The World Cup I Know

  The 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Korea and Japan, brought us a bundle of signs and wonders. France and Argentina, two of the world’s superpowers on the field, have been washed out during the first round. Shortly after their losses, Italy, unfortunately, met the same fate and was knocked out by South Korea. Yet the situation of their counterparts in Africa and Asia was different. Though hardly renowned and little appreciated before, those intrepid warriors have successfully forced their way into the next round. This is a heavy blow to the worshippers of the powerful but ill-fated grass field big shots. 

  Disappointment, dejection and the sense of being lost together describe the feelings of the enthusiastic adorers of the doomed European and South American heroes. It is useless, of course, crying for Argentina anymore. But for Batistuta fans, it would be rather bitter to see their idol pack up things and quietly get on the plane. It is easy to understand what spectators have been awaiting are the wonderful performances of their favorite players. However, the 17th World Cup once again confirms the old saying that to expect too much can sometimes be painful.

  As to France being beaten, I venture to say that I had not even the least feeling of regret. It is quite true that France as a football team has a pretty glorious history behind it, but it was nothing accidental that today’s France suffered a disastrous defeat. Their national league matches had exhausted them; more importantly, Zedane, the spiritual leader, was absent from the first two games due to a leg injury. There must have been additional reasons for the world champion’s Waterloos, but (at least it seems to me) a team that isn’t able to perform normally without one superstar or two can hardly rank as a strong one. This applies not only to France in 2002, but also to Argentina in 1994. (Then, so to speak, it is hard to imagine what England would be like in the absence of David Beckham, captain as well as the midfield backbone.)

  A golden goal in the extra time sent the Italians back home. Thanks to the referees, South Korea has made another step toward the quarter finals while Italy has not. If I were Vieri or Totti, I would have cried sad tears for the unfair umpiring, or rather, the catastrophe. However, it is a fact of life that everyone on the pitch has to submit to the umpires--the only authorities in the match. If you don’t want a yellow card, don’t irritate them. But even though you are obedient and innocent, equal treatment is still hardly guaranteed.

  This was, though, none of Korea’s fault. Besides being the co-hosts, they are now the best in Asia and contenders for the world championship. Trying their utmost to win the crown, the Koreans played each of their games as if they were conquerors and potential victors rather than underdogs or losers like their fellow Asians. They have made considerable progress during recent years with the talented Guus Hiddink from Holland as the coach. And now, they are unchallenged in Asia and are bound to be more confident in facing their European opponents.

  Then what would things have been like had the refereeing decisions not gone against Italy and Spain (Both were defeated by South Korea)? What if the referees had not been so partial to the co-hosts?

  Although made up with some of the best-paid and highly-rated players in the world, the two European powers simply did not show the quality that any world champions, or top-ranking squads, must exhibit. They should have attached more importance to the matches instead of presuming they’d be ahead before the last few minutes. If the few off-side decisions had not been so vital to them, perhaps nobody in the two countries would now remember the names of the unjust referees. (Germany, who beat South Korea by one goal, has set a great example for the two teams, and so has Turkey.)

  Nevertheless, many people in China were not in favor of the South Koreans. Many attributed the Koreans’ achievements to their playing on their home ground and hence the referees’ partiality. Two factors weigh heavily in this popularly accepted view. One of them is the fact that South Korea has not yet been able to defeat Italy or Spain in fair play. The other one, perhaps, is a kind of jealousy. It derives from the old joke that we care little about how much wealth the king or queen possesses, but once our neighbors become a bit richer than we are, we will likely feel unworthy.

  In what follows, I would like to comment on my own national team. Since sports on the international level is generally linked with national prestige, when a national team plays in a tournament they play not just for themselves but for their country. China's development in most respects has been at a fantastic speed, but unfortunately, football is not an area where it has developed much proficiency.

  Three losses, not even one goal scored, and being the last in Group C were what our team achieved in the 17th World Cup. For the first time our fans wiped up their tears for the countless ‘dark moments’ that kept us from entering the finals in the zero hour. Also, for the very first time we realized that it was the co-hosting of Japan and Korea that gave us the chance to participate in the finals. Apart from our unskilled players, our out-of-date conception of football requires urgent improvement. We are now very much in need of experienced coaches and devoted footballers who can strengthen the weak defence, tighten the slack midfield and cure the soft attacking line. There is a long way to go if we wish to become one of the eventual 32 again.

  The 17th FIFA World Cup ended with Brazil winning their 5th world crown. The Brazilians have definitely become even stronger after getting rid of Pele’s ‘beautiful games’, which had been proved non-profitable in a series of previous trials. I firmly believe that the flowers of victory get rooted only in the bitter soil of sweats, not in anything else such as mere luck. The Brazilians can be a very good example of that.

  The spirit of sport has been revealed to the largest extent in the significant occasion of football. In another four years to come there are sure to be more outstanding achievers providing us tournaments with passions and thrillers. At that time, I hope there will be no injustice in referees’ judgments and no disgraceful turbulences caused by football rogues. What we are waiting for should be a pure football meeting with pleasant surprises given by our gifted and respectable players.