Bookmakers Fear Octopus

Oracle Octopus Paul predicts Spain to win World Cup‎ -

8 Jul 2010 18:33 Africa/Lagos


Bookmakers Fear Octopus

MANCHESTER, England, July 8, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- The likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Messi may have failed to hit the heights this World Cup, but an Octopus called Paul with psychic powers has emerged as one of the real stars of this tournament.


Paul's accuracy at predicting match results is gaining him a cult following and the Octopus has the bookies running scared.


Paul, who resides in a tank at Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, has correctly predicted all of Germany's World Cup results - including their 1-0 defeat against Spain.


The two-year-old octopus - who was actually born in Weymouth in England, predicted Germany's wins against England and Argentina, and even Serbia's defeat of Germany in the group stage.


The eight-legged tipster makes his selection by choosing food from two containers, one marked with the flag of Germany and the other their opponents. However the Octopus is also turning tipster for the World Cup final between Spain and Holland.


On line sports betting firm Betfred.com are offering odds of 4/6 that he will come down on the side of Germany in Saturday's match and 11/10 he again risks incurring the wrath of his home country by picking Uruguay.


The same firm can't split Spain or Holland and they are both 10/11.


Punters can also get 15/8 he picks out two winning teams, 11/8 he gets just one of his selections right and 2/1 his amazing run comes to an end and he sides with a pair of losing nations this weekend.


Betfred.com spokesman Mark Pearson,


"The punters are now backing Paul's selections and if his run continues he will cost us a few squid. The bookmakers will want this tipster to become Calamari."


For those who think the Psychic Octopus Paul has more to offer than just football predictions, the talented octopus is 8/1 to star in the next James Bond film!


For all the odds on the World Cup go to http://www.betfred.com/


Contact - Mark Pearson; mark.pearson@betfred.com


Source: Betfred.com

Contact - Mark Pearson; mark.pearson@betfred.com, +44(0)7702-851-425

FIFA.com Predicts 5.5 Billion Page Views for 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM)

30 Apr 2010 08:00 Africa/Lagos



FIFA.com Predicts 5.5 Billion Page Views for 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM)

GENEVA, April 30, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- FIFA.com's first-ever Panini Virtual Sticker Album, presented by Coca-Cola, drives two million sticker swaps within two weeks of launch.

FIFA.com, the world's official football website, today, 29 April 2010, announced that it is expecting record site traffic for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, making it the most visited football website in the world. The FIFA.com forecast is 5.5 billion page views, compared to 4.2 billion recorded for the 2006 event.

The site's popularity has been boosted by the launch of the FIFA.com's first-ever Panini Virtual Sticker Album, which is presented by Coca-Cola. Since its launch on Tuesday 14 April, the free application has generated 200 million page views and over two million sticker 'swaps'.

Every day, each collector receives a virtual pack of five stickers featuring the superstars and teams of the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM). The stickers can then be collected or traded with other fans all over the world.

Matt Stone, FIFA's Head of New Media, says: "Our official forecast of 5.5 billion FIFA.com page views could even be conservative given we received 4.2 billion PVs in 2006. The Panini Virtual Sticker Album has really ignited our online World Cup activity. We're delighted football fans are finding the application so engaging."

Fans can raise their collecting power by forming a group, but only individual collectors will be eligible for a prize draw (deadline 16 July 2010) to win one of a 100 keepsake hardcover printed versions of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Sticker album, also produced by Panini.

About FIFA.com

FIFA.com, the world's official football website, is the online heart of football.

Recognised as the world's most authoritative football website, unrivalled for depth, insight and accuracy, FIFA.com reliably and impartially delivers the global football message across multiple digital platforms to an international community of millions of professionals and enthusiasts.

Constantly updated, FIFA.com (online 1995) offers the latest news, video highlights (with no cross-border restrictions on viewing), historical data, contact with the stars, behind-the-scenes access, and - through the free FIFA.com Club - a global meeting point for people who care about football.

In addition, FIFA.com supplies a one-stop shop for retail, event ticketing, accommodation and hospitality. Through serving the global football community it also delivers value to FIFA.com's commercial partners (Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, KIA, SONY, VISA) and World Cup sponsors (Budweiser, Castrol, Continental, McDonalds, MTN, Satyam, Seara, Yingli Solar).

In an average month, FIFA.com attracts approximately 5 million unique users and generates over 80 million page views. The 2010 World Cup is predicted to generate over 5.5 billion page views.

About FIFA

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), an association governed by Swiss law, was founded in 1904 and is based in Zurich. It has 208 member associations and its goal, enshrined in its statutes, is the constant improvement of football. FIFA employs some 310 people from over 35 nations and is composed of a Congress (legislative body), Executive Committee (executive body), General Secretariat (administrative body) and committees (assisting the Executive Committee).

Source: FIFA

For more information, please contact: Matt Stone, Head of New Media, Email: matt.stone@fifa.org, Telephone: +44(0)7521-683-831