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C SHYAM SUNDAR | Fri, 11 Jun, 2010,02:34 PM |
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It just seems just the other day that Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final and thereby handed the cup to the Italians. That was circa 2006 and is part of folklore.
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The 19th edition of the World Cup, probably the most popular event on the planet is upon us and in a few hours from now, hosts South Africa kick off the tournament with an encounter against Mexico and it will be a month-long football festival.
For South Africa, it will mean culmination of a long journey fraught with difficulty as it readied to kick-off an historic World Cup, the first in the African continent.
A spectacular rock concert on Thursday preceded the official opening of the FIFA World Cup and popular Colombian singer Shakira led a galaxy of names at the ceremony.
A total of 32 teams will vie for honours in a tournament which billions of people across the planet will tune into, apart from the thousands expected to throng the various stadiums across the ‘Rainbow Nation.’
As FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said it is now time to focus on the football and be swept along by World Cup fever. Three years after qualifying began, the opening game kicks off at the gleaming new 90,000-seat Soccer City in Johannesburg with Mexico playing the hosts.
The 63 matches that follow will span South Africa, from Polokwane in the north-east to Cape Town in the south-west with 10 stadiums being used, culminating in the final at Soccer City on 11 July. Thirty-one of the teams have been here before with Slovakia the newcomer.
Minnows New Zealand made it through and North Korea qualified for the first time since 1966, when England last lifted the trophy. England are one of the favourites to do it again with Fabio Capello moulding a disciplined team where morale is high, with Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry his lynchpins.
They get their campaign underway against the United States on Sunday with Algeria and Slovenia also in Group C. Reigning European champions Spain boast a wily manager in Vicente del Bosque and a galaxy of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars, although an injury worry hangs over star midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Hence, it is no surprise that ‘La Furia Roja’ (‘Red Fury’) have been installed as favourites to lift the trophy on 11 July. Interestingly, no team from Africa or Asia has ever lifted the World Cup, and appears unlikely to do so here.
As always, teams from South America with Brazil leading the pack should be among the favoured teams.
Brazil with big stars like Kaka and Robinho will be expected to make a deep run and open their campaign against underdogs North Korea and also meet Ivory Coast and Portugal in Group G.
Mighty Argentina is an unpredictable element after only just hauling themselves over the qualifying line with Diego Maradona enduring a see-saw ride as coach.
Defending champions Italy can’t be counted out though their form coming into the showpiece event hasn’t been very convincing. Also, nations like Germany, France and Portugal will be outfits others will be wary of. So, it is time for kick-off and all attention would be on South Africa during the month-long football fiesta for fans across the globe.
For many in Chennai too, it will be time to sit in front of the telly and soak in the beautiful game, that football is.
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