2014 World Cup begins

Despite widespread protests and violence the 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil on Thursday with the hosts taking on Croatia in the opening match in Sao Paulo.

It is the second time Brazil will be hosting the competition, the previous being in 1950, when they endured a heartbreaking defeat to Uruguay in the final.

After winning last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, the hosts, who have won the World Cup five times, are the major favourites to reclaim the trophy won by Spain four years ago in South Africa. However, perennial contenders Germany, Italy and Argentina will be waiting to spoil the party for the Brazilians.

Brazil are hoping to become the first nation to win the World Cup on home soil since France did it in 1998.

World Cup history

In 1930, FIFA held the first World Cup tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay with the hosts emerging winners of the inaugural tournament.

After another two events in 1934 (Italy) and 1938 (France), there was a 12-year break due to the World War, before recommencing in 1950 in Brazil. Since then, the World Cup has been held every four with Brazil, the most successful team, the only country to have competed in every finals series.

African representatives

African champions Nigeria, who are in Group F alongside two-time champions Argentina, Iran and debutants Bosnia, lead four other countries namely Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Algeria as the continent’s representatives at this edition of the Mundial.

Nigeria will open their tournament campaign against Iran on Monday.

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has kept faith with the majority of the players that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, bringing in the experienced striker Osaze Odemwingie and Joseph Yobo, who returns as team captain.

Youngsters Uche Nwofor and Ramon Azeez have also been brought in as Keshi aims to blend experience and youth in the squad while best player at January’s African Nations Championship, Ejike Uzoenyi, was a late replacement for injured Monaco left-back, Elderson Echiejie.

Cameroon are making a record seventh appearance while captain Samuel Eto’o will be making his fifth appearance at the finals.

Group A

Brazil, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the last two tournaments, have won 15 of their last 16 matches, but a below par outing against Serbia in their last preparatory game before the World Cup, has raised questions about the ability of Felipe Scolari’s squad to deliver when the chips are down.

Barcelona 22-year-old forward Neymar has the huge burden of leading the squad to a sixth triumph on home soil. He would be complemented by other youthful players Oscar, Willian, while captain Thiago Silva will lead from behind.

Croatia, led by Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric, will hope to pull off a monumental upset today but coach Niko Kovac’s side won’t be at full strength against the hosts.

Forward Mario Mandzukic, who was red-carded in the team’s final qualifier, will miss the crucial opener while the experienced Niko Kranjcar was dropped from the squad because of a late hamstring injury.

The other teams in the group Cameroon and Mexico will take to the field in Friday’s only game but while the hosts are huge favourites, it would be difficult to pick who joins them in the next round of the competition.

Group B

Defending champions Spain will play Holland in a replay of the 2010 final. Both sides are favoured to advance ahead of Chile and Australia.

Group C

Colombia and Greece will open hostilities in Group C on Saturday before Ivory Coast and Japan take to the field next day. This is probably the last chance for the underperforming golden generation of Ivory Coast footballers like Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue, the Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya, and others to create a positive impact on the international scene

Group D

This is a very tough group with all the four teams standing a chance of moving ahead to the Round of 16. The group promises to be explosive as three-time champions Italy, two-time champions Uruguay, 1966 champions England and Costa Rica all jostle for a knockout ticket.

Group E

France are overwhelming favourites here but Switzerland and Ecuador are two teams that can test the might of Les Bleus. Honduras are the outsiders.

Group F

Once again the Super Eagles are drawn against Argentina. Both teams have met thrice in the competition (1994, 2002 and 2010) and the South Americans triumphed on all occasions. Nigeria begin their campaign on Monday against Iran while Bosnia Herzegovina engage the Argentines in the other group game.

Group G

Tagged the Group of Death, analysts pick Germany and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal as the two teams who will advance to the next stage of the competition while Ghana and USA, despite their fighting spirits, will battle for the scraps.

Group H

Belgium are the hottest team going into the World Cup. The group, which also parades South Korea, Russia and Algeria, looks relatively soft, with Russia as the main competition for the Belgians but South Korea could be the banana skin in this group though.

NEWS: Six UN peacekeepers killed in Mali suicide blast

A suicide attack at a UN camp in northern Mali killed four Chadian peacekeepers and wounded 10 others including six peacekeepers and four Malian soldiers, the country's peacekeeping mission said.

A vehicle exploded at the entrance of the camp in the town of Aguelhoc, in the Kidal region, at 3:30 pm, according to a UN statement issued on Wednesday evening.

UN mission chief Albert Koenders condemned the attack as "cowardly and odious."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacked "in the strongest terms" and extended condolences to the families of the victims, his spokesman said in a statement.

"This attack will not diminish the resolve of the United Nations to support the Malian people in their efforts to achieve peace and stability for all of Mali," the spokesman said.

Northern Mali fell under control of ethnic Tuareg rebels and then al-Qaeda-linked rebel groups following a military coup in 2012.

A French-led intervention last year scattered the rebel fighters, though the Tuaregs maintain a heavy presence in Kidal and have pushed back against the authority of the Bamako-based government.

Tensions escalated sharply last month when Prime Minister Moussa Mara visited Kidal for the first time since his appointment. In response, Tuareg rebels launched an assault on government buildings in the town, killing eight soldiers, six local government officials and two others in what the government described as a "declaration of war."

It was unclear who carried out Wednesday's attack, which came just one day after three northern Mali rebel groups signed an accord in Algiers pledging to work for peace in the region through inclusive talks.

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WORDCUP: Eagles won’t disappoint - Stephen Keshi

Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi says the team will not disappoint the country in the 2014 World Cup, kickoffnigeria.comreports.

The competition starts on Thursday and Nigeria will face Argentina, Bosnia and Iran in Group F. The team open their campaign in the tournament against Iran on June 16.

The Eagles failed to win any of their warm-up games, having drawn against Scotland and Greece, and suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the United States.

Many Nigerians fear the team could be sent packing from the group stages of the tournament.

The Eagles, who reached the second round at USA ’94 and France ’98, exited Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010 in the first round.

Keshi however insists that the results from the friendlies are not a true reflection of the strength of the team, saying the team will not disappoint.

The former Nigeria captain stated that the friendlies were meant to serve as rehearsals for the team, adding that the team were ready to do serious business in Brazil.

“We are in Brazil for serious business,” Keshi said.

“Friendlies are meant to serve as rehearsals; they are different from competitive matches.

“This is not an excuse for our performance in the matches, but seriously speaking, the results do not mean anything to me, evaluate us in the World Cup.”

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NEWS: Heavy fighting resumes on Rwanda-DRC border

At least five Congolese soldiers have been killed in a gun battle between soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwandan forces on their volatile border, local Congolese officials have said.

Wednesday’s fighting began in northeast of the provincial capital Goma after Rwandan troops crossed the border into DRC’s restive province of North Kivu and abducted a Congolese soldier, according to a DRC army spokesman.

The spokesman later confirmed the abducted corporal had been killed and blamed Rwandan troops.

Later on Wednesday Rwanda accused DRC’s soldiers of crossing the border into its territory and opening fire on Rwandan soldiers in bloody battles that left four more dead.

“On Wednesday … a section of the DRC army crossed the border to Rwanda where they opened fired on a Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) patrol,” the government said in a statement.

“The attacks in the morning were followed by a second attempt: a deployment of two FARDC (Congolese) platoons to Rwanda, which led to a new firefight that killed four FARDC soldiers.”

Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwandan foreign minister, said the country stood “ready to act to protect its citizens” against further attacks.

“These actions by the DRC are jeopardising the region’s extensive efforts to ensure peace, stability and development for all our citizens,” Mushikiwabo said

Threat to stability

Renewed tensions between the two neighbours may undermine international efforts to bring stability to Congo’s mineral-rich, lawless east and the wider region after years of conflict.

General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, commander of UN peacekeepers in Congo, told a news conference on Wednesday that the fighting had taken place and said the United Nations would investigate the clash.

Kigali and Kinshasa have long been at odds, with Rwanda accused by the UN of backing rebels in DRC.

Rwanda fought against the central government in Kinshasa in Congo’s two wars in 1996-97 and 1998-2003 and has been involved in several attempts to destabilise the country, backing uprisings by Tutsi-dominated rebels.

However, since the defeat in November of a Kigali-backed rebellion led by the M23 group, the border has remained relatively calm.