| Brazil humbles the world
It's been a couple of weeks since Brazil's historic and record setting World Cup triumph in Japan. By churning out a superlative and magical display of modern day football the Brazilians not only mesmerized the world but also stamped their domination in world football. Commentary by Shushil Thapa.
Their innovative, attacking and dazzling brand of football so loved, so desired proved red hot for the opposition who were unable to handle them.
True Brazil was a team in total disarray in the preliminaries and at one point looked though they would not make it to the World Cup. Frequent changes of coaches and defeats to unfancied teams had everyone doubting on them. The World Cup sans Brazil was unthinkable. Much to the relief of football fans the Brazilians managed to sneak through at the end.
Despite not bracketed as one of the favorites the Brazilians were determined to prove themselves the kings of football which they did ultimately. From day one to the final they played like champions never looking back The shock early exit of France and Argentina made them even more committed. Avoiding a similar fate Brazil spearheaded by Ronaldo in tandem with Rivaldo and Ronaldinho coasted to wins one after another. They looked capable of lifting the championship after they successfully scripted the demise of England in the quarterfinal.
The final was lackluster with Germany completely failing to give Brazil a run for their money. It was a huge disappointment for millions of fans across the globe who expected an intense battle. The Germans just did not have the arsenals to upset the rivals studded with skills and brilliance unmatched.
Nevertheless, like Brazil reaching the final was a great achievement to the Germans who were considered a spent force prior to the tournament.
The championship was full of surprises, notably fall of Argentina and France in the early round. Turkey, South Korea and Senegal stunning performances had everyone rubbing their eyes in disbelief. The Koreans stole the thunder and wrote history by reaching the semifinal, the first Asian team ever to do it and thus emulating North Korea quarterfinal berth in the 1966 World Cup.
Turkey did even better by finishing third, marking a clear shift in world football equation. Senegal maintained Africa' s tradition with another powerful performance. The US and Japan also put up a decent performance, taking a big leap in contemporary football. The other two Asian teams-China and Saudi Arabia fell short of expectations.
CO-hosts Japan and South Korea might have been let down by fans who failed to fill stadiums but managed the professionally and with resounding success. There were, however controversies related to referees and linesmen who were charged for poor supervision. Such was the furor over the issue that it made big headlines in countries like Italy and Spain, both victims to bad umpiring. The accusation seems genuine and must be addressed at the earliest to preserve the dignity of the game.
Admittedly the disparity observed in world football several decades ago has narrowed down considerably. Africa, North America and Asia are steadily catching up with the world powerhouses. The World Cup spectacle in Asia after a long wait should further bolster footling activities in the region.
That, however is not adequate to change or upgrade the contour of Asian football. A lot more needs to be done in terms of physical, structural and professional set ups, especially in nations where football development has come to a grinding halt due to paucity of funds, absence of football culture, lack of sponsorships and politicized national football federations. FIFA and Asian
Football Confederation must embark upon pragmatic programs to assist such nations to bring them to main stream football. The experimentation of call it semi or full professionalism in countries like South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar, United Emirates, Oman and many others is starting to pay off.
Yes, the Asian teams showed great improvement, technically and physically, matching the European and South American rivals stride for stride. Having said so yet there remains a whole nine yard to cover before we start dreaming of an Asian country winning the World day. That is not improbable or impossible for sure, however.
Sushil Thapa, a sports writer, currently resides in the U.S.