Always expect the unexpected from football, they say but three defeats at a go for three South Africa 2010 bound nations England, Ghana and Brazil is more unexpected than most. Incidentally they were all away defeats and came in succession.

England set the ball rolling when they lost 0-1 to Ukraine in front of a wild home crowd who actually misbehaved at times. It is reported that at one stage the referee stopped the game in view of smoke billows across the stadium.

It was not a vintage England performance. Rio Ferdinand and his men at the rear often displayed desperate defending but all the efforts by Rooney and his strikers could not prevent Coach Fabio Capello from suffering his first competitive defeat since assuming office.

There was some similarity in Ghana’s loss to Benin in Cotonou. It was a last minute defensive lapse that resulted in Coach Milovan Rajevac’s first competitive defeat since he took over the management of the Black Stars. The Cotonou crowd did not display any open hostility during the match but you could sense a general concern why Ghana were desirous of winning a match that would not in anyway affect their top spot on the ladder. Some in the crowd even said Ghana was being selfish that was unbecoming of a close neighbour.

Ghana did not appear to have any sympathy for the home team that needed maximum points to qualify for Angola 2010. It was rather the Malawian referee who seemed to be a brother’s keeper by awarding many treacherous free kicks around the Ghana 18 ostensibly to make sure that Ghana did not waste the points with an unnecessary victory. He appeared quite relieved when the vital goal arrived and he had some difficulty locating his whistle to end the match.

Brazil’s loss to Bolivia could be attributed to the high altitude, but you could see from the line up they rested quite a number of those who had made their trip to South Africa 2010 already secured.

It appears Brazil boosted by their 2016 World Cup hosting rights, would like to win the ongoing Under 20 World Cup in Egypt to show the world they have the future stars for the Samba show in 2016. Already, the pundits have tipped Brazil to meet Ghana in the final.

From the trend so far, a Ghana-Brazil cup final tie is a distinct probability but the two sides that play identical football would have to overcome tricky semi final hurdles. Ghana take on Hungary and Brazil take on Costa Rica.

All matches played so far in this year’s Under 20 tournament have shown that the future of the game is very bright indeed. It is hoped FIFA would stick to its plan to assist all associations, especially those in Africa to improve upon the quality of their local leagues to motivate budding stars and feel comfortable to play at home.

A good domestic league would definitely attract good sponsorship and the exodus of unripe players who would warm benches abroad would be reduced.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.