Let the game begin

The focus of the sporting world has shifted to the continent of Africa which plays host to one of the biggest sporting extravaganzas of the planet – The FIFA World Cup 2010. It will be a coming-of-age event not only for the country of South Africa but for the whole of the African continent which has had its own share of miseries and misfortunes over long periods of time. It was way back in 1934 that Egypt became the first African nation to have qualified for the World Cup. Since then African football has come a long way – whether it be a Francois Omambique goal stunning defending champions Argentina in the 1990 World Cup or Senegal proving to be the star find of the 2002 World Cup. With almost all African players plying their trade in major European clubs nowadays, African football has truly become global. Hence South Africa hosting the World Cup is a cry of defiance coming from the continent of Africa to the traditional soccer power houses.

Almost all the major powerhouses of world football have descended on the Rainbow Nation for the most important tournament in football. They will have fans rooting for them from all across the globe. However, the World Cup is not only about the superpowers. It is also about the little-known footballing nations whose lesser-known players have toiled hard to qualify for the moment every aspiring footballer dreams to be. These players might not be household names but they carry the culture and tradition of their nation on the world stage and have done enough to be standing on the same platform with their more famous counterparts. These countries also deserve a little bit of our support so that they are not left out of the hype and hysteria surrounding the Messis, the Kakas and the Ronaldos.

Historically underdogs have scripted romance and thrill in many previous editions of the World Cup. We have witnessed the USA beating England in 1950, North Korea stunning Italy in 1966, East Germany beating West Germany in 1974 or Senegal beating France in 2002. It is time the underdogs and the new comers got some mention before they actually got on to do something. Let’s take a look at some of the underdogs who might cause some havoc in the pre-tournament calculations.

The host nation South Africa will lead African hopes from Group A. Coached by Carlos Alberto Perreira, the man who masterminded Brazil’s triumph in 1994, the hopes of the Rainbow Nation will hinge upon the performance of midfield maestro Everton Steven Piennar. With the whole of South Africa behind them, it should not come as a surprise to anyone if the Bafana Bafana defy their world ranking of 83 and usurp any one of France, Uruguay or Mexico to move to the round of 16.

One of the better teams of world football, Russia were sent crashing out of the World Cup qualifying by the relatively unknown Slovenian team after which the Slovenian coach echoed these immortal lines: “Slovenia have realized a dream”. In a group that has England, the USA and Algeria, Slovenia will bring a strategically steady blend of football into display. A team that plays compact organized football will be led by the charismatic Robert Koren whose vision and silken skills would be vital for them to progress to the next round.

The beauty of tournaments like the World Cup is that it is a great leveller. One of the stories of this year’s World Cup will be about the participation of a nation that in all probabilities will end up losing all their matches – North Korea. A disgruntled nation that is in the bad books of the international community, the North Koreans will be playing in the World Cup after a gap of 44 years. In 1966, they stunned the footballing world by knocking the Italians out. This time around, they have to deal with five-time winners Brazil, the supremely talented Portugal as well as a dangerous Ivory Coast side. No one expects miracles from them. However, even if they manage to win a single game, they might prepare the recipe of disaster for an early exit for any one of these top three teams from the first round itself.

With a world ranking of 38, the tiny country of Honduras is pitted against pre-tournament favourites Spain, Switzerland and South American attacking powerhouse Chile. Little is expected from them but if they are to spring a surprise they will need the man who inspired their qualification to be at his top form, Wilson Palaicos. Inter Milan’s David Suazo would spearhead the attack in a team built by Columbian Reinaldo Reina who has made Honduras his adopted country.

As the World Cup starts, we expect the big boys to sail through their group. However, the relatively unknown players from the smaller nations will also have their script to write. If they can topple the toppers, we are in for a mesmerizing spell of one month extravaganza. At this moment I have nothing more to say but “Let the game begin”.