Semifinalists get rest
The World Cup's four remaining teams got a chance to recuperate Sunday, with just a week to go until the final of the month-long tournament.
Meanwhile organisers said they still did not know if Nelson Mandela would attend the July 11 final at Soccer City but Uruguay, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain have all shown enough to suggest that South Africa's former president would enjoy a great match if he did show up.
Germany are the form team after their 4-0 demolition of supposed contender Argentina, while Diego Forlan has helped carry Uruguay further than most predicted.
The Netherlands fear no one after beating Brazil but Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino thinks Spain only beat his team in the quarterfinals because of a bad refereeing decision.
Martino said that the referee wrongly disallowed Nelson Valdez's 41st-minute goal in Saturday's 1-0 quarterfinal loss to Spain and made reference to FIFA's apologies to England and Mexico earlier in the tournament after errors contributed to their elimination.
“FIFA will apologise tomorrow and everything will be fine,” Martino said sarcastically.
But FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola said Sunday that FIFA had received no report or complaint about the comments, which came immediately after Paraguay's first ever World Cup quarterfinal.
David Villa's fifth goal of the tournament carried Spain through to their first ever World Cup semifinals and what should be a thrilling meeting with Germany.
Germany's Miroslav Klose celebrated a century of international appearances by raising his World Cup goal haul to 14 -- one less than record-holder Ronaldo of Brazil with a third-place play-off or final to come after facing Spain.
It is a match worthy of a final, but only one can make it to the showpiece at Soccer City and a possible audience with Mandela.
Mandela was prominent at the 1995 Rugby World Cup but the 91-year-old former president has kept a low profile during the month-long football equivalent.
The anti-apartheid icon has received visitors, including the Ghana squad, throughout the tournament and was expected to attend the opening match on June 11. But he made a late decision not to go following the death of his great granddaughter in a car accident on the eve of the game.
Mandela “has an open invitation to attend any matches he wants to attend,” organising committee spokesman Rich Mkhondo said Sunday. “If he comes, we will be very happy. If he does not, we will understand.”
Paraguay's exit left Uruguay as the only South American survivor in the tournament.
Brazil could be looking for a coach to replace Dunga but Luiz Felipe Scolari is not planning to return for a second stint as coach of his native country.
Scolari led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title and has been touted as a possible replacement, but said his focus for the next two years would be with Brazilian club Palmeiras.
“It would be wonderful to finish my career coaching a national team in the World Cup in Brazil,” he told Brazil's Radio Eldorado in South Africa.
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