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The world just goes in circles

Come tomorrow, and the grand football season comes to an end as also the month of sleepless nights. Fans of the game say that many of their predictions have gone topsy turvy

PHOTO: AFP

GOAL! The world waits to see if Italy or France will have the final hurrah.

It has been an unforgettable month for football fans (and non-fans) . The World Cup has finally reached its climax and now there will only be one winner. While there is the academic play-off for the third place today, the game everyone is waiting for is the clash between the Les Bleus and the Azzuri tomorrow to decide the champions of world football for the next four years.

Great expectations

As soon as it got underway, we realised this was no World Cup of surprises. All the favourites were in fine form and got through to the knockout stages. There was no South Korea or Turkey to spring a surprise, with only Ghana Black Stars showing glimpses of being a dark horse. But bigger the teams, bigger the heartbreaks, and some fans in the city are quite literally inconsolable after their favourite teams have stepped out of the game. The most depressed lot in the city are the fans of Brazil and Argentina. A. Bhattacharya comes from that part of the country where Brazilian football is revered and he can't digest the fact that Latin American participation ended in the last eight. "Brazil have lost and I have lost interest. The way Brazil played, and the performances of Ronaldinho and Kaka looked as if they were simply not there. Maybe there is a story behind their bad performances. I love Brazil and Argentina because of their artistic game. But I feel the refereeing in this World Cup was below standard and biased. The African teams especially were singled out for cards. After watching Ivory Coast and Ghana, I feel African football is going to offer us a lot of excitement in the future."

Another disconsolate lot are the England supporters who believed that this was England's year. A. Vishwas, an advertising executive, who watched the England matches with a friend who had come down from Oxford, summed it all up. "My friend was just so depressed. I tried telling her that there was Euro 2008 to look forward to and that made her even more depressed."

Mixed feelings

When it comes to rating the tournament, feelings are mixed and most say that it did not live up to the quality of the previous tournaments.

"I felt the standard was low. Compare with the previous two or three editions it was poor. The Europeans are playing a technically good game and effective football. But it is sad Brazil and Argentina were shown the door. I supported Germany from the beginning and Spain," says 70-year-old veteran football fan, Janardhanan. He adds that his favourite moment during the competition was Argentina's 24-pass goal against Serbia and Montenegro.

Though a Brazil fan, Bhattacharya says that the organisation of the European teams was something to marvel. "The coaches and managers play a big part with them. They are fantastic. Even penalties are planned."

Both Janardhanan and Bhattacharya feel that it is the turn of the Italians to lift the World Cup.

The city has a sizeable expatriate community and for its German and French members, the World Cup has been nothing but a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Says Rousseau, a French tourist, "I am exhausted. I was up till three in the morning watching the semi final. I am a very untypical Frenchman. For me, the winner will win, the best will win. I am a true European, I am happy whenever any European team wins. I have had a lot of calls wishing me luck. I have watched three or four matches in my life, with one being the 1998 final. I will watch the final tomorrow." He added, "For me it's the international brotherhood. To see so many people watching together makes me warm. Also I am proud of the multi-racial French Team. It shows what new France has become. Zinedine Zidane represents the dreams of a generation."

Like most Germans, Dr. Hust, is pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere back home.

"I am extremely pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere in Germany even though we lost in the semi final. Nobody thought we would have survived first stage. I am not a football fan but in the game against Argentina I found myself sitting and wishing for every German penalty to go in. The greatest benefit of the World Cup is looking at Germany and seeing something that one does not expect. I did not expect Germany to be so good."

ANAND SANKAR

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