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| K Natwar Singh: From football to fireballs | | Football is the least expensive game. All you need is one ball which 22 players knock around |
| K Natwar Singh / New Delhi Jul 10, 2010, 00:42 IST |
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Three cheers for Nelson Mandela’s South Africa. Prominent individuals, including Pele, had doubted South Africa’s ability to make a success of the World Cup. They have now nowhere to hide. South Africa has done the game of football proud. Their nine stadiums were an architectural triumph. The grass on each ground was manicured and it must have involved thousands of dedicated groundsmen to keep each field in near-perfect condition.
Now to the games and the teams, some of the over-pampered players, football stars performed poorly, e.g. Ronaldo, Rooney and others. The prospective do-well teams like France, Italy and England performed dismally. Their coaches too took a beating. The French team was in a shambles and displayed disunity. Millions in England, France and Italy felt let down and rightly so. Smaller countries like Slovenia, Uruguay and Ghana performed brilliantly. Germany licked England and Argentina; other teams were made to look like amateurs.
On Sunday, the world will have a new champion to applaud. Both Holland and Spain are outstanding teams. Both have raised the level of the game. Both play to their plans. Their astute coaches have worked out. With unsurpassed brilliance, Spain eased out the favourites — the Germans. Sunday’s final will offer the world something special and spectacular.
Asia, except for Japan, did not fare well. China and India were missing. Nearly two-and-half billion people could not send teams to participate in the World Cup. Did nothing go wrong? Yes, it did. Some referees did not rise to the occasion. Noise pollution was quite a novelty. The unpronounceable, unspellable instruments used in every stadium by old and young must have made it impossible for players to hear each other. But who cared — at each stadium, at each game, the atmosphere was electrifying. South African organisers are triumphant because they are flying on the wings of faith.
Some interesting statistics. Goals scored: 139; yellow cards: 236; red cards: 16. Highest goal scorers — David Vila of Spain and Wesley Sneijder of Holland, both scored five each. Five players scored four each — Muller and Miroslav Klose of Germany, Gonzalu Higuain, Robert Vittek and Diego Forlan of Argentina, Slovakia and Uruguay, respectively. These are the numbers to date. Let’s see who scores in the final.
While the drama-loving, ebullient Maradona was an entertaining presence, Nelson Mandela was conspicuous by his enforced absence. The icon’s 13-year young granddaughter was killed in a car accident the night before the opening ceremony which Mr Mandela was to attend. He was inconsolable. Everyone hopes the world’s most respected man will come to the closing ceremony on Sunday. “There is no shortcut to the country of our dreams.”
The World Cup caught the imagination of the world. The Rainbow country proved the sceptics wrong. Football is the least expensive game. All you need is one ball which 22 players knock around. To make it to a World Cup team, a player must train for hours every day, possess skill, intuitive understanding of his colleagues, stamina and must have the wind at his back, i.e. luck. On Sunday, may the best side win.
From South Africa to Afghanistan is a long way. Our American friends in Afghanistan find themselves between a rock and a hard place. This is the longest war America has fought in its history. Victory is not in sight. Afghanistan is full of ferocious Scarlet Pimpernels. You look for them here and they are already elsewhere. The greatest and the most technologically advanced country has yet to find Osama bin Laden. With the exception of Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) and Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), no outside power has been successful in subduing the Afghans. Even Akbar and Ranjit Singh could do so for short periods. The British got a beating which they still remember. The USSR’s Afghan folly is too well known. Now, America-led Nato is finding the going very rough. The history of Afghanistan is written in blood. The Afghans are fearless, stubborn and endowed with a very gruesome brand of Schadenfreude. They have long memories. Revenge is a creed. Vengeance a deed. They are not afraid of death, never have been.
Afghanistan is important for several reasons. The Indian prime minister is on friendly terms with US President Barack Obama. He might gently give a few helpful tips to Mr Obama. We should tell the US president that he and his great country should have learnt some lessons from Vietnam. America has, it seems, put all its eggs in the leaky Pakistani basket. Pakistan’s aim is to keep India out of Afghanistan. This is not only unwise, but short-sighted and counterproductive also. The Americans, in my humble judgment, should consult India. India too should take a little more interest in Afghanistan. We have done a lot for the Afghan people. We should do more. It will be a long haul, but our vital national security interests must get sustained priority.
Tailpiece
A young Indian priest went to the Vatican for a month’s religious course. He was desperately keen to meet the Pope. One minute only, the chief cardinal told the nervous young man. The second raced, he was tongue-tied. Finally he asked, “Holy Father, how many people work in the Vatican?” The Pope replied, “About half”.
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