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The Asian in Europe

16 Mon Jul 2018

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France are not done celebrating their recent success at the World Cup in Russia but football fans already have their eyes turned towards Qatar, the hosts of the biggest tournament in sports for 2022. FIFA, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body for football, has declared its intent to expand the competition to 48 countries from the present 32, which was itself an increase from 24 until 1998.

Attention is fixed on the tiny Gulf monarchy and the World Cup it intends to host for another reason – the average temperature during June and July, when the World Cup is usually held, can soar up to 50°C, making it not just difficult but dangerous for players to perform. The proposal is to shift the event to late November when the weather would be more amenable but this clashes with club football season in Europe and South America; FIFA has been in negotiations with them to accommodate the World Cup and allow players to go and represent their countries. To the relief of fans, the Islamic country is also setting up dedicated zones for fans around the stadia where alcohol consumption is not prohibited.

The selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup is interesting not just for the change in the format of the tournament it promises to bring or the reworking of the logistics of international football but also because it also brings to the fore the internationally less condemnable iniquity of anti-Semitism. During the bidding process, to strengthen its chances of being selected as hosts, Doha had to categorically state that the Israeli team would be allowed on Qatari soil were they to qualify for the championship. To be fair, were Israel to qualify, it would not be the first time Israeli athletes have competed in Qatar though it remains exceedingly rare. Qatar does not officially recognise the State of Israel though trade relations were established in 1996; business, however, remains around a paltry $1 million.

Listening to passionate fans discuss football may well be a lesson in geopolitics for the uninitiated, if not at least history. Israeli football takes that to an altogether different level. The Jewish state joined the Asian Football Confederation over the protests of many of its Muslim member states in 1954. In response, a large number of Asian Muslim countries boycotted Israel’s football team in tournaments. This created embarrassing situations such as in 1958 when Israel qualified for the World Cup without having played a single match after Turkey, Indonesia, and Sudan chose to forfeit their matches against Israel. FIFA hurriedly arranged for a play-off between Israel and Wales so that the qualifier would have played at least one game on the way to Sweden, the hosts that year; Israel lost and failed to qualify.

Israel were runners up for the AFC Cup in 1956 and 1960, finally winning it in 1964 but only after 11 of the 16 participants pulled out – the Jewish state’s hollow victory came from defeating minnows like India, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Iran, who had refused to play Israel that year, ironically won the first of their three consecutive Asia Cups by defeating Israel in the finals in 1968. In a promotional video about the history of the Asia Cup released by the AFC in 2015, the organisation shamelessly made no mention of the tournament in 1964.

Israel qualified for the World Cup in 1970 but again, its path was marred by politics – North Korea refused to play in Israel and was disqualified. Although Israel finished at the bottom of their group, they managed to hold Sweden and football powerhouse Italy both to a draw in Brazil.

In 1974, Israel was expelled from the AFC after a motion led by Kuwait found 17 supporters against 13 naysayers and six abstentions. In 1994, Israel was finally admitted into the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) but not before they played in World Cup qualifications in East Asia for 1978, Europe in 1982, and Oceania in 1986 and 1990. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has been trying for years to have Israel expelled from FIFA altogether.

The two other anomalous members of UEFA are Turkey and Kazakhstan: the first might be understandable as it is, technically, a transcontinental state, but the latter, as a landlocked Central Asian state who shifted from the AFC to UEFA in 2002, remains a bit of a mystery.

Israeli football officials remain adamant that they are not interested in returning to the AFC but the fact remains that Israeli footballers have faced occasional anti-Semitism during their matches in Europe. In 2003 in Bosnia, for example, spectators chanted “Sieg Heil!” and in 2013 in Budapest, the crowd shouted “Heil Benito Mussolini” and called the team “stinking Jews.”

From the angle of the sport itself, Israel’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup from Europe diminish significantly because the continent is home to most of football’s powerhouses – just England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have won between themselves 12 of the 21 titles since the beginning of the tournament in 1930. Some of Europe’s teams who fail to qualify could easily win against the best teams of Asia despite FIFA’s regional representation calculus allocating over thrice the spots (six times before 2006) for Europe than for Asia. Israel’s record against Asian teams, on the other hand, has been much better.

Israel’s footballing story ought to lay to rest any notion that sports help build bridges and mend fences between hostile nations. International attention is no less motivated and focused on issues of political convenience. For example, while FIFA has generally kowtowed to the majoritarian impulses of the Muslim members of the AFC, there has been no outcry over the daily human rights abuses in the same countries that call for Israel’s boycott.

For a month and a day, the world revelled in the beautiful game in Russia. Yet a closer look at the World Cup and its history reveals the ugly tentacles of non-conventional warfare Islamic states and their fellow travellers have long waged against Israel without any reprobation from the international community. The message is clear – there is no purity of sport, nor is there any cost for targetting the Jewish state in any way whatsoever.

World Cup Diaries: The Coronation

14 Mon Jul 2014

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Germany WC 2014Germany are the world champions! Twenty-four years after their last triumph, the Germans have won football’s highest accolade yet again. Die Mannschaft earned a fourth star on their jersey by defeating Argentina 1:0 in the finals at the Mecca of football, the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

Rarely has anyone deserved to win so richly. It might be counter-intuitive but not always does the last team standing win the hearts and minds of everyone. England’s second goal in 1966 come to mind, as does the assistance “God” extended Argentina in 1986. More recently, the ugly spat between Marco Materazzi and Zinedine Zidane in 2006 also cast a shadow upon Italy’s eventual triumph.

In contrast, even to their own days of ‘robust football,’ the German team was perceived as being too nice to win. There were no leitwolf or Führungsfigur in Joachim Löw’s team. In the entire tournament, Germany collected just six yellow cards, whereas Argentina received 8, the Netherlands 11, and Brazil given the most of any team in the World Cup – 14.

Even in their record 7:1 demolition of the hosts in the semifinals, Philipp Lahm & Co. decided to go easy on the Brazilians in the second half. After the final whistle, Bastian Schweinsteiger and other German players were seen hugging and consoling their defeated foes rather than jubilantly celebrating their astounding victory in arguably their most difficult fixture of the tournament.

An admirable quality in the Germans is their humility and decorum. No German team has ever fielded a prima donna like Cristiano Ronaldo, Robson de Souza, Mario Balotelli, or Nicolas Anelka, nor has one ever had the same swagger as the Selecao. After winning the championship, audiences were spared the theatrics of a German Gennaro Gattuso running around the pitch in his underwear. Most players instead preferred spending a few quiet minutes in the embrace of their wives or girlfriends before the lifting of the Cup and the obligatory victory lap and photo session.

Luckily for football fans, this world-beating German team did not enjoy an easy draw. A Germany that arrived at the finals to play and defeat Argentina after strolling through lesser teams would not be as inspiring as what was accomplished in this World Cup. From the group stage to the Cup, the Germans eliminated Portugal, France, Brazil, and Argentina. The only other side that could have arguably posed a challenge to the champions was the Netherlands though it is unlikely that anyone would bet on a Dutch victory over the Germans.

WC2014 Mascot - FulecoIt has been often said that the Germans may lack star players but play as a team. In Brasil 2014, Germany outscored, out-passed, and out-teamed all the other 32 teams that had gathered there. The Mannschaft scored 18 goals, completed 4,157 passes, and had the most number of goal scorers and assists than any other side except the Netherlands; no less than eight members of the German team put the ball in their opponents’ net over the space of seven matches.

While the world was focused on rivalries between Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller, the goal that won the championship came from substitute Mario Götze. Yet even throughout the tournament, Löw’s boys were generous in their passes and assists to allow the person with the highest likelihood to score to shoot on goal. Neither Miroslav Klose, who broke the world record for the most goals in World Cups (16), nor Müller, who was just one goal shy of yet another Golden Boot award, hogged the ball to themselves and instead played for their team to win.

Brasil 2014 tied for the highest goal-scoring World Cup with 171 goals scored in total; only in France 1998 were so many goals scored. Ironically, despite Brazilian player Neymar’s back injury being one of the most iconic moments of this tournament, the World Cup saw the least number of yellow and red cards ever given (187, 10) since the practice was started in 1970. UEFA (Union of European Football Association) has now won two World Cups more than CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football), the last three in a trot. Germany lifted FIFA’s trophy for the first time as a united country; Germany also became the first European team to win a World Cup in South America and surpassed Brazil’s tally to become the highest goal scorer (224) in World Cup history. It was the country’s eight final, a record in itself.

What may be frightening to a Europe busy preparing for the Euro 2016 in France is that the world champions were probably not even at their best. There have been a few injuries and the defence has looked shaky at times, something the coaches will be working hard to remedy. For now, Lahm & Co. go home with $35 million in prize money from FIFA and a fourth World Cup, ensuring that they will be long remembered in the annals of German football; the Deutscher Fußball-Bund has also sweetened the German victory by promising its conquering heroes a bonus of $408,000 each.

Despite worries about delayed construction and protests, the South American giants have hosted a remarkable World Cup. Germany, the eventual champion, has not just won the trophy but done it with a dignity, grace, and sportsmanship that has unfortunately become rarer; this is all the more reason for their victory to be savoured. in Brasil 2014, Löw’s team set an example for how professional football ought to be played. Congratulations Germany, champions and gentlemen!

World Cup Diaries: Germany vs. Argentina

11 Fri Jul 2014

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Germany vs. Argentina (Final) | Kickoff: July 14, 00 30 IST | Stadium: Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

Thus it all comes to an end. A glorious month of football that started with 32 eager and hopeful teams comes to a close with only the strongest two standing. It has been a month of disappointment and jubilation, agony and exhilaration, tears and tears of joy. Against the backdrop of protests against the hosting of the World Cup, Brazil’s socioeconomic difficulties, and fears that the infrastructure may not be ready in time for the world’s most sacred tournament, 31 days have gone by very quickly and enjoyably. Controversial refereeing, the Brazuca, and the Bite have all left their mark on a contest played out at the Mecca of football.

The last two heroes of this tournament are Germany and Argentina; twice, they have faced each other in the finals and both won their last championship by defeating the other. In World Cups, Germany has fared better against Argentina, winning four of their six previous encounters and drawing another; however, Argentina has a slightly better 9:7:4 record against Germany overall. Interestingly, Germany and Argentina have met in World Cups more than any other pair except Brazil and Sweden, whose record of seven they will equal in this final.

In Brazil, Germany reached the final by thrashing Portugal 4:0 in their opening match and pushed aside an impressive France in the quarterfinals before demolishing Brazil 7:1 in the semifinals. Argentina’s path may not have been as star-studded but they overcame an inspired Iran, a stubborn Belgium, and a challenging Netherlands to set up a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals.

The Argentines come to the finals after a long and tough semifinals but it would be naive to think that an extra half hour of football three days ago would dull players at this level. On the other hand, the Germans are euphoric after the unbelievable 7:1 annihilation of Brazil; however, Joachim Löw is a seasoned coach and knows that such results are more an aberration than a sign of prowess. Consequently, the German team’ will not be as high on their semifinal success as some of their fans are.

The Germany-Argentina clash has been heralded by many commentators as one between Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller, the most effective players on either side. Yet such a perspective reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of German football. Most of the the major teams come together around one or two stars – Luis Figo, Andrés Iniesta, Andrea Pirlo, Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten. Supported by others, these players become the tip of the spear.

However, German football has rarely, if ever, believed in spear tips. When they last won the World Cup in 1990, the German effort was fuelled by Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Rudi Völler, Thomas Häßler, Pierre Littbarski, and the goal scorer, Andreas Brehme. In 2014, though Müller has scored most of Germany’s goals, it would be ludicrous to disregard the contributions of André Schürrle, Toni Kroos, Mesut Özil, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, or Sami Khedira to the team. One on one, no German player comes close to matching the flair or finesse of the greats like Garrincha (Manuel Francisco dos Santos), Diego Maradona, or Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) but the European side’s strength comes from their organisation, discipline, and inability to give up until the final whistle is blown – and they have three World Cups to show for it. Football is a team sport and as their generous passing even within the opponent’s penalty area shows, that is how the Germans play it.

As their fans glare and jeer at each other, there is much respect between the two sides. Argentine legend Maradona and coach Alejandro Sabella have both heaped praise on the German team, their players, and their method. Löw has been equally respectful of his opponents, applauding the stout Argentine defence as well as strikers Messi and Gonzalo Higuain. For better or for worse, the explosive rivalry between Argentina and Brazil or Germany and the Netherlands have been avoided in this final. Interestingly, this will be one of the rare occasions Germany goes into a match as the favourite – despite their 7:1 drubbing by Germany, Brazilians are slow to forget their grudge against Argentina!

Despite their different approaches to the beautiful game, there is little difference between the two finalists. The German defence is famous and questions have been raised about the Argentine back line but in this tournament, it is the South Americans who have proven more unflappable. Germany’s true advantage has always been its midfield and this team is no different. Schweinsteiger, Khedira, Götze, Kroos, and Özil dominate their part of the field and feed Germany’s attack. Müller has been played forward in this World Cup and along with Schürrle and Klose, bring up Germany’s attack, which, though not as lethal as Messi and Higuain, is supported by the best midfield in the world.

At the Maracana in Rio on Sunday (Brazilian time), all things considered, Germany will have the slightest of edges over Argentina…but it will be just that, the slightest of edges. The best teams have survived, and by the end of the evening, only one will be left standing – Argentina will win its third championship or Germany its fourth. In all likelihood a low-scoring match, it will nonetheless be one for the history books.

Update:

Final score: Germany 1 – 0 Argentina (after extra time)