Stop the high and mighty
It’s time to end europe’s dominance of World Cup
PLANET Football is shrinking as the world’s brightest and best talents are sucked into the European game, with the old continent greedily gathering global talent, much to their benefit.
The mega-rich European clubs lure the new Messis and Neymars to make the trip to Europe, offering professional recruitment exercise, strong development process and commercially successful leagues.
And this benefits Europe greatly. The game they helped to develop has resulted in Europe winning the last four editions of the FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup has been held every four years since 1930 or equivalent to three tournaments per decade. Whether due to comfort or weather or other factors, European teams always win World Cups held in Europe, the sole exception coming when a virtually unknown teenager named Pele led Brazil to glory in Sweden 1958.
It works the other way, too. When Germany’s Mario Goetze’s piledriver burst the Argentina net on Brazilian soil in 2014, it was the first time a non-south American nation had won a World Cup staged in Latin America.
In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, South American nations won two World Cups to Europe’s one.
In the 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s, Europe won two to South America’s one.
In the recently concluded decade, European nations won all three, Spain (2010), Germany (2014) and France (2018).
It’s time to end their dominance. In the first ever World Cup in an Arab world, the Latin Americans and Africans appear as the strongest prospects to go the distance.
No African nation has gone further than the quarter-finals Cameroon with the Roger Milla dance in 1990, Senegal who upset defending champions France in 2002, and Ghana in 2010, who would have gone further if not for Luis Suarez’s handball denying Asamoah Gyan’s goal-bound header.
But interestingly, five Africanborn players have lifted the Cup throughout its history.
Libya-born Claudio Gentile won with Italy in 1982, after sticking like glue to Zico, fouling Diego Maradona 23 times and snapping on Pierre Littbarski’s heels, while Ghana-born Marcel Desailly and Senegal-born Patrick Vieira were victorious with France in 1998.
Again, lastly, Democratic Republic of Congo-born keeper Steve Mandanda and Cameroon-born Samuel Umtiti also won the Cup with France in 2018 in a team that featured a number of Africandescent stars, including N’golo Kante, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe.
Qatar 2022 welcomes Senegal as the champions of Africa, the continent’s highest- ranking team currently sitting at No. 18 in the FIFA men’s rankings.
Even without the injured Bayern Munich forward and Africa’s footballer of the year Sadio Mane, Senegal boast Chelsea goalkeeper and 2021 African Nations Cup goalkeeper of the tournament Edouard Mendy, Chelsea defender and Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as Leicester midfielder Nampalys Mendy and former Paris St Germain midfield stalwart, Idrissa Gueye, among others.
Cameroon, third in the African Nations Cup, can expect Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi – who scored five goals in the edition Napoli midfielder Andre-frank Anguissa, Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana as well as Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo Moting, to feature heavily in Rigobert Song’s plans in Group G with Switzerland, Serbia, and Brazil.
Drawn in Group H with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay, Ghana will parade an exciting line-up featuring Arsenal mainstay Thomas Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana of Rennes, and new addition Tariq Lamptey, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion.
In 2018, Asia had highlights. Japan were outstanding against Belgium in the round of 16, dominating proceedings before surrendering a 2-0 lead.
South Korea went home early but not before beating Germany to close the tournament on a high, getting a heroes’ welcome on arrival home.
Realistically though, the burden of ending Europe’s dominance lies with the usual suspects from Latin America – Brazil and Argentina.
Their winnable qualities have been well documented, fully aware of the last side to win the Cup was Brazil in 2002, when Ronaldo beat Oliver Kahn twice in Yokohama.
Would it not be a fitting fitting finale for PSG club mates - Messi and Neymar - to slug it out in the final in the closing chapter of the Arabian nights in Doha, even if on paper they potentially take on each other in the semi-finals.