Johannesburg - Football body FIFA on Friday announced the names of three players nominated for the Hyundai Young Player of the Year Award for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

They are Ghanaian striker Andre Ayew, Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos and Germany's striker Thomas Muller.

The award recognises the positive impact made by young footballers and is open to all participating players who were under 21 on 11 July, 2010.

Jomo Sono, member of FIFA Technical Study Group, said the three youngsters have demonstrated exceptional skills during the tournament as well as youthful and refreshing playing styles harnessed to tactical maturity.

Furthermore, their creativity will have acted as an inspiration to all and earned fan recognition for their performances, while their sense of fair play ensured they served as positive role models to young players everywhere. "The future of football belongs to the youngsters and for us to develop the game we need to focus on the youth," Sono said.

Ayew recorded 85 percent successful passes during Ghana's four matches in the tournament. Dos Santos also displayed incredible passing and scoring tactics as a young player while Muller scored four goals for Germany.

The Hyundai Best Young Player Award is one of the official FIFA Awards and is selected by the Technical Study Group, a FIFA-appointed group of top football coaches and analysts headed by Jean-Paul Brigger, a former Swiss international.

The final winner, who will receive the precious Hyundai Best Young Player Award trophy and an all-new Hyundai Tucson (ix35), will be selected and announced after the World Cup Final on Sunday.

Source: BuaNews  

Johannesburg - South Africa's looming bid to host the Olympic Games in 2020 got a major boost on Thursday after FIFA President Sepp Blatter publicly said he will fully back the country's endeavor to host the world's second largest sporting event.

"If there is any country in Africa that can host the Olympics it is South Africa...I can tell you now if a country can host a FIFA World Cup successfully, that country can definitely organise the Olympics," Blatter said.

South Africa's successful hosting of the World Cup has increased its prospects of hosting the event when bidding opens for the 2020 Games. President Jacob Zuma told reporters last week that South Africa was up to the task.

The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2016 Games to Brazil, making it the first time a South American country will host the games. This will leave Africa as the only continent yet to stage the Olympics.

Blatter noted that unlike the World Cup, which requires the cooperation of many cities, organising the Olympics needed only one city. Both Durban and Cape Town have indicated their willingness to host the event should South Africa decide to launch its bid.

Since the dawn of democracy in1994, South Africa has hosted several major international events, including the Rugby World Cup in 1995, African Cup of Nations in 1996 and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. Next year the country is scheduled to host COP 17, the largest gathering of world leaders and civil organisations to discuss climate change.

"South Africa has shown what it can do. I know we are still going to match 63 and 64 but we are satisfied and if South Africa wants to host the Olympics I would fully support such a candidature," said Blatter. South Africa has proved its critics wrong and carried on with its organisation of the World Cup event at times when the hostile foreign media raised the issue of "plan B", he said.

He singled out Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan for the "sterling work" they put up in helping South Africa organise what many believe to be one of the best tournaments. "Africa and South Africa in particular should be proud of these men ... there is not a single European country that has as many good stadiums as South Africa, not a single one," he said.

While Khoza did not want to "give a judgment" before the end of the tournament, he was satisfied by what the country has managed to pull off since kick-off on 11 June. "We are now coming to the end of the World Cup and this means we have made history and I'm saying this because there were those who have doubted our ability. South Africa and Africa in general terms has fulfilled its obligations we still have two matches but we are satisfied that this continent can do as much as the others," Khoza said.

Source: BuaNews