RSSeNEWS to be determined...

Statistician Ian McHale shares the bookmakers' consensus that Spain is the most likely victor of the 2010 World Cup but gives the odds as 9-1 rather than 4-1 offered by the gambling industry.

Dr McHale puts England's odds at 20-1 and thinks the team are likely to be knocked out by France in a quarter final. His forecasts are based on a model that takes account of world ranking, form and the distance that teams must travel to the games.

McHale, senior lecturer in statistics at the University of Salford, is a member of the Centre for Operational Research and Applied Statistics (CORAS) and the Centre for the Study of Gambling. He has acted as a consultant to clients including the FA Premier League, the Press Association, Football DataCo and the Central Council for Physical Recreation.

Elsewhere at Salford University, researchers have developed  software that has been used to plan for emergencies in South Africa's World Cup stadiums.  The programme uses data provided by the South African authorities, and has been used by emergency services to simulate a range of scenarios which result in casualties.