Football World Cup 2010: A Month of the Beautiful Game

The Vuvuzelas have fallen silent, and their swarming buzz has stopped. The flags have been folded up and the colours have been washed away. The grass meadows at ten venues with gigantic structures covering stand lonely. The carnival and the fireworks are over. South Africa has been littered with memories and never disappearing images. The world has a new champion. Soccer City Stadium at the famous Soweto township, in Johannesburg provided the stage for the crowning of a new power-house, to be at the helm for four more years. The final once saw the dominance of Europe for the second consecutive edition in succession. Thus, the chain having Latin America and Europe attached in every alternate edition has been broken. A European team has succeeded, when the event was staged outside the continent for the first time. The 19^th World Cup, first to be staged in Africa has finally come to end, as the ball that had started rolling on 11 June from the time Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov blew the whistle, at Soccer City between the hosts and Mexico, has now come to a stop; that, with the whistle of Englishman Howard Webb, in the summit clash between Netherlands and Spain at Soccer City itself.

The Final itself was the culmination of a month long exercise, when 32 teams came onto the world stage to show-case their exploits, attacking fervor, gritty defence, clinical, deft moves, with panache and adeptness. As the battle became engrossing, as it progressed, several of them kept falling by the wayside and the best in all moved upwards. Powerhouses and strong contenders battled it out, but crumbled and fell at decisive stages. Upward movement became tough ask and pressure added up. Spain and Netherlands moved up in distinct ways; the La Roja after suffering an initial hiccup at Swiss hands, re-grouped and made fresh forays, that paid them rich dividends. The Dutch on the other hand, came into the World Cup finals with a clean sheet in the qualification and continued that streak in the league stages as well as later in knock-outs till the big final. The Oranje won all their matches, nearly emulating Brazil in 1970, who had carried out such a campaign. Spain after being the European champions in 2008, aimed at claiming the world throne too. This was emulating Germany, who had won this double-honour, winning the European championships in 1972 and won the World Cup two years later, in 1974. However, the grand final was not one that was mesmerizing or defining the terms of beautiful football. It was clearly not the best of the finals, with as many as 13 bookings enacted by referee Webb. While the Dutch were the main culprits with 9 cards, including defender John Heitinga earning a double yellow and being sent off in the Extra-Time., the Spanish also earned 4 yellow cards. For the second World Cup in running, the game went beyond the regulation time of 90 minutes. It took a great move from Cesc Fabregas, who passed it on to the diminutive attacking mid-fielder Andres Iniesta, to seal a solitary goal win in the second half of Extra-Time. Iniesta, through his brilliant runs and moves created enough chances for Villa upfront in the Dutch goal-mouth. Throughout the tournament, the current European champions conceded only two goals, including one in the loss to the Swiss in their opening game. The Spanish also rewrote a record that no team had gone to win the World Cup after losing the opening group encounter. Spain also became one of the lowest-scoring winners in World Cup history, with their winning score always not going beyond two, in this World Cup.

Throughout the tournament, Spain under Vicente Del Bosque played some smart and sleek football, carving out chances and making deft moves. Having a team brimming with awesome talent, with the best men in best positions, the La Roja was unstoppable. Leaving aside their early setback against Switzerland, Spain re-grouped in time to shed their ‘underachievers’ tag. Over the years, Spanish sides have always faltered after promising much at the global stage. The Dutch influence on Spanish football over the years has also paid rich dividends in this triumph. Johan Cruyff, Louis Van Gaal, Rinus Michels-the creator of Total Football-and Frank Rijkaard are some of the Dutch greats who plied their trade in the La Liga, as players and coaches. Barcelona has been the club that imbibed their philosophies the most. In fact, the starting Spanish eleven in this World Cup had 7 Barca players. The Spanish also had the best passing throughout the tournament and this was guided by the philosophy of “Tiqui Taka” or “Pass and Move”. The passing of the ball denotes the team-work involved in the game; magnificent goals are born only out of the hard work of the collective rather than the individual glory of the scorer. This philosophy has seeped into the Spanish game, and has put them a few miles, ahead of the rest. Also, the multi-skilled players, with the ability to control ball possession for longer hours and frustrate the opposition were also an asset for Spain. The Spanish put this strength to full use against the Germans in the semi-final; the speed, precision and agility of the young German side was no match for the experienced Spanish team, who suffocated their opponents for time and space, thereby beating them in their own game. The Spanish game was also with the least number of fouls and bookings, something that earned them the Fair Play award as well, to top up with the glittering trophy. David Villa finished as joint top-scorer of the tournament with 5 goals and locked in a four-way tie with Sneijder, Mueller and Forlan. Played upfront as the sole striker, Villa also used both his feet to good effect and scored at crucial times. Packed with stars like Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Capdevila, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, Busquets, and Pique, with Navas, Pedro, Llorente and David Silva on the bench, Spain was in abundance. Finally, they dropped anchor firmly at the world stage. In contrast, the Dutch played an ugly game, often justifying the same for a win. Players like Von Bommel and Nigel De Jong playing the physical game enacting rough tackles. Even though Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben blossomed in the tournament helping the Netherlands keep a clean record of all wins throughout the qualification and tournament, they fell at the final hurdle. It was third time trauma for them, after losing in the final on two earlier occasions- 1974 to West Germany and 1978 to Argentina.               

While the description of the final above gives the pulse of the two European giants, the tournament itself needs a post-mortem. The aim is to undertake reality check on the month-long fiesta, picking up the pieces and trying to reset the jigsaw, in order to have a larger perspective

# Goals have rained rather less in this World Cup, at least in the group stages. Teams have been miserly in going for larger margins and were contended in winning by small margins, thereby deciding to safeguard even a small lead rather than aiming big. This goes to show that the teams strengthened their defences. The best example was North Korea’s show against Brazil, in their opening encounter in Group G, when they almost locked up the giants in the opening half. Many of the custodians have also protected their nets very well and have displayed their feats, in excellent fashion. Many of the big guns lost their touch, once inside the opposite D. However, this miserliness was turned over in the league stages by the Argentines, who scored 10 in all till their Round of 16 match against Mexico. Higuain, and Tevez, aided by Messi moved up. But then they were upstaged by the Germans, who not only routed them, but finished the tournament with 16 goals, pumping in 3 in the Bronze medal match against Uruguay. Klose, Mueller, Podolski, Ozil, supplied by Lahm and Schweinsteiger ran riot in rival defences and stocking up goals getting 16 in all.

# This World Cup saw the demise of certain big sharks, who only vouched by the spice of glamour and commercial interests through the hefty pay-checks and large, doughty leagues. The prime example is that of England as a team. With over-hyped personnel like Gerrard-Lampard-Terry-Rooney, England collapsed under its own weight. This was further enforced by the early exit of France and Italy. This also proved that performances in national colours are not necessarily dependent on the heights of your glamour professional leagues.

# The World Cup was one, wherein the dominance shifted from Europe to Latin America and then back to Europe. This movement of back and forth was a highlight of this World Cup. After the early exit of France and Italy, with England in the Pre-Quarters, Europe had only 3 teams that moved into the Quarter-Finals out of the total 13 that competed. In contrast, out of the 5 that qualified for finals, four moved into the finals. Thus, all the 4 Quarter-Finals had representation from all these four teams. But by the time, the quarters were finished, except for Uruguay, other three exited. But with Spain, Netherlands and Germany moving into the penultimate stages, the balance again shifted to favour Europe. With Germany grabbing the bronze, other two were assured of the top two spots.

# The exit of Brazil and Argentina in the quarter-final stage is the biggest sub-plot within the larger landscape of the World Cup. Two of the biggest nations in world football followed two altogether different trajectories in this World Cup; though they moved up, some thing was amiss and clearly, they fell at crucial hurdles. The elimination at quarter-finals this time around, was similar to their exit in the last World Cup in Germany, as then too, it was in the last eight. Argentina which had a disastrous qualification campaign, wherein they lost to even light-weights like Bolivia and Peru, got through in the last grasp. With the legend, Diego Maradona at the helm of affairs as the coach, almost 110 players were tried before the final 23 were selected. Attack was the keyword for Maradona, and he got six strikers to South Africa. Without playing the aggressive attacking game, Maradona felt that the spirit of the game could never be preserved. With the World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi moulding himself as a play maker, El Diego reinforced the dictum that attack was the best form of defence. His team surged through the group stages with greater goals. Even though Messi could not find the net, he amply supplied and created enough chances for Higuain and Tevez. Some of his runs and moves were deft as well as filled with panache. However, while they scored freely at the opposite end, chinks were clearly visible in the defence. This was beginning to show in matches where they conceded goals that could have been well prevented. The defence armour of Otamendi, Burdisso, Heinze and Demichelis were not match for a superior attack, as shown by the Germans. They were torn apart in the quarters at Cape Town, as Germany with their deadly counter-attacks, marched ahead with speed, aggression and clinical precision. Pulverized by 4 goals, the Argentines were also suffocated by their superior opponents. The sole dependence on Messi also proved to be a bane for them, as the staunch German defence crowed him out for time and space. Maradona’s decision to leave out experienced hands in the defence in team selection, like Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso cost La Albiceleste very hard. Also, denying a place for veteran playmaker, Riquelme in the squad meant that Argentina were exposed thoroughly against tough opponents like Germany, even while in possession of a supreme strike force. While Maradona the coach was more passionate shouting inspiration and encouragement from the touchline, he met his match in the tactician of Joachim Loew, the German manager. Maradona somewhere failed in this tactical brilliance.

Quite contrastingly, Brazil shut out its flair and attacking mode, or the Latin American style in this World Cup. Coach Dunga, the ’94 World Cup winning captain, employed the tactics of strengthening the defences and relying on counter-attacks. With just one striker, in Luis Fabiano in the upfront, the mid-field held through under Robinho and playmaker Kaka. With Lucio, Gilberto Silva and Maicon to shore up defence, Brazil locked away their traditional attacking, elegant style. This meant that footballing powerhouse, lost its sheen and style. An alien style of play occupied the team’s game plan and Dunga was at the centre of it. However, despite the murmurs of protests from many quarters, the Selecao, continued their spirited run. They finished the group stage with two wins and a goalless draw against Portugal. They prevailed upon Chile and even dominated the Dutch in the first-half of their quarter-final; however, their strategy misfired once they were trailing. Two headers by Sneijder negated the early Brazilian lead. The formation of 4-2-3-1 by Dunga couldn’t last the distance. With a rough tackle by Felipe Melo receiving a red card, Brazil collapsed under its weight and fell apart. The crashing out of the Latin American giants in opposite within the space of a day, finished the lion’s share of interest in the World Cup. The contrasts also do not end there. While Dunga and his coaching staff lost their job once they returned home with brickbats, the welcome for Maradona and his boys had no animosity. In fact, almost the entire country wants Diego to stay as coach and take Argentina to Copa America title, they are hosting next year.

# “This Time for Africa”-this was the official song of the World Cup by Shakira. But on the field, with 6 teams, the continent failed to impress. Except for Ghana, all other teams like Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire did not see light beyond the group stages. South Africa also called Bafana Bafana became the first host nation in the history of World Cup to be eliminated within the group stages, despite a win over France. However, the continent as a whole got behind Ghana and cheered them all along till the quarters. Ghana, despite their captain Michael Essien missing the entire action due to injury, played with all passion and energy, scything through the opposition. Even in the last eight match against Uruguay, they had almost got through to the semis, where no African team had yet reached, if not for Luis Suarez’s Hand of God. Asamoah Gyan had led from the front in the whole tournament, aided by Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntary, Ayew and Kevin-Prince Boateng. But at the closing stages of the Extra-Time, Gyan’s penalty could only find the upright and Uruguay made the Black Stars pay the penalty in the shoot-out. The World Cup, thus once again proved that African teams had to still go a long way at the global stage.

Japan and South Korea were impressive and carried the Asian flag with high hopes. Even though they lost to the superiority of opposition in the knock-out, that too to Latin American teams, their progress to the next stage outside their own continent was something to savour.

#  The World Cup also send a strong message to those who were stubborn that there could not be even a slight tweaking or tinkering of the gameplan. Those who refused to budge, were shown the hard lessons too. The best case scenario was that of the English under their Italian manager, Fabio Cappello. He remained confined to his plans during the qualification campaign and refused to re-work that strategy, even when the gears changed coming into the actual competition. He simply refused to believe that the traditional formation had to be changed to match faster and agile opponents. Mid-Way through their campaign, former captain John Terry even murmured points of dissent against the coach. Thereby, England once again left the world stage, early, compounded with a goal drought in their entire entourage. However, despite the exit, the English FA has allowed Cappello to continue as the manager, to make the team qualify for Euro 2012. Changes from the old guard in the team are expected, as fresh blood is sought to be infused in the squad. But the unfortunate thing for Cappello is that the young talent pool in England through their premiership league, is not exactly brimming up.   

# Many of the big stars also failed to shine in this World Cup. Half of them were wrecked by injuries and could not make the trip to South Africa. Even those who made it, could not turn up in full potential, as they stunted by lingering niggles. While Michael Ballack, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Essien surrendered to the injuries, the likes of Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba left much to be desired in this gala tourney. The effects of long club seasons were clearly felt on the players. However, despite recovering late from injuries, Arjen Robben and Fernando Torres showed their supreme touch later in the tournament.

# This world carnival was also an exhibition of youth over the aged horses. Clearing away the old men, the youth flowered further and took wings, with full exuberance. The teams with such renewed energy and fresh talent saw the blossoming of greater performances. Team Germany led from the front in this area. Bastian Schweinsteiger is only 25 years-old, but he is already a veteran of three World Cups, carving out their attacks and shoring up their defences. Also, with a much more vibrant multi-cultural approach through the easing of immigrant laws, Germany showed their supremacy and aggression were miles ahead. They had players of various descent: Tunisian, Turkish, Ghanaian, Brazilian, Polish, and Spanish. In Ozil, Mueller, Khadeira, Jerome Boateng, Cacau, and Gomez, along with the senior pros like Lahm, Podolski and Klose, Germany became a team with the features with speed, agility and surgical precision along with their famous deadly counter-attacks. Aging war-horses were shoved out of the way, as happened in the case of defending champions, Italy. Marcello Lippi was back at the helm, but could not prevent the team from crashing out in the group stage itself.

# One of the defining results of this World Cup, is the strong need felt for using technology. Errors by Referees and Linesmen swarmed in this tourney that resulted in wrong judgements on goals, and fouls. Mali referee Koman Coulibaly disallowing a goal denied the USA a much needed win against Slovenia. Similarly, Stephane Lannoy’s role in sending off Kaka following clear simulation by Keita, in the match between Brazil and Cote D’Ivoire drew much criticism. However, the errors by Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay led to the disallowing of Lampard’s phantom goal against Germany when England was trailing by 1-2. That clearly upset the team’s rhythm and could never recover from it. Roberto Rossetti, the Italian referee allowed Tevez a goal, against Mexico that was clearly offside. Sepp Blatter could only offer his apologies for the teams at the receiving end and do nothing more. Perhaps, FIFA would be now forced to re-think on its age-old strategies and make the best use of technologies available. Football’s world governing body, cannot remain evasive on this issue any more.

# The organization of this World Cup has once again brought the best out of South Africa. A country, shut out of sporting ventures during the dark years of Apartheid, the World Cup is definitely an opening. After organizing the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and Cricket World Cup in 2003, Soccer too has found its place in South African sports management. The Rainbow nation was on target, both in terms of infrastructure and organization. 10 great venues like Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Green Point in Cape Town, Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, and Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth displayed the best soccer for one month. Great seats, well-maintained playing pitch along with electrifying atmosphere made sure the matches were played without a hitch. The capabilities of South Africa in organizing this spectacle as one nation were also something to watch out. Infusing indigenous cultures into the mega tournament also proved wonders. Terms like Vuvuzela, Jabulani and Zakumi will always remain etched in memory. Even the mighty venue of Soccer City was built on the design of Calabash, or an African Pot. This was to also reflect the venue being a melting pot of various cultures. The nation turned out as one to make the entire month memorable and long-lasting for the entire days to come.

But FIFA also has to take note some glaring aspects too. Many seats could not be filled up in some matches and that too in slightly large numbers. Vacant seats were clearly, as a result of FIFA’s decision to sell tickets only through the internet. This was clearly neglected by them, when most of the African population cannot afford to such luxuries. For them, tickets over the counters are the most viable way of getting into the matches. Also, the raising of fares by airlines and hotel rates ensured that many within the continent could not take part in the tournament. The FIFA had sub-contracted the hospitality aspect to an agency called Match, and this concern in fact, worked to jerk up prices, hitting the fans below the belt. In future, such actions have to be clearly checked by FIFA to ensure greater comfort level for the countless fans, who criss-cross continents to come and join the carnival. Stricter measures have to be in place to ensure that such firms and agencies are always on the watch list. FIFA’s attempts to only concentrate on reaping profits should not leave out the millions of fans and leave them in despair. While World Cup is the major engine for FIFA to earn revenue that has to be channelled back for the development programmes across the world. South Africa’s tourism industry has also earned hugely in this month. But the future also has to be clearly looked into. The giant stadiums have to be put to best use and make them filled with games round the year. This also comes in the backdrop of several fears and apprehensions raised regarding many of these magnificent structures that many feel could turn up as White Elephants!! Some grounds like in Polokwane have no football clubs to play, and so it would depend on how the nation’s football federation comes up with plans to use them in optimum manner. Already, there have been proposals floated to get Rugby, a favourite sport for the people in the country, as an event in these grounds too.

In the past month on the whole, the world chased the Jabulani and life moved with it. The anticipation with which, billions waited with bated breath and anticipation for the carnival to begin. But the 4 weeks passed away swiftly; and wait has again started for the 20^th World Cup. As Spain joined the club of World Cup winners, the game has once again turned to be winner. Football has once again proved to be the game with the largest following, where the world irrespective of language, cultures, creed, colour, nationalities and faiths, joined as one to celebrate the ‘Beautiful Game’. The Fireworks have been extinguished, the broadcasters have rolled back their long wires, and the players/officials have left the shores of South Africa with a promise to meet again in four years time in Brazil. But the reverberations and echoes are still alive of the past one month in its entirety. Life has returned to being normal; the World has turned from ‘Round’ to ‘Flat’. But somewhere, deep down in the heart, there is an emptiness and there is a lump in the throat. The wait has started for Brazil 2014. Thank You, South Africa for the Golden Memories!!

Football World Cup 2010: One World, One Universal Language, One Identity

At the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on June 11, with the ball at his feet, Tshabalale breaks into a run and moving forward with amazing agility and speed. Mexican Defenders try their best to match him and mark him. However, he is unstoppable and moves into a far left position of the Mexican penalty box and sends a swirling left footer that flies into the net on the far side. With the ball kissing the back of the net, He breaks into a traditional dance, joined by his cheering team-mates of ‘Bafana Bafana’ along with thousands across South Africa. Switch to the next day, at Ellis Park in the same city, Veron-fondly called ‘the Witch’ is back at his best and takes a flag-kick that swirls away outside the penalty area, where there seem to be none waiting to receive. But out of the blue, Gabriel Heinze, jumps forward with a brilliant header, that sends the ball into the left corner of the Nigerian goal. That goal is enough for the Argentines to ensure victory.

Welcome to World Cup 2010. These images and countless others will follow for one entire month in South Africa, are treasures, if one can call that. Soccer at its classic best, with a feast of world-class footballers batting it out for the ultimate prize, to be crowned the champions of the planet. The wait for the last four years was intolerable. This one month will be taken over by fever, raging amongst the fanatics of the game. Millions across time-zones will cheer and join the carnival for their teams. The carnival includes all the attackers, the magicians, back-benchers, and dark-horses. As dreams, hopes, tears and madness amalgamate and sit side by side for this month, emotions run like a river in full torrent.

Every World Cup has enough myths, tales of bravery and heart-breaks to share. The History of World Cup begins in 1930, as Uruguay hosted the inaugural edition, something that was given for them being the reigning Olympic Champions. With Lucien Laurent etching his name in history as the first goal-scorer in World Cup, the tournament was a rage. Uruguay met Argentina in the final, going on to be crowned the World Champions.

Latin American dominance of the game thus began with that crowning glory. That style of play had a special touch to it, as the beauty of the game increased manifolds with teams from the region, especially Brazil and Argentina. The Latin American style is also a pleasure for the eye, having a unique charm and elegance. As every World Cup begins, Brazil and Argentina go into the tournament, having a ‘natural and sole claim’ to the crown. Most of he eye balls at the global stage, follow both these team, more than anyone else. 5-time champions Brazil and two-time winner, Argentina are rich in both the game and legends behind it. Having legacy of greats like Pele, Garrincha, Vava, Didi, Jairzinho, Zico, and Socrates, their followers seek nothing short of the crown for the 6^th time. With 1994 winning captain Dunga at the helm as manager weaving the tactics, their moves are sharpened by a force having names like Kaka, Fabiano, Robinho, Maicon, and Lucio. Brazil is one of the teams that appears complete both in the defence, mid-field and up-front and is a top favourite of the bookies. Even before the kick-off, the best on paper. However, Argentina are not ready to give that status yet to their arch-rivals and are ready for the battle, A magician by the name of Diego Maradona-still capable of many a battle on field-is their coach and that perhaps is a big plus in their campaign for a third crown. Despite having an eventful qualification campaign, that saw them enter the final 32 as fourth in the region, one can only write them off at their own peril. Losses to Bolivia-something described by Maradona as “six bullets piercing the heart”-Chile and Brazil seemed to dent their hopes, but they recovered in time. But the Argentinian hopes and dreams are carried on the shoulders of a host of battle-trained players. Leading from the front as the trump card is none other than, Lionel Messi, or the “the Messiah” as Maradona calls him. The reigning FIFA World Footballer of the Year, Messi is also widely seen as the successor of the great Diego. Plying his trade for Barcelona in the Spanish league, his tremendous form is definitely the talking point. His role as the Argentine fans see, is that of a helmsman who has to take the ship through the rough seas. Apart from Messi, Argentina arrives in South Africa, with 5 other best strikers, Diego Milito-from his heroics for inter Milan taking them to the Champions League podium, Carlos Tevez from the English League, Sergio Aguro, Gonzalo Higuain and Martin Palermo. Also, they have Mascherano as captain, Walter Samuel, Angel Di Maria, Maxi Rodriguez, Heinze, and Veron to strengthen their strike force. But Maradona and his boys, have to ensure that all the prowess isn’t just restricted to being on paper. Apart from the ‘Selecao’ and ‘Albiceleste’, there are Argentine Marcelo Bielsa’s Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay-who again ride on the back of the veteran, experienced Diego Forlan. But the Dream Final everyone is looking forward on July 11, is that of the arch-rivals, Brazil and Argentina. Another history is waiting at the threshold-if either Maradona or Dunga ensure their team as world champions, then he would emulate the great Franz ‘Kaiser’ Beckenbauer

Moving on from Latin America, we come to another style matching the former, the European variety. In terms of abundance of talent, the team matching Brazil and Argentina is Spain, the reigning European champions. With stars like Casillas, Fabregas, Puyol, Iniesta, Ramos. Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Silva and Villa, jostling in one single team, the Spanish Armada is brewing with richness. Under the coaching of Vicente Del Bosque who has taken over reigns from the successful Luis Aragones, Spain have staked their claim authoritatively on the glittering trophy. Under Fabio Cappello, England had a remarkable qualification campaign. But injury to captain Rio Ferdinand has been a set-back. But under Steven Gerrard wearing the captain’s arm-band, Rooney and Crouch as strikers, Lampard, Aaron Lennon, John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Shaun-Wright Philips, the English hope to get their second title after 1966 at Wembley.  Under ‘Magic Boy’ Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal to better their performance four years off. But they will definitely have to play out of their skins in their Group G games, having tough opponents, Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea. The French, whose qualification play-off was marred by Henry’s ‘hand-ball’ against Ireland, are in Group A with Uruguay, Mexico and hosts South Africa. Missing from their squad is the legend, Zinedine Zidane, whose ‘magic legs’ won’t be on show this time.  Also not in action are Trezeguet, Barthez, and Patrick Viera. But Raymond Domench has at his disposal the strength of Malouda, Ribery, Abidal, and Anelka, hoping they would carry the flame ahead.

The reigning world champions, the ‘Azzuri’ are also under the stewardship of Marcello Lippi. Coming in the midst of ugly and corrupt scandals in their domestic league, Serie A four years before, Lippi had marshaled his troops well then leading them to their fourth championship title. However, after Roberto Donadoni failed for a brief while, making way for Lippi again, this time around, the Italians are one of the oldest in the tournament. With play maker and skipper Michael Ballack missing the action due to injury that has in fact, almost finished his World Cup career, Germany is still looking forward to bring out is lightening football. Coach Joachim Low would hope that Klose, Podolski, Schweinsteiger, and Philip Lahm would make sure Ballack is not missed and go to win their third world title. The proponets of ‘Total Football’ have always had the case of “so near, yet so far”. The Dutch who boast of legends like Cruyff, Van Basten, Rikaard and Ruud Gullit, would hope that Arjen Robben, Sneijder, Von Bommel, Dirk Kuyt, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst would make some deep in-roads in this edition.  Apart from these teams, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Switzerland, Denmark, and Greece complete the European line-up. Europe also has the distinction of having the oldest and youngest managers in this edition of the World Cup-them being Otto Rehhagel of Greece and Vladmir Weiss of Slovenia respectively.

The host continent Africa, have always had the tag ‘Dark Horses’ attached to them. The African style has an all together different charm. Something that begins slowly, going on to reach an aggressive crescendo; they also have a rich legacy to safeguard. Cameroon under Roger Milla in 1990, Nigeria in 1994, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2006, have been great examples of African dream runs.  In South Africa, Ghana would be there, but without their star player, Michael Essien, as the Chelsea star is out wit an injury. But they would hope Asamoah Gyan and Stephen Appiah would be at their best. “The Elephants” or Ivory Coast would ride the waves under their star Didier Drogba, who has under his belt a successful league and goals with Chelsea. Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, would also have with him Salomon Kalou, and the brothers Kolo Toure and Yaya Toure. But to negotiate their way upwards against Brazil, Portugal and North Korea would be a stiff challenge. The ‘Super Eagles’, Nigeria would also be knocking at the high doors, as the successful coach of Sweden, Lars Lagerback tries to devise ways to progress from their tough Group B, having Argentina, South Korea and Greece. Under Samuel ‘Eto’o-experienced from the Spanish and Italians leagues with Barcelona and Inter Milan-as captain and Rigobert Song, the ‘Indomitable Lions’ Cameroon, march forward hoping to emulate Milla’s legacy. But Eto’o would correct the criticisms of Milla against him. South Africa called ‘Bafana Bafana’ are the only team to escape the trials at qualification, as being the hosts. Coached by Brazilian Carlos Alberto Pereira, they would seek to make strong dents and move to the second round from Group A. The ‘Desert Foxes’ Algeria who defeated Egypt in an eventful play-off at Khartoum, complete the line-up from Africa.

From Asia, comes Australia, who changed their confederation from Oceania. Under Mark Schwazer, Bresciano, Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill, the Socceroos would hope to make good progress in the tournament. Japan have also made their presence felt from Asia along with South Korea, who would hope to re-work the magic at home eight years back when they reached the last four. North Korea makes its entry into the World Cup after 1966, where they had shocked Italy and went down fighting to Portugal, who were saved by Eusebio. Then there teams like Mexico, whose hopes hinge greatly on performances by Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Rafael Marquez and Javier Hernandez. USA would have Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsy under the managership of Bob Bradley who tries to fit into the shoes of Bob Bradley. Honduras is the other team from North-America Concacaf region. Completing the entire line-up would be New Zealand under Ricky Herbet, who was also part of their only World Cup appearance in 1982. The New Zealanders enter the final round defeating Bahrain in the Play-Offs. This effectively ended any possibility of the participation of a team from the Persian Gulf. This World Cup is marked by their absence, which has never happened so in near past. Also, this World Cup would be unique in the fact that, there would be no team making its debut in the World Cup finals. Each team has featured in either of all 18 previous editions.

I have the belief that there is no one single Group of Death in this World Cup. While without doubt, Group G having Brazil, Ivory Coast, North Korea and Portugal is the toughest. But Group B comprising Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece is also a challenge. So is Group D with the Germans, Serbs, Ghana and Australia. Even Group E comprising Netherlands, Denmark, So tough battles can be expected in the 10 venues that South Africa has brought forth for this tournament.

History and Legacy abound in World Cup along with controversies and scandals too. A host of names are legends in their own right at the global stage. Puskas, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Vava, Didi, Pele, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Beckenbauer, Pele, Maradona, Johan Cryuff, Michel Platini, Paolo Rossi, Dino Zoff, Gerd Muller, Linekar, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Romario, Roberto Baggio, Rivaldo, Batistuta, Maldini, Cannigia…………..the list is endless. Several moments in the field have given their share of controversies, whether it be Geoff Hurst’s goal in 1966 final against West Germany at Wembley, something debated under the same breadth as Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 quarter-final against England. Snippets and Trivia also abound in the World Cup. The tale of how after winning the 1934 World Cup winners, Italy safeguarded the Jules Rimet Cup, when their Football Association Vice-President kept its under his bed-trunk even at the height of Allied attacks in Wartime, as how the cup was stolen in 1966 and the English being saved of massive embarrassment by a dog called Pickles, which retrieved it. The World Cup has come a long way from its inception,. The trophy itself underwent change, as the Jules Rimet Cup was replaced by Silvio Gazzaniga’s sculpted piece used to this day. Franz Beckenbauer had the honour of raising it first in 1974, as the Rimet trophy was handed over to Brazil permanently, who won it thrice.

Every sport connects millions through its transcendental effect; the power to provide unbridled joy from multitude of problems for people and take their dreams as well as aspirations on top flight. Football thus makes a ‘Global Unifying Factor’. Carrying dreams, hopes and a special mania, millions welcome the World Cup world over. Despite the drives and penetration of commercialization, the essence and spirit of football still stands undiluted, tying together people like no other force. A Ball and 22 bodies running behind it is just a mirage….when the ball rolls in World Cup, the entire world runs behind it, eyes riveting towards the goal mouth. ‘Jogo Bonito’ or the Beautiful Game may be a Brazilian axiom, but its connotations are global in nature today, as it creates new meanings and adages. So whether it be in Savannah of Africa, Amazon jungles of Latin America, Prairies of North America, the Meadows of Europe, Deserts in Arabia, towns of Asia or high lands Down Under, the World united. As the whistle blew at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on June 11, when the sounds of Vuvuzuela resounded, as Shakira joined in chorus with ‘Waka Waka’ and various colours & jerseys, came afore, the World for One Month has a Universal Language, Universal Identity: Football!!

IPL-2: Some Lessons to Ponder

As the second season of the Indian Premier League draws to a close, it is time to sit back and savour the happenings of the last 36 days. As two of the bottom placed teams-Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers-clash to be the champions of this season, one can take a deeper look at all the matches and draws some conclusions as lessons or talking points, in cricketing terms. After watching this season, yours truly has these points to make:

# "If it can happen, it will, come what may"-thats the message of this season!! If Lalit Modi has the will, irrespective of whether the country is seeking the mandate of the people to form its next government, the show will go on!! The sceptics and purists can debate endlessly whether Indian Premier League can truly be 'Indian' if the show happens in South Africa; but the matter of fact is that IPL-2 has happened.

# This season of IPL was primarily aimed at the global television audiences, especially given the fact that the timings remain unchanged for the Indian viewers. They watched the games at the timings of last season, i.e 4 pm and 8 pm, even if that meant that the players had to sweat it out , according to SA timings of 12.30 and 4.30 pm respectively.

# Now to come to the actual show, Cricket is a game where the primacy is for the players, and not necessarily for their "Star Owners'. The franchisees which had superstars as owners, lost out in the big race. While Kolkata Knight Riders learnt it the hard way this year-taking on the mantle from the Deccan Chargers last season to finish last-Kings XI Punjab was also heartbroken as they were edged out at a crucial phase. Even the reigning champions, the Rajasthan Royals who acquired a new owner from this season, were beaten out of the semi-final race.

# Turn-arounds are always possible, for that is nature of cricket or for that matter, any sport. Only that you need astute leadership, tactical acumen and the desire to turn adversity into challenges. This cannot be more clearly explained than to point out the two finalists this season-the Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers, who were down in the dumps last year. Under the combination of Anil Kumble-Ray Jennings (though Kevin Pieterson was the captain, it was after his departure for national duty that Challengers started their remarkable turn-around) and Adam Gilchrist-Darren Lehmann, both the teams with shifted gears and turned out to be giant-killers in the semis, outclassing Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, the top two teams in the league table.

# "Expensive Signings are not their money's worth in true terms"-that is another statement in this season!!Both Kevin Pieterson and Andrew Flintoff failed miserably to justify their high price tags, in whatever limited opportunity that was available. So was the case of Jesse Ryder. Once again, this season of IPL like last year has proved that utility players who are moulded into the format fit the bill. However, there were exceptions like Lasith Malinga, Jean-Paul Duminy(who in his first season of IPL scored 5 half-centuries for the Mumbai Indians), and AB DeVilliers.

# Once again, unlike the big foreign signings, its the unknown Indian domestic players who have shone themselves. One such example is Manish Pandey for the Challengers-the first Indian to score a century in IPL. Also there were T.Suman, Naman Ojha, Shadab Jakati (who marked a turn around for Chennai from their suprising rut of losses with two consecutive four wicket hauls against Daredevils and Chargers) and of course the big guns like Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan.

# It is not always a batsman's game, as its is being largely visualized. No matter how many runs you score, it is not worthwhile if it can't be defended. The Chennai Super Kings understood it the hardway in their outing against the Knight Riders, the punching bag of this season. After scoring almost 190 in that game, the Super Kings could not just defend that score. One of the best batting sides in the IPL, the loss of Super Kings proves that bowlers still win the day, even as odds are favourably loaded for the batsmen. However, there are again exceptions, like in the case of CSK itsell, who defended their motely score of 129 against the Kings XI in their last league match. In fact, on the whole, the shift to South Africa has also lent some balance between bat and ball. The swing and seam movement both on and off the track-with the descent of winter in the country-has also helped the bowlers to keep a check on the batsmen from cutting loose. This is unlike the first season of IPL in India last year, when teams posted huge totals on board playing on wickets which could only be described as "batting paradise". In fact, this year, only one total of over 200 has been posted by any team(Rajasthan Royals' 211 against Kings Xi Punjab in Durban).

# "Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent", and "Never write off Cricketers even if they have retired-Two other statements justified this year. The biggest examples??-Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.Post-retirement, their hunger for runs and passion for the game remain as fresh as ever.What is it with these Aussies and that too, with those who have retired.Last year, Shane Warne-who never captained his country during his international career, leading to many people getting vocal and sympathetic about him being the 'best person to have missed captaincy'-turned the Royals, one of the underrated teams at the start, into a champion unit; Gilchrist, this year has led the Deccan Chargers into the summit clash with greater vigour and motivation; and Hayden being the proud owner of the Orange Cap for scoring close to 580 runs, a marked departure from last December when people from all quarters were calling for his head, leading to his retirement. One needs to only take a look at their marauding form this season. The image of the tall, well built Hayden walking down the track to take on the bowlers, inspires continues to inspire awe among his numeorus fans, inclduing yours truly. Watching his innings of 89 the other night at Centurion against Kings XI taking on Sreesanth and co just makes me cling more to his batsmanship. It was said that Chennai could chase any imposing target, because among their superior batting line-up, Hayden stood rock-solid as the anchor. Gilchrist's innings in the semis against the Daredevils was blitzkreig that blew the latter away. Wish they continued playing at all levels, even today. Andrew Hilditch and his team of Aussie selectors listening??

# Ambidextrous players have shone brightly in batting and bowling. Take the case of Hayden and R.P.Singh, the proud owners of the Orange and Purple caps this season. Also Gilchrist, Raina, Jean-Paul Duminy, Jakati and Nehra(whose performance left many still wondering how he lost his spot in the national side). Also, Left-handers on the whole have made waves. Just look at the case of Yuvraj Singh, who shined more with the ball than with the bat this year, getting two hat-tricks. Again, Pragyan Ojha with his flight, and subtle variations was one of the key pillars in instrumenting the rise of the Chargers this year.

# Over-dependence on few players have also cost teams highly. One best case scenario here is that of the Mumbai Indians. The failure of Sachin and Sanath at the top of the order exposed their batting order, leaving them heavily reliant on Duminy to steer their ship. Same was the case with the Royals, as the failure of the Graeme Smith, made the shoulders of Yusuf Pathan heavily burdened. The top-heavy approach has also damaged the team prospects along with that of things revolving around one or two players.

# Packing the team with all-rounders also doesn't guarantee total success. The biggest illustration for that is the Super Kings. Except for a few games, their batting was like this in permanence for this season-Hayden, Parthiv, Raina, Dhoni, Badrinath, Morkel, Oram, Tyagi, Jakati, Balaji and Muralitharan. Sometimes, Murali Vijay, Bailey, Flintoff, R.Ashwin, Manpreet Gony and Thushara got the chances. The lack of a genuine pace bowler hurt their chances badly. Even while having Makhaya Ntini within their ranks, the fact that team combination heavily favouring all-rounders could be changed only seldomly needs a serious re-look. For it is the bowlers, who have a bigger role than the batsmen as i pointed out earlier. Hence, I feel that this mindset of "all-rounders being win all and end all" needs to be re-loaded.

# Carrying on from the last point, some remained just bench-warmers this entire season. Never able to fit into the team combination, they remained as "senior advisers". Perhaps, the bill fits here best on the Daredevils. Three of their players-the veteran Glenn McGrath(still having the fuel in tank for many a battle), Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah remained in the dug-out rather than being on the field.Similar was the case of Ntini, who definitely would have had his hands itching to have a go at the opposition batsmen. McGrath never understood his role well and was even prompted to state that he may not play in the next season of IPL, only to retract later.

# One more simple fact-teams who look unbeatable on paper, are not the same as they seem to be. Delhi Devils-with Sehwag, Gambhir, AB Devilliers, Dilshan, Warner, Vettori, Nannes, Maharoof, Amit Mishra, Sangwan, Nehra, Karthik-and McGrath, Collingwood and Owais Shah may have topped the league standings, but were beaten superbly by the Chargers. So was the case of Super Kings-touted by many as the sure-shot winner this year.

# Old school theories still do the trick. "Disciplined Line and Length bowling" with subtle variations squeeze batting teams and choke them for runs. Numerous matches this year reflect this. One match in memory this year was the re-match of the Super Kings and Royals at Kimberly. Restricting the Royals to a gettable total, the Super Kings also had their screws tigthened, until a cool and determined knock by Badrinath, in the company of a composed Hayden. Yet another match afresh in the mind, was the semi-final of the Super Kings with the Royal Challengers, where Anil Kumble tightened the leash whenever the Super Kings tried to explode, thereby squeezing them for runs.

# This was also a season, where the fielding standards dipped to new lows, by all teams. While the ground-fielding could still be managed, it was the catching that left a lot more to be desired. The Chennai Super Kings again were the culprits in the department more than anyone else, and they also paid the price for having 'butter fingers' on many occasions. While they tried to mask their 'drops' under the garb of big runs on the board, their captain Dhoni minced no words in showing the disappointment. Many of the catches were 'dollies' that had to be taken at this level. Whatever be the reason-even if it had something to do with the weather as pointed out by Gilchrist after the semi-final against Delhi-losing the basics is equal to committing harakiri. Remember Steve Waugh to Gibbs in 1999 World Cup??

# Strategic Time-Outs may have its pros and cons, but I feel they have worked. Teams threatening to run off with the match through hurricane innings of the batsmen have been grounded after the 7 1/2 minutes mid-innings break. One feels this is a case of getting two birds with one stone-raking in extra moolah from ad revenue and on cricketing terms, unsettle the opposition with fresh strategies.

# Maverick laptops and bizzare tactics-strategies do not pay dividends,as was the case with Kolkata Knight Riders. John Buchanan's "Multiple Captain" theory bit the dust and removal of Ganguly from the helm, along with ovwerweight support staff left many wounds afresh and untendered. The 'Fake IPL Player' controversy further opened new cans of worms for the team, as was booting out of Akash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar in middle of the tournament. Similarly, the pushing out of Mohammed Kaif also needs a strong re-visit.

# IPL is here to stay and the more sooner, the cricketing world comes to grip with this reality, the better. Wth ongoing efforts to replicate this model elsewhere in the cricketing and non-cricketing world, it is high time the game's governing body seriously discusses and seals a pending demand from last year-To Have a Permanent Window in the Future Tours and Programmes Calendar for the IPL. With increasing number of players wanting to associate themselves with the even-whether it be for financial or cricketing reasons-it is no more a 'Paid Holiday' as pointed out by Dale Steyn last year. Also, with the ICL also releasing players, many more are expected to join the bandwagon from the next season. However, attempts to have the overdose of the spirit, like suggestions of having two IPLs a year(one in India and other in a potential market catchment area like USA) would only mean 'killing the golden goose'. Also, the primacy of classical first-class cricket has to be established. Statements are emerging from some quarters regarding 'doomsday' for Test cricket; Some players-who reach join the team for the test match just 48 hours before its start and who are angry for dragging them away from IPL-feel "not too sorry or unhappy ath the demise of test cricket" have got it all wrong. The excitement of a five day test match in white flannels, where game happens in sessions, where the skills and perseverance of players are put under scanner, can never be replaced by the razzmattazz of the T20 revolution

# And finally a lesson on personal note-determination and decisions like "will never miss any match, come what may" are also bound to change. They undergo change, due to various circumstances. However, efforts to stick to that original determination 'continue' in numerous forms.