The French federation said on Friday in a statement it had granted Blanc permission to suspend the players at the coach's request.

France were eliminated in the group stage at the World Cup, failing to win a game. The players also refused to train as a protest after Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home following an expletive-laced tirade at then coach Raymond Domenech.

Blanc refused to speak to reporters when he left the federation's headquarters on Friday. France plays a friendly against Norway on August 11 in Oslo, with Blanc set to announce his squad six days earlier.

France's disappointing performance in South Africa came after the team also failed to win a game at the 2008 European Championship, also under Domenech.

The French team endured days of chaos at the World Cup after L'Equipe newspaper published a rant by Anelka aimed toward Domenech at halftime of a 2-0 loss against Mexico, prompting the French federation to send him home.

The next day, the entire squad refused to train in protest and captain Patrice Evra had a lively altercation with the team's fitness coach that was captured on TV.

The events caused an outcry in France, with politicians harshly criticizing the players' attitude, legislators in parliament questioning the coach and even President Nicolas Sarkozy weighing in on the debacle.

Former international Lilian Thuram - France's most capped player - said Evra should never play for the team again after leading the boycott.

Outgoing federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes has launched an investigation into the players' actions. The commission should deliver its conclusions to the federation by Aug. 15.

The team consists of six players from champions Spain, as well as coach Vicente del Bosque. Rounding off the starting XI are two representatives of Germany, and one from Brazil, Uruguay and the Netherlands.

The team is: Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas Defenders: Maicon - Sergio Ramos - Carles Puyol - Philipp Lahm Midfielders: Wesley Sneijder - Xavi - Bastian Schweinsteiger - Andres Iniesta Strikers: Diego Forlan - David Villa

The fans' choice included three right fullbacks (Maicon, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm), as well as two central attacking midfielders (Wesley Sneijder, Xavi). Golden Boot winner Thomas Mueller failed to make the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Football Association has appealed against Fifa’s decision to suspend and fine national team coach Radomir Antic. The Serbian FA says the appeal against a four-match ban and a R100 000 fine was sent to Fifa yesterday.

The world football governing body imposed the penalties this month over Antic’s alleged “inappropriate behaviour” after a World Cup match against Australia on June 23, which Serbia lost 2-1.

Antic criticized the referee after the defeat, which eliminated Serbia from the tournament at the group stage.

Mosimane has taken up a four-year contract filled with performance-related clauses that have to be met with; the most bold being the qualification to the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals. Bafana failed to qualify for the 2010 tournament for the first time since winning the continental cup in 1996.

“The worth of the contract that Pitso has is in line with a professional of his calibre,” says Sedibe, without giving much about the financial details of the contract, though it is definite that Mosimane will earn less than half of what Carlos Albert Parreira got.

“It is critical that we qualify for the Nations Cup and the World Cup and I am glad that the coach understands the mandate from the people of South Africa.

“A key performance area is also around development and synergising a national programme across all levels because we need a uniform approach. We are confident in the coach. He will have the right to choose people in his technical team,” says Sedibe.

Safa president Kirsten Nematandani added that it was key to have continuity in Mosimane’s appointment, while promising a stronger approach to competitions like the Cosafa.

Meanwhile, Mosimane will get his first test of action at the helm when he leads his charges against World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana next month as part of preparations for the upcoming 2012 Gabon-Equatorial Guinea Nations Cup qualifiers.

The difficult match against the Black Stars will take place at Soccer City on Wednesday, August 11 at 20h30.

Ghana were the pride of Africa at the recent World Cup and will definitely provide a stern challenge for Bafana should they bring their strong squad on this Fifa calendar date.

The friendly will come just three weeks before Bafana get their 2012 Nations Cup qualification off with a home match against Niger at Mbombela Stadium on September 4.

Bafana are in Group G along with Sierra Leone and African champions Egypt in a pool in which group winners will qualify automatically, while the two best runners from the 10 Groups containing four teams will also qualify.

The top two nations in the five-team Group K (Botswana, Malawi, Chad, Togo and Tunisia) are automatically guaranteed of their places joining the two host nations in making up the 16 countries.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think Safa will allow Mosimane to do his job without interference?

The former Bafana assistant coach has signed a four-year deal that sees him tasked with qualifying the country for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Mosimane had already been named as the only candidate for the job earlier this month by the South African Football Association, but his contract still had to be negotiated.

The 45-year-old replaces the Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, under whom he had worked over the last four years. His appointment keeps a promise the football association made to appoint a local to the job once the 2010 World Cup was out of the way.

“I feel extremely privileged to be filing Carlos Alberto Parreira’s shoes. I thank both the football association and Parreira for having confidence in me and I know I’m the right person for the job,” he told reporters.

Mosimane’s first task will be to try and qualify South Africa for the 2012 African Nations Cup finals. The qualifying campaign begins in September with a home game against Niger, but a much more difficult assignment against African champions Egypt, who are in the same group, awaits him early next year.

South Africa’s side have shown a major improvement in form over the last six months, and on Wednesday jumped 17 places in the latest FIFA rankings. But they did not manage to exceed expectations at the World Cup and were eliminated after just three matches, becoming in the process the first host nation to fail to get past the first round.

Mosimane had a previous spell as South Africa's caretaker coach, winning three, drawing three and losing just one of the seven matches for which he was in charge.

He is a former striker who won three caps for the country and played for several leading South African clubs before leaving for Greece, where he played at Ionikos for six years, and brief stints in Belgium and Qatar before retiring.

South Africa has had 15 different coaches in the last 18 years since returning from a long-standing FIFA ban.

The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder's volley at Soccer City on June 11 against the Central Americans is battling it out for top spot with some of the finest goals witnessed during Africa's first-ever World Cup.

Carlos Tevez's strike for Argentina against Mexico in round 16 at Soccer City has also been nominated and the others to be nominated include Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez's curling shot against Korea Republic, also in round 16. Netherlands skipper Giovanni van Bronckhorst's stunner against Uruguay in the semifinals in Cape Town has also made the cut.

Diego Forlan is also in line for the award for his left-footed strike from outside the box against Germany in the third place play-off at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium.

To cast your vote for your favourite goal of the tournament click on the link below. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/goalofthetournament/video/index.html

Safa quardedly announced last night that they had 'reached an agreement' with Mosimane to take over the national team following the departure of Carlos Alberto Parreira, but added that some matters needed to be cleared before it became final.

'Mbazo' has not waited for confirmation and tells East London's Daily Dispatch that, "Pitso has been in the foundation of Bafana Bafana and he knows the ins and outs of the team.

"Yes, there are lots of good coaches out there that can take the post, but the fact that we have the foundation, we need someone from within the structure to build on this foundation," Mokoena said.

The Portsmouth skipper has revealed that Mosimane has already shared his vision with the players.

"Firstly it's all about development, we had a chat with Pitso and we said that development can be much better in football in South Africa, I'm sure his appointment can make a difference to South African football.

"I've been working with him for years and I know what kind of manager he is. I look forward to working with him if he gets the job," Mokoena added.

According to the Daily Dispatch report, despite Safa sitting the whole day before agreeing Mosimane is their man, they were however concerned about his salary package.

"We are thinking of making an announcement today, but there are still a number of things that we have to sort out," Fanyana Sibanyoni the chairman of the Safa technical committee said yesterday.

Sibanyoni's assertion follows after Safa president, Kirsten Nematandani, confirmed that Mosimane will indeed coach.

There were initial fears the appointment of Mosimane would give rise to massive restrictions, with the team controlled more from the boardroom than on the pitch itself.

However, Nematandani has quashed those fears, saying Safa will be there to help out if needed – not in an interfering manner.

"He is the one who will work with the national team and it is absolutely up to him to decide whom he will have next to him. It is his call. We want to make sure that he gets everything that he wants so that he does not have to stress about minor off-the-field stuff," Nematandani said.

Safa has been dilly-dallying in confirming Mosimane as national team boss since Bafana bombed out in the first round of the World Cup tournament.

This will put pressure on Mosimane as he will have his work cut out with the qualifiers for the next Africa Cup of Nations starting in September where Bafana are in a difficult group with Niger, Sierra Leone and defending champion Egypt.

President Kirsten Nematandani said in a report carried by SABC that the details of the contract had been sorted out, but both parties still had to sign the document.

"We got a recommendation from the technical committee and all that was left to do was to agree to the contract as to the bonuses, salaries and things, and I believe we have found a winning combination," said Nemantandani.

"The two parties seem to agree on the contract and all we need to do is to reduce that into signatures," he said.

Nematandani said Safa hoped to introduce Mosimane as the new Bafana coach today, after the contracts had been signed.

"As soon as it is in black and white he will have to meet with you [the media] and introduce him.

"We want to tie it down because we have a lot to do in terms of development. He will have to look after the national team and we have to look after the little kids," Nematandani said.

Using Castrol's state-of-the-art system that objectively studies and evaluates every single movement made by a player during a match, Ramos earned an average of 9.79 points and successfully showcased his quality both in defence and attack.

This is the first time a system like Castrol's has been used in a World Cup.

In 647 minutes of playing time, Ramos made 372 successful passes (80 percent of all attempted passes), made only 17 fouls and received 11.

Following him on the ranking are team-mates Capdevila (9.74), Puyol (9.70), Germany's Philipp Lahm (9.66) and team-mate Pique (9.62).

According to FIFA, "the relentless Spanish full back was the most influential and efficient player we've seen throughout the month. The Real Madrid star, who has been in the Top 20 ranking since the second game of the group stage, reached the final as leader of the ranking and kept his position throughout the match."

Ramos was part of a team that won the title without conceding any goals in the Last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final itself. Spain conceded just two goals in the championship, both in the group stage.

Here is the top 10 in the rankings:

1 Sergio Ramos (Spain) 9.79 2 Joan Capdevila (Spain) 9.74 3 Carles Puyol (Spain) 9.70 4 Philipp Lahm (Germany) 9.66 5 Gerard Pique (Spain) 9.62 6 David Villa (Spain) 9.59 7 Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) 9.56 8 Luis Suarez (Uruguay) 9.53 9 Thomas Mueller (Germany) 9.51 10 Manuel Neuer (Germany) 9.48

The South Americans have unveiled the official emblem of the 2014 World Cup as they embark on a four-year journey in preparation for the event.

The official emblem for the Fifa 2014 World Cup was unveiled in the presence of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Fifa president Sepp Blatter, as well as former Selecao players Cafu, Carlos Alberto Torres, Romario and Fifa World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Fifa general-secretary Jerome Valcke admitted that Brazil face similar challenges to South Africa, saying they are way off the mark currently in regard to preparations.

“We are going to work on the main problems in Brazil. We have to build the stadiums, the airports, the roads, put in place a telecommunications system and so on, but we will make sure everything is alright,” Valcke said.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has rated South Africa 9/10, saying had it not been for Bafana Bafana’s exit in the first round he could have been tempted to rate the organization of the tournament 10/10. “Things can never be perfect… perfection doesn’t exist,” Blatter noted.

“At the end of the Fifa Confederations Cup I gave the Local Organising Committee a 7.5/10 rating and they were disappointed, but now it is 9/10 and I’m sure they are happy,” said Blatter, drawing some big grins from LOC chairman Irvin Khoza and CEO Danny Jordaan, two men who were at the forefront of planning the tournament since South Africa won the bid on 15 May 2004.

Tovey says that even though he has not been approached by Safa yet he is prepared to assist provided that he is happy with the vision for the national team.

The former AmaZulo coach says, “Oviously I have to look at what they have to offer and their vision after that we can sit down and talk.”

The he former Kaizer Chiefs skipper and defender adds that he has not received any offers from local teams since parting ways with Usuthu.

What do you think? Does Tovey have what it takes to join the new Bafana Bafana technical team?

THE GOOD

The African Vibe Africa was handed a golden opportunity to convey, as a continent, its passion and dedication to the game, and without their fervent support, World Cup 2010 would have been a damp squib.

Instead, the unequivocal backing of the hosts behind their national team, Vuvuzelas and all, endeared the Bafana Bafana to the watching billions and made an honorary South Africa fan out of all of us.

Ghana represented Africa in the quarter-finals, becoming only the third nation do so after Cameroon and Senegal, and but for a cruel twist of fate could have been the inaugural semi-finalists. Their graciousness in defeat, and indeed the swashbuckling style that steered them so well, was a prolonging memory of this, a multi-cultural and overwhelmingly peaceful event.

Viva Espana While the repeated 1-0 score lines may offer a different story, Spain’s footballing philosophy ultimately ousted the negative, stifling tactics that threatened to undermine the tournament.

Despite struggling in front of goal, La Furia Roja had a completed passes total of close to 3,500 at the tournament end, almost 1,000 more than the Oranje, and during South Africa 2010 they finally merged beautiful build-up with European efficiency, creating a force that proved worthy of the greatest title the game can offer.

Xavi, Iniesta, and instrumentally David Villa were the integral cogs in this incessant Spanish machine, and now a golden generation finally glitters.

The Underdog Before every World Cup begins, the potential winners are selected and the whipping boys disregarded, but for a number a lesser lights, South Africa will be a tournament to savour.

New Zealand, the rank outsiders, managed to exit the tournament unbeaten, while Slovakia exceeded a nation’s expectations by narrowly losing out to the eventual finalists, the Netherlands.

Elsewhere, North Korea’s goal against Brazil made their efforts worthwhile, while Mexico and Uruguay confounded the odds (and history) to progress, with the latter reminiscing from the memories of their forefathers by finishing in fourth place. All in all, many underdogs had their day in South Africa.

THE BAD

The Jabulani There is simply no defending FIFA’s decision to sanction the use of a ball that took the players weeks to comprehend, and that drastically reduced the amount of long-range goals in this tournament.

Goal.com, with the assistance of former Dutch striker Clive Wijnhard, recently carried out a number of experiments on the much-maligned Adidas creation (see the video here), and the steady decline of the fundamental equipment of the sport from spherical consistency to unpredictable ba-lunacy has left players and goalkeepers alike cursing its use.

Big-name Flops The World Cup is supposed to be the breeding ground of greats, where club football form aligns itself with the international stage, and the opportunity for infamy is born.

Unfortunately, World Cup 2010 saw more Flops than Tops, with those that have excelled at club level failing to transmit their domestic form into that of the national team dynamic.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi were among those who arrived with top billing but were overshadowed by effervescent youngsters and understated nearly men, and in the end, produced an unexpected final foursome.

Refereeing Goal.com’s review of controversial decisions can give you a concise deconstruction of some of the major errors that have blighted this tournament, and have opened the door for numerous debates as to the future of the games’ officiating.

But the petty, unjust red cards combined with ridiculous offside calls and a generally below-par display from the refereeing teams that FIFA had championed has led the governing body into a curious re-assessment of its assignment of its representatives, and consideration of the implementation of video evidence.

2010 could be remembered as the year when technology became no longer an option, but a necessity.

THE UGLY

Oranje's World Cup Final Tactics The showpiece event that bookends football’s biggest tournament is rarely a free-flowing spectacle, but observers had hoped that two European underachievers could come together to create a final for the ages.

However, the Oranje came to the realisation early in the contest that they could not compete with Spain on their terms, and so descended into an attempt to suffocate their superior opponents rather than play them at their own game.

As a result, the likes of Van Bommel and De Jong were administered to subdue and dispel the threat of the Barcelona-based quartet that led the line for La Furia Roja. As a result, the yellow cards accumulated, and ultimately, the Netherlands sacrificed a modern brand of total football in favour of a more universal, contemptuous approach.

Cheating Despite numerous attempts to eradicate its stench from the sport, cheating managed to seep its way into the tournament and undermine what was in the main a well-behaved and courteous display by all competing players.

Kader Keita’s blatant attempt to ensure Kaka was dismissed was a particular lowlight, as was Joan Capdevila versus Portugal. However, Luis Suarez’s blatant handball in the quarter-final match versus Uruguay, as instinctive as it was, took a shine from the South American’s sensational run to fourth place.

Unfortunately, the Ajax man’s celebration after his Hand of God impersonation will prove to be a lasting memory that eclipses FIFA’s fair play mantra, and one that left Africa with a feeling of dissatisfaction for the remainder of the tournament.

The Vuvuzela Debate The commentary that accompanied the South African tradition was infinitely more tiresome than the event itself, and glossed over the pride that followers of Bafana Bafana attempted to display from their unique brand of expression.

Whilst the noise was a new experience to European travellers, the overreaction to their use at games was as much to do with the tepid nature of the opening fixtures as the disturbance they caused to the match atmosphere.

In the end, the uninitiated feared a global epidemic, while Africa simply wanted to showcase their heritage to the watching world.

The inside t-shirt of the Barcelona midfield genius read in Spanish: "Dani Jarque siempre con nostros" translated to "Dani Jarque is always with us'. Jarque is the Espanyol player who died after a heart attack in August and Iniesta said the World Cup glory for La Furia Roja was fitting tribute for the deceased central defender.

"I wanted to carry Dani Jarque with me and with my other team-mates. We wanted to feel his strength. We wanted to pay tribute to him in the world of football and this was the best opportunity to do so," said Iniesta.

While Iniesta was chatting to the media the party had already started in Spain's dressing room. Some of his teammates, including Cesc Fabregas, disrupted the media session when they stormed into the press conference telling Iniesta to leave the talking for the partying. However, Iniesta had a few words for his teammates before he left.

"This is something we must celebrate and we must be proud of everyone in the team from the first player to the last one," said the man of the match on the night.

"It is hard to put into words how it feels to win a World Cup. To win it that way was amazing. It didn't come easy and I still can't believe it. I'm just happy I managed to do my bit and score such an important goal. It is a game to remember and to celebrate. All we want to do now is go home and enjoy it," he said.

Iniesta concluded by declaring 'Paul the Octopus' a hero. The eight-legged 'psychic' finished the World Cup with a flawless record after predicting right all of Germany's games and the Final.

"As for the octopus, what can I say? We won, so the octopus needs to be more popular in Spain, like a hero," added the 26-year-old.

The Atletico Madrid player garnered 23.4 percent of the votes to pick up the Golden Ball award ahead of Wesley Sneijder (21.8 percent) of Netherlands and Spain’s David Villa (16.9 percent).

Young German striker Thomas Mueller walked away with two awards – the Golden Shoe and Best Young Player.

He was one of four players to end on five goals, but beat off Villa, Sneijder and Forlan for the top scorer award by virtue of having more assists.

Spain captain Iker Casillas won the Golden Glove award, while Spain won the Fair Play award.

NETHERLANDS *7 Maarten Stekelenburg – Makes a good early save from Ramos and isn’t tested again in the first half. Saves with his leg from Fabregas in a one-on-one in extra-time. 6 Gregory van der Wiel – Steady and not too troubled by the Spanish, although a few passes go astray. 6 Joris Mathijsen – Assured under the high ball and solid in defence, but misses a good chance to score at the far post and heads a corner over the bar in extra-time. 6 John Heitinga – Makes and wins some crucial blocks, tackles and headers, even though committing several fouls. And he commits one too many when he pulls down Iniesta and gets red-carded. 7 Giovani van Bronckhorst – Calm and collected as the heat gets to his teammates. Leads like a true captain. 7 Nigel de Jong – Chases hard for the ball and is booked for a high studs-up on Alonso’s chest. Breaks up play well and is everywhere he needs to be. 6 Mark van Bommel – Like De Jong is in the thick of the action and is booked for a foul on Iniesta. Thereafter lucky to stay on the field with several harsh tackles, but does his job to stifle Spain. 5 Dirk Kuyt – Fights hard as usual, but barring a half attempt early on is never threatening. 5 Wesley Sneijder – In and out the match, hustling for possession of the ball. Great through-ball to put Robben one-on-one, but not really in the game by his high standards. 6 Arjen Robben – Tricky on the ball and wins some good free-kicks. Sees a first half near-post shot tipped around for a corner. Then Casillas’ boot stops a certain goal in a one-on-one. Later beats Puyol for pace following a long ball and flick-on, but just can’t finish. 5 Robin van Persie – Booked for an early foul, but recovers well with some useful twists and turns thereafter, but not given much space and time to make an impact. 7 Eljera Elia - replaces Kuyt and is useful on the ball, looking to create openings. 6 Rafael van der Vaart – Comes on for De Jong in the first half of extra-time, but cannot make a huge impact. Edson Braafheid – Comes on for Van Bronckhorst and is too late to get a rating.

SPAIN 8 Iker Casillas – Makes a good low save at his near post from Robben and denies him again, albeit with his toe, in the second half. Safe and secure in every other aspect. 6 Sergio Ramos – Has an early flash across goal and is then booked for foul on Kuyt. Heads Xavi’s great corner over the bar under no pressure at all. 6 Carles Puyol – Gets stuck in early, getting booked for a foul on Robben. But then solid throughout. 6 Gerard Pique – Calm in possession and always looking to get flowing moves started. 5 Joan Capdevilla – Finds Robben a tricky customer. Early in the second half misses a back post chance. 6 Sergio Busquets - A few nervous moments one of which almost gifts Kuyt a goal, but settles well after that. 6 Xabi Alonso – Works hard and passes well, but not as influential as he would have liked. Replaced late in the game by Fabregas. *8 Andres Iniesta – Is fouled throughout the match, but the most dangerous player on the field with excellent passing and moving into space. Fitting for him to score the winner in extra-time. 7 Xavi – Gets on the ball often, but the Dutch make sure he enjoys his space deep in the field. Still, he drives all the attacking play for Spain. 5 Pedro – One good run, but flashes his shot wide. Otherwise quiet. 6 David Villa – Good movement, but no real chances in the opening half. Misses from close range after Heitinga’s mistake as somehow his attempt flies off a Dutch player’s boot and over the bar. 7 Jesus Navas – Comes on for Pedro early in second half and is a threat with his speed. Sees his deflected shot go just wide in extra-time. 7 Cesc Fabregas – Replaces Alonso after 86 minutes. Misses a one-on-one in extra-time as Stekelenburg saves with leg, but makes the goal for Iniesta. Fernando Torres – Replaces Villa at halftime of extra-time, but not on the field long enough for a rating.

As the World Cup draws to a close, Blatter, who played a pivotal role in the continent hosting the global showpiece, was full of praise for Africa.

“We are not done with the World Cup, but you can see a president who is satisfied. I’m a very happy man,” he said.

“I said from the beginning that we trust Africa… it was trust and confidence. I always defended the decision we had taken. When I was asked about plan B, I said plan B is South Africa and plan C is South Africa, that’s how much we trusted South Africa.”

Blatter further lavished praise on South Africa’s match venues, going as far as saying no European country can claim to have the stadiums so beautiful.

“These stadiums are real jewels from the architectural point of view; they are really, really good stadiums and wherever the spectators are in the stadium they have a complete view of the pitch.

“This is an example for further construction of stadiums and there is not one single European country that has so many good and high level stadiums that are available here in South Africa ... not one single European country. Africa can be proud to have organised this World Cup,” he said.

For Blatter, however, the World Cup will be complete if the elder state man Nelson Mandela could make it to the Final.

“It will be a wonderful moment for him, football and for Africa if he can make it to the Final,” he added.

The country is bursting with pride at proving wrong the doubters who for years feared that the nation’s high crime-rate and poor public transport would undermine the tournament.

But the event went off without a major hitch, as hundreds of thousands of foreign fans descended on the country, and South Africans wrapped themselves in a patriotic spirit that bridged the racial divide.

“The explosion of national pride and the unity that has been displayed by all South Africans is an invaluable benefit of the tournament,” President Jacob Zuma said late Friday. “The hosting of the tournament became a catalyst for development and investment.”

South Africa built five new stadiums and renovated five others for the tournament, including the showpiece Soccer City that is now the biggest on the continent, with up to 94 500 seats.

The country also unveiled a smart new high-speed train, repaired highways, opened a new airport, and built new bus and train stations ahead of the June 11 kick-off.

Tourists are expected to have spent R8.8 billion at the World Cup, but South African leaders insist the social benefits have been far greater.

“What we cannot quantify is the generation of pride in South Africa as a nation, the unity, the sharing of a single vision,” said LOC CEO Danny Jordaan. “We have seen black and white side by side at fan parks and stadiums, when for many years these people were prohibited by law to sit together.”

“The demographics at stadiums really showed football contributed towards nation building.”

After the battle for third place between Germany and Uruguay, South Africa’s last moment in the spotlight is Sunday’s Final between the Netherlands and Spain.

Colombian superstar Shakira is headlining the pre-game show with South African Grammy winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo, while a herd of white elephant puppets will parade through Soccer City.

An estimated 500-million viewers are expected to watch the Final around the world, but it's still not clear if Nelson Mandela will watch from home or from the stands.

Madiba’s played a crucial role in bringing the World Cup to the country, but has yet to attend a match. He cancelled a planned appearance at the opening after his great-granddaughter died in a car accident.

His foundation says Mandela and his family will only decide on Sunday if he will attend the Final.

Sunday Mirror reporter Wright was arrested and charged with helping Pavlos Joseph illegally enter the England dressingroom after their goalless draw against Algeria in Cape Town on June 18.

However, after more than three hours of negotiations between prosecutors and Wright's defence team on Saturday morning, the main charge of attempting to defeat or obstruct the administration of justice, alternatively fraud, was dropped.

Wright paid R750 admission of guilt fine for contravening sections of the Immigration Act by unlawfully registering under a false name at a Cape Town hotel.

Refs got it 96 percent right Referees were right 96 percent of the time at the World Cup, according to a study by Fifa’s referees' committee.

The study looked at key decisions such as free-kicks, penalties and goal decisions, but did not examine minor rulings such as throw-ins.

The data was collected by video examination carried out by referees committee members and Fifa instructors, Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda, head of refereeing for the sport’s governing body, told Reuters.

“We are working very hard and we are not surprised with the results we have gained because the level of refereeing is much, much better," he said.

It marks the first time that Fifa has released such data on refereeing performances and while there is no way to compare with previous tournaments, Garcia-Aranda said he was confident decision making had improved.

“The problem always is of course that in a match if you have 200 decisions, if one is wrong and that is a vital one, then no-one cares about the other 199.

“We are like the goalkeepers who can make ten great saves but then let in a howler at the end – which gets remembered? Regardless of the numbers though, we have to aim for faultless performances.”

“The ones we should really have to watch are Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta; they both determine Spain’s game and make it that balls get to Villa,” Robben told De Telegraaf.

“We should not allow them to play, to have freedom. We have to mark them very well, because if we give them the slightest of spaces, we will have problems.”

Quizzed on his side’s qualities, Robben stressed that he believes the Oranje have enough in their bag to see off Spain.

“We have a very solid block, with two midfielders like [Nigel] de Jong and [Mark] van Bommel, both of whom are our references, and four good defenders behind them,” Robben added.

“They are the main strength of our team. And then we have footballers with great individual quality who can make the difference. They can come out of nowhere to score a goal. We have the conviction that we will win this final.”

In a repeat of the Euro 2008 Final, which was won courtesy of Fernando Torres’ goal, Germany face a tough ask at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, despite them being the form team of the tournament so far.

“I don’t think we should change our way of playing, which has been successful so far. You have to force the Spanish team to make mistakes because they hardly make any themselves. They are very confident in their way of playing, so we have to give them some problems. Being passive will not help us in this game,” Loew told fifa.com.

“We are not talking about the title or winning the World Cup. We are now talking about winning the semi-final and going to the final – one step at a time. Spain will be difficult and they are my favourites to win. Once we have made it past this hurdle, we can then start talking about the title.

“We still have important tasks ahead of us. Being satisfied with what we have achieved so far isn't enough. We have to look ahead to our match against Spain – we must win that game to reach the final.”

PREDICTIONS: Give us your scoreline below ...

According to a report in The Sun today, Hammers new boss Avram Grant has tracked the Pompey defender Mokoena but is put off by the South Africa captain's R600 000-a-week wages.

However, Mokoena hasn't ruled out staying at Fratton Park in next season's Championship.