‘Jogo Bonito’ - The Beautiful Game !

The Vuvuzelas have fallen silent, and their swarming buzz has finally stopped. The gigantic stadiums stand lonely and the lush green meadows are waiting for “cricket” to take over. (Pun intended). The Bafana boys have disappeared, the carnival and the fireworks are over, but thankfully Shakira’s Waka Waka remains immortal. Just couple of weeks ago, the world closely followed the bizarre trajectory of the lightweight Jabulani and life moved with it.

Goldman Sacs predictions for semi-finalist contenders have been proved wrong barring Spain. In hindsight, guess they should have trusted animal instincts and consulted Oracle Paul- the Octopus rather than rely on analysts, economists and investment bankers!

As it became clear that Spain a.k.a La Furia Roja (The Red Furry) would face the Netherlands (Oranje) in the Finals, I referred back to Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic book ‘Glimpses of World History’. The book presents glorious and riveting history of world including that connects Spain and Netherlands.

Netherlands, the very name suggests that it is a low land and many parts are below sea - level. In the 16th century, the Netherlands which included both Holland and Belgium became part of the vast empire ruled by Spain's King Philip II. Spain was a mighty Power, in the full pride of her greatness; the Netherlands were just a few provinces of merchant folks, sailors and extravagant nobles. There was no comparison between the two. Yet Spain found it difficult to crush them.

The Eighty Years War, or Dutch War of Independence, (1568–1648) began as a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against Philip II of Spain, the overlord of the Habsburg Netherlands and it engulfed whole of Europe.

When many Dutch joined the Reformation and became Protestant, the aggressively Catholic Spanish crown tried to put them down, executing hundreds as heretics and imposing the inquisition on the rebellious population. The Spanish also used tax revenues from the wealthy Dutch provinces to finance its religious wars elsewhere. There were massacres repeatedly with whole population exterminated.

Like Scotland which managed to gain its independence under the leadership of a Brave heart - Sir William Wallace, Netherlands had their own ‘William’ of Orange, and established the republic of the Seven United Netherlands. No wonder the Dutch soccer team vociferously sang their national anthem, "Het Wilhelmus" which talks about this war and describes the atrocities committed by Spanish.

All this of course was long, long ago and yet it seems, the consequences of these historical events could have played on the minds of the Dutch players during the finals.

It was clearly not the best of the finals, with as many as 13 bookings enacted by English referee Howard Webb. While the Dutch were the main culprits with 9 cards, including defender John Heitinga earning a double yellow and being sent off in the Extra-Time., the Spanish also earned 4 yellow cards.

“YO SOY ESPANOL, ESPANOL, ESPANOL…” The Spanish World Cup win also tells a compelling tale about nationalism. In a country where the provinces of Catalonia and the Basque country, each with its own language and heritage strive for even greater autonomy from the central government in Madrid, soccer has long been an arena for symbolic politics. The vicious rivalry between Barca and Real Madrid derives in large part from the fact that support for Barcelona team was one of the few means that Catalans had during the 40 years of Franco’s dictatorship to express their regional identify. Many Catalans, who dream of one day fielding their own team at the World Cup, have been loath to support any team bearing the name of Spain.

But this year was different. The national team included seven Barca members and, by promoting itself as La Furia Roja, garnered a broader embrace than it normally might have. The Spanish also had the best team work cleverly guided by the philosophy of “Tiqui Taka” or “Pass and Move”. Iniesta latched on to Fabregas' pass to smash home a goal to break Holland's hearts. The Spanish scored lesser goals and also committed lesser fouls, in the process winning the Fair Play award. David Villa along with Sneijder, Mueller and Forlan finished as joint top-scorer of the tournament.

Instead of playing Total Football, the Dutch in contrast played an ugly game. Players like Nigel De Jong and Von Bommel were involved in rough tackles; Robin van Persie stood aloof, whilst Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben blossomed in the tournament.

Apart from the finals, there were umpteen dramatic highs and crushing lows during the tournament.

Lionel Messi’s artistry mesmerized, his stop -and -go moves coupled with his left foot strikes enthralled millions. Meanwhile on the sidelines, ‘El – Diego’ stood forlorned, scratched his beard, attacked Pele, violently kicked the Jabulani and consistently attracted media attention. But it was another Latino, Diego – ‘Forlan’, from Uruguay who shined and won the FIFA official award.

"Os ingleses o inventaram, os brasileiros o aperfeiçoaram" which translates as "The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it". Unfortunately Brazil and its Selecao failed to generate the Samba rhythm. Kaka tried, Maicon strived, Elano and Fabiano shined but Robinho was more obsessed with individual glory. Under Dunga’s coaching and with Lucio and Gilberto Silva shoring up defense, Brazil locked away their traditional attacking style.

The "Nike curse" took hold and cashed-up football stars failed to shine at the World Cup. Big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Franck Ribery, Samuel Eto’o, Gerard and Lampard failed miserably. The referees and Luis Suarez were the tournament's biggest villains while Ghana's Asamoah Gyan, Mexico’s Javier Hernandez, Landon Donovan from US, along with Germany’s - Klose, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Mueller and Podolski emerged as genuine stars on the world stage. With vibrant multi-cultural approach, Germany displayed their supremacy and skills by having players of various descent: Tunisian, Turkish, Ghanaian, Brazilian, Polish, and Spanish. Japan and South Korea were impressive and carried the Asian hopes high.

The World Cup conveyed a strong message to those who were stubborn. Perhaps there is a business lesson for all of us. Those who refused to budge even slightly tweak game -plans and are unwilling to modify, adapt and or change suffered losses. No wonder, the English under their Italian manager, Fabio Cappello failed to reach the quarter finals.

Terms like Vuvuzela, Jabulani and Zakumi have become popular lexicons in all languages and FIFA must quickly learn from ICC and other sports and adapt technology.

A Ball and 22 bodies running behind it is just a mirage….when the ball rolls in World Cup, the entire world runs behind it, eyes riveting towards the goal mouth. ‘Jogo Bonito’ or the Beautiful Game may be a Brazilian axiom, but its connotations are global in nature today, as it creates new meanings and adages and unites the world. As Spain joined the club of World Cup winners, the game has once again turned to be winner. The reverberations and echoes are still alive of the past one month in its entirety. Life has returned to being normal; the World has turned from ‘Round’ to ‘Flat’. But somewhere, deep down in the heart, there is emptiness and there is a lump in the throat. Already, the wait has started for Brazil 2014.

Until then, as they say in Spain - Muchas Gracias or Many Thanks - FIFA, South Africa and ESPN and Viva Espania …for the Golden memories!!