SOUTH AFRICA made a spectacular debut as Africa’s first host of the football World Cup and could be justifiably proud as a nation as it managed to silence the doubting Thomases who didn’t believe it could stage the world’s greatest sporting spectacle.
Most of the world’s flags are now fully unfurled, the drums are beating, the trumpets are blowing and the battle cries will sound. It is that time again: the World Cup is upon us together with all the intrigue the game encompasses.
It has been said that football is an opportunity to experience the thrill of combat without risking the much more than a few broken bones. It inspires strong emotions, speed and collective aggression and strong nationalism and pride.
Though much maligned, the Sports pages of the newspapers of the world are the only ones that celebrate the triumph of mankind against all odds. The rest of the pages, it is often said, only mark societies’ failures and ignore its successes.
As the world watched the opening ceremonies and the first match of the World Cup it was a sobering thought that nothing much has really changed since the days of the gladiators and the roar of the multitude that welcomed these warriors.
Indeed, from those early days of history, competition and the need to beat the other team has been universal. It is now done with a more civilized veneer but often violence does get a look-in. Extra time carries the notion of sudden death. Sports headlines reflect much the same genre of thought
It is said there is something primeval about soccer, the desire to tear into the opposition. Winning at all costs is the mantra of all sports in response to marketing and attracting sponsorship. Why do millions go berserk because a leather ball hits the back of the net? We need to overcome and overwhelm.
The fear of losing is now so bound with national honour and the flag and the glory of the land that all football players who wear their national colours are also aware of the shame and rage that awaits them if they do not win. Losers are sometimes maligned and pelted with insults in their own countries.
As the stakes are raised and huge wealth forms the payment incentive, as fans are ready to kill themselves in loss, perhaps it is worth considering that the old adage of playing the game for the sake of the game is losing out.
One good feature of football today is that it has helped to break down some barriers of race and religion as most football clubs are mixed, with coaches and players from all over the globe but this has done little to diminish local supporters. It knits disparate people together.
We can only hope that this year’s World Cup will above all else a festival of brotherhood, even if Brazil loses.
