Duke of Wellington statue, Queen Street, Glasgow:
The group stage of the world Cup is over, 48 teams have been reduced to 32 teams. Now it's the knockout stages - Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final to be held on 19 July in New Jersey. Whatever team wins the game goes through to the next round (if the game is a draw is a draw after extra time then the game is decided by penalties).
The three co-hosts - America, Canada and Mexico - made it through the group stages which is good as it keeps the tournament alive amongst the locals.
Only three teams won all three of their group games - Argentina, France and Mexico. And a further 13 teams remain unbeaten - Belgium, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, England, Iran, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. But it's not how you start but how you finish!
Six teams lost all three of their games - Haiti, Irag, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia and Uzbekistan. Asian teams, Japan excepted, are generally not doing very well in this year's World Cup.
The biggest shock of the World Cup so far (not counting Italy failing to qualify) is Uruguay not getting out of its group. Uruguay has won the World Cup twice albeit in 1930 and 1950.
The World Cup's biggest surprise is Cape Verde, everyone's second team, getting out of its group undefeated with draws against Saudi Arabia, Spain and Uruguay. This is an incredible achievement given that it's the country's first World Cup. Cape Verde is an island country off the coast of West Africa with a population of 530,000 (that's the size of Nottingham). Cape Verde now face Argentina, the World Cup holders, in the Round of 32. African teams, Tunisia excepted, are generally doing very well in this year's World Cup.
Though ticket prices are exorbitant, football fans from across the world have flocked to America, Canada and Mexico to watch the games. Ticket prices were set by FIFA, the world's football governing body. It's estimated that FIFA will earn about $9 billion from thi year's tournament. The World Cup, held every four years, accounts for 80 per cent of FIFA's revenues. And, incredibly, FIFA doesn't pay any taxes to countries hosting the World Cup. Football is big business, at least for FIFA.
Another major concern before the World Cup started was the the ease (or rather difficulty) in getting a visa to travel to America. As Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State sternly warned late last year: "Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn't guarantee admission to the US". There have been problems on this front. Many officials of the Iranian football delegation were denied a visa. Also Iran had to change its training base from unfriendly America to the more friendly Mexico; Iranian footballers because of visa restrictions could only enter America the day before a game and had to leave America on the same day of the game. (Despite being unbeaten, Iran are now out of the World Cup.)
Surprisingly, a FIFA-appointed referee was denied a visa because the Somalian referee allegedly had terrorist connections - no evidence was provided to back up this claim.
However, what is very clear especially when compared to previous World Cups, there seem to be fewer fans from Africa attending the games. African fans, with their dancing and singing, bring a lot to the World Cup table. But many African fans were denied a visa or couldn't afford the substantial downpayment needed to get a visa.
Though fans from Central and South American countries (especially from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico) have been very fanatical and vibrant (as is the norm,) my vote for the best fans of the World Cup are Scotland's Tartan Army. Scotland played their first two group games in Boston. They took over the city (as well as nearby Providence); Scottish fans even drunk Boston dry! Beer, kilts and bagpipes seem to be the Tartan Army's signature. Scottish fans also have a playful habit of placing traffic cones on any statue they come across. This habit stems from the traffic cones regularly placed on a statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow. The city authorities have long stopped removing the traffic cones; the cones are now part of the statue as a tourist attraction - see photo above.
Below is a clip of Scottish fans and footballers singing the Flower of Scotland before Scotland's game against Haiti in Boston. It's very rousing.
Unfortunately Scotland have been knocked out of the World Cup. If only they scored more goals against Haiti and conceded less goals against Brazil. It's those fine margins that matter in football and in sport generally.
If you've been following The World Cup, what have been your highlights and lowlights so far?
One of the best things about any World Cup is that the tournaments have a feel of a carnival or a festival with people from different countries coming together because of their shared love of football. The football is sometimes secondary; it's the coming together of cultures. Football is the global sport so it can be a unifying force. By the way, I'm not saying football can prevent war but it does bring people together and that can only be a good thing. (I realise it's male-dominated.)
The biggest irony of the World Cup so far was the game between Egypt and Iran in Seattle. This game was selected before the World Cup draw was made to be the World Cup 'Pride Match'. In Egypt homosexuality is effectively outlawed, and in Iran homosexuality is explicitly outlawed.
Another irony of the World Cup, only for games played in America, is that there are a lot of Americans supporting countries other than America. America is an immigrant country with lots of diasporas, and therefore lots of its citizens with non-American heritage are cheering on other teams like Ecuador, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Mexico and even Scotland. This multiculturalism should be embraced and not demonised.
Though the Tartan Army are the best fans at the World Cup, my vote for the World Cup's superfan goes to Michel Kuka Mboladinga, widely known as Lumumba Vea. From the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at football games he recreates the statue of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the country, in DRC's capital city, Kinshasa. When I first saw him, I thought he was a human-sized placard held up by fans so motionless he remains throughout the game. But he is a living statue - see photo below. Incredible!
PS. Following my two previous World Cup posts, WORLD CUP FEVER? and WHY DID AMERICANS BOO ENGLAND?, I still think Spain will win the World Cup with Argentina and France coming close. I'm even less confident of England winning the World Cup than at the start of the tournament.
Michel Kuka Mboladinga (aka Lumumba Vea):
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16 comments
From what little I've seen, I think the fans are the highlight of the world cup. This isn't surprising, a lot of people believe the fans are everything. Well....second to the actual football. I also think there's a ot more bad than good in this World Cup, most of which you have highlighted brilliantly.
World Cup fans make the tournament more of an international festival.
A shame Netherlands and Morocco have to see each other so soon in the elimination round. I believe that they both have played well enough to otherwise move deeper in the knock out round. That's the game I'm looking to watch for the most in this first round. Unfortunately, one of them will not see the second round. Since I fear I will never get to see my island participate in the cup in my lifetime, I'll root for Argentina, whom I've always rooted for since Maradonna's times. Nonetheless, I believe the winner will be France. I do agree that Spain has the potential to win it all, but has not played consistently to that level yet in my opinion. But now the time has come to prove it.
The Netherlands/Morocco game is the tie of the round. Both, in my opinion, are top eight teams.
Often the team that starts with a stutter, like Spain this time and Argentina last time, wins the World Cup.
With plans to have 64 teams in the World Cup, Puerto Rico will have a good chance of qualifying.
I hope everyone is enjoying the games. I hope your enjoying a relaxing Sunday my friend..
I'm certainly enjoying the games so far.
From what little I just glanced at in the paper this morning, seems it was a real scoring fest at last night's game at the Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium (which FIFA calls "Kansas City Stadium" ). TWO goals in the final minutes - that's just CRAZY. 🤣
The Austria/Algeria game was one of the more exciting games. And because of those late goals, Iran went out of the World Cup.
I was not happy to see cape verde get placed against argentina. I was hoping they would have a least a chance. I give them no chance against argentina. The scots did bring some interesting, not sure how to describe it, influence to the games. Sorry they did not advance. The norway fans have also added to the games with their "rowing". I heard fans at home were partying all night and wanted to wake the king when they won. I have been surprised by the number of yellow cards given. I think some refs are just giving them out like candy.
I think Cape Verde have a slight chance against Argentina, though only a very slight chance. Argentina look good though they haven't been tested yet.
@spunkycumfun The other underdog I am watching is Ivory Coast. But drawing Norway for the next round is not good.
@Notaname99 I think Ivory Coast may beat Norway provided they can stop Haaland.
@spunkycumfun He is the problem. Do they have someone that can keep him out of the game.
@Notaname99 Ivory Coast have a very strong defence. The way to stop Haaland, easier said than done, is to stop his service. So Ivory Coast's midfield is perhaps key.
As I write, Japan are one-nil up against Brazil. Incredible!
@spunkycumfun Germany got robbed.
@Notaname99 It was a terrible VAR decision disallowing Germany's goal, what would have always been certainly a winning goal. If anything, Paraguay's goalkeeper went into the German player not the other way round.
I'm not a fan of VAR. Players and fans can't immediately celebrate goals. VAR takes time to make decisions which breaks up the game. And, because humans are still involved, VAR makes mistakes. I'd sooner have the pre-VAR refereeing mistakes.
@spunkycumfun the goalie was back on his feet and aware of the situation before the ball was kicked. not interference. then they lose on penalty kicks.
The highlights for me are the fans. The Tartan Army and the Norwegian fans have made quite an impression on the host cities. Both fan groups also attended baseball games. The Norwegian fans had the Mets fans doing the Viking row in NY.
Another thing I note is the joy with which the African teams play. They just go for it, have fun and it seems to have worked for them, up til now.
The lowlights are that some of the games are overly physical. There is so much holding and kicking players. The games lose their flow with constant whistles.
The Norwegian fans have been great with their rowing.
African teams are renowned for playing with exuberance though they are far more organised than they used to be as European coaches have taken hold in many African countries.
@spunkycumfun The Norwegian fans were also rowing at Times Square in NY. The fans have added quite a bit of color to the tournament.
@njfitguy1 Hopefully they'll row in Washington DC's Reflecting Pool!