Only the football can ignite a World Cup that has worked hard to lose its appeal
World Cup mired in controversy but magic of tournament, which begins on Thursday, is still strong
It’s the start of the World Cup and how do we feel? Uplifted might not be the word that comes to mind.
Gianni Infantino might be trying his best to convince the world that there’s nothing to see here and the 23rd edition of the tournament is going to plan. But teams being barred entry to host countries until the morning of matches and a referee receiving a hero’s welcome back in his own country after being denied entry to the United States suggests something else.
The footballers, many already weary after long, hard season, bear a heavy responsibility to ignite a World Cup that has worked hard to lose its appeal.
We complain about the money today’s top players earn but they will earn their corn here in searing temperatures and in matches that will routinely stretch past the 100-minute point. Then there are those who are being denied the standard of preparation one would expect at this level – Iran will fly to Los Angeles on the eve of the first opening match against New Zealand due to visa approval issues.
They were meant to be based in Tuscon, Arizona, for matches in California and Seattle. Now they are in Tijuana, a Mexican border city. President Trump, in a Truth Social media post, said the Iran team was “welcome” but then advised against it “for their own life and safety”. Trump was awarded a peace award by FIFA before the draw for the tournament in December.
“I have been to three World Cups and they always say once you get off the plane and you enter the host country, there’s just a unique atmosphere of friendliness and globalness,” said former Inter Milan forward Mehdi Taremi. “Unfortunately, I am not feeling that right now.”
What would Jules Rimet say? The tournament founder is buried in a municipal cemetery in the Bagneux suburb of Paris. He is credited with being the father of the World Cup, which was played for the first time in Uruguay in 1930. Many of the 13 teams involved travelled on the same boat from Europe, along with Rimet, and stayed near each other by the beach in Montevideo. It was as if they were at “a family party,” Rimet later wrote in a memoir. Rimet, born into a peasant family in the eastern French village of Theuley in 1873, would have been outraged by the exclusivity of today’s tournament, with tickets for matches costing many thousands of dollars.
I can remember sitting next to some Croatian fans on a flight from Rio to Sao Paulo who were in shock at the price they had to pay for a seat at the opening game of the 2014 World Cup against the hosts: over 200 American dollars. And it did seem like a lot then. Mere peanuts now of course.
For those of us willing some transcendent football moments, Estadio Azteca seems as good a place as any to start. This shrine to football has been extensively refurbished for this World Cup but retains its allure. Many feel it ought to host the final rather than the opening game between Mexico and South Africa.
After that the games keep coming. The second one is scheduled for just a few hours later in Guadalajara: South Korea v Czechia. In total, there will be 104 matches over 39 days – 72 in the group stage, just to eliminate 16 teams. It will be a test of stamina for everyone – fans, media and of course players.
Gordon joins Ronaldo and Modric in oldest players club
Quadragenerians abound. At Italia 90, Roger Milla seemed like such a phenomenon. And yet he was ‘only’ 38. Admittedly, he was 42 when he was recalled – and scored – at USA 94.
He remains the oldest player to score in a World Cup match and that record will likely survive this edition unless Craig Gordon does something extraordinary, which isn’t beyond the realms of imagination. The 43-year-old simply being here forms one of the great World Cup stories.
But while he is the oldest player at this tournament, he is not alone. The oldest outfield player is Ronaldo, who is 41. And then there’s Luka Modric, who is playing at his fifth World Cup with Croatia. He led them to a third-place finish last time around in Qatar aged 36.
Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, has been tempted out of retirement by Germany aged 40. Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Eden Dzeko is also 40 while Qatar striker Sebastian Soria is 42. In total eight players aged 40 or older have been selected to play – one more than all previous 22 tournaments combined. Evolving sports science is one reason. Another is players willingly extending their careers solely to reach World Cups. Gordon has admitted that if there hadn’t been the this summer to aim for he would “probably” have quit the season before last. The magic of the World Cup is still strong. Players know that what they do on this stage can echo in history.
“An inspired moment or an immortal blunder at a World Cup can fix your reputation forever,” writes Simon Kuper in World Cup Fever, published earlier this year. “One day, that match, perhaps played when you were a 20-year-old who thought life lay ahead of you, might be the opening line of your obituary.”
So many footballers already know that will be the case, including Geoff Hirst, the aforementioned Milla, Archie Gemmill and perhaps even dear old Davie Narey, who turns 70 on Friday. Their lives are often defined by what they have done on this stage. Mercifully, in all their cases, they are inspired moments. Some know that they will be remembered for less welcome reasons, including Harald Schumacher. The memory of the West German ‘keeper’s horror challenge on France’s Patrick Battison during a World Cup semi-final in 1982 still produces a shudder.
All these moments still hold their charge, particularly if you were alive to witness them. So many of us measure out our lives in World Cups. Here’s another one. Let the players in – and let them play.
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