VOA标准英语2009年-Under-17 World Cup to Kick Off in Nigeria

By Brent Latham
Abuja
22 October 2009

The FIFA Under-17 World Cup is set to begin in Nigeria on Saturday, after months of speculation¹ over whether the country would be ready in time to host the biennial² youth football (soccer) tournament. 

The second major FIFA youth football tournament of the year will kick off Saturday in Nigeria when the host Golden Eaglets play Germany on the opening day of the Under-17 World Cup.

But rather than celebrating Nigeria's status as not only host nation but also defending champion of this event, local organizers and FIFA officials alike will instead be holding their collective breath, hoping that the country pulls through the three-week long tournament without any major problems.

 
FIFA President Josef (Sepp) Blatter speaks during an International Conference in Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, 21 Oct 2009
In closing the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt last Friday, FIFA President Sepp Blatter sounded less than assured in wishing the best to Nigeria as host of the Under-17 event, in what he described as the African year of football.

"We made a special effort for Africa because it is really the African year. We made a special effort towards the World Cup here in order to really have Africa in the focus," said Blatter. "And I only hope, and I express good wishes, that your friends and brothers in Nigeria, they will do us the same superb job that Egypt has done in the U-20, and they should do it in the Under-17, and it will be at the same level, the right African level."

Blatter's doubts about Nigeria's hosting capacities have been made explicit³ in recent months, based over a year of debate and threats of moving the tournament, during which the country did just enough to avoid the embarrassment⁴ of being replaced as host.

Throughout the more than year-long preparatory process, FIFA reports indicated that the Nigerians were well behind schedule in assuring that the proper infrastructure⁵ would be in place to host the event. As recently as two weeks ago, FIFA was still suggesting that the tournament might have to be moved.

 
FIFA Vice-president Jack⁶ A. Warner, right, and LOC Chairman and FIFA Executive Committee member Hany Abou Rida, in Cairo, Egypt, 23 Sep 2009
During the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner warned that Nigeria was not ready.

"This will serve as a catalyst⁷ to help Nigeria to be ready, to improve itself, to look at the organization, to look at the quality of the facilities, and therefore I hope this will serve as a kind of stepping stone for Nigeria to be ready," he said. "Because as I speak to you, Nigeria is not yet fully⁸ ready, so I hope some of this will be passed on to Nigeria to force them to be ready in time."

Major concerns over delays in the construction of facilities, including stadium updates and practice fields at a number of the eight venues⁹ spread across the country, seem to have been resolved at the last moment. But security is still an issue after a warning in June by the Movement for the Emancipation¹⁰ of the Niger Delta¹¹ rebels suggesting that the safety of visiting teams and fans could not be assured.

Despite the worries, the decision was made to press on with Nigeria as host. FIFA's hope is that the off-field problems will not affect play, and that the tournament can proceed with some semblance¹² of normalcy.

Participating teams, in the meantime, are trying to focus on football, and hoping not to be distracted by the environment off the field. Wilmer Cabrera is the coach of the American Under-17 team.

"We are prepared to go to Nigeria. We have been talking about Nigeria since two years ago when I came over here," said Cabrera. "We have been talking about Nigeria and we are going to go to Nigeria. It is a lot of words about moving, moving, but we are prepared to go to Nigeria. We are mentally ready to go to Nigeria and we are going to be OK because we are going to go to play soccer. That is our job. That is what we love and we are happy to do. Because FIFA is going to take care of the rest of the things around and we are just go to play."

Nevertheless, off-field issues will prevent the tournament from becoming the international celebration that FIFA World Cups usually represent. Spectators, including members of the players' families, are largely expected to stay away.

American player Earl Edwards says the security situation is particularly foreboding for the families of the American players.

"I think the issue with Nigeria is more something the parents and other people have focused on, and the coaching staff," said Edward. "But from the standpoint of the team I think all of us really are not worried about where we are going to play. We are all going to perform no matter where it is and we really have not let that get to us at all."

Despite all the controversy¹³ and concern, FIFA executive Warner says he hopes for the best in Nigeria, as part of the series of events designed by FIFA to test African organizational capacities leading up to the World Cup in South Africa next year.

"FIFA has agreed that in 2009 and 2010, the African continent will have its major competitions, and therefore each competition is designed to assist the other, and to build over the African image," added Warner.

The 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup begins Saturday, when Argentina takes on Honduras in the opening match in Abuja, immediately followed by Nigeria's opener against Germany. The final of the 24-team tournament will be played November 15 in Abuja.

1 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

2 biennial   

adj.两年一次的

参考例句：

• The workers were strongly against the biennial election.工人们强烈反对两年一次的选举。
• His is a biennial,and one of the most useful pasture plants we have.这是两年生植物，也是我们最有用的牧草之一。

3 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

4 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

10 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

12 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。

13 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。