You wait 81 years for your football team to get to Wembley in the FA Cup, and then it falls on your wedding day.

My brother, a Cardiff City season-ticket holder,has waited until he is 45 to tie the knot, only to find his Bluebirds team are playing in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on the same weekend.

The last time CCFC were at Wembley was when they won it, in 1927.

It seems particularly cruel, as he  as due to marry last November, but it was delayed because of problems with the venue and key guests being absent.

Now he faces the prospect of two of his ushers, also Cardiff City season-ticket holders, taking the trip up the M4 rather than down the aisle.

There's not even the chance of a big screen to show the game - unless it goes up in the cathedral - as the wedding kicks-off at 3 p.m.

I thought I could sneak a radio and headphones into the service under a big hat. But I'm giving a reading, and it could be a bit dicey if a goal goes in.

I even suggested to my brother that if CCFC's match was on the Sunday he could delay his honeymoon and book a London flight for that evening or following morning.But I believe his fiancee has already vetoed that idea.

They say you only get married once. But no disrespect to our beloved side,I can't see Cardiff getting to the semi-finals again in my lifetime.

They also say the FA Cup is full of romance, but let's be realistic: it can't compete with a wedding.

SoI shall be toasting the bride and groom with good grace -- and hoping I'll get to see Cardiff at Wembley in the final.

Argentina are the slight favorites to win the Copa after Brazil’s top pair Kaka and Ronaldinho asked not to be picked, saying they needed a rest.

That’s the widely-held view. Which team do you expect to win? Send a comment with the link below.
Follow the games in Spanish on Reuters Latin America news site Pictured right: Venezuela’s Ricardo Paez (11) celebrates with teammate Edder Perez after he scored their second goal against Bolivia in Match 2. Pictured left: Bolivia’s Gonzalo Galindo (L) fights for the ball with Venezuela’s Leonel Vielma. REUTERS/Jorge Silva (VENEZUELA)

It just feels wrong.

I’m watching a Euro 2008 qualifier between Turkey and Norway in a virtually empty stadium.

In Frankfurt, Germany.

Turkey were punished after violence erupted at the end of their World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in November 2005. They were ordered to play their next three home games away from home, and behind closed doors.

Which is why the stadium in Frankfurt is empty. Hollow. All but dead.

Norway lead 2-0 at halftime. Turkey have a lot chances and they get one back. The standard of play is fine but the match is not entertaining until the very end when Turkey snatch a 2-2 draw, leaving Norway keeper Thomas Myhre devastated.

Since 1971, I’ve spent countless hours in packed sports stadiums from Barcelona to Helsinki and from Seoul to Los Angeles but it’s only this evening I truly realise how utterly vital the spectators are.

The chants, the shouts, the flags. People close together, living the thrill of the sport. Nothing of that is present this evening and it’s an acute loss.

Before kickoff the national anthems of Norway and Turkey were played but nobody sang along, nobody clapped their hands, nobody roared afterwards in anticipation.

It’s a far cry from the sell-out matches here during last year’s World Cup. Tonight, the voices of the players, calling to each other on the field, carry easily. Outside, pressing against a high metal fence, some 50 Turkish supporters cheer and I hear them as well. Loud and clear.

Peter Starck is a Reuters correspondent based in Frankfurt