PrairiePundit

Telegraph: A visit by the US president - which could happen if the team makes the knockout stage - would be a nightmare, General Bheki Cele told MPs in a briefing on security for tournament, which starts on June 11. "Our famous prayer is that they don't make the second round," he told the parliamentary police committee. "They get eliminated and they go home because we are told that if they go to the second or third stage, the American president might come." ... Forty-three heads of state have provisionally confirmed their attendance at the tournament, the first on African soil, but Mr Cele said the presence of the US leader would double security requirements for the event. "That 43 will be equal to this one operation," he quipped. ... You would think it was a Tea Party convention and not a soccer match, aka metric football.

BBC: Thousands of Iraqis have spilled onto the streets to celebrate their football squad's Asian Cup victory, firing guns into the air despite a government ban. Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0. Celebratory gunfire was heard in Baghdad, where authorities had banned vehicles and urged fans not to gather. It was feared crowds could be targets for bombers. Some 50 people died in attacks after Wednesday's semi-final. Correspondents say Iraq's progress has temporarily united the divided country. The team includes Sunni and Shia Muslims, as well as Kurds. Thousands of Iraqis, who had been following the match in Indonesia on television, rushed into the streets of the capital and other cities to celebrate. The crowds in Baghdad included members of the security forces. Guns were fired into the air despite an earlier warning by the authorities that any such displays would be punished. "It's a huge success for Iraq and it's a very, very good news for Iraq," Iraq's nati...