WORLD CUP FOOTBALL 2010

The curtains came down for World cup Football 2010 with the finals played between Netherlands and Spain at Soccer City, Johannesburg in South Africa. Spain won the match and became the World Champions for the first time. It is third time disappointment for Netherlands in the World cup football finals. An extra time goal almost at the very end of the match by Andres Iniesta sealed the fate of Holland in a match where physical supremacy took the lead over football skills. Holland had eight of its players booked for foul on the opponent, with one of them getting the red card. Without being partial or judgemental, while both teams had ample chances to win, one felt that Spain deserved to win the match as they were clearly the better of the two (in football terms) having kept the possession of ball with it for close to sixty percent of the time, through short passes.

Personally, though I did try several times, I just could not fully see the last matches of the day of the tournament for the whole season, except for the finals that got over yesterday. Starting right atthe middle of the night, to be fully awake for the next two to two and half hours had been an arduous task. However I could make it yesterday. Though the match did not rise to high level, it had its own charm as the finals.

Football had changed a lot. It had gone through various phases of its growth. From total football to percentage football to possession football, every edition of world cup sees a new avatar in the methodology of the way the game is played. One remembers, in the olden days, it was long passes that thrilled the audience. Thereafter, it was short passes and then short passes combining with high speed. The game had become quite defensive now with high percentage of mid field paly. Rather than attack, it is the counter attacks that yield more goals now. The fear of losing looks to be more paramount than the happiness of winning in the minds of players of the nations. In the whole match yesterday, there were no long shots tried at the goal by both parties. The goals looked more ‘opportunistic’ than power goals. Also, a team like Spain scores the minimal goals and then spends the rest of the time to defend it – all through its matches. Like in Tennis where touch play had given way to powerful and quick, serve and volley game (which one finds really boring), in football it is now the boring mid field oriented possession football. For people who are ageing, it may not give any happiness watching such games.

This edition of World cup finals saw the real end of Super teams and Super stars. Brazil, Italy, France, Argentina and Germany bit dust. Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Robinho, Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Torres went away as nobodies. Youngsters came up to show their mark but did not rise to high level of excellence (Except may be, Muller, Villa & Suarez). Some countries made a mark in this edition and caught the imagination of the people around the World. (Ghana & Uruguay).

From players of the World cup 2010, my vote goes to Xavi of Spain (What an incredible playmaker!) and Forlan of Uruguay (for the never say die spirit and his ability to score from any angle). I am sure we will hear more about them in time to come.

The host country South Africa proved that in spite of all its problems of lawlessness, political upheavals within and poverty, it could conduct the highest universal spectacle of an event on the planet earth with the gaiety and élan that the show required. Full marks to them! The country of Spain proved that in spite of great internal rift between the regions inside it, the players of competing regions could play in unity as a well oiled machine. The coaches of Spain and Holland proved that you do not have to be high profile individuals but need brains to do the job.

Yes, despite all its shortcomings, Football is getting richer and richer, in every term (not only financial, that is).

I will say cheers to that!