Hear me now or remain confined to the belief that Capello will finally lead England,to what has been the nation's nemesis,since 1966 - World Cup glory - come 2010.The colourful and highly accomplished gaffer received so much media attention since his inauguration,a few months ago.The media frenzy epitomises what the British public has suffered every 4 years since 1966.Some of us who are British by default will still find the audacity to be cynical about the winning goal against West Germany in that year - a goal that never was - but the man in black still awarded it and England were 'World cup champions'on home turf.Now with less than 18 months South Africa and the world are waiting,for creme de le creme of the English premiership.
The British premiership is unequivocally the most exciting and entertaining league in the world.From Manchester to Rio De Janeiro to Yokohama and other less fortunate corners of the world - soccer fanatics envy and worship the premiership.And there is every reason to believe so.This is where a galaxy of the world's most talented and pampered footballers converge for a common purpose - playing football the way it should be played.This is where punting is free and fair.You are assured of making millions if you are a bookmaker or even a high-street broker.That is English football.
Through out all the years of resilience and patience,my feeling is that i might not live to see England lift the most prestigious trophy in any sport - the world cup.All my eyes have seen it and all my ears have heard it - endless failures at the knockout stages.Almost is not good enough.In my privileged life,i have seen Italia 90,even though i might have been too raw to understand.Yes i saw a mighty Cameroonean side fronted by the Great Roger Milla,Francois Omam Biyik,Andre Kana Biyik and Ceril Makanaky,dismantle England and only to be robbed by that man in black.A Gary Lineker spotkick sealed the victory for England,but as expected the team crumbled in the semi-finals.
And 1994 was not an exception either.Disappoint once again.Then the emergence of a dream team in 1998 inspired by a fresh-faced David Beckham and Michael Owen,once again left us cursing those above.The blame was on David Beckham - only if he had not received an unnecessary red-card when he reacted to an Ariel Ortega tackle.In 2002,Ronaldinho's delicate freekick was a sucker punch that booted England out once again.The 2006 edition was quite a unique one because a goal poacher in Wayne Rooney had been brought in, to bang them in.Guess what?, with all the anxiety and expectation from Soho Square,to Newcastle - Rooney stuck his boot into a Portuguese opponent and England's dream was shuttered for the umpteenth time.
Now Capello has been assigned to carry English hopes and without any illusions someone explain to me what has changed in the set-up?Steve G,Frank Lampard,David James,Ashley Cole,Rio Ferdinand and many more who have monopolised the selection for a while - are still surely in the England squad for South Africa.What is it that they will conjure up differently this time around.An impressive run of fortune in the preliminary qualifying stages is a mere fluke and hear me now or never.What England need for now is a complete overhaul of the playing personnel.They have been tried ,tested and failed.Hence ,it's time to move on with the next generation.
Of course,English football might be a marvel to watch but world cup glory is something more than passion and excitement.It's not about wags or labels,it's about national pride and patriotism.
South Africa will presumably provide a bunch of under-achievers with a scapegoat because - the altitude and hard pitches will be stumbling blocks once again.
Hear me now or Never
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Friday, 23 January 2009
COMING OF THE DRY SEASON
Before the coming of the great and dreadful season,an investment bank in North America collapsed and the world took notice.Lehman brothers will forever be held accountable for the collapse of the world markets.The basic contradiction of capitalism according to Arnold Muchoko is that it leads to periodic crisis in world markets if central governments remain muted for the sake of democracy.
Holding all other things constant,John Maynard Keynes implored and asserted that ,for any government to maintain an equillibrium - a form of centralised intervention was necessary to avoid a dramatic and unprecedented economic down turn.His ideas on global and political theory were adopted by many a goverment in a bid to forge the use of fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the the adverse effects of economic recessions and depressions.Capitalists revolted to his ideologies as they wanted a more democratic free market aproach - where the forces of demand and supply are left to maintain an equillibrium.The apathy and reproach left governments with no alternatives but to dispense the economies in the hands of the capitalists.
Some nations in the far east imposed Marx and Engels theories of a collective control of all economic activities - communism.In many quarters this system failed dismally as it completely abolished the market mechanisms.
And now that it's official - the USA and Britain are in recession,who is to blame?Why didn't government economic advisers see this coming?Woolworths has made redundant all it's employees and some banks like the Barclays are in pursuit.
Stimulus packages for General motors,Ford Motors and AIG in the USA makes me question,a free market economy in it's entirety.Some boffins will ultimately argue that government intervention does not liberalise markets - but hold on.If those who own the means of production can not speculate on viability of markets,who will?
Capitalism in essence suppresses the masses in anyway.So the question of democratising the economy only favours those who have the means.
It is time for goverments to effectively monitor and control the markets if necessary - through central planning committees.
The goverment is answerable to its citizens - so get us out of this mess and go back to the basics of Keynes.
Holding all other things constant,John Maynard Keynes implored and asserted that ,for any government to maintain an equillibrium - a form of centralised intervention was necessary to avoid a dramatic and unprecedented economic down turn.His ideas on global and political theory were adopted by many a goverment in a bid to forge the use of fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the the adverse effects of economic recessions and depressions.Capitalists revolted to his ideologies as they wanted a more democratic free market aproach - where the forces of demand and supply are left to maintain an equillibrium.The apathy and reproach left governments with no alternatives but to dispense the economies in the hands of the capitalists.
Some nations in the far east imposed Marx and Engels theories of a collective control of all economic activities - communism.In many quarters this system failed dismally as it completely abolished the market mechanisms.
And now that it's official - the USA and Britain are in recession,who is to blame?Why didn't government economic advisers see this coming?Woolworths has made redundant all it's employees and some banks like the Barclays are in pursuit.
Stimulus packages for General motors,Ford Motors and AIG in the USA makes me question,a free market economy in it's entirety.Some boffins will ultimately argue that government intervention does not liberalise markets - but hold on.If those who own the means of production can not speculate on viability of markets,who will?
Capitalism in essence suppresses the masses in anyway.So the question of democratising the economy only favours those who have the means.
It is time for goverments to effectively monitor and control the markets if necessary - through central planning committees.
The goverment is answerable to its citizens - so get us out of this mess and go back to the basics of Keynes.
FORGOTTEN CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Upon the summit of the height in Winchester,where only lichens grow,i stand and gaze towards the receding horizon, hopeless that some things will never change.It's not an imperative to know where my beloved South Africa is, but the education system here has inevitably isolated,the concept of national geographic.
I recently felt marginalised and something drove home the realisation that i was an exotic breed of weed,that was hibernating beneath the shade of the indegenous plants.For consolation,i fooled myself that these are the days of our lives and in them we will accept,embrace and most of all love those that pretend or are ignorant to know about my beloved country.
For a moment like this i will raise my right arm and shout 'AMANDLA'.Those who care to answer will echo 'Awetu'.For i am proudly South Africa,proudly African and a fellow citizen of the world.I shall not weaver in telling those who care to listen that i represent a species from the forgotten corners of the world.Where only the fittest will survive.Where corruption is rife.Where civilisation was bestowed by the missionaries in the late 17th century.Where Mandela is deemed a hero.Where the cradle of mankind is and where Sol Kezner built the SUN CITY RESORT for those that can afford.
The forgotten corners of the world.My fingers are trembling with anger as i write.My anger emanates from all my Varsity colleagues who assume South Africa is a continent on its own.How do you explain that?For i am not Enlgish,Irish,Scottish or anything you can think of, but i know all countries in the commonwealth and all those beyond the shores of the Atlantic,Pacific,Indian Ocean - even those beyond the Mediterranean.Why do i care to know - because i am a son of the soil and a fellow citizen of the world.
I am not an exponent of the English language but i bothered to learn the language from my elementary days at Kindergarten.For what?Because i am a fellow citizen of the world.
Just like Paul when he wrote manuscripts which were later used by 40 writers to compile a book called THE BIBLE - i now write to you that those who want to continue with the ignorance,do so - but those who care about the forgotten corners of the world,buy a damn World Map and tell me where Gaborone is - nevermind about Gauteng.
I recently felt marginalised and something drove home the realisation that i was an exotic breed of weed,that was hibernating beneath the shade of the indegenous plants.For consolation,i fooled myself that these are the days of our lives and in them we will accept,embrace and most of all love those that pretend or are ignorant to know about my beloved country.
For a moment like this i will raise my right arm and shout 'AMANDLA'.Those who care to answer will echo 'Awetu'.For i am proudly South Africa,proudly African and a fellow citizen of the world.I shall not weaver in telling those who care to listen that i represent a species from the forgotten corners of the world.Where only the fittest will survive.Where corruption is rife.Where civilisation was bestowed by the missionaries in the late 17th century.Where Mandela is deemed a hero.Where the cradle of mankind is and where Sol Kezner built the SUN CITY RESORT for those that can afford.
The forgotten corners of the world.My fingers are trembling with anger as i write.My anger emanates from all my Varsity colleagues who assume South Africa is a continent on its own.How do you explain that?For i am not Enlgish,Irish,Scottish or anything you can think of, but i know all countries in the commonwealth and all those beyond the shores of the Atlantic,Pacific,Indian Ocean - even those beyond the Mediterranean.Why do i care to know - because i am a son of the soil and a fellow citizen of the world.
I am not an exponent of the English language but i bothered to learn the language from my elementary days at Kindergarten.For what?Because i am a fellow citizen of the world.
Just like Paul when he wrote manuscripts which were later used by 40 writers to compile a book called THE BIBLE - i now write to you that those who want to continue with the ignorance,do so - but those who care about the forgotten corners of the world,buy a damn World Map and tell me where Gaborone is - nevermind about Gauteng.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
DAMN EVIL MONEY
The invasion by the filthy rich Arab sheiks in English football is likely to derail the culture,passion and excitement we have become accustomed to, week in - week out for decades.From the days of Nottingham forest,Queens Park Rangers,Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon ,to the later day premiership dominated by a team from the north of London,we have come so far to give up the English way,to the Sheiks of Arabia.
Contrary to what we keep fooling ourselves,sometimes life is not worth all the fuss associated with it.Sometimes damn evil money can't buy you happiness.The recent raid of AC Milan's Kaka by Manchester city shows how vulnerable the english game has become.Probably,i am a bit biased to love the English game the way i do.Afterall i was brought up under the dosage of the English game.Buying Kaka will not transform the English minnows in to a formidable outfit.And that's a fact.
Real Madrid tried it a couple of years ago by buying the best players in each position the world had to offer.They even bettered themselves by ensembling the second best players in each position.The dream was to built an invincible empire of talented footballers from around the globe.There were players from Portugal,Brazil,England and even from the Democratic republic of congo - Claude Makelele. What a grave mistake?What they didn't realise was that they were not building a dream team but destroying other teams in the process.Their ruthlessness came to the fore when they snatched a half-fit Ronaldo from Inter Milan.Ronaldo had suffered a horrific injury playing for Inter Milan and the poor team had stood by him through the rehabilitation.In spite of all that, Real Madrid came up with an offer which was above market value.And Ronaldo lost his allegiance with Milan and headed for Madrid.Now with Milan crippled and suffering back to back defeats,they turned to a raw teenage Nigerian Obafemi Martins for inspiration.
Upto this day Real Madrid are renowned for paying the highest transfer fee for any player in history,£48M for Zinedine Zidane.In contrast Manchester city are preparing to pay a record 10 times than the previous world record for a player less talented than Zizou.How intriguing?
The justified expenditure remains that of Diego Maradona in 1984,when he left Barcelona for Napoli in a world record fee, by then of 12 million Italian liras.He was a player in a class of his own.Between 1984 and 1991 he had made 259 appearances and scored 115 goals.The 1986-87 season was the landmark in Napoli's history;they won the double,securing the Seria A title by three points and also lifting the Coppa Italia.Because a mainland southern Italian team had never won the league before,this turned Diego Maradona into a cultural,social and borderline religious icon for Neapolitans,which stretched beyond the realms of just football.And to cap it all in the season 1988-89 Napoli won the UEFA cup.Now that's what i call talent and worth all the money associated with it.
For that reason,Arab money is bound to erode English football.Chelsea tried to buy success and momentarily we thought English football was in for a rude awakening until they fired Mourinho.Success is a process and takes time.The money that the Sheiks are disposing to buy Kaka could have been used to develop more indigenous talent.
Arab money is on the verge of whitewashing our beloved sport.
Contrary to what we keep fooling ourselves,sometimes life is not worth all the fuss associated with it.Sometimes damn evil money can't buy you happiness.The recent raid of AC Milan's Kaka by Manchester city shows how vulnerable the english game has become.Probably,i am a bit biased to love the English game the way i do.Afterall i was brought up under the dosage of the English game.Buying Kaka will not transform the English minnows in to a formidable outfit.And that's a fact.
Real Madrid tried it a couple of years ago by buying the best players in each position the world had to offer.They even bettered themselves by ensembling the second best players in each position.The dream was to built an invincible empire of talented footballers from around the globe.There were players from Portugal,Brazil,England and even from the Democratic republic of congo - Claude Makelele. What a grave mistake?What they didn't realise was that they were not building a dream team but destroying other teams in the process.Their ruthlessness came to the fore when they snatched a half-fit Ronaldo from Inter Milan.Ronaldo had suffered a horrific injury playing for Inter Milan and the poor team had stood by him through the rehabilitation.In spite of all that, Real Madrid came up with an offer which was above market value.And Ronaldo lost his allegiance with Milan and headed for Madrid.Now with Milan crippled and suffering back to back defeats,they turned to a raw teenage Nigerian Obafemi Martins for inspiration.
Upto this day Real Madrid are renowned for paying the highest transfer fee for any player in history,£48M for Zinedine Zidane.In contrast Manchester city are preparing to pay a record 10 times than the previous world record for a player less talented than Zizou.How intriguing?
The justified expenditure remains that of Diego Maradona in 1984,when he left Barcelona for Napoli in a world record fee, by then of 12 million Italian liras.He was a player in a class of his own.Between 1984 and 1991 he had made 259 appearances and scored 115 goals.The 1986-87 season was the landmark in Napoli's history;they won the double,securing the Seria A title by three points and also lifting the Coppa Italia.Because a mainland southern Italian team had never won the league before,this turned Diego Maradona into a cultural,social and borderline religious icon for Neapolitans,which stretched beyond the realms of just football.And to cap it all in the season 1988-89 Napoli won the UEFA cup.Now that's what i call talent and worth all the money associated with it.
For that reason,Arab money is bound to erode English football.Chelsea tried to buy success and momentarily we thought English football was in for a rude awakening until they fired Mourinho.Success is a process and takes time.The money that the Sheiks are disposing to buy Kaka could have been used to develop more indigenous talent.
Arab money is on the verge of whitewashing our beloved sport.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Time for colonial powers to redress the mess they created in Africa
As much as it hurts to say it,Africa needs neo-colonial remedies to bring sanity to the depleted continent.The Congo crisis is not immune to international intervention either – Zimbabwe included.What we must embrace is the fact that ,the legacy of ,divide and rule by the former colonial masters will remain embedded in the memories of those who were lucky to fight for liberty.Generations will inevitably continue to inherit the philosophy that a Hutu will never become a Tutsi.Africa alone will not dispense itself from this unequivocally hypnotised heritage.
There is a saying that goes ‘fake it until you make it’.Africa have faked it via a consensus organisation called the AU and still failed to make it.Political dispensation in the Congo has been based on ethnicity.Lets cast our minds back to the Mobuto Sese Seko era.The draconian leader siphoned billions into foreign investment banks and companies without considering the masses ,who languished in poverty for over three decades.But guess what?Who dined and wined with him?The OAU by then and its accomplices.After his ‘purpet’governement was overthrown by Laurent Kabila,the heir to the throne was assassinated,widely attributed to his roots in Uganda.Historically African leaders do not voluntarily relinguish power.Those guilty are, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Angola’s Dos santos,Equatorial guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo,and the father of all draconians Robert Mugabe.In principle all African constitutions advocate for democracy,but the implementation lies in the hands of those in power.Hence without the UN amending one of it’s controversial clauses,which depicts that ,No sovereign country shall be invaded,without the discretion of the security council – Africa will remain in limbo.The complex of the security council is the fact that countries like China and Russia can veto against any probable resolution to the political crisis in Africa.The reason they veto against, is very simple,they both have large business and exploration concessions with most of the draconians in power.
In retrospect,the Hutus massacred the Tutsis in the infamous Rwandan genocide of 1994,which left nearly 800 000 people dead and millions displaced in less than 100 days.General Nkunda a Tutsi by birth ,is ‘assumed’ to be protecting the Tutsis,who are regarded in that part of the world ,as the protestants.If the AU deliberately failed to bring sanity to Zimbabwe during the elections which are widely speculated to have been won by the MDC,How do we as a people expect them to resolve a civil war,that emanated from ethnic cleansing in a neighbouring country.
Common sense tells us that the impasse in Congo cannot be merely resolved by Africans alone.The Colonial masters need to provide the logistics,knowledge and platform for governments of national unity.Leaving the forces of democracy to resolve a civil war would be pure ignorance by the international community.It will be just like expecting the forces of demand and supply to resolve the credit crunch,without government intervention.
Last but not least the people who suffer are the innocent masses whilst Joseph Kabila basks in Armani suites at SADC conferences and General Nkunda enjoying the lime light in the mineral rich provinces of Congo
There is a saying that goes ‘fake it until you make it’.Africa have faked it via a consensus organisation called the AU and still failed to make it.Political dispensation in the Congo has been based on ethnicity.Lets cast our minds back to the Mobuto Sese Seko era.The draconian leader siphoned billions into foreign investment banks and companies without considering the masses ,who languished in poverty for over three decades.But guess what?Who dined and wined with him?The OAU by then and its accomplices.After his ‘purpet’governement was overthrown by Laurent Kabila,the heir to the throne was assassinated,widely attributed to his roots in Uganda.Historically African leaders do not voluntarily relinguish power.Those guilty are, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Angola’s Dos santos,Equatorial guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo,and the father of all draconians Robert Mugabe.In principle all African constitutions advocate for democracy,but the implementation lies in the hands of those in power.Hence without the UN amending one of it’s controversial clauses,which depicts that ,No sovereign country shall be invaded,without the discretion of the security council – Africa will remain in limbo.The complex of the security council is the fact that countries like China and Russia can veto against any probable resolution to the political crisis in Africa.The reason they veto against, is very simple,they both have large business and exploration concessions with most of the draconians in power.
In retrospect,the Hutus massacred the Tutsis in the infamous Rwandan genocide of 1994,which left nearly 800 000 people dead and millions displaced in less than 100 days.General Nkunda a Tutsi by birth ,is ‘assumed’ to be protecting the Tutsis,who are regarded in that part of the world ,as the protestants.If the AU deliberately failed to bring sanity to Zimbabwe during the elections which are widely speculated to have been won by the MDC,How do we as a people expect them to resolve a civil war,that emanated from ethnic cleansing in a neighbouring country.
Common sense tells us that the impasse in Congo cannot be merely resolved by Africans alone.The Colonial masters need to provide the logistics,knowledge and platform for governments of national unity.Leaving the forces of democracy to resolve a civil war would be pure ignorance by the international community.It will be just like expecting the forces of demand and supply to resolve the credit crunch,without government intervention.
Last but not least the people who suffer are the innocent masses whilst Joseph Kabila basks in Armani suites at SADC conferences and General Nkunda enjoying the lime light in the mineral rich provinces of Congo
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
BRAZIL REMAIN WORLD'S FAVOURITE TEAM
For so many years we waited for it,even hoped against the hope that we will be part of it and when the show finally gets underway with an official opening ceremony that will light up Johannesburg skies,we will sit down to enjoy it.And we have every reason to believe that the first FIFA World Cup to be host by an African country will be great whilst it lasts - a defining moment to say the least.
The World cup soccer finals - there will never be anything like it in the world.
Not even the Olympics,the commonwealth games,the Euros or anything you can dream of -the winter olympics included.Not even all these tournaments or showcases put together can rival the global interest in the world cup finals.
Maybe my affection with the world cup is just natural - i was born almost a decade after,the greatest team ever assembled,inspired by a dark skinned legend Edison Arentes Do Nascimento(to be later known as Pele) and a flying winger called Jairzinho,struck gold for Brazil under the Mexican sunshine in 1970.Jairzinho(a natural successor to the outstanding winger Garrincha),scored in every game during that tournament,something that Rivaldo tried and failed in the 2002 edition,something that Moroccan born French legend Just Fontaine tried and failed in 1958 despite scoring 13 goals and something that every other man who is not Jairzinho has tried and failed.
Brazil is to global football what Ferrari and McLaren is to formula one,what Tiger woods is to grand slams in golf and as much as it hurts to say it,the Samba boys are the heart and soul of world football.When Ronaldinho smiles the entire world smiles with him,when Brazil wins the whole world wins with them and when they lose,it somehow takes the gloss off the world cup.Brazil are the neutrals' favoutites,have been the neutrals' favourates' since Pele shed tears after inspiring the team to world cup glory in Sweden in 1958.And,it seems,they will always be neutrals' favoutites.For as long as the Brazilians stick to their values and play football the way they do,which is the way the game should be played anyway,they will always be the world's favourite national team.
The Germans play to frustrate their opponents by massing their defence,Brazil play to destroy their opponents with attack-minded players who always believe they can score more goals than their opponents.In an ideal Germany football world,the world cup would be won by a team that never scored even one goal and also never conceded any in open play throughout the tournament - waiting always to gatecrash via penalty shootout.
An ideal Brazilian football world is completely the opposite - the world cup returns it's dignity,its entertainment,you are assured of goals and the fans get the value for their money.Rewind your memory to Japan-South Korea 2002,Ronaldo clearly not 100 percent fit throughout the tournament,scored eight goals in seven matches,while his strike partner Rivaldo slammed home five - that is Brazilian football.Miroslav Klose scored five for German,all with his head,but in reality this man is Polish and there was something different from Deutschland,you could tell he was born in Poland.His major strike partners,Casten Jancker and Oliver Biehorf scored one apiece,all of them coming in the first game of the tournament - that is German football at its best.It's no big surprise that their last world cup triumph in 1990(Italy),under the name (West Germany),came courtesy of a 1 - 0 win,a controversial penalty three minutes from time converted by Andreas Breme as they edged Diego Maradona's Argentina.
Even the Bundesliga is boring to watch for some of us brought up under a weekly dosage of the artistry of african football,the passion of english football and ,once every four years,the real football of the Brazilian masters
Of course,you have to salute the Brazilians - they did not invent the game and they did not play it until a certain Englishman called Miller who worked in the railways brought the round ball to the beaches of Rio De Janairo.From those humble beginnings the game took the Brazilians by storm,each generation perfecting the art of playing football and by the time the world cup came to the Maracana in 1950 it evolved into a national passion - something more important than sport.For when something becomes so powerful that it attracts 205 000 people into a stadium - the crowd that watched Brazil take on Uruguay in the Maracana in 1950 for the world cup - then this is no longer just a sporting discipline.Football is part of the very fabric of Brazilain society and you have to look at the crowds,the expressions of their faces as they welcomed their heroes back home in 2002,to realise what the beautiful game means to these people.It's only when you see these pictures that you get to realise that,contrary to what the English keep fooling themselves,they are not a football mad nation.
The Brazilians have a culture for success in football and their coaches know that they have little choice - anything short of winning the world cup in style is not good enough.That is what separates them from the rest and that is the answer to why they have five world cup titles - all won away from home soil.While the Irish will celebrate losing in the second round,the English are deemed heroes for making the quarter finals and the Germans are mobbed at home for losing in the final,the Brazilians have to win it to be declared heroes.They are in their own league,they have their own class and they have their own different football that is so refreshing ,you would want to watch it again and again.In 2002,when the world was focussed on Rivaldo,Ronaldo and Ronaldinho - it was a midfielder called Kleberson who emerged as the best player on a glamorous night in Yokohama.It is such a pity,his beautiful effort,trying to lob Oliver Kahn from 30metres while on the run,crushed against the crossbar.It should have been the defining moment of the final.
But it was Kleberson who orchestrated the team's second goal with that fine run on the right before drawing the ball across the edge of the penalty area and as they say,the rest is history.Rivaldo sold that dummy,Ronaldo fired that goal and Brazil weer world cup champions again.Such extraordinary team work performance will remain embedded in our memories.
Now 2010 South Africa - the world is waiting.
The World cup soccer finals - there will never be anything like it in the world.
Not even the Olympics,the commonwealth games,the Euros or anything you can dream of -the winter olympics included.Not even all these tournaments or showcases put together can rival the global interest in the world cup finals.
Maybe my affection with the world cup is just natural - i was born almost a decade after,the greatest team ever assembled,inspired by a dark skinned legend Edison Arentes Do Nascimento(to be later known as Pele) and a flying winger called Jairzinho,struck gold for Brazil under the Mexican sunshine in 1970.Jairzinho(a natural successor to the outstanding winger Garrincha),scored in every game during that tournament,something that Rivaldo tried and failed in the 2002 edition,something that Moroccan born French legend Just Fontaine tried and failed in 1958 despite scoring 13 goals and something that every other man who is not Jairzinho has tried and failed.
Brazil is to global football what Ferrari and McLaren is to formula one,what Tiger woods is to grand slams in golf and as much as it hurts to say it,the Samba boys are the heart and soul of world football.When Ronaldinho smiles the entire world smiles with him,when Brazil wins the whole world wins with them and when they lose,it somehow takes the gloss off the world cup.Brazil are the neutrals' favoutites,have been the neutrals' favourates' since Pele shed tears after inspiring the team to world cup glory in Sweden in 1958.And,it seems,they will always be neutrals' favoutites.For as long as the Brazilians stick to their values and play football the way they do,which is the way the game should be played anyway,they will always be the world's favourite national team.
The Germans play to frustrate their opponents by massing their defence,Brazil play to destroy their opponents with attack-minded players who always believe they can score more goals than their opponents.In an ideal Germany football world,the world cup would be won by a team that never scored even one goal and also never conceded any in open play throughout the tournament - waiting always to gatecrash via penalty shootout.
An ideal Brazilian football world is completely the opposite - the world cup returns it's dignity,its entertainment,you are assured of goals and the fans get the value for their money.Rewind your memory to Japan-South Korea 2002,Ronaldo clearly not 100 percent fit throughout the tournament,scored eight goals in seven matches,while his strike partner Rivaldo slammed home five - that is Brazilian football.Miroslav Klose scored five for German,all with his head,but in reality this man is Polish and there was something different from Deutschland,you could tell he was born in Poland.His major strike partners,Casten Jancker and Oliver Biehorf scored one apiece,all of them coming in the first game of the tournament - that is German football at its best.It's no big surprise that their last world cup triumph in 1990(Italy),under the name (West Germany),came courtesy of a 1 - 0 win,a controversial penalty three minutes from time converted by Andreas Breme as they edged Diego Maradona's Argentina.
Even the Bundesliga is boring to watch for some of us brought up under a weekly dosage of the artistry of african football,the passion of english football and ,once every four years,the real football of the Brazilian masters
Of course,you have to salute the Brazilians - they did not invent the game and they did not play it until a certain Englishman called Miller who worked in the railways brought the round ball to the beaches of Rio De Janairo.From those humble beginnings the game took the Brazilians by storm,each generation perfecting the art of playing football and by the time the world cup came to the Maracana in 1950 it evolved into a national passion - something more important than sport.For when something becomes so powerful that it attracts 205 000 people into a stadium - the crowd that watched Brazil take on Uruguay in the Maracana in 1950 for the world cup - then this is no longer just a sporting discipline.Football is part of the very fabric of Brazilain society and you have to look at the crowds,the expressions of their faces as they welcomed their heroes back home in 2002,to realise what the beautiful game means to these people.It's only when you see these pictures that you get to realise that,contrary to what the English keep fooling themselves,they are not a football mad nation.
The Brazilians have a culture for success in football and their coaches know that they have little choice - anything short of winning the world cup in style is not good enough.That is what separates them from the rest and that is the answer to why they have five world cup titles - all won away from home soil.While the Irish will celebrate losing in the second round,the English are deemed heroes for making the quarter finals and the Germans are mobbed at home for losing in the final,the Brazilians have to win it to be declared heroes.They are in their own league,they have their own class and they have their own different football that is so refreshing ,you would want to watch it again and again.In 2002,when the world was focussed on Rivaldo,Ronaldo and Ronaldinho - it was a midfielder called Kleberson who emerged as the best player on a glamorous night in Yokohama.It is such a pity,his beautiful effort,trying to lob Oliver Kahn from 30metres while on the run,crushed against the crossbar.It should have been the defining moment of the final.
But it was Kleberson who orchestrated the team's second goal with that fine run on the right before drawing the ball across the edge of the penalty area and as they say,the rest is history.Rivaldo sold that dummy,Ronaldo fired that goal and Brazil weer world cup champions again.Such extraordinary team work performance will remain embedded in our memories.
Now 2010 South Africa - the world is waiting.
Monday, 1 December 2008
RUDE AWAKENING FOR JONNO
Fear not England,fear not the rugby fraternity and fear not the subjects of her majesty,i will bring back the glory days of 2003.We all waited with baited breath when Jonno was unveiled as the new English rugby supremo,at a glittering ceremony,five matches ago.The words from a man who talked the talk and walked the walk were convincing and assuring.And we had every reason to believe.After all he led England to world cup glory in 2003.How could he fail,so we thought.
Yes when England played against South Africa in the last World cup and lost,there was foul cry across the entire nation.How could the video referee deny England a try that looked genuine and authentic?The hope carried from such a near miss to world cup glory kept the England faithful on their toes and the appointment of Jonno, was widely believed to be the final panacea to the selection problems that haunted his predecessor .
Who is to blame Rob Andrews or Jonno?The truth of the matter is teams from the southern hemisphere,South Africa,New Zealand,Australia - Samoa included,are by far the best in the world.Those countries' local rugby teams compete in what is argubly rugby's toughest competition,called The Super 14.The pace and power is so exhilarating.And it is a marvel to watch.
The reality might be kept as hazy,by the media but what we need to come to terms with is the fact that it takes time to build a competent team and Jonno is not immune either from such a scenario.
Judge him not on his three test matches against Australia,South Africa and New Zealand.The British Press banked on Danny Cipriani and what a mistake it was.The boy is still work in progress .He has the potential but not world class as yet.
So Jonno must walk softly,talk softly,but carry a big stick the next time he plays Southern hemisphere teams.
In 1995 New Zealand had unleashed a powerful baby-faced prodigy in Jonah Lomu.When the team arrived in Cape Town for the World Cup,every publication endorsed New Zealand as the runaway favourites.When Joel Stransky drove that drop goal in the last minute of the final,he sealed New Zealand's fate.So charisma does not win games.David Campese used it quite effectively because he had self believe and conviction.
It is important to note that teams are not built on assumption.Cipriani might live to rue the day he broke into the limelight.The press that made him a personality is now busy destroying him and so is Jonno.
Yes when England played against South Africa in the last World cup and lost,there was foul cry across the entire nation.How could the video referee deny England a try that looked genuine and authentic?The hope carried from such a near miss to world cup glory kept the England faithful on their toes and the appointment of Jonno, was widely believed to be the final panacea to the selection problems that haunted his predecessor .
Who is to blame Rob Andrews or Jonno?The truth of the matter is teams from the southern hemisphere,South Africa,New Zealand,Australia - Samoa included,are by far the best in the world.Those countries' local rugby teams compete in what is argubly rugby's toughest competition,called The Super 14.The pace and power is so exhilarating.And it is a marvel to watch.
The reality might be kept as hazy,by the media but what we need to come to terms with is the fact that it takes time to build a competent team and Jonno is not immune either from such a scenario.
Judge him not on his three test matches against Australia,South Africa and New Zealand.The British Press banked on Danny Cipriani and what a mistake it was.The boy is still work in progress .He has the potential but not world class as yet.
So Jonno must walk softly,talk softly,but carry a big stick the next time he plays Southern hemisphere teams.
In 1995 New Zealand had unleashed a powerful baby-faced prodigy in Jonah Lomu.When the team arrived in Cape Town for the World Cup,every publication endorsed New Zealand as the runaway favourites.When Joel Stransky drove that drop goal in the last minute of the final,he sealed New Zealand's fate.So charisma does not win games.David Campese used it quite effectively because he had self believe and conviction.
It is important to note that teams are not built on assumption.Cipriani might live to rue the day he broke into the limelight.The press that made him a personality is now busy destroying him and so is Jonno.
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