The haj is supposed to be a spiritual highlight in a Muslim's life, but everyday issues can sometimes intrude. In between prayers and visits to various sites, pilgrims often discuss all kinds of current issues. Among Algerians and Egyptians on the haj here this year, the buzz is about the public row sparked by a soccer game to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Algeria won that match 1-0.

(Photo: Haj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, 24 Nov 2009/Caren Firouz)

The football rivalry has caused considerable bad blood between the two countries. Egypt has recalled its ambassador from Algiers after the play-off, accusing Algerian fans of post-match thuggery at the game's venue in Khartoum. Egypt had earlier complained when Algerian fans trashed the Algiers headquarters of Egypt-based Orascom Telecom's Djezzy mobile subsidiary. Before that, Algeria was irked after Egyptian fans pelted the Algerian team's bus with stones and some fans were hurt in scuffles on game-day in the first round of the qualifier in Cairo.

"We are brothers ... This should have never happened and I blame the media in the two countries for instigating ill feelings among the most foolish of us," said Khaled Salam Abdallah from Cairo.

Mohamed Lab'haj, an Algerian pilgrim, agreed.  "We are more than brothers ... The real criminals are the Arab governments. They play with us like they do with a ball ... If football had much use in it, they would not have kicked the ball with their feet," he said.

The haj, a duty for every able Muslim, emphasises the unity of all Muslims. This year's pilgrimage has offered the first big encounter between Algerian and Egyptian masses since the football showdown. Some 2 million Muslims have come to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Abdulwahhab Alyousha, an Algerian pilgrim, said he was outraged that such a spat erupted between two countries that shared a significant part of their modern history.  "Egyptians helped our Algerian revolution. I don't think this dispute will mar bilateral relationships for good," he said, referring to the movement which led to Algeria's independence from France in 1962.

(Photo: Egyptian protesters at Algerian embassy in Cairo, 19 Nov 2009/Asmaa Waguih)

Some refused to talk about the issue. "Soccer is a matter of earthly life, we are here to work for our afterlife," Egyptian pilgrim Adel Abdul-Shafi said.

Saudi Arabia warned earlier this month against any attempt to politicise the pilgrimage, saying they would threaten the safety of worshipers.  In 1987, a rally by pilgrims against Israel and the United States led to clashes with Saudi security forces in which 402 people, mostly Iranians, died.

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France’s decisive goal against Ireland in their World Cup play-off will only add further weight to the case for using a video ref, or extra goal-line officials, at least in the biggest matches.

The controversial extra-time strike from William Gallas took France through to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while leaving the Irish barely able to contain a sense of frustration and injustice.

It was goal which should not have stood, as TV pictures made plain. French captain Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball, not once, but twice before crossing for Gallas to score from close range.

Once again, fans are wondering how a mistake of such magnitude, in such a high-stakes game,  could be allowed to happen.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini both disagree with the use of video referees but their case would have been a hard one to make in front of Irish fans on Wednesday. Soccer’s top officials say a video referee will only slow down the game. True enough, but would it not be better to stop the game and get the right decision rather than continue and see a faulty decision stand?

Platini, for his part, has managed to push through the idea of an extra official behind both goals with an eye on spotting such infringements. Currently the idea is being piloted in UEFA’s second-tier Europa League, but it may now be time to take the brave decision to introduce this across the board.

If we see another “Hand of God” moment in South Africa, perhaps one that decides the final, will football’s reputation survive it?

TO: France’s team captain Thierry Henry reacts in their World Cup qualifying playoff return leg match against Ireland at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis near Paris November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

From 1730 GMT.

Franck Ribery’s knee injury has flared up again and the problem could not have come at a worse time for Bayern Munich.

Ribery picked up the injury in pre-season training at the height of Real Madrid’s efforts to sign him.

He has played only a handful of matches, his last three weeks ago, and now he is out again, for at least a month, maybe more. He will likely miss France’s World Cup qualification play-off against Ireland and by the time he returns for Bayern there won’t be many matches left before the long mid-season break.

This raises the question: does anyone at Bayern regret not selling the player to Real?

They could certainly have done without another injury saga. Frustrated 30-million-euro striker Mario Gomez has been relegated to the bench, Dutchman Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel are only just recovering from injury, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is reportedly unhappy in Munich and emotions seem to be running high after Thomas Mueller and Daniel van Buyten were both sent off in the Champions League defeat by Bordeaux this week.

It is not the start coach Louis van Gaal had envisaged. So would they they have been better off with Ribery sold to Real and many millions in the bank?

PHOTO: Bayern Munich’s midfielder Franck Ribery reacts during the Champions League game against Juventus in Munich September 30, 2009. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Some of football’s biggest names, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, are in danger of missing out on next year’s World Cup, as countries such as Argentina, Portugal and France struggle in qualification.

Most, if not quite all of them, may make it in the end, of course, but for a bit of pre-weekend qualifier fun, here’s my stab at a world XI wtill fretting over their places at South Africa 2010.

Think I’ve got it about right? Missed anyone out? Let me know in the comments.

Petr Cech (Czech Republic): The Chelsea keeper is arguably the best in the business, but the Czech Republic are currently fourth in group three and could be eliminated on Saturday if results go against them.

Patrice Evra (France): The left back could pick up his fourth consecutive Premier League crown with Manchester United this season, but he could miss out on the World Cup with France currently second in their group behind Serbia and hoping for a play-off place at a realistic best.

Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium): The former Ajax defender has enjoyed a superb opening to the season since completing a move to Arsenal, but he will not get the chance to showcase his talents in South Africa after Belgium were eliminated from their qualifying group.

Dmytro Chygrynskiy (Ukraine): Barcelona paid €25 million for the former Shakhtar Donetsk defender, but Ukraine will need to overhaul Croatia in Group Six for the centre back to stand a chance of playing in the World Cup.

Christian Chivu (Romania): The Inter defender was a €16 million signing for Serie A champions Inter in 2007 and has since won consecutive Italian titles. But his Romania side need to beat Serbia on Saturday for them to stand any chance of making the finals.

Javier Mascherano (Argentina): The Argentina captain is one of the most highly regarded holding midfielders in the world, but his team have suffered an accident-prone qualifying campaign that has left them fifth in their group, clinging on to a play-off place.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): The World Footballer of the Year became the most expensive player in history when he completed his move to Real Madrid from Manchester United. With Portugal currently third in their qualifying group, he could be the biggest absentee from this summer’s tournament.

Lionel Messi (Argentina): The miniature magician has lit up pitches across Europe for Barcelona, but he is another who could be absent from South Africa, if Argentina cannot get results from their final two group games against Peru and Uruguay.

Franck Ribery (France): He was reportedly being lined up by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo after some devastating displays in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich. But France are currently four points behind Serbia in their group, and are likely to need the play-offs to make it to the finals.

Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo): The Togo international has courted controversy since leaving Arsenal for Manchester City, but has proved an instant hit at his new club. His country, however, are currently third in their qualifying group behind Cameroon and Gabon with only two games left to play.

Karim Benzema (France): The France striker’s move to Real Madrid was overshadowed by the signings of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he has made an early impact at the Bernabeu. He may not have the same effect in South Africa, however, with France needing to beat Faroe Islands just to guarantee a play-off place.

Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni: Trap is one of the most successful coaches in the history of club football having won 10 league titles in four different countries. But as manager of Republic of Ireland, he needs to beat the country of his birth on Saturday to stand any chance of winning the group and booking a spot in South Africa.

Let me know in the comments if you disagree with my choice…

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi shake hands before the start of the Champions League final soccer match at the Olympic Stadium in Rome May 27, 2009. REUTERS/Albert Gea

Standard Chartered bucks the trend of banks making a dash from sports sponsorship deals and will pay $130 million to put its name on Liverpool Football Club's shirts for four years from next summer. It is one of the most lucrative deals in soccer history.

But AIG, Citi, RBS and Northern Rock offer a stark reminder that big sports deals can be high-profile signals of waste. AIG sponsored Manchester United and RBS and ING pumped millions into Formula One, and Northern Rock was better known to millions as the sponsor of Newcastle F.C. than as a mortgage bank -- until its collapse.

Citi raised anger after sticking with a controversial $400 million deal with baseball team the New York Mets. All those banks needed taxpayer rescue funds.

Critics say big sports deals can reflect poor corporate governance and misguided priorities. Advisory firm Advisor Perspectives this year said a study of 69 U.S. sports "naming rights" deals showed the performance of the companies buying the rights trailed the S&P 500 index by almost 5 percent over the course of the deal.

But it could be a good fit for StanChart, which gets 80 percent of its profits in Asia. Liverpool is a big, iconic name in Asia and English Premier League games are screened into millions of homes each week. The prize for the bank is not the domestic or European fields where Liverpool has enjoyed regular success, but the potential customers in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and across the region.

At least there can be few complaints the bank's board is following its heart. Former chairman and CEO Mervyn Davies was a staunch Spurs supporter, current CEO Peter Sands is an avid Arsenal fan and Finance Director Richard Meddings may have struggled to find a global reach with a deal with his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers.

-Professor Simon Chadwick, Director, Centre for the International Business of Sport, Coventry, UK. The opinions expressed are his own. -

There is a famous song, composed in the run-up to UEFA Euro 96, in which the Lightening Seeds, Frank Skinner and David Baddiel refer to England’s 30 years of hurt (the period at the time since England won its one and only World Cup).

England recently took a step closer towards addressing their continued failure to win world football’s biggest prize, by beating Croatia 5-1 to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In so doing, the team also overcame its two years of hurt, following a failure to qualify for Euro 2008 at the hands of their Croatian rivals.

While the fervent mood amongst passionate English fans and patriots alike will no doubt grow as we progress towards the start of the tournament in June 2010, there is likely to be much more action off the pitch than there is on it – and not necessarily just in England, in all of the countries that have teams which qualify for South Africa.

Indeed, as we get closer to the 11th June kick-off, World Cup micro-economies will start emerging domestically and internationally across the world.

Many English, Korean and Brazilian fans will already have booked their flights, arranged their hotels, possibly even have bought their replica shirts, flags and hats, diverting expenditure away from other industrial sectors or from their savings accounts. During English summers, the intensity of such expenditure is becoming legendary, if not mind-blowing.

Whether bedecking one’s car in flags and stickers, hanging a banner out of the bedroom window, buying the latest England merchandise, bulk-buying beer and burgers for a garden barbeque or relentlessly purchasing packs of stickers for a World Cup album collection, all are becoming the essence of what football tournaments have become.

The question is: how much are such micro economies worth? In England, there are various estimates of this, ranging from 1.2 billion pounds through to 2 billion pounds or more. Such figures in themselves have taken on an almost mythical status, as reliable scientific data about the economic effects of winning is unavailable.

We think we know what happens, there have historically been plenty of predictions, but we don’t actually seem to know what the precise economic impact will be when that winning goal goes in, nobody has ever collected the data.

In addition to the tangible impact of "that" goal in qualifying, there is a consensus too that qualification for big tournaments is also likely to generate intangible positive impacts.

The "Feel Good Factor" is seemingly worth something, with people working harder and spending more, as national team success induces a sense of euphoria, whilst also diverting people’s attention away from their normal everyday travails.

Moreover, in terms of national identity, the enhanced national self-esteem that such high profile success brings is surely worth millions, if not billions, of pounds? But again, this is accepted wisdom rather than scientifically proven fact. Nobody really knows if this is true because nobody has ever set out to measure the impact.

It would be easy to surf the wave of hype and expectation that inevitably accompanies a national team qualifying for an international tournament, but one needs to mitigate the potential for a positive impact with the potential for negative impacts. Has anyone ever monitored the decrease in productivity around World Cup time, as people spend more time chatting and speculating than they do producing and managing?

Moreover, is anyone prepared to acknowledge that absence through sickness stats go through the roof around tournament time, especially when a game at a crucial stage of the tournament kicks –off in the middle of the day?

And what about the drunk and disorderly behaviour of some fans down at the local pub and the noise they make, or the litter that people generate when watching games on public viewing screens in the local park? All of these activities, and more, have a negative impact and, so, a cost attached to them. The question is: how much?

And could it actually be the case that the costs of qualifying could, in theory at least, outweigh the benefits of progressing to the finals of a World Cup? Nobody knows because nobody has ever set out to accurately measure it before.

My prediction for next year? From an English perspective, Quarter-Final defeat, probably on penalties, following the sending off of a key player for a questionable challenge on an arch enemy. Off the field, who knows?

Given the conventional wisdom, my next prediction is an economic impact of between 1 billion and 2 billion pounds – that’s a decent enough of a margin of error. But we really need precise, robust measures of impact to know exactly how important the World Cup will be.

In keeping with the spirit of the times and with his own stern image, Fabio Capello has clamped down on the WAGS.

The wives and girlfriends, whose exuberance and excess often made for more interesting viewing three years ago in Germany than the games their HABS were involved in, have been banished to the stands.

Capello is going to allow England's players to see their families only one day a week, after matches, at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

“We’re going to South Africa to play, not for a holiday," he growls. "If they don’t want to come for the day only, they should stay home.”

To make matters worse, he says the Football Association will not pay for them to go to the tournament, as it did in 2006.

Do you think the WAGS made much difference to England's lacklustre performance in Germany. Is Capello being a bit harsh on them?

Now we’ve got that pesky international interlude behind us (it’ll all end in tears, you know it will) we can get back to the serious business of predicting the scores in the Premier League.

Remember how it works: We, at Reuters Soccer Blog, publish our individual predictions for the weekend Premier League matches here on a Friday. You, laughing snidely at our pathetic efforts, send in yours in the comments section below the post.

As the weekend goes by, we get embarrassed and you get to poke fun. You get a point for predicting the right result, and make that a whopping five points if you get the exact score. Simples.

And if you’re thinking of joining in for the first time now … go ahead. The scoring has been so low that with a couple of correct scores you’ll catch up in no time. Really, we don’t seem to be very good at this here at RSB.

Even better, The Contest is operated on the honour system, in the great tradition of Seinfeld, so feel free to keep your own score. I do sometimes award bonus points, though, so keep checking back to the home page at Reuters Soccer Blog to see how you’re doing.

The Reuters scores so far: Paul Radford 31, Justin Palmer 28, Patrick Johnston 25, Simon Evans 25, Miles Evans 24, Kevin Fylan 23, Mitch Phillips 16, Mike Collett 14, Neil Maidment 11, Asia Sports Desk 5, Mark Meadows 5 (last three on debut)

The Rest of the World: Insert your score here (or in the comments).

So, without further ado, here are this weekend’s matches, and the predictions we have so far. I’ll update the post as we get more.

Blackburn v Wolves: Patrick Johnston: 1-0; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-0; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 1-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-1; Neil Maidment: 1-1; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 1-1

Liverpool v Burnley: Patrick Johnston: 4-1; Mike Collett: 4-2; Asian Sports Desk: 4-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-1; Miles Evans: 3-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 2-0; Mark Meadows: 2-0; Paul Radford: 3-0; Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Julien Pretot: 4-0

Manchester City v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 1-0; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-2; Miles Evans: 1-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-2; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Mark Meadows: 2-2; Paul Radford: 1-0; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 1-1

Portsmouth v Bolton: Patrick Johnston: 1-0; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 2-2; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-0; Neil Maidment: 1-0; Mark Meadows: 0-0; Paul Radford: 3-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Julien Pretot: 1-2

Stoke v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 2-1; Asian Sports Desk: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 3-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-3; Neil Maidment: 0-0; Mark Meadows: 0-2; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-0; Julien Pretot: 0-3

Sunderland v Hull City: Patrick Johnston: 3-0; Mike Collett: 2-3; Asian Sports Desk: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 1-2; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-0; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 2-0; Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Julien Pretot: 3-1

Wigan v West Ham: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 0-2; Asian Sports Desk: 2-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 0-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 0-1; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 0-2

Spurs v Manchester United: Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 3-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 1-4; Miles Evans: 1-3; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-3; Julien Pretot: 2-2

Birmingham City v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 2-0; Asian Sports Desk:2-0 ; Kevin Fylan: 2-2; Miles Evans: 2-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 1-3; Mark Meadows: 2-2; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 2-0

Fulham v Everton: Patrick Johnston: 2-1; Mike Collett: 2-0; Asian Sports Desk: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 0-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-2; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 0-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Julien Pretot: 1-0

PHOTO: Germany’s Miroslav Klose scores against Azerbaijan in their World Cup qualifier in Hanover September 9, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Charisius

Are you a flip-flopper? A U-turner? A volte-facer? Are you the Brett Favre of football fans? If so, you’re in good company, though it’s not doing you much good in our predictions league.

Liverpool lost at Spurs and suddenly there were doubts about the strength of the squad, derision at the decision to sell Xabi Alonso and a general feeling the Reds were in decline. They then beat Stoke 4-0 and it was “madness to write them off“. Last night, they lost again, 3-1 at home to Aston Villa, and Sky Sports News have been asking if their title challenge is over… And it’s still only August 25! Phew!

So it’s been with Manchester United (still blessed with the knack of getting a result from a bad performance, then desperately short of firepower in the post-Ronaldo era, and now happily enjoying the resurgence of a world class striker).

What must it be like to be a fan of Spurs? Or Burnley (with a three-point advantage over Liverpool)? Or Manchester City? Are you secretly convinced that the bubble will burst? Or are Spurs and City fans with Wenger in his view that the era of the Big Four is over?

The odd start to the season has made for low scores in the predictions game and that’s good news for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is plenty of potential to point at us and laugh. And more importantly, it means you can join in at any time and still expect to overtake most of us before the season really gets going.

Justin Palmer joined our panel this week and despite missing the first two rounds he is already sitting pretty in mid-table. With one point for a correct result but five for getting the score dead on, you only need a couple of good calls to be in the mix.

Anyway, here are the scores so far, with a few honorable mentions for those posting their predictions in the comments.

Check back on Friday morning for our weekend predictions.

The panel: Owen Wyatt 27 points, Paul Radford 25 (zooming up the table after getting three scores dead on), Miles Evans 20, Patrick Johnston 20, Mitch Phillips 16, Kevin Fylan 13, Justin Palmer 13, Simon Evans 12, Mike Collett 9

The rest of the world: Did I say honorable mentions? Precious few of those, I’m afraid. Quite a few correct scores on Chelsea and Spurs but NO ONE got Liverpool losing or predicted United would come back with such a bang. Ten points to Rob McAvoy as the only person to get Arsenal 4 Portsmouth 1 spot on. Maid and Chipking got mighty close, but no cigar on this one.

All in all, you’re as bad as us!

Anyway, keep totting up your scores and let us know how you’re doing. Anyone got more than 27 points? I’ll trust you…

PHOTO: A fan sits in the stands at Turf Moor stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Burnley and Everton in Burnley August 23, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis