Ballet on grass

32 nations will battle for the soccer world cup . Who will win this one ?
Surely , the ruling deity - Brazil !
When Brazil was playing a practice match just before the final FIFA matches , 25000 people turned to see Samba magic . That’s a helluva lot of people . And why not , they have a record of 60 wins in 87 matches for an unprecedented 5 world cup titles in the 17 that have been played so far .
I was completely involved in the last world cup finals way back in 2002 , having organized the screening in Pune . Brazil won with the help of Ronaldo’s brilliance against German organization with the blazing 2-0 victory . I had gone berserk with the drums in the excitement of that match . And Ronaldo had arrived , carrying forward Pele’s legacy .
Brazilians don’t play defensive football , they don’t give long passes , they play a great risky game with short passes through competition and strike at will . They create opportunities that are studies in soccer rule books .That’s why watching them play is wonderful .It's like a ballet on grass.
Between them , Ronaldo and Ronaldhino have between them been selected world footballer of the year five times out of eight in the last eight years.
I saw all the matches of the 1986 world cup , missed the 1990 world cup completely as I had no access to television during those college years and missed the 1994 world cup as I settled into matrimony and a high pressure job . But logged into the 1998 world cup selectively as I climbed the corporate ladder . I turned the 2002 edition into a money spinner by converting it into an event and now will be a complete part of the 2006 world cup with the promise that the next world cup , I will see live in whichever country it is held in .
I love the game , it’s the best game for practicing leadership and team work at the same time ; and it’s the only sport for which I have ever won a medal . I won a silver medal for the school competitions way back in 1984 in Ambala , Haryana . I remember scoring two of the eight goals scored in all the six matches we played with the other schools that year . I have loved the game since .
It is also a great lesson in geography and history . A Portuguese team plays Angola which has been a portuguese colony for 400 years . Serbia plays Croatia , both parts of erstwhile Yugoslavia and now at a bitter five year war against each other back home . Germany plays Poland , years back having started a world war by attacking Poland ; USA plays Iran , where a war could be around the corner . France plays Algeria , a former colony , Netherlands play half of their old colonies and England play Australia , after having taken the cricketing Ashes for the first time in history last year . Cricket playing Trinidad and Tobago is the smallest country to play in the world cup with its 1.3 million population and a total land mass of 5000 sq km .So much excitement has their qualifying created in Trinidad that ther’s a comic book being released on their triumph . Five african teams battle hunger , poverty and financial crisis in their countries to give hope through victory .
It’s also a great study in combat . there are 12-13 formations to tackle different teams. There’s a new format of the ball itself with 14panels and not 32 as is normal .There’s an embedded chip that ensures that each time the ball crosses the line , it’s recorded .
‘For the record , anyone can win the 2006 World Cup’ begins the headline of the Newsweek article in its pre-match edition .Whether its three-time champion Italy or the debutante Angolans , Beckam’s England or Togo , the 61st team amongst the 62 teams vying for the 272 million dollars in prize money and the world championship , anyone can win this world cup .
I , though , would bet on some great exciting matches .
And a Brazil and Argentina final .