Noses against the glass

June 9, 2010

The eyes from all corners of the world will very soon be focussed very firmly on South Africa over the next month for what will not only be the biggest event to hit the country, but the whole continent, and as the millions of fans from the 32 countries arrive to cheer on their countries with immense pride, spare a thought for the millions that have not managed to get there.

Being Irish, we are more used to not being on the biggest stage in the World; however it still hurts when we don’t get there, and perhaps this time round, a little more than usual.

As the fateful night in Paris is now well and truly consigned to the record books, the Irish football fans will be watching the events unfold with their faces pressed firmly against the glass like homeless people watching diners cajole in a 5 star restaurant with a certain sense of what could’ve been.

Irish people have well known to take to an “Anybody But England” stance when it comes to a World Cup, however this time round the England have been replaced by France as the team we all want to see beat.

It appears however, that France have enough in-house problems with their own squad which seems have a collective ego the size of a hot air balloon. It will be no surprise to hear that William Gallas has once again thrown his toys from the pram and stated he will not speak to the press during the tournament in what looks to be a silent protest at Patrice Evra been given the vice-captaincy ahead of him. In all honesty though, does anyone outside France really care?

Some might say it’s better to be a neutral during a tournament of such magnitude as it’s easier to sit back and watch the games with from a stress free point of view and without the constant calculating of permutations that each goal score or conceded may bring.

Personally I don’t follow this line of thought and think most fans would love to see their country there, no matter how big or small their chances may be.

However, nothing can be changed now and of the 32 squads that will see the flags of their countries raised across South Africa during the next month, there does appear to be some mouth watering games coming up and no doubt, as per almost every World Cup to date, there will be at least one or two upsets, one of the pre tournaments stars will fail to shine and return home as a fallen idol. Alternatively, there is always a star or two born that will go on to spark a bidding war between the world’s biggest clubs by the time the transfer window closes in August.

While Spain appear to be the starting favourites, that hasn’t always been the best title to hold going into the tournament. Brazil will no doubt be there or thereabouts, as too Italy, Holland, England, and as the old saying goes, you can never write off the Germans. It will also be interesting to see if Argentina coach Diego Maradona can make the headlines for purely sporting reasons this time.

One thing is for certain though, this tournament does appear to be one of the most open in modern times. While most countries have had their fair share of up & downs in qualifying, injuries, surprise squad inclusions and exclusions, one thing is for certain, they have all now arrive on the eve of the biggest, most exciting month of real life drama that script writers can only fantasise about. This is the World Cup. Ladies and Gentlemen…….let the games begin.

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