| The World Cup-Soccers Last Salvation |
| By Geariod Devitt July 19, 2010 In these days of astronomical payments to sports stars it is easy for the fans to feel detached and question the top-earners integrity. If a pro earns 200k plus a week (in any currency) the high life must be tempting. Some can avoid the distractions but a lot have strived from poor upbringings and see the pay-check as the end. The truly great stars keep on striving as glory and success is their vice but most are happy to settle for the supercar and the MTV crib. The FIFA World Cup has reflected both the good and bad of professional sport in the past month. We have seen the prima-donas’ of England and France sulk and moan and ultimately leave in disgrace. The cynicism of the Dutch led to progression beyond their pre-tournament expectations and helped reignite memories of former glories. However they won few friends along the way and some pundits have gone as far to say they have sullied their nation’s proud footballing tradition. In contrast, the honest and hard-working sides such as Paraguay, U.S.A., Ghana and Japan lit up the shock-laden early stages of the tournament. All of these teams put side before self and fulfilled their potential as a result. Who would have thought at the outset that New Zealand would leave South Africa as the only unbeaten team? Although now heavily commercialised and as the vuvuzelas quieten, somewhat exploitative of the host nation, the competition is still sport in its purest form. FIFA has more members then the U.N. and through a two year qualifying series we are left with 32 countries from all corners of the globe. Soccer is the only truly global sport and this is it’s showpiece. The short group stage format gives the underdog every chance to qualify as opposed to the almost inevitability of the big powers coming to the fore in the season-long leagues.. Players from lesser known countries get to strut their stuff to a world-wide audience. ‘Released’ from their club contracts for one month, this gathering gives them the chance to become national icons. Success brings jubilant scenes to the capitals’ streets in a mass social outpouring which is almost certainly unrivalled in modern society. Whereas money talks and ultimately rules in the club competitions, honour and pride are all there is at stake, and these precious rewards give the fans certainty that the majority of players will give it their all in a nigh-on overdose of action. As the tourists and corporations depart many will argue this has been far from a vintage tournament. The increasing popularity of defensively minded formations and the difficult Jabulani ball contributed to some poor games. However in terms of drama and shocks this renewal has been action packed. As a refreshing return to the traditional values of football in comparison with the despicable excesses of the club game, the World Cup has triumphed all over again. 5 players who rose to prominence in South Africa: Tomas Mueller (Bayern Munich & Germany) A remarkable and truly inspirational story for those us who still harbour ambitions of making a meteoric rise to the top, it is less than a year since Muller was struggling in Bayern’s reserve side. Never in his wildest dreams could he have then imagined himself collecting the Golden Boot award this July, but after a fine season for the Champions league runners-up, he has become an integral part of the three pronged German attack and was keenly missed when suspended for the semi-final defeat to Spain. Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen & Germany) Playing the pivotal role of linking the two strands of the German side, Ozil was a revelation in the early stages and is now one of the hottest properties in Europe. His forwarded runs caused defenders untold problems, contributing with a number of goals and assists.. Luis Suarez (Ajax & Uruguay) The pre-tournament hyped strking partner of Deigo Forlan played a big “hand” in brining Uruguay to the semi-finals. Goal line clearances aside, Suarez was also the match winner against Korea with one of the stikes of the tournament and his partnership with Forlan was the key reason Uruguay progressed to their best tournament placing since 1970. Fabio Coentrao (Benfica & Portugal) Although Portugal exited the tournament in the last 16, the Portugese left-back made a big impression. Voted Portugese League Breakthrough Player of the Year for his club performances prior to the tournament, Coentrao continued his rich vein of form in South Africa and is now linked with a host of the top European clubs. Although starting his career as a winger he has now found a place in defence for club and country where he can still use his attacking abilities on the overlap to devastating effect. Asamoah Gyan (Rennes & Ghana) Gyan led the line for Ghana single-handedly but still managed to cause big problems for opposition defences. His strength and pace gave the Black Stars a great outlet when under pressure and he showed great intelligence to bring team mates such as Boateng & Adiyah into play. Although he will suffer the infamy of missing the last minute penalty against Uruguay (which would have sent an African team into the semi-finals for the first time), he showed great character to bang in the first kick of the shootout moments later. And Finally…….. The U.S. team at this World Cup represented their country with distinction and can hold their heads high after some great team performances. The same cannot be said for the The New York Post sub-editors whose ‘ironic’ headlines played up to the European held stereotype of the game in the States and led to much ridicule on this side of the Atlantic. The players deserved better than “U.S.A. Wins 1-1” and “It’s a Stupid Sport Anyway”. |
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