Group H overview

Honduras
Chile
Spain
Switzerland

Fixtures:

16/06/2010, Nelspruit, Honduras vs Chile
16/06/2010, Durban, Spain vs Switzerland

21/06/2010, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Chile vs Switzerland
21/06/2010, Johannesburg - JEP, Spain vs Honduras

25/06/2010, Tshwane/Pretoria, Chile vs Spain
25/06/2010, Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Switzerland vs Honduras

Reigning European Champions should feel right at home in this group with two other Spanish speaking nations (no pun intended). Also, as mentioned before, they're lucky they'll meet Chile in the last round, when they already might have secured their qualification. Switzerland are also good, but I'm backing Chile to go through as the 2nd team. Don't know much about Honduras.

So probably Spain will meet probably Ivory Coast or Portugal in the second stage. Chile to take on Brazil. What a match that will be!

Chile's place in danger

Chile's have come in danger of losing their place World Cup place. And what's weird, it has nothing to do with the national side, but a local league team.

Club Social de Deportes Rangers disobeyed the 6+5 rule 2 weeks ago in a local league match. The rules allow teams to use a maximum of 5 foreign players, but Rangers manager Oscar del Solar used 6.

The club was fined $4,000 and docked 3 points, which resulted them being relegated. Of course the club doesn't agree with that and have taken the case to court. And that's the part that FIFA don't like.

A letter has been sent to the Chilean FA for them to stop Rangers pursuing the case and basically threatening to ban the nation from all competitions, World Cup included.

The letter read: "We beseech your association to call on your affiliated club... to withdraw the case it took to the Chilean courts of justice within the next 72 hours or... announce the pertinent sanctions against your affiliated club. If your association does not adopt the necessary measures as we have indicated, the case will be put to Fifa's executive committee in its session of December 3, 2009 in Cape Town... so it considers imposing a suspension against (the ANFP)."

So, a lot of topics to discuss for the main footballing governing body next week. But, for me again, it seems like a nonsense thing to do. Why should the national team get pushed for a local side's breach of rules? Chile have made it to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998, playing some very good football. Why should the players, who took the nation to the World Cup finals, get punished? Plain silly this.

Luckily the storm has now settled. Rangers backed down with the case and Chile, with Sporting attacking-midfielder Mati Fernández being the starman, will have the chance to cause some shocks in South Africa.