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The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is fast approaching and the anticipation for millions of football fans around the world is almost unbearable. In less than a week the first game will get under away to signal the start of a month of the highest quality football, with world stars such as Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney all taking centre stage. The greatest tournament of the greatest game in the world will see major footballing nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Spain and England battling it out for the 2010 World Cup trophy on the field.

Off the field the battle is well and truly on to take the accolade of being the best 2010 World Cup viral video. Just like the World Cup itself there is some stiff competition for this award, with dozens of football videos being released ahead of the tournament. Big names such as former Liverpool and England midfielder John Barnes, England manager at Euro ’96 Terry Venables and former Tottenham, Chelsea and England goal machine Jimmy Greaves are all appearing in some of the best football viral videos out there at the moment. We have chosen the best 7 just for your viewing pleasure:

Sure Men – predicting who will win each match at the 2010 World Cup is a difficult task, let alone which country will get their hands on the trophy, so to make it easier a last eight sweepstake has been created. Taking inspiration from the iconic Honda advert, here’s an incredible football sweepstake machine:

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Mars – The 1990 England World Cup song World in Motion remains the best English football song to this day, largely in part to the amazing John Barnes rap. Here’s Barnes recreating his iconic rap and putting other England football songs to shame. Sing along to a decent football song for a change:

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Freeview – Meet the Tiny Streaker! Every tournament is graced by the presence of a streaker somewhere along the way and here’s the smallest one in the world, who is looking forward to the 2010 World Cup as like the world’s best footballers its his chance to shine on the big stage. He has a magnificent beard too:

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The Sun – The 02 in London is used to some amazing singers and pop stars. The great and the good of the modern music scene have performed there and now there’s someone else to add to the list. Former England manager Terry Venables, but he went one better and performed on the roof:

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Ringtagz – Fed up of having the same old boring ringtone on your mobile? Why not make your caller’s day and get a ringtone that celebrates the World Cup instead? In this strange video, here are some puppet socks showing how you and your mates can get behind England this summer:

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Burger King – One of the hottest tickets in the world is for the 2010 World Cup final on the 11th of July in South Africa, but the next best thing is getting to watch the game on the big screen with an England legend. Enter the one and only Jimmy Greaves and a burger:

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Adidas – The 2010 World Cup will show just how far football has progressed in recent years. Players such as Lionel Messi and David Villa are taking the game to a new level, in part thanks to the help of some ridiculously light football boots. Look out for France legend Zinedine Zidane in this video:

Some hilarious 2010 World Cup viral videos I’m sure you’ll agree. I’m not sure about Venables’ singing, probably best to keep that to himself in the shower, but the Tiny Streaker and his incredible beard put on a good show, whilst the sweepstake machine football video is awesome, especially considering as they shot it in one take! What’s your favourite?

England midfielder Gareth Barry has backed under-fire striker Wayne Rooney to rediscover his best form at the World Cup.

Rooney has been widely criticised for venting his anger at England supporters following the boos which greeted Friday's goalless draw with Algeria in Cape Town.

The Manchester United striker has been a peripheral figure in the two draws – against the United States and Algeria – which have left the Three Lions fighting for their Group C lives ahead of a must-win game against Slovenia on Wednesday.

But despite appearing off-colour at the Green Point Stadium on Friday evening, Barry has backed Rooney to bounce back starting with England's final game in Port Elizabeth next week.

"We know we need Wayne," he said. "Wayne, at any time, can produce something magic."

Speaking about the disappointing performance against Algeria, the Manchester City midfielder explained:"It is disappointing. Obviously, it was a big game for us today and we wanted to take three points.

"Our performance was probably a little bit flat, not attacking enough, but we're still in it.

"There were not really too many clear-cut chances. For England, that's the least we expect. We make the chances, like we did against the US.

"We didn't win the match, but we came out knowing we probably should have.

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"We have to be confident. We spoke about it in the dressing room. We're going to stick together in the next few days.

"Everyone knows we'll do enough to get through."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Celtic have completed their sixth signing of the summer after landing striker Gary Hooper from Scunthorpe United.

The 22-year-old frontman will join up with his new team-mates ahead of Wednesday's Champions League qualifier against Braga in Portugal.

Hooper scored 43 goals in 80 league appearances for the Iron and had been interesting a host of Championship clubs.

"I don't know about playing but he will be in the squad," explained manager Neil Lennon ahead of the flight to Portugal.

"I was pleased to get him. He has been on our radar for quite a while.

"I think we have a good player on our hands, his record is very good.

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"It's not just goals, he can play a little bit as well and there were a lot of clubs after his signature."

Efrain Juarez, Charlie Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri, Joe Ledley and Daryl Murphy have all joined the Hoops during a summer of rebuilding at Parkhead.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Cesc Fabregas was recently seen wearing a Barcelona shirt which was forced on him by Barca pair Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol. The Arsenal midfielder has reassured his fans that the stunt meant nothing and insists it was nothing more than a prank, but should it be viewed as something much more sinister on the part of Barcelona’s players?

The Catalan club have made it clear that they wish Fabregas to return to the Nou Camp after the playmaker has proved himself to be one of the world’s best midfielders during his time in north London.

The Barcelona players would also like to see him return to the club as a friend and colleague at international level, but their behaviour regarding the issue has shown them to be both arrogant and unprofessional as they have attempted to tap the player up through the media and ridiculous public displays like forcing the Barca colours over the Arsenal man.

Pepe Reina, Liverpool goalkeeper, obviously found the whole situation hilarious as he was all smiles as he had his arm around Fabregas, who looked quite embarrassed by the whole debacle. I wonder if the Liverpool stopper would have been quite so happy if a bunch of players forced his club team-mate Fernando Torres into a Chelsea shirt, as he has been linked with a move to west London in recent months.

Puyol and Pique are not the only two of Barcelona’s players who have spoken of their admiration for him as a player in an attempt to lure him to the La Liga champions. Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets have all made appeal after appeal in the media calling for Fabregas to sign for the Catalan giants and it just isn’t right, it is not professional either.

Iniesta said this following the World Cup final:

“Everybody has come out and spoken of the desire we have for him [Fabregas] to be with us next season. We would be delighted. Not just because he is a team-mate and a friend, but because it would be great for the club.

“His arrival would give us a huge jump up in quality and he would play his part to help us stay up there competing in the big competitions. We would love him to be here.”

The situation has become more than just being about Fabregas in my opinion, it’s about showing the La Liga clubs that they cannot just come in and do whatever they want as Real Madrid players Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos have both been quoted saying that the likes of Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole will arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

Also, there was a similar situation regarding La Liga club Real Madrid, whose very public pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo whilst he was at Manchester United descended into a complete farce.

Do the fans think that the arrogance of Barcelona players has gone too far regarding their public tapping-up of Cesc Fabregas?

Cesc Fabregas in Barcelona shirt during Spain World Cup celebrations:

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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has claimed that his club have yet to field a suitable offer for wantaway Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano.

The 26-year-old is thought to be a target for both Barcelona and Internazionale, but Hodgson says that neither club have made a sizeable bid, with Mascherano having featured in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the weekend.

"I have had two weeks working with him and he is an outstanding player," Hodgson commented.

"He is a top-quality player, one of the best at his job in the world and he showed that once again today.

"Let's be frank, he is playing at Liverpool, which is a good club. How many clubs can he move to which will be better or even at the same level?

"We are not looking at clubs for Javier Mascherano that go into the tens – we are looking at clubs in single figures.

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"As yet we have not received any offers. The fact is we want to keep him here and we will keep him here unless an offer comes in that is correct.

"At the moment it is not there – not on the horizon."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has been given assurances from Juventus that he will not be the subject of more racial abuse when the two sides meet in the Europa League.

Juve were forced to play a match behind closed doors last season after their fans racially abused Balotelli while he was playing a Serie A match for former club Internazionale.

UEFA will be watching when City travel to Turin for a European match later in the season, but the club's chief executive, Jean-Claude Blanc, has reassured the Italian striker that there will be no repeat of the ugly scenes.

He said:"This will be the chance to demonstrate that the standard has been raised.

"Hopefully fans will behave the way they should be behaving and supporting the team and only this.

"Supporting your team is to support your team and not to make remarks of a racist nature toward other players.

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"We will be extremely demanding and intransigent about this."

City will also take on Austrian side Salzburg and Lech Poznan of Poland in Group A of the Europa League.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Redknapp certainly came up with one of the more eye catching headlines last week, as he branded Arsene Wenger a ‘nutter’. Harry believes Wenger is unrecognisable from the man that arrived at Highbury in 1996, he stated,

“All the other nutters were jumping up and down shouting and screaming, hollering and hooting- and this man (Wenger) is not like those idiots. He just sits there and is studying every move that goes on on the pitch like chess. They didn’t lose a game all season. Now he has joined the nutters, you know! In fact, he is one of the key nutters! That is the tension that you are under. It has affected him now.”

Redknapp has raised some interesting questions about Arsene Wenger, and when you think about it, Wenger does seem to have changed since he first became manager of Arsenal.

When Arsene Wenger was appointed as manager at Arsenal, he was a quiet, contemplative coach, which led to him being given the nickname, ‘Le Professeur’. Wenger of course did have his very public feud with arch-rival Sir Alex Ferguson, and was not exactly shy in this respect, but on the touchline he was generally a very calm and calculated character.

It does appear some of the typical stylings of an English manager has rubbed off on Arsene Wenger in recent years. Wenger can often been seen in his technical area gesticulating at his players, shouting at the referee or bringing the fourth official to book, which was perhaps not the case in his first few years in the Premiership. One of the more memorable incidents Wenger has been involved in was at Old Trafford, when he was sent to the stands and stood on a platform behind the dugouts, with his arms outstretched in bewilderment. It was one of the iconic images of last season, but you could not imagine Wenger doing what he did when he initially took over at Arsenal.

Since 1996, Arsene Wenger has become one of the most influential and outspoken individuals in English football. There does not seem to be a day that goes by without a new soundbite from Wenger, and his press conferences and post-match interviews are often highly entertaining, and not infrequently, controversial.

The change seen in Wenger has also made him new enemies. He and Jose Mourinho exchanged bitter barbs within the media when the latter managed Chelsea, and now Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce have engaged in mind games and wars of words with the Frenchman. The fact that Wenger has become a ‘nutter’, as Redknapp would put it, is not necessarily a negative thing however. It is always good to see passion from a manager on the touchline, and it means his players know exactly where they stand. It is good to hear Wenger defending his players in the media, and outspokenness in a manager can be a positive thing, especially when it gee’s up your own team or negatively affects the opposition.

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Whilst Redknapp had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he called Arsene Wenger a ‘nutter’, there is certainly some truth behind what he was trying to say. The days of Wenger quietly sitting down in his dugout and observing the game are long gone, he is now more often seen prowling the touchline. Being in England for such a long time has definitely seems to have had an affect on the Frenchman, but that is no bad thing.

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In the build-up to the World Cup in South Africa, many would have been excused for naively hoping that England would end years of heartache or citing that this was there year to do. But in the wake of a shameful World Cup and the failure to secure victory at home to a Montenegro side ranked below Burkina Faso surely it is time to re-assess the disparity between the stark reality that England have not earned the right to be considered amongst the elite and the inflated expectations of a football hungry nation.

Their timid strides towards redemption in their previous qualifying games against Bulgaria and Switzerland were banished into the abyss after a display which offered a guileless reminder of just how far they need to progress before being considered for a major competition.

And whilst Montenegro should be credited for coming and making things difficult, the frustration perhaps stemmed from the worrying absence of any ideas or penetration in order to break their defensive wall down. By the time Milan Jovanovic had handled in the box, the feeble nature of the performance dictated a distinct lack of compassion.

The final whistle could not have come sooner for England fans and put for the introduction of the whole-hearted Kevin Davies which elicited a cheer from the crowd undoubtedly racked with tedium by this point and it is now abundantly clear that any burgeoning prospects will have to adapt at an impractical pace for England to have any sort of success at Euro 2012. The stark reality is – England are nowhere near world class, and anybody that holds this view is tainted by the misfortune of delusion. Failure to beat a team of Montenegro’s stature signifies the need for a shift in expectation.

If England are to progress in the future, fans may be aiding them in the brutality that attaches itself with accepting that the likes of Spain, Holland, Brazil and Argentina are streaks ahead of them at the world football top table. The longevity of their re-affirmation there was again laid bare yesterday evening. Whilst England have some excellent players in their ranks, there is only a handful of top quality youngsters coming through; the likes of Adam Johnson, Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and perhaps Kieran Gibbs. Look beyond those and the “world-class” prospects are sparse.

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It does not constitute a crisis and it is a little harsh that Fabio Capello’s job has again come under scrutiny as the players are as much to blame as the Italian who said:

“I am a fighter. It is one game. We have to fight again. I think we are a good team. The goalkeeper was the best player for Montenegro. This is football. You have to respect little countries. They have good players. At this moment they are psychologically at a high moment having won three games.”

Whilst some of that notion may be true, little countries like Montenegro had England worked out, just like Algeria in South Africa and unfortunately England could only manage a 0-0 draw against both.

Manchester United have recorded an £83.6million loss despite posting operating profits in excess of £100million for the last financial year.

The latest financial figures have revealed that United are the first club to have broken through the £100million operating profit ceiling.

However, the hefty losses for the year ending June 30 will again bring the subject of the Glazer family's controversial ownership to the fore.

Last year United's debt was listed at £716.5million and the annual interest payments of £40million will lead to further criticism from disgruntled supporters.

Media and commercial revenues both grew during the last financial year, but supporters will point to a lack of transfer investment as further reason for disquiet.

Sir Alex Ferguson spent less than £20million on three new players – Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez and Bebe – which accounts for around half of the sum which left the Old Trafford coffers to service the club's debts.

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United, commonly regarded as the richest club in the world, were debt free before the Glazer family took over in 2005.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce will hand a first Premier League start to record signing Asamoah Gyan against Stoke City this weekend.

The 24-year-old Ghana international’s only previous start since his big-money move from Rennes came in the Carling Cup, but Bruce is prepared to change tactics following the 5-1 drubbing at Newcastle United last time out.

Bruce told the club’s official website:“He is something different. I am sure he will be a big hit in the Premier League.

“He is a little bit off the wall and he will do things that will frustrate you, but he’s got that little bit of brilliance that can win you a match.

“We have invested a lot of money in the kid and I hope he can come in and give us the spark which the crowd will enjoy.

“It’s a response to what happened last week. Our Achilles heel is we haven’t scored enough, so I just think it is right, after what has happened this week that we give the kid his chance.

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“I think he can give everybody a spark and a lift.”

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