This is FOOTBALL

Fifa 11 Gameplay footage video

Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by Ashraf.

Welcome to the Fifa Junkie section on This is Football. I wasn’t sure if I should blog about Fifa or not as this is not a game blog but I figured I’d give it a shot and see what response I get.

I’m a huuuuge fan of the Fifa series, having started playing it back in the days of Playstation 1. I’m not 100% sure but I think my first Fifa game was Fifa 98. I played most of the titles after that, but only really got into it again last year when I bought my PS3. Now I play the game religiously, and I even joined an online Fifa league for South African’s called MyFIFA.

Anyways enough about me and more about Fifa. If you’re a fan of the genre you will probably already be aware of the fact that the release of Fifa11 is just around the corner (launce date is 1st of October) and I’ve just watched this 12 minute gameply video on youtube which has only succeeded in getting me more excited!

The firts thing I notice was that the intro’s are different, players and referees are shaking hands before the match starts. Everything else graphically is pretty much the same as Fifa10 from what I could tell.

Gameplay wise there seems to be a lot of emphasis on passing. There’s a white marker on the pass strength bar, which indicates the sweet spot for a particular pass. This white marker changes according to how far or near the target of your pass is. I think this is pretty cool as it means players won’t be able to just break through your defence with ping-pong passes.

The only other thing I noticed was that the game stats have been incorporated into the live game, like in a real game of football. For example the possession stats pop up midway through the second half, and the commentators actually work that into their commentary. This is a really cool addition.

Anyways, enough from me, check out the video yourself and let me know what you think. It’s a game between Arsenal and Real Madrid.

Thanks for the video DMTP

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MTN8 Semi-Final (Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs) Tickets on SALE NOW!!

Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Ashraf.

Tickets for next weekend’s MTN8 semi-final between Soweto Giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs have just gone on sale at Computicket.

The Tickets are reasonably priced at R40 – R60. The match will be hosted at Soccer City FNB Stadium and if you’re a fan of local football I suggest that you get your tickets now before they are sold out!

Click here to buy your tickets

Sorry Ajax and Swallows fans but there’s no word on your semi-final tickets yet, which is disappointing.

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SAFA gives official website a facelift: Did they read my open letter?

Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Ashraf.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a new and improved design when I visited the South African Football Association website this morning.

It was gone with the depressing black website of old, in with a new bright website with interactive menus and easy navigation.

Now I’m not taking credit for the new website design but maybe, just maybe my open letter to SAFA helped them to realise that the old website was in desperate need of a facelift.

What do you guys think of the new SAFA website?

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The Chacharag Awards: Featuring the Sunday Times and KickOff magazine

Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Ashraf.

This is a revolutionary blog!

Welcome to a new feature here on This is Football called the chacharag awards. It’s named after the one and only Julius ‘juju’ Malema, and will be awarded to any journalist or media member who is found to be keeping them chacharag.

We are all human and we all make mistakes but the journo’s are qualified and should know better. To kick off this week’s chacharag awards we’ll start with The Sunday Times Carlos Amoto

In one of Carlos’ articles, he writes about Pitso’s views regarding Bafana players that will be competing in this seasons Champions League.

Carlos writes: [Bernard] Parker’s FC Twente will confront defending Champions Inter Milan in Group A, along with Tottenham and Werder Bremen. The heavy fixture load will oblige Coach Steve McClaren to rotate his squad, which will mean starting opportunities for Parker in Eredevisie matches.

Would this be the same Steve McClaren who, THREE months ago, quit as FC Twente manager to take over German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg?

I’m not sure how the rotation of the Wolfsburg squad is going to help Parker get more game-time Carlos. SMH*(Shaking my head)

The guys at kickoff Magazine have developed a reputation for putting out eye-catching headlines on the cover of their magazine and this week’s edition is no different.

The headline that caught my eyes was the one screaming: “Niger coach: Bafana’s defence is weak”

I was expecting a stinging attack on our defence from the Niger coach, but instead this is what I found inside the magazine. Actual quotes from Niger coach: “They (Bafana) have a good midfield, decent strikers, but their defence is not that good”

Next time stick to the quotes guys….SMH*

That’s it for this week’s edition of the chacharag awards. We will be keeping an eye out for any tchacharag activities for the next edition.

**If you see anybody keeping them chacharag don’t hesitate to let us know at info@thisisfootball.co.za

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Football Shirt Winner announced!!!

Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Ashraf.

Lucky number 63

I’ve just done the draw for the football shirt competition and I’m pleased to announced that the lucky number drawn was number 63. This means that Daz is the winner. Congratulations Daz, I don’t think there could have been a more deserving winner