotted Rafael van der Vaart outside Goodison Park... have I got the right day?"

1221: Let's see what you've got for starters, then...

1220: It was never going to be an easy ride today, was it? The first World Cup draw on the continent was temporarily rocked this morning after a hoax bomb threat was made outside the draw. BBC sports news correspondent James Pearce is in South Africa and is tweeting all the latest from Cape Town.

1216: There's an added boost, too, for those of you who are keen to add an international flavour to proceedings. If you're outside the UK, you can send your texts to +44 7786 200666 and we will receive them as we will the 81111 ones from the UK. Happy days.

1214: I know I say this every time, but it has rarely been so important that you get in touch with the main event still easily five-plus hours away. Is my desperation too obvious? These, my friends, are the ways for you to missive your thoughts:

I'm right here on Twitter. Right here.
You can send texts to 81111. Get thumbing.
Wouldn't you know it, I've started a thread on 606?

1209: Good, because there's another 340-odd minutes before the draw even gets under way - and we know how these things can be dragged out by now. Cape Town is our venue, there are a host of celebrities involved, and by this evening, the world will have gone wallchart mental.

1205: According to the Fifa website, there are 188 days, nine hours and 55 minutes to go until the World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June. Today, we will find out the eight groups of four, but not until about 1745 GMT. Can you wait just a little bit longer?

1200: I don't know about you, but when I was a little boy, the World Cup seemed like the most magical occasion on Earth. As a five-year-old, watching Diego Maradona produce football from another planet was like living in a dream. Today, that dream starts to become a reality for the 32 countries that will compete at South Africa 2010. A very, very warm welcome to the draw for the World Cup finals.

ะพ 12:59 AM

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