Welkom to Football—World Cup Keeps Surprising
Finally some good global news! The World Cup in Brazil continues to
captivate international audiences with a mix of amazing soccer and increasingly
surprising results. Paradoxically, early
in the tournament the powerhouse teams were nearly all knocked out of the
running; Spain, Italy, England and Portugal.
Others like the USA, Costa Rica, France and Uruguay surged forward. So the field is open for some serious upsets
as the sporting extravaganza passes its midpoint.
Football, or soccer as we call it here in the USA,
represents not only the proverbial beautiful
game but also a clear-cut manifestation of national pride and sporting
prowess. It’s about excellence to be one
of the 32 teams at the World Cup as well as nationalistic team pride to keep
the momentum going on the pitch.
When the Netherlands plays, there’s a sea of orange
spectators. In their first stunning win (5-1) over arch-rival Spain, the Dutch
King and Queen were in attendance. When the
Wilhelmus Anthem is played, there’s a
power surge of orange positive patriotism.
And look at the ecstatic Team USA fans, with the banner One Nation/One
Team, a positive reflection of a country in such a deep political funk.
Listen to the national anthems. While we are all familiar with France’s stirring
Marseillaise
or the USA’s Star Spangled Banner, the South American anthems seem based on
Neapolitan arias. Many players sing
along with pride, others stand mum.
Brazil the host, has been widely criticized for sloppy
preparation but happily the games are going smoothly and safely. Actually Brazil hosted the World Cup back in
1950, the first FIFA football event since WWII.
Indeed, the World cup has been an extraordinary proving
ground for both football and national standing. Hosting the World Cup while costly, allows for
a corresponding flow of economic development, tourism, and prestige. As with the Olympics, countries vie to host the World Cup to be placed on the pedestal of
national pride.
South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup saw
a surge of recognition, goodwill and standing.
It’s also about national prestige. World Cups create sports winners and
political breakthroughs. The 1954 World
Cup was won by Germany; this was an extraordinary breakthrough for the defeated
country in the postwar era. The tournament win importantly and psychologically
signaled Germany’s reacceptance and return to the family of nations. Germany last won the World Cup in 1990 on the
eve of its reunification.
The teams playing in Brazil are ironically reflections of
globalization. Many of the players don’t
play in their home countries but on powerhouse high paying foreign teams. Portugal’s Ronaldo plays with Real Madrid. Holland’s Arjen Robben plays in Germany’ s Bayern
Munich, and Robin van Persie is on Manchester United.
France’s amazing Karim Benzema is with Real Madrid. Germany’s Miroslav Klose plays for Italy’s
Lazio. USA’s Fabian Johnson plays for
Germany’s Bourissia.
Again this is not exactly novel. Ferenc
Puskas, one the greatest footballers of all time, fled from his Hungarian homeland
under the communists, and then played for Real Madrid.
Coaches too reflect this globalization. Jurgen Klinsmann, the German football super- star
from the winning 1990 team, is the manager of Team USA.
Fast and furious matches define much of the action. The pressure only increases now that we are
down to sixteen teams. Though the USA
saw a heartbreaker loss to Germany 1-0 in the rain of Recife, both U.S. and
Germany move forward to the final sixteen.
Now the fun begins in playoffs. Some wags say the
contest will ultimately come down to Europe versus South America.
My short list of finalists; Netherlands, Argentina,
Germany.
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