World Cup: Beautiful Africa

While I was visiting France in 1990, my cousins took me to my first live top flight European soccer match between Brest and Monaco. During the match the question was asked who I thought the most talented soccer country was in the world. The ensuing debate took us across many lands but none of us gave the answer my cousin Francois wanted to hear.

"La bonne reponse c'est les Africains," he told us. This was less a proclamation for a country and more a positive indictment for a continent, he added and I obviously translate, "Sit and watch the game and you'll know what I mean."

16 years later and I still agree. African football has taken many steps forward and just as many back throughout its history thanks to lack of funds, commitment and corruption. They still don't have their house in order but they progress despite all the obstacles.

Ghana, the youngest team in the tournament, advanced to the Round of 16 at the expense of the United States at the World Cup. A truly remarkable accomplishment in a Group that had the number 2, 5 and 13 squads in the FIFA rankings (which clearly mean nothing anyway). If Ghana saw their game improve as the tournament moved along, the Czechs (incidentally the number 2 ranked team) for their part went the other way as they stumbled right out of the competition after losing to the efficient and professional Italians 2-0.

As for the U.S., their first game against the Czechs did them in. They began to find their legs by the second game but they ran out of chances - not to mention luck which they had none. It was really tough to watch the Americans and their proud play succumb.

The Africans have an aspect to their game that can only be explained as joyous. They lack -possibly unwittingly - any sense of inhibitions and risk that tend to grip European sides focused on results. They combine physical and artistic soccer to near aesthetic perfection. What they lack in astute tactical practicalities they more than make up with their enthusiasm. It was a shame the best African side - to my mind - the Ivory Coast did not join Ghana. Alas, they were in a ridiculously difficult group with Argentina and the Netherlands. Tunisia had a slight chance themselves. With a little more scoring touch maybe even the defensively competent Angolans would have made it. All in all, every African side did the continent proud.

When all is said and done it the hopes and dreams of African football may lie with Ghana. As it happens, they will play Brazil in the next round. End of the line you think? Think again. There's a history between the two sides from their Under-20 encounters where Ghana have proven they can beat Brazil. It may very well happen again on the biggest stage of them all.

One thing is for sure, soccer fans will be witnessing a beautiful display of soccer that day.

Note:
I noticed that all the African sides tend to pray after each match. As do the Arabs and Mexicans and so on. It's a rather gallant, if not odd, thing to see for some secular North American sports fans. It does reveal where priorities lie with some athletes- if not countries. Here in North America it seems to be the opposite doesn't it?

Which brings me to ESPN...again. That they sneer and snicker at the WC because they 'don't get it' is nothing new. To each his own. However, even within a North American context the recent NBA title game revealed interesting stuff. For example, Maverick players running off the court without shaking hands with the Miami Heat. Not to mention that half the arena emptied out during the celebration. It's almost as if the sport has no soul. 'We didn't win so let's go?' This is where the NHL is superior. Forget the ratings. Part of hockey's folklore is the hand shake at the end of a series. And is there any bigger ritual in pro sports than the presenting of the Stanley Cup? Nope. Hockey may be a minor fish in the U.S., but its values are far ahead of baseball, basketball and football. Try again ESPN boys.