FIFA World Cup Final: Paul the Octopus predicts Spain to win, Howard Webb to complete a unique double and what does the history say about the final
When was the last time the world saw an English team in the final of the Champions league and the final of the World cup? Never before!
With all the due respect to Mike Mullarkey, Darren Cann and Howard Webb, the English fans would have loved to see 11 men marching on to the pitch to contest the final in South Africa rather than 3 men to officiate it. Nonetheless it is a cause of great joy for Howard webb, who after refereeing in the Champions league final just over two month ago will now be officiating the greatest show piece in world football.
No other referee has had the honour of officiating two of the biggest football matches in the same season and it is Howard Webb of England that creates history by becoming the first man in the history of the game to complete the unique feat.
The feat speaks volumes for the English refereeing standards as Webb become the first Englishman since Jack Taylor officiated perhaps, the greatest World Cup final in 1974 between German and the Netherlands.
Taylor showed nerves of steel to award the Dutch a penalty in the very first minute for a foul by Berti Vogts on Cryuff much to the dismay of the home fans but the decision was right and the world only hopes that Webb too shows the kind of nerves needed to officiate in a mach of such a calibre.
There are some stark similarities between that final in 74 and this one in Johannesburg, it was the first time that the reigning European Champions went on to win the World Cup, an English man officiated the final and the opponents on both the occasions are the same.
So history is on Spain’s side to go on and win the World Cup. Spain is seeking to achieve the same feat against the same opponents but there is also a flip side to the story.
In 1974, Rinus Michels’ Dutch side were the pinnacle of total football and were the overwhelming favourites despite playing on German soil against the Germans, so were the Hungarian side of Ferenc Puskas against west Germany in 1954 when another Englishman in William Lung officiated the final but the Magical Magyars lost to Germany and in 1958 when Brazil only needed a draw in the final to win the World Cup for the first time they lost to Uruguay and the referee was George Reader of England.
Whenever an English man has officiated the World Cup final, the favourites have lost but on Sunday at Soccer city it will take more than relying on fate for Holland to win the cup.
It was a miracle in Bern that denied a bunch of sublimely talented Dutch footballers their first ever World Cup but Johan Cryuff believes that the Dutch side of today can go one better and upset all the odds to win against the slick passing Spaniards.
Spain do not play football, they paint a beautiful picture using the football pitch as a canvas, but it was the Dutch that introduced beautiful football to the world and Sunday’s final will be contested by two teams whose footballing ethos are not too different from each other.
Both the sides that will contest the final on Sunday have never won a football World Cup and that alone is motivation enough for the two perennial chokers of World football, both stand on the brink of creating history and despite Spain being the favourites the Dutch will be no pushovers on Sunday
The Dutch have not lost a single match in this year’s competition and are on a 14 match winning streak but perhaps they have the most important thing of all against them.
Paul the Octopus gave its verdict in Germany this morning and has predicted Spain to lift the coveted trophy and with 30 legs pulling for Spain (including the 6 of Paul) the Dutch have a mighty difficult task ahead of them.
May the best team win and take home the trophy.
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