FIFA World Cup nostalgia

Feel it; it is here – the end of the FIFA World Cup. It is that moment when you give a last nostalgic toot on your plastic vuvuzela before hanging it up with your other World Cup memorabilia – like the beer stained t-shirt you wore when Andres Iniesta scored Spain’s winning goal, or your orange cap covered in bite marks from an irate Brazilian fan you happened to share a table with in the pub.

Before we can all return to the mundane world of work there are a few matters to take care of. Firstly, you need to run through every special World Cup moment and retell it in ever expanding detail, until the 2010 legends are firmly cast in oral history. Let’s not forget Maradona’s field side theatrics, and Gabriel Heinzen getting knocked out by a camera, or that sweet crying North Korean.
Secondly, of course, there is the future of Paul the Octopus to consider. What will happen to this eight-legged psychic who took some of the fun out of the final with his 100% accurate prediction record? Apparently angry German fans feel betrayed by the Octopus for predicting their loss against Spain, and they have put a price on his clever head. Fortunately, Paul is now safely retired and as he enters old age he will be spending the last months of his three-year lifespan contemplating the glory of his youth and predicting great events for the future in the silent obscurity of his tank. No doubt there are many lottery players who would be quite happy to offer him an alternative refuge.

And finally we have to congratulate the real champion of this tournament, the underdog that so few expected to succeed: the 2010 World Cup host nation, South Africa. Sepp Blatter gave South Africa a nine-out-of-ten thumbs-up. It's no wonder South African's are still celebrating. They did it. And they did it well. The sceptics should perhaps have consulted Paul the Octopus.

So now that the games are over, displaying nostalgic memorabilia, telling blow-by-blow 2010 stories or taking a long holiday to Cape Town are some options for stopping the thrills of the World Cup from fading. But there is an even better way to reminisce as our football-inspired game, Footy Fanatics, is here to stay as a way to keep the spirit of the beautiful game alive.

Take your chance and join the champions to score big with Footy Fanatics’ free spin feature (level 1). This way you can tie up all the loose strings of the FIFA World Cup, say good-bye to an unforgettable tournament, and still let football fever simmer away for as long as you like, spin after winning spin.

FIFA World Cup 2010: Johannesburg

Soccer City in Johannesburg is the largest Soccer Stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,700 - it's HUGE and is in the Top Ten Biggest Soccer Stadiums in the World!

The stadium was originally built in 1986 and is not only a soccer venue but has hosted the funeral of Chris Hani (an Apartheid Struggle hero). It was also the first place that Nelson Mandela spoke at following his release from prison.

The stadium was massively overhauled in order to host the world cup and, as part of this, the capacity was also increased.

In designing how the stadium would look, architects took inspiration from an African Pot used by the Zulu's who were the original inhabitants of the Northern parts of South Africa.

Johannesburg itself is an interesting place. It's one of the worlds biggest cities but it wasn't built near a water source - water is collected in man made dams or is piped in from other areas. The city was founded due to the mineral wealth of the area and is well known for it's Gold and Diamond mines.

Johannesburg even found itself on the international map recently, following the release of a South African film where it was featured as the landing place of extra-terrestrials called "the prawns". The international blockbuster hit is titled "District 9" and stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope and David James. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2010, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing.

However, unfortunately for you, the only Alien's you will see there during the World Cup season will be fellow visitors from other countries!