Second Round Assessment: Reputations

There have been many criticisms leveled at the South African World Cup, I would like to address two of them.  First, that it has been very dull so far; second, that many of the teams have deluded with lackluster performances.

  I believe that the lack of excitement is due to a leveling of playing and technique.  Much of the spectacle traditionally comes from beating adversaries of a much lower skill level.  However, high profile games also have great reputations and goal-scoring, such as Argentina-England of '86 and Italy-Brazil of '70.  In most countries participating in the World Cup, there is a men's professional league.  We bemoan the state of African football, as the home team becomes the first in World Cup history to not pass the qualifying round; and it looks as if only Ghana will go onto the round of eight.  There are a significant number of Africans play in the world's professional leagues, but most of them play in amateur leagues.  And the political instabilities in different areas of the continent certainly retard the development of football, as they interrupt the development of many other cultural and social events.  When over 95% of African footballers are professional, then they will be able to make a real bid for the title.

  I believe this is why countries like Switzerland, the United States, Japan, Korea Republic and even New Zealand, have surprised the world.  New Zealand's league is not professional, but thirteen of them play professionally outside the country.   In modest leagues, of course, but modest leagues are challenging too, and we forget that they are populated by players from higher divisions.  Here, they learn to defend and work hard in midfield. We have seen that the ability to defend has risen dramatically, which has had the unfortunate effect of rendering games with low scores and draws.  Professional and national teams everywhere are also hiring coaches with international experience.  This migration of coaching tactics is also leveling the playing field.

The second problem is linked with the first, and that has to do with national team reputations.  First, there is the reputation of the national leagues, which for England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, are considered quite prestigious.  Generally, the assumption is if the national league is strong, then so is the national squad.  Of course, conflict emerges because everyone has inflated ideas of the importance of their league, and fans build up expectations that far exceed possibilities.  Second, even the "big" teams that have won, such as Argentina and Brazil, have disappointed because they didn't roll over the competition.  So far only one game has been a complete rout, Portugal-North Korea 7-0.  Expectations always rise, and the world expects to see this kind of result from certain teams.  Since many of the weaker teams have improved and the more important teams go through their ups and downs, what we are now seeing are fresher stronger sides challenging established ones that are struggling in transition. 

Let's look at the example of the latest debacle.  As a German acquaintance of mine said once, "France is always good for some drama."  Indeed, the French have not disappointed during this edition.  All the brouhaha over the player selections and tactical decisions stem from France's overall positive performance over the last 12 years: one world cup, one runner's up, and a European cup.  This is also punctuated with some lows, such as an early exit from the 2002 World Cup, and a lackluster performance at the Euro 2008.  In short, France has built up a reputation as a major force, and this reputation has been called into question both during the World Cup qualifiers and the tournament.  France is not the only nation to suffer from this condition, but it is the one most noted.

I am personally delighted to see the underdogs challenge the big boys in the playground.  It is irritating, if not downright infuriating, to read articles and listen to sports pundits deriding the "lesser" footballing nations, as though only the Europeans and the South Americans were capable.  Well, who laughs last laughs best, and England, France, Italy, and Germany are not laughing now.