2010 FIFA World Cup

The current World Cup is being contested in South Africa. It is the 19th World Cup, a football tournament held every four years under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). There are 16 national teams contesting the final; the winning team will take home $30,000,000.

Although initially there was doubt about South Africa's ability to host the games, and worry over whether or not venues would be completed on time, there has been a great deal of praise for the accomplishments of the host nation. However, FIFA has come under fire from several controversial refereeing decisions, most notoriously a handball from French captain Thierry Henry in the France-Ireland game that delivered a World Cup berth to France, despite international outcry and an official protest from Ireland, and a series of judgmental blunders and inconsistent decisions during the current tournament.

With respect to the controversy, FIFA's original position was that there was nothing wrong with the present system. In the wake of continued egregious errors in judgment during the present competition, notably the denying of a goal to English midfielder Frank Lampard during the England-Germany match, FIFA has agreed to review the possibility of using electronic technology.

The finals will be held on Sunday 11th July 2010 and will be between The Netherlands and the winner of the Germany vs Spain semi-final. A playoff between the losers of the two semi-finals will determine thrid and fourth places.