A Preview of the FIFA World Cup 2010
The players are considered as warriors while some of them raise their game to become heroes for millions of fans across the world. The stadium itself becomes a world, with rules of its own. The football holds all the power as worthy nominees run in the race to acquire it. With it lies the pathway to destiny and the honour of becoming the conqueror. This would be the world of a football fan that is just about to enter the realm of the FIFA World Cup as it kicks off on the 11th of June in South Africa this year.
There are a lot of facts pressing and thoughts nerving all around about this tournament. Questions like who will be the star of the tournament, which players will give their nations the edge and who will be the under dogs will probably perplex the audiences across the world.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the largest sporting events held on planet Earth. Questions are being asked whether which team will have the edge on South African soil. Well firstly, it would be the South African players themselves but secondly it could be the neighbouring Arab countries. Not only do they frequently visit the area but they play inter-league matches as well. Apart from the fact that Brazil has a similar climate and environment to South Africa, it is the only South American nation to have won the World Cup in Europe, America and Asia. So for the Brazilian squad, environment issues are non-issues.
Now which country would have a disadvantage in South Africa? Well, upon having a closer look, it is clear that South Africa isn’t just another country. It’s rather a continent! No European country has ever won the World Cup outside Europe. As a matter of fact, their performances have also been dismal to say the least.
In this years’ World Cup, all seeded countries that have a high chance of winning the world cup have been drawn in different groups which include Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, France, England and Uruguay. The second stage matches will definitely be the ones to watch.
It so happens that the there are only two teams that have won the World Cup in a row. That happens to be Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Italy won the World Cup in 2006 so let’s see if the Italian can live up to the magic and defend their golden trophy successfully.
Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, West Germany, England and France are countries that have won the World Cup only at their own backyard while Brazil lost theirs in 1950. Talk about being ‘good at home’.
The final match is everything that the World Cup envisages; tension, action and thrilling action - be it the infamous ‘Hand of God’ by Maradonna, ‘the Great Miss’ by John Terry and David Beckham or ‘the Headbutt’ by Zinedine Zidane. Penalty kicks are regarded by many as the most unfair way to end the match. The finals of the World Cup of 1994 and 2006 were decided by this method. In comparison, the finals of 1934, 1966 and 1978 were decided on the basis of extra-time.
Another important issue are the coaches. Everything revolves around those coaches that have developed a better understanding with their teams. So far, Morten Olsen is the longest serving coach in this years’ World Cup in South Africa. He has been with the Danish squad since the Cup of 2002 in Japan.
Among the most out-weighing questions is which players are going to play a major part in helping their team win the World Cup. If you look at the league performances this season, England, Argentina and Spain are the teams to watch out for.
While the English team has found a lot of promising new players in their squad, their team consists of a fusion of old and new. They have assembled their best team in many years and they are expected to lift the cup this time round. The Argentinean team is studded with jewels too; the most expensive being Lionel Messi. With his one man show on the run, people will have a close eye on him. Stating that the Spanish side looks good is a humongous understatement. With players like Fernando Torres, David Villa and Xavi Hernandez, Spain will definitely put up a good show in the upcoming edition in South Africa.
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