By Nicholas Sengoba
Special to USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine Houston
A great way to conclude a great World Cup draws from the fact that Spain, the winner of the just concluded FIFA World Cup, had never before progressed past the semi finals.
In footballing terms, as a fan of the game there was a lot to learn. Most important, this game does not respect history and experience that much. All the talk of pedigree and past records was obliterated as the tournament progressed. It did not matter the number of cups Italy and France had under their belts. What mattered most was how they played. And boy how badly they did it this time round, leaving them stranded in the group stages in league with the lowly placed African sides.
Secondly, the phenomenon of highly paid valuable world class star players, hyped to shine; the likes of Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo, the sought after faces for endorsement of merchandise. Football is a game played on the pitch not on paper or in glossy magazines and on sports pages with the opinion of experts passing as gospel truth. The players must break into a sweat, fight for the ball and get dirty to maintain their image as stars. The list of stars that flopped grew longer as the tournament wore on.
Then it is now very evident that the beautiful game will be taken over by the bold and brave. The teams that are not afraid to attack relentlessly. That the final stages of the tournament did not feature teams that are known to be traditionally defensive minded, the likes of Italy, is very telling. In future, attacking will form the back bone of defending and it is not a far fetched idea when one thinks that the role of the traditional defender may be phased out with time.
Additionally, this tournament has shown that the game is best suited for the young. The teams that had younger players like Spain and Germany played better, faster and had more tranquil camps than those with veterans. Younger players are hungrier for success and view every game as an opportunity. Since they are still learning, they will easily adapt to instruction from coaches about changing situations unlike the older and more experienced lot who insist on doing what they have done before as the French players told the world.
Lastly, the game is fast becoming so tactical, so precise; involving a lot of intelligent play. It is now more of brains than brawn. The size of the player will become irrelevant as evidenced by Lionel Messi. It will be the calling for men and women who can think quickly and make much out of very small spaces and tight situations. The demand for quality will write off those who opt for kicking and rushing. The ball will be played more on the ground than up in the air. What will count more is how clever and nimble the players will be which, of course, will give fans a more entertaining and exciting game.
HILARIOUS NOTE:
My World Cup ended on a rather hilarious note. Not because many, including ‘pious’ Christians were following the feeding habits of an octopus that correctly predicated results of games by picking food from the trough with the national flag of the country that eventually won a game. No.
Well over an hour after the trophy had been handed to Spain, the stadium cleaned and emptied; I received a generic text message on my phone from my service provider saying “Paul the octopus has spoken! Is it finally for Spain? (For) Live updates for Netherlands VS Spain type NE VS SP and send to 6969 today” (That is Monday July 12th at 12:18am!) Was Paul predicting Euro 2012 or World Cup 2014 in Brazil? Or was it a case of the jailer attempting with gusto to secure the prison after the prisoners had escaped?
That aside and whatever is said, by organising this tournament successfully, South Africa has done Africa proud on the first time of asking. We shall hold this dear for many moons to come.
•Sengoba is a public policy and social affairs analyst.
