FIFA 2010 World Cup: A Success off the field but a failure on the field for Africa, Ghana keeps hopes alive
This year’s FIFA World Cup, the biggest football tournament, is being held in South Africa, despite the apprehensions of many people. After a long wait, the World Cup was awarded to the African continent, but some people still believe Africa is immature to host such a big event. But considering the effort made by South African the continent seems ready up to the challenge of hosting an international sporting event of epic proportions.
The infrastructure was ready and the tourists and the journalists came pouring in from all corners of the world. The World Cup has not disappointed fans; rather it has been a great success so far. This World Cup has everything in it; it has drama; it has comedy; it has all the controversies; in short, it has everything that can keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
The drama has been there in every game of the 2010 World Cup. Giants like France, England, Italy, Spain and Germany fell in front of meagre opponents. Many smaller nations achieved impossible results. The biggest defeat, so far, has been that of France, at the hands of South Africa, and their subsequent elimination from the first round of the World Cup.
This year’s World Cup has been no stranger to controversy. Already the goal-keepers are complaining about the notorious Jabulani Ball, by Adidas, and blaming it for their team’s misfortunes. Also, the famous Vuvuzela, an African horn, is being blamed for the noise, causing the disruption in the communication between the team-mates, on the pitch. Also, the controversy regarding the French coach, Raymond Domenech, has made a lot of news stories, in this World Cup. Diego Maradona, the Argentinean coach and a former legend, has found himself in an encounter with the other giants, Pele and Platini.
Despite all these successes for the African continent, the African nations participating in this tournament have miserably failed on the pitch. In the last decade, many good African players made their way into big European teams. They did well for the clubs and led them to glory with their exceptional football. There are numerous examples of such players, like Didier Drogba, Samuel Etto, Michel Essien, Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Yakubu and Eboue. Many of the African players made their mark in their respective leagues, and the people were hoping for a better performance from these African heroes, considering they would be playing on their home soil for the first time. At least, this was the demand of the African fans that gathered in South Africa, from different parts of the continent.
Unfortunately, with the exception of Ghana, the African nations have failed to qualify for the second round of the World Cup. Ironically, this is the first time in the football history that a host nation has failed to qualify for the second round, as South Africa failed to qualify from the Group A. Although, they did get a consolation victory over once favourites France, but their poor performance against Uruguay led them to the ultimate elimination, despite being equal on points with Mexico.
The other African giants, that were shown the door, were Ivory Coast. They were placed in the Group of Death, against Portugal and Brazil, and they failed to overcome the challenge. Unfortunately, the African fans would not be able to see any more of the biggest African hero, Didier Drogba.
Samuel Etto’s Cameroon will be eliminated as well, despite being placed in a relatively easy group. The biggest failure of Cameroon was against the Japanese side, a match that they lost by 1-0. Nigeria is another African giant which showed a lacklustre performance at the World Cup. They failed to beat South Korea, and lost against Greece and Argentina. Consequently they have been eliminated from the World Cup as well.
It was very unfortunate for Africa that the African champions, Egypt, failed to qualify for the World Cup. However, it was felt that the team that stopped the progress of Egypt, Algeria, would do well in South Africa. But, like all other African nations, the Algerians failed to inspire as well, and have already been eliminated.
In terms of success on the field, this World Cup has been a sad spectacle for the African fans. This failure would really over-shadow the overall success of the World Cup. But, there is still some hope left, in the shape of Ghana, who would face USA in the next round. If the African survivors really work hard, they can win that match and proceed to the Quarter Final stages. Maybe, this would help restore some lost pride of the African nations.
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