[Videos] Football fever is in the air

Cape Town stadium ready to go! ©2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee

(GenevaLunch) – There are only seven days left before the biggest football tournament in the world begins: The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. A 30-day football fest featuring some of the best soccer players in the world competing in nine town across South Africa.

Even if you are not planning a trip to Cape Town, you can still feel like at the World Cup by viewing the Switzerland-Italy match tonight 5 June at the Geneva Stadium.

Switzerland and Italy, the current world champions, have much to prove in this friendly: Both are coming from losing matches to Latin American teams.

Switzerland lost 0-1 to Costa Rica in Sion this week, and Italy lost 1-2 to Mexico yesterday in Brussels. La Tricolor, according to commentators, dominated the Azzurri from the start.

La Nati, as the Swiss team is called, has not yet announced how much it would pay the players should they qualify to the final, but England – who has just confirmed it has lost its captain Rio Ferdinand to a knee injury – is securing 475 thousand euros for its players. (See the interview with goal keeper David James below).

Although 475 thousand euros is a considerable amount, it is much less than what Spain, current European champions, has promised the members of La Roja if they win the Cup: 600 thousand euros, roughly CHF900,000. However, players stand to make at least CHF90,000 each, if they qualify to the second round.

Pay promises don’t stop there, Argentina is offering 510 thousand euros to the Albiceleste squad should they win; France 390 thousand to Les Bleus; Italy 240 thousand to the Azzurri; Brazil 180 thousand to the members of the squad should they bring home a sixth World Cup.

The South African team has promised 100 thousand euros to each player who scores a goal during the World Cup, providing the game ends in a victory.

GenevaLunch is joining this great sporting event, from home. Read our 2010 World Cup daily recap: goals, news, and more!

Videos

Interview with David James, England goal keeper on being the oldest player in the Cup andon the team’s preps

See how it feels inside an Argentinian stadium before a game, and hear an interview with the great Diego Armando Maradona (interview is in Spanish)

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