South Africa 2010: Another French rebellion

Day -31 WorldCup2018

A month to go! Does anybody else feel that it's not that close? There hasn't been much talk of a World Cup yet. But now that domestic seasons are ending I'm sure the build up will ramp up. Or just stick with me everyday.


A quick aside before getting to South Africa 2010. The ongoing saga of Peru's captain's ban for drug use took another twist today. Paolo Guerrero's original 12 month ban for testing positive for cocaine was halved by Fifa's appeals committee at the end of last year. Conveniently, that meant he would be able to return in time for Peru's first World Cup appearance since 1982. But the World anti-doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport who lengthened the ban to 14 months. What next? Let's see how political this is going to get. Will Peru give up easily on not having their record goalscorer at the World Cup. Will Guerrero stand for it? Will Fifa stand strong?

South Africa 2010 saw the French return to their grumpy days of 2002. Reaching the final in 2006 seemed like a temporary, and almost unexplainable, moment of sunlight for French football. France's dismal performances on the pitch were not the only problem. After Nicolas Anelka was sent home for swearing at the manager, Raymond Domenech, at halftime of their defeat to Mexico, the rest of the team refused to train at their next session. To make it worse it was an open session for fans and the media who got to witness the players return to the team bus and Patrice Evra having a shouting match with the fitness coach. To complete the spectacle, the players handed Domenech a statement which he had to read out to the reporters. Fun times. Not surprisingly, France were home by the time the second round started.

In other comical, first round news, Robert Green let in this goal in England's 1-1 draw with the US.

Germany '06: the final

Day -32 WorldCup2018


As I quickly go though previous tournaments here's a rush through to the 2006 final. It is best remembered for Zinedine Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi, that ended the Frenchman's career on a sad note. Because he had decided he couldn't put up with any more abuse from the Italian defender, or because he showed an immense lack of self control when insulted in a way that many footballers are repeatedly? Either. It was not the way it was supposed to end.

This was Italy's second final in 12 years. The first one in 1994 was the first final to go to penalties. This was the first one since and there hasn't been one after that. Let's hope Italy don't make it to the final this year. Oh. Oops!

Italy had been their usual head scratching selves earlier in the tournament with an unconvincing 1-1 draw against the US and they then needed a controversial last minute penalty to beat Australia in the last 16. But then they convincingly beat Ukraine 3-0 in the quarters and had a burst of energy in extra time to beat Germany 2-0.

In the final France were probably the surprise team after their debacle in 2002 and a pretty dismal showing at Euro 2004. In the end it came down to the Italians winning the shoot-out and there they were, world champions for the fourth time.

"Siamo campioni del mondo...campioni del mondo....campioni del mondo!"

Maxi Rodriguez, 2006

Day -33 WorldCup2018

Talk of the 2006 World Cup wouldn't be complete without mention of another Argentinian "best goal ever". This time it was in the last 16 and Maxi Rodriguez scored a stunner to get Argentina past the Mexicans in extra time. Eder, you may have been bettered. That was a real beauty!

On a more personal note, the time has come when I have to mention Aston Villa again. We are down to the business end of the season: playoffs. Superstitions are important (not mentioning them in the hope they keep winning) but ignorance is a little hard. Today was the first leg of the semifinal in Middlesbrough. Watching it was going to be tough, that I knew in advance. I signed up to an online streaming service, thought I could watch it on my phone but the old blackberry let me down. So I spent most of the match following updates on twitter and looking online for a new phone. In the second half I switched my search to new tv's. Why? Maybe to have a better picture when Villa are in the Premier League. More simply it was because I needed a distraction. Staring at my phone, dreading a Middlesbrough goal and hoping for a Villa second is a weird kind of fun. And as I did this, by all accounts (as seen on twitter) the Villa huffed and puffed to a 1-0 win. A great result, the neutral may think, a first leg away win. But the neutral doesn't follow this team like a fan. Its going to be a long, stressful 90 minutes, or more, on Tuesday.

It's more enjoyable to be a football fan when you can watch goals like Maxi's, with no fear of the result.

France-Brazil 2006

Day -34 WorldCup2018

France were having a good World Cup in 2006. It came after the disaster of 2002 and before the player rebellion of 2010. With the embarrassing performances of 2002 still very memorable, France were either going to redeem themselves of be even worse.

When Thierry Henry scored his wonderful goal against Brazil, France were off to the semifinals. Few fans would have expected them to do that well. They weren't done yet and only a penalty shoot-out loss in the final denied them a second World Cup win in 8 years.

Portugal-Angola 2006

Day -35 WorldCup2018

One of the most fascinating matches of the first round of the 2006 World Cup was Portugal's meeting with Angola, a former colony of Portugal. It was Angola's debut at a World Cup, and what a first match for them against their rulers of old. Neutrals feared the worst for the Africans before the match and even more when they conceded a goal after 5 minutes. But they put up a good fight and that was the only goal.

Portugal came into the World Cup on the back of a 14 match unbeaten run, their best ever. They then went on to win their three group matches, beat Holland in the last 16 and England on penalties in the quarterfinals. A somewhat limp, anticlimactic 1-0 defeat to France in the semifinals ended their amazing run and their World Cup dreams. But it was quite the couple of years for the team and for the fans who may have thought their greatest chance of glory was gone after being so close at Euro 2000.

Argentina-Serbia, the goal, 2006

Day -36 WorldCup2018

Trinidad and Tobago, Angola at a World Cup, Spain just before they exploded into a really good team, England unable to beat Sweden (again). France going within a penalty shoot-out of proving that 2002 was a terrible anomaly, England losing on penalties again. Those were just some of the stories of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The first round produced one of the most stunning World Cup goals, not a Maradona-style waltz through an English defence, not an Eder 1982 volley but a true "team goal". At the time you may have been thinking after pass number 15, "Argentina are not getting anywhere". But just as we often settled into that same frustration with Barcelona years later, there they were turning up the speed and, boom! A goal, 26 passes in the making.

Japan/South Korea '02: the final

Day -37 WorldCup2018

As unfathomable was the thought that Turkey could have beaten Brazil to reach the 2002 World Cup final so was it also unthinkable that the other surprise semifinalists, South Korea, could have beaten Germany. The most unlikely semifinal lineups ever did in the end produce a heavyweight final.

It could have been Oliver Kahn's final, the best goalkeeper in the world at the time and a saviour (saver?) for the Germans many times in this tournament. But in the end it was Ronaldo's final, with a little help from an uncharacteristic Kahn error. And the whole of the neutral football world probably gave Ronaldo a mental standing ovation. For what he had been through since 1998 it was a beautiful moment to see him not back to his best (his serious knee injuries may have slowed him down) but back to being a winner. Who could begrudge him this moment, his moment?