Jaymes Monte / 22 November 2009 Free Bet View Market

"FIFA have deemed altitude such a significant factor that they have twice introduced bans – only for them to be subsequently rescinded – on international games being played at a specified height above sea level"

No stone will remain unturned in the quest for World Cup glory in South Africa next summer. That means every conceivable advantage must be gained and all potentially detrimental factors eradicated or at least minimized.

One of the more important issues that must be addressed by all nations going to the World Cup is altitude. With five of the nine host cities being more than 1,000 metres above sea-level (the highest altitude football league ground in England is The Hawthorns at 168 metres) it is a factor that cannot and has not been ignored. Brazil, Italy and England are among the many nations that have publicly declared their intentions to hold pre-World Cup training camps at high altitude venues.

So what is altitude and why is it so important? Altitude is the vertical distance of an object or place from a known level or datum, typically sea level, and as the altitude increases the amount of oxygen in the air decreases. If you go to high altitude too quickly or before acclimatising two important things will happen almost immediately; you breathe faster in order to maximise the amount of oxygen you can get into the blood from your lungs and your heart pumps more blood to increase the supply of oxygen to the muscles.

Why does this affect footballers? Well, naturally if there is less oxygen getting to the muscles, you are breathing faster and the heart is pumping quicker, then the body will suffer from fatigue at a faster rate than it otherwise would. These games are not being played at such high altitudes that we can expect to see players doubled over with their hands on their knees after ten minutes, but they are sufficiently above sea level to make this an important aspect for competing nations to consider.

FIFA have deemed altitude such a significant factor that they have twice introduced bans - only for them to be subsequently rescinded - on international games being played at a specified height above sea level. In May 2007 they announced that no future matches could be played above 2,500 metres above sea level, only for the restrictions to be waivered in July of the same year after intense pressure from the South American nations affected. A similar restriction was then placed on stadia 2,750 metres above sea level in December 2007 only for that to be revoked in May 2008.

Whether the major nations who have their players playing in the top leagues will have enough time to sufficiently acclimatize is a matter of conjecture. The Champions League final will take place on May 22nd and the World Cup begins on the 11th June leaving just 19 days of preparation, not all of which they will want to spend at high altitude training camps.

Perhaps it is those nations who are either taking extreme measures or those who are already comfortable with the prospect that will prosper. It has been reported that the Australian players will sleep in specially designed altitude tents for the three months leading up to the World Cup, some might argue that this is extreme but you have to applaud their desire to combat this issue. Australia can be backed at [130.0] for World Cup glory.

Or maybe it will be a team who are the most naturally accustomed that will find the altitude most advantageous. Many Of Chile's leading club teams play in stadia at high altitude and they beat both Bolivia and Peru at high altitude in their qualifying campaign, a feat which none of the other South American qualifiers can lay claim to. Chile are available at [60.0] for the World Cup.

There are obviously many other factors and this World Cup won't necessarily be won by the team who prepares best to cope with the altitude. However it could be lost by a team who are ill equipped to do so. On the biggest stage of all such fine details can prove to be the difference between success and failure.