Canada a Model Host for FIFA: Article of Interest for fans of the Azzurri

If anything positive is to come of a people "sans memoire de l'histoire" it's in what we've witnessed at the FIFA U-20 tournament held in Canada.

Odd for me to defend being ignorant (or at the very least disinterested) of history but in this case it may be a reason worth presenting.

Canada is not a place that carries a heavy historical baggage and for the most part it has not had to bear the responsibility of a Great Power since its inception.

In most places on the planet, opposing fans of club teams lie at opposite ends of a stadium lest they come into contact with one another. The same goes for international matches. Soccer holds a strange power over people. It's as if thousands of years of cultural glory and humiliation culminate into one 90 minute powder keg.

Soccer is nuts on so many levels.

But not in Canada or the United States. If one observed the attendance in Burnaby, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, they would have noticed that fans of all nationalities sat side by side in a spirit of civility and peace. Myself I was a witness to this when I attended the Chile Nigeria quarter final match. Right in front of me a Nigerian supporter spoke to a Chilean about - what else? Soccer.

The game ended. The Nigerians were disappointed and everyone went home.

As for the charge that racism played a role in the loss for Nigeria all I will say is that while it's impossible for me to know what motivated the Nigerians to claim this, but on the field they failed to execute and were guilty of tough fouls as well as poor decision making. Chile deserved the victory. That excuse rings hollow. In fact, that particular referee was one of the better ones I've seen in a long time. He let the two sides play a physical brand of soccer and for the most part made the right calls.

All this to say that there was no violence that erupted. For FIFA, it can only wish that more countries in this world were like Canada.

Note: I must confess disappointment in the attendance in Edmonton. While Western Canada is the training hub for Canadian players the passion for the game is absent. British Columbia fared much better but the stadium in Burnaby is tiny. Naturally, Toronto and Montreal boast the largest ethnic communities and both did well as did Ottawa.

-If you know the history of Renaissance Italy and Ancient Rome , then understanding the essentials of Italian soccer will make some sense - it's that convoluted and complex in a typical Italian way - if not keep walking. Makes you wonder how this country accomplished anything for 2000 years. This is an interesting piece and lends some thoughts as to why Italy does not dominate like it should. They are stunningly successful but Italian soccer sometimes leaves you salivating with too many ïfs." It almost mirrors Italian history itself since its unification in 1861. They have all the tools to be a dominant force but short term (corrupt) considerations tend to prevent Italy from reaching greater heights.

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