After a few days of reflection on their historic second-round victory over USA, Ghana captain Stephen Appiah told FIFA that the Black Stars are staying themselves: relaxed and happy to be together. Having now gone further in the FIFA World Cup™ than ever before, and with a tricky match with Uruguay up next on Friday, the Bologna midfielder reflected on the values of what he calls “a special team”.

“I am warmed by the players,” said the 29-year-old from the team’s camp outside of Rustenburg. “You can see that there is no tension, no pressure. Always with smiles, singing and laughing – stuff like that. What I’ve learnt is the more pressure you put on yourself, the more things go wrong. So, I have been telling the guys that they should be free [and that] nobody should even think about the games. Maybe a day or two before, then we have to focus on the game. But, for now, we’re relaxed, training, laughing, singing, dancing. I think that’s very important.”

Handling the world’s biggest football tournament in this way has been a consistent refrain from the Black Stars in South Africa. As they were four years ago on their finals debut, Ghana are the only African representatives in the knockout rounds, so they are obviously doing something right. And as anyone who has seen the joy and unity in their post-match celebrations can attest, togetherness is one of the team’s hallmarks – not just in word but in spirit.

Maybe a day or two before, then we have to focus on the game. But, for now, we’re relaxed, training, laughing, singing, dancing. I think that’s very important.

Appiah on the secret to the Black Stars’ success

‘I think you can see the atmosphere,” he said. “You can see the way we talk to and the respect we have for each other. We practise together, we laugh together, we do everything together. In fact, you can’t even see the difference with the lower-cut players and the professional players. I think that’s the secret. It’s the nice thing about this team.”

Grounded but with an eye on history
One of the veterans of what is the youngest team in South Africa, Appiah has been around the block a few times. He started his career with Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak before embarking on a 13-year career, mostly in Italy’s Serie A with Udinese, Parma, Brescia and Juventus. Appiah, who also had a spell in Turkey with Fenerbahce, explained that the young Black Stars are naturally driven in a way many sides are not.

“This Black Stars team is strange,” he said. “If you go to some of the teams, if you go to their camp after a big victory like [against the US], you’ll see the players outside the lobby, drinking and going to bed late. But, in our camp, you won’t even see the players outside. After a big win you’ll see us in our room, maybe talking with our wives, with our girlfriends or friends. We will be playing cards or listening to music. I think it’s a good thing because – as I always say – with big players, you don’t see them out after a big victory. They always stay in and focus. I think it’s a good sign. The moment you think everything is going well and you start getting a cocky head, then everything goes wrong.”

But while admitting that the team are “really proud” of their achievement in becoming the third team to reach the last eight at the FIFA World Cup, matching Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002, they are excited rather than intimidated by the opportunity that now presents itself. “I think that history is always history,” he said about reaching the last eight. “Now it’s our turn. Now that we’re there, it’s history for Ghana. We hope that we can still better it by going to the semi-final. And, for myself, it would be a great achievement because one day I would like to talk to my kids and explain to them what happened in South Africa in 2010.”

Fifa.com

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz admitted Tuesday that arch-rivals Spain were the better team and deserved to stay in the FIFA World Cup™, but said his players did themselves proud. The European champions won a tight Round of 16 contest 1-0, leaving Portugal facing another four years before getting another crack at winning the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history.

“Spain won with merit,” said Queiroz. “But I would also like to underscore the fact that Portugal played with a great degree of dignity and ambition and I believe the fans have justifiable reason to be proud of the way the team has played.”

Portugal indeed played a clever game, defending well before launching counter-attacks. But ultimately the statistics speak for themselves, with Spain plundering 19 shots to Portugal’s nine. Spain also had far more possession, something Queiroz admitted was the difference between the two sides.

“It was an extremely difficult game but Spain moved the ball very well and had more possession and any team that does that can control the game better,” he said. “We did have opportunities to score but unfortuantely we were not able to do so, hence allowing Spain to win 1-0. We could have scored at certain critical moments, but Spain’s victory is justified.”

Portugal leave the tournament having conceeded just one goal, but it was costly one with David Villa doing the damage. Queiroz said they would learn from the experience.

“We wanted to do well and when we compete at this level, if we manage to obtain second or third, it is not satisfactory,” he said. “We always have as our main goal to win. We also want to have an honourable performance to dignify Portuguese football. I wanted us to be able to leave the field with our heads held high, and I think we accomplished this.”

Fifa.com

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque insists his team will not be underestimating Paraguay after beating Portugal 1-0 to set up a quarter-final clash with the South Americans.

The European champions had a second-half David Villa strike to thank for their victory on Tuesday and Del Bosque was happy with what he saw. “The match was extremely intense,” he said. “It was quite even in the first half, but we always controlled the game and in the second half we were better than them. We had greater depth but it was a difficult game and our rivals were extremely solid.”

Villa pounced in the 63rd minute, chipping a rebound over goalkeeper Eduardo after his first shot was saved to keep his team on track for their first ever FIFA World Cup™ title.

If they beat Paraguay on Saturday then Argentina or Germany await them in the semi-finals, although Del Bosque is only looking ahead one match at a time. “We shall not underestimate Paraguay and prepare for them with great respect,” he said of a team who won a dramatic penalty shoot-out 5-3 against Japan after their last-16 match in Pretoria finished scoreless.

“They have very good defenders but also attackers. We must be fully focused to win that match. We know how difficult it is to be victorious, we can’t take anything for granted. We must be hugely respectful of our next opponents.”

Barcelona’s Villa, who now has four goals in South Africa, refused to see Spain as clear favourites against the Paraguayans, who are in their first ever FIFA World Cup quarter-final. “I am very happy tonight, although there are two favourites for the quarters. However, I am confident we can come through,” he said.

Fifa.com

June 29, 2010

Faisal Maliki Baskoro

Indonesians are the second-most confident people in the world about their job prospects and near-term financial futures, according to a global survey released on Tuesday by media and consumer research company AC Nielsen.

Indonesia rose a point to 116 in the consumer confidence index, second only to India’s 127 and just above Norway’s 115.

About 70 percent of Indonesians polled described their job prospects as excellent or good, well above the 57 percent average for consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, and 77 percent of Indonesians said they were upbeat about their personal finances over the next 12 months.

In addition, 46 percent said they believed now was a good or excellent time to buy things they want and need, an increase from 41 percent six months ago.

“So optimism is growing and all things being equal, this should translate into spending,” said Catherine Eddy, Nielsen’s executive director of consumer research.

And the money will be spent on things other than washing machines and vacuum cleaners.

The survey found that Indonesians plan to indulge themselves by spending more on vacations and new clothes, while the percentage of those using disposable income to pay down debts has slipped to 28 percent from 30 percent in the third quarter of last year.

“It seems Indonesian consumers are gradually loosening their purse strings as we see increases in their intention to spend on what we might call indulgence categories,” Eddy said.

The Nielsen survey, conducted online in March, measured the views of 27,000 people in 55 countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. In Indonesia, a total of 505 online users participated in the survey.

Nielsen said the survey has a maximum margin of error of about 0.6 of a percentage point.

Globally, Lithuania, Croatia, and Portugal were the most pessimistic nations. Taiwan recorded the biggest jump in consumer confidence, followed by Singapore and Israel. Crisis-struck Greece recorded the steepest decline.

In Asia, the Philippines ranked third, Australia fourth and China fifth.

About 65 percent of Chinese consumers said they were are optimistic about their job prospects, while 64 percent said their personal finances were good, but only 41 percent said this is a good time to buy the things they want and need.

About 20 percent of Asia-Pacific consumers expressed concerns about the economy, 14 percent about the balance between life and work, and 11 percent about their health.

Consumer confidence in many markets rebounded to pre-recession levels of late 2007 and early 2008. Over the past year, the number of global consumers who believe their nation is in recession dropped to 58 percent, compared with 77 percent a year ago.

While exceedingly confident, Indonesians also rated the economy as their second-biggest concern. That compares to consumers in Asia Pacific who put the economy as their chief worry.

“Indonesians’ top priority is their work-and-life balance with 18 percent. The economy comes in at 17 percent, followed by children’s education at 14 percent, parents’ welfare and happiness at 13 percent,” Eddy said.

More than half — about 55 percent — of Indonesians surveyed do not believe Indonesia is in a recession.

“While, among those who do, 31 percent believe the situation will improve in the next 12 months,” Eddy said.

This is lower than the Asia-Pacific average. As many as 65 percent of consumers in the region say their country is not in recession, increasing from 57 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

However, Japanese and South Korean consumers seemed pessimistic, saying that their countries are in recession (77 percent and 76 percent, respectively).

However, Eddy said the optimism of Indonesian consumers was fragile.

“Spikes in fuel and the nine basic food prices can easily trigger more consumer spending. This usually happens in the second semester when Idul Fitri takes place,” she said.

Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, chief economist at state-owned brokerage PT Danareksa Sekuritas, said the survey results bode well for the domestic economy, as spending contributes 60 to 65 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

“This year, consumer spending may contribute between 2.5 to 3 percentage points of the country’s targeted economic growth of 5.7 percent,” he said.

Source: The Jakarta Globe

Eyeing the country’s booming domestic demand, carmaker Nissan on Tuesday outlined plans to double its production capacity and more than quadruple its sales in Indonesia by 2013.

Speaking after meeting with Vice President Boediono in Jakarta, Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said the company planned to invest $20 million at its Indonesian plant to double its auto production and market share in the country by 2013, as strong demand in Southeast Asia’s largest economy drives vehicle sales.

“We are going to invest a lot in Indonesia,” Ghosn said. “I am personally very optimistic about the prospects of the economy and the car industry in Indonesia.”

Nissan is also considering Indonesia as an export base, he added. The company will establish a research and development center in the country next year for market research, vehicle assessment and quality control.

“Indonesia has a potential to become an export base on the condition that infrastructure be developed, because if infrastructure is difficult, the logistical costs are not competitive, that’s the main problem today,” he said.

However, Ghosn said Nissan was not planning to relocate plants from Southeast Asian auto hub Thailand despite recent violence there. Nissan’s Thai manufacturing was at full capacity, he said.

Nissan plans to produce 100,000 cars at its Indonesian plant in 2013, and lift its market share to above 10 percent from 5 percent to 7 percent currently.

“Most of the capacity that we will be building in Indonesia mainly is for Indonesian needs. We expect very strong growth of Indonesia’s market and we want to dedicate most of our capacity to Indonesia,” Ghosn said.

Ghosn said the company would double the number of Nissan dealerships to 80 in the country. Sales in 2013 may more than quadruple to 90,000 vehicles from 21,440 in 2009, he said.

Indonesia is expected to see record car sales this year as its economy is expected to grow around 6 percent. Domestic consumption is rising on the back of strong exports of commodities such as coal, coffee and palm oil.

A global AC Nielsen survey released on Tuesday found that Indonesian consumers were the second-most confident in the world, behind only Indians, with 46 percent saying now is a good or excellent time to buy the things they want or need.

PT Astra International, the country biggest auto distributor, said it expected national car sales reach 650,000 this year, a 34 percent increase over 2009, as low interest rates and a surging economy fuel demand.

Indonesia’s government expects the country to be producing a million cars a year in five years, Ghosn said, up from about 600,000 in recent years.

Turning to China, Ghosn said the recent labor strikes would not affect Nissan’s strategy in that nation given the size of its car market.

Labor unrest has forced auto makers to raise wages in China, increasing production costs for Nissan, Toyota and Honda.

A shrinking supply of low-cost labor in the world’s largest auto market is increasing workers’ bargaining power and making alternate manufacturing destinations more attractive.

Source: The Jakarta Globe

On June 26, 2010, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Toronto.

Hu said Chinese-Indonesian relations had shown a sound momentum of development this year. At the start of the year, the two sides signed an action plan for strategic partnership, pointing out the direction for pragmatic cooperation in the next five years. Cooperation in the sectors of economy and trade, culture and education had witnessed smooth development. The two sides also reached an important consensus on deepening defense cooperation and maintained good coordination and cooperation on international and regional affairs within the frameworks of the United Nations and G20, Hu said.

Hu said China attached much importance to boosting strategic partnership with Indonesia. China is ready to take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to deepen pragmatic cooperation in all areas and continuously open up new aspects for China-Indonesia strategic partnership. The Chinese side proposed the two sides maintain high-level exchanges, welcoming Susilo to visit China to attend the Shanghai World Expo and China-ASEAN Expo, Hu said. Both sides should also expand and deepen economic and trade cooperation. China was also willing to enlarge investment in Indonesia and supported Chinese companies to take part in Indonesia’s infrastructure construction and other major projects, he said. China encourages its tourists to travel in Indonesia. The two sides should work together to hold activities marking the Chinese-Indonesian friendship year to strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples, Hu said. He said the two countries should also enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs in a bid to establish a more just and reasonable international political and economic order.

On China’s relations with ASEAN, Hu said China was ready to see a more united, stable and prosperous ASEAN and would continue to support its efforts towards integration and its leading role in East Asia cooperation. Hailing the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) as an important milestone in the history of bilateral ties, Hu said China would join hands with ASEAN in maintaining and building the CAFTA, step up efforts to advance the interconnection and networking of infrastructures, deepen cooperation in financial fields and expand social and cultural exchanges in a bid to push China-ASEAN relations to a new level, Hu said.

Hu pointed out that China is ready to work with Indonesia to push for positive and pragmatic outcomes at the G20 Toronto Summit.

Susilo said he was delighted to meet President Hu again during the Toronto Summit. The Chinese-Indonesian strategic partnership was developing well with closer political, economic and security cooperation and deepening traditional friendship between both peoples. Indonesia sincerely hoped to strengthen cooperation with China, a friend and partner of Indonesia, to lift the level of the bilateral relations. He expressed full agreement to President Hu’s proposals on the development of bilateral ties, saying that Indonesia is ready to maintain high-level contacts with China and welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in infrastructure and tourism in Indonesia. He also hoped both sides will further expand bilateral trade and jointly hold activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Susilo said China is playing a greater role in Asia and the world at large and Indonesia is ready to enhance cooperation with China in international and regional issues to maintain common interests of developing countries. The relations between China and the ASEAN are very important and both sides should guarantee the implementation of the CAFTA, Susilo said, adding that Indonesia hoped China could keep its important role in G20 to contribute to the Asian and global economic growth.

Wang Qishan, Ling Jihua, Wang Huning, Dai Bingguo and other officials attended the meeting.

WASHINGTON: The head of the International Monetary Fund said Monday that China’s yuan was still undervalued, despite its central bank’s pledge to make its exchange rate more flexible.

But IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned that even a sharp revaluation of the yuan, also known as the renminbi, would fail to correct the imbalances that impair the global economy.

“We still believe, as we have a general view on this, that the renminbi is undervalued,” Strauss-Kahn told reporters.

China unpegged its currency to the dollar in 2005 and earlier this month pledged to let it trade more freely against the dollar, though it ruled out any dramatic moves.

President Barack Obama on Sunday urged China to “be serious” about its promise. US lawmakers have threatened retaliation against China, accusing it of deliberately keeping its yuan low to fuel exports of cheap manufactured goods.

But Strauss-Kahn said he believed China was mostly responding to its own domestic strategy to encourage more growth from domestic demand instead of exports.

“Even a very strong revaluation won’t solve all the imbalances — far from that,” he said.

“Of course the revaluation of the renminbi goes in the right direction, and we’re still pushing for this, but there are a lot of other source of imbalances which will not be addressed only by changing the currency,” he said.

Strauss-Kahn said it was too early for the yuan to become part of the reserve currency used by the IMF, known as Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

The international lender now determines the currency with a basket of the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen and British pound sterling.

“I think it will be difficult to include the renminbi before the renminbi is really at a market price or one way or another a floating currency,” he said.

“But the sooner the better because as time goes by, there are more and more reasons to include other currencies in the SDR basket,” he said. – AFP/fa

Ambassador of Republic of Singapore, H.E. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, speaks on the subject on Leadership in Southeast Asia: A Lesson from Singapore, at a Seminar organized by the President University, located at Jababeka City, Cikarang, Indonesia.

European champions Spain will bring their passing game to Cape Town for a meeting against their enigmatic rivals Portugal in what could prove to be a footballing highlight of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.