Ayaz Memon
Memonics
Euro 2008 may have provided football a terrific fillip, even more so outside its traditional ‘market’. It would be an exaggeration to say that it matched the popularity of Twenty20 cricket. Not quite. But let it be said that football has probably never made such a huge impact in this country in the past.
In a larger framework, this suggests the growing appeal of sports other than cricket as India gets hooked into the global society. Live telecasts and the internet bring sporting action from all over the world in real time, fashioning audience preferences instantly, so to speak. Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, and Michael Ballack, for instance, are not just famous footballers but also household names as India’s Gen X discovers and cherishes new heroes and icons.
The ‘secularization’ of sports followers can have a hugely beneficial approach to the sporting ethos of the country, but this demands commitment and passion — from administrators, players and obviously the government. Clearly, only world class talent and competition can capture and sustain the interest of the ‘new’ India. Anything less will be dumped summarily.
Back to Sunday’s final, a solitary goal victory does not do justice to Spain’s domination — of this match and the tournament. In every match, they brought the warmth of the Mediterranean, so to speak, to their play, using the short pass and the ‘one-touch’ game to telling effect.
This made for not just a visual treat, but also helped them run circles around the Germans in the final, as the midfield and strikers combined with great skill and astuteness. Torres’ electrifying run and deft touch which got the winning goal would have done Maradona proud.
True, the Germans made a strong comeback for a spell in the second half, but all too briefly to turn the game around. Ballack’s team looked for some mid-field magic which the Spanairds never allowed. Having got this far after a series of grim battles, it was thought that the Germans would be primed to conquer the final frontier too, but ran into a team that was not only jelling brilliantly, but in some ways redefining how football could be played in this era.
What this final proved is that while physical size, ruggedness and strict regimentation has enormous value, it is not nearly good enough to subdue subtle ball skills. To put it simply, the Germans played like Germans, but the Spaniards played in a style reminiscent of vintage Brazil.
That Brazil, alas, nowadays play with the dourness of a European team from the 80s is a story for another day.
First Published: Tuesday, July 01, 2008, 00:00