OLYMPICS ON THE WAY … the 2012 football tournament will see games played at St James’s Park.
By JAMES HUNT
ST James’s Park can add South Korea, Gabon, Honduras, Switzerland, Japan, Morocco and New Zealand to the list of countries who will be playing there this summer after the draw for the 2012 Olympics was made.
It had already been announced yesterday that Brazil, Spain and Mexico were heading to Tyneside, and their opponents were revealed today.
The draw for the men’s football competition was made this morning, with Team GB facing a tricky tie with Uruguay, as well as games against UAE and Senegal.
That means Newcastle United striking duo Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba could well be taking on their Great Britain counterparts.
More pertinent for North East football fans, however, will be the matches taking place at the home of the Magpies.
First up will be Mexico against South Korea on July 26 in Group B, which should see the likes of Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, Barcelona’s Jonathan dos Santos (younger brother of Tottenham flop Giovani) and, of course, Sunderland’s Ji Dong-Won in action.
As part of a double header, the second game that day will see Gabon take on Switzerland, also in Group B.
On July 29 it is the turn of European and World champions Spain to make the trip to the North East, as they take on Honduras.
Premier League fans will recognise David De Gea and Juan Mata – both almost certain to be in Spain’s squad – as well as Stoke’s Wilson Palacios, while Athletic Bilbao’s Iker Muniain could be one of the stars of the tournament.
That is a Group D clash, and will be followed later that evening by Japan v Morocco.
Last but definitely not least is the visit of Brazil, as they take on New Zealand on August 1. The five-time World champions have never won gold in this competition at the Olympics, something they’ll be looking to put right this year.
To do so, they’re likely to pick a strong squad, and fans should be relishing seeing Neymar, Ganso and maybe even Ronaldinho strutting their stuff at St James’ Park.
Aside from the group stage, one of the men’s quarter-finals will also take place at the stadium on August 4, with the winner of Group C – potentially Brazil – taking on the runners-up in Group D
Team GB, meanwhile, will play Senegal at Old Trafford on July 26, then UAE at Wembley on July 29, before making the trip to Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium to face Uruguay on August 1.
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