THE LOW STANDARD OF ASIAN SOCCER.

After watching the inaugural match yesterday between the host country Russia and one of the Asian Giants Saudi Arabia, of the current World Cup going on in Russia, once again it was proved how low the standard of Asian soccer is.  Though Russia is not a super power in soccer as compared to others in Europe and South America yet the Russians made a mockery of the Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

      

In 1982 World Cup held in Spain, Kuwait qualified for the final phase.  During its encounter with Platini’s France, when the Frenchman scored one of their goals, the Kuwaiti defense remained motionless thinking referee has whistled for some infringement but when they found that the match referee blew his long whistle for the goal, the Kuwaiti players rushed to the referee questioning him how he allowed this goal when he already blew his whistle earlier, but the referee said he did not blow the whistle twice, that is, earlier he did not.  That means somebody behind the goal among the spectators must have played the mischief. 

There was heavy argument on the field, the big man of Kuwaiti soccer administration Sheikh Fahad watching that match from the VIP Gallery wearing his brownish National dress – Distasha – came sprinting from the Stands on top all furious and by making a sign in his right hand indicating to the Kuwaiti players standing on the ground not to play any further.   In his capacity as the top official of the Kuwaiti team he cannot act that way.  After some consultation, the referee withdrew that cntroversal goal and the match restarted again.  Later on the FIFA reprimanded Kuwaiti soccer team and heavily fined Sheikh Fahad.  Somebody said that this Kuwaiti Prince thought that he was dealing with Indian domestics at his house coming to work in Kuwait from Goa and not with FIFA which is the most upright body in the World.

According to my assessment, till what  saw till today 15.06.18 at 6.30 PM, World Cup this time will be a drab affair without much entusism.  I don’t think in this W.Cup we will get a chance to see another Pele-Maradona, Zico, Falcao, Rummeniege, Eusebio and many others.

A.ronica Ferandes.

THE GREATEST FOOT-BALLERS OF THIS PLANET.

In the recorded history of soccer, there were many top class foot-ballers came into this planet and with their sheer artistry of marvelous footwork with the ball, they have dazzled the spectators.  However, the two more talked about foot-ballers are the Brazilian Pele known as Black Pearl and the second is Diogo Armando Maradona an Argentinian.  Between the two I rate Pele, after watching him on Video Films and other TV documentaries and even by reading, as the most perfect player  and as such the best this planet has so far produced.  He was the perfect player because he used his both the legs with perfect equal ease and above all he used his head so perfectly well that some of his best goals came thru his header including the most memorable one he scored in 1970 World Cup final against Italy.  With his right foot he could tell the ball to do anything he wanted except talk.

Besides, he was very tricky and could easily fool the defender by pooling  towards him when he would run in the different direction and  leaving the ball empty for his colleague to shoot in the goal.  However, the greatest gift of his was his good luck that helped him to be closer to the ball near the goalmouth facilitating him to easily score the goal. In football luck is the most important factor otherwise the 1982 Brazilian squad captained by Dr. Socrates would win the World Cup  instead of losing to Paulo Rossi’s Italy in the midway; Brazilians then had everything in their team to become champions except luck and that bad luck denied them the much needed draw only and not the victory, against that crucial match with Italy.

The 1982 Brazilian team consisted of gigantic players of which type never seen before not even in 1970.  Can we get again players like Eder, Dr. Socrates, Zico, Serginho and others?  And what about their teamwork created by their genius coach Tele Santana?  We will never see again such a brilliant teamwork nor another Tele Santana.

Maradona no doubt a great but not perfect as Pele because Maradona was one legged player using his left leg only and totally weak in the header. During his playing days Maradona became very popular because during his time TV transmission was easily available all over the globe for the people to see him around the World playing  his excellent game.  This TV coverage gave him lot of extra mileage and tremendous publicity that made the people to say that he was like a God of foot-ball as it was accepted him in Banglaesh. Such a TV and Video coverage was not existent during Pele’s time and because of this much of Pele’s greatness remained hidden from the eyes of the people worldwide.    

If you go a step further, you will still find 2 more foot-ballers who according to some world renown soccer pundits remain much taller than both Pele and Maradona.  These pundits did their evaluation and assessment based on their first hand information after watching all of them playing on the field. And finally they passed their verdict that the great Alfredo Di Stefano an Argentinean who later on got the citizenship of Spain and the other one was Ferenc Puskas a Hungarian.  Their highly skillful soccer remained far from the major portion of the World. At least Puskas played in one World Cup for Hungary and soon he joined Real Madrid where he found equally great player Di Stefano in mid fifties.  Their best of soccer they both played for Real Madrid where they were scoring so many goals.  Their duo was unstoppable, it was said at times that they were communicating with each other thru Telepathy to take the next step to score the goals.  And it was also said that without turning their heads back,  they used to pass the ball to each other as if they were having extra eyes at their back side too.  

Such foot-ballers come to this planet only once in centuries.           

A.Veronica Fernandes.

                                                           

WORLD CUP 2018 IN RUSSIA.

THE most exciting sporting event World Cup 2018 is going to start on 14^th of this month and I am eagerly waiting to watch it on TV.  With my full admiration to the Frenchman Jules Rimet for initiating the World Cup Soccer Tournament which was first time held in Uruguay in 1930 and won by the host country, the number of contestants was only 13 and that too invitees. In the absence of almost 2 years of grueling qualifying matches to reach to the ultimate final phase as it is done now, the first participants were very lucky to get a spot in the final in Uruguay.  However India was unfortunate to decline to participate in the 1950 World Cup held in Brasil when 3 other Asian teams withdrew, because Indian players were known to play barefooted which was not accepted by the organizers.  

From 13 teams in the inaugural  tournament to 16 to 24 and now 32 teams and still thinking to go up to 40 in the near future, FIFA is doing a wonderful job in organising this tournament every four year.  No other sporting event unites the people in this world as this tournament does because soccer is the only language the entire world population understands because of this it is said that “where Esperanto failed, the game of soccer succeeded” in bringing the world together under one medium.

When the Frenchman Just Fontaine in 1958 scored the highest number of goals in a single tournament of 16 teams this record still remained intact till today inspite of increasing the number of teams to 32.  Came Pele, Eusebio, Maradona, Zico, Paulo Rossi, Lato, Gerd Muller and so many others but none could break that record created by the great Fontaine, inspite of having so many advantages.  This indicates that the soccer is become now defensive where too much stress is put on defense to prevent getting goals and more goals. Will anyone break the record in this World Cup, created by Just Fontaine in 1958?

When Pele first time played in this tournament, he was aged only 17 ½ in 1958 but in 1982 World Cup held in Spain his record was broken by the Northern Islander Whiteside when he played for his national team as the youngest kid.  Who will break this record  in Russia?

In 1966 World Cup held in England, the captain of Argentina, Rattin  acted like a wild animal when he went to hit his own player while playing against England and in 2006 Frenchman Zidane  head butted Italian Matzerrati like a wild Rhino. Will such nasty incidents occur again in Russia? I hope not.

No other sporting event bringS the world to stand still as this sporting event does.  Even world summits and conferences are delayed or postponed to allow the participants to watch this tournament. Popes and Cardinals, Kings and Monarchs, Sheiks and commoners are all show interest in this sports.

Let this sports create love and peace in this world.

A.Veronica Fernandes.