Kevin Whitcher
Can I let you into a secret for which I have little doubt I will be summarily slaughtered? Ok, here goes… I am quite enjoying the Confederations Cup.
Yes I know, the players need a rest, bloated FIFA posturing, meaningless tournament, what the hell are Tahiti doing there if this is a credible contest, etc etc.
But you know what, I am enjoying the games. Admitted, I have not had the time to sit through them all, but I have seen some veritable crackers. Even Tahiti’s matches have had the drama of whether they would score, or even the high point of a penalty being missed against them by Fernando Torres. This is helped by the crowd who seem to have adopted Britain’s love of the underdog. It’s also fascinating to see them, on occasion, booing Spain’s possession football when they decide to play it around on the halfway line without going anywhere.
It helps that I am a fan of major tournament football. I fully admit my interest in the England team is pretty limited, although when they do qualify for finals, I pay more attention. I gave up, long ago actually having any illusion they could win another major tournament. One of the pundits informed us that only 24% of the players in the Premier League are English. On one level, there could be an argument that it raises the bar higher for those that do make it into top flight teams. The other is that the vast majority of imports are secured because they are cheaper in terms of transfers and wages. So in fact the level may not actually be very different. There are certainly a lot of mediocre foreign players on the books of English clubs. Still, the bottom line is that England are unlikely to ever actually take part in this particular tournament, unless more successful countries pass up the invitation to compete (as Germany have done in the past) and FIFA are forced to move down the pecking order. As the tournament has gradually attained some credibility, this looks less likely to happen.
Competing nations are taking it more seriously now because it is a fairly decent warm up for the real thing a year later. Spain certainly learned something from their South African experience at the 2009 Confederations Cup, knocked out by the United States in the semi-final. A year on they returned with a tighter, more switched on approach and conceded two goals in seven matches. If experience of playing in the host country is not of value, why on earth did England fly all the way to Rio for a one-off friendly at the end of the season? The teams that made it through the group stage will play five matches in a two week period.
There have been less upsets this time around, and the semis find the four teams from Europe and South America providing some mouth-watering fixtures. Brazil beating Uruguay is no gimme and should be a decent contest. Italy were humiliated by Spain in the final of the Euros 12 months ago and will be anxious to put on a better display. The prospect of a Brazil v Spain final is positively mouth watering. It is also intriguing to see how
There are concerns from Gooners about Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal not getting a full summer break. On one level, I can understand this, but in fairness neither are exactly being driven into the ground. Yes, they can’t mentally switch off and recharge the batteries yet, but physically, the habitual starters will suffer more. Additionally, in the modern day, how much do top flight footballers really let themselves go during the summer break in the way they used to? Granted, pre-season gets them back to fighting weight, but I do not believe that it takes too much to get back to optimum fitness. Cazorla and Monreal will have a month off and report back at the beginning of August. Kieran Gibbs will most likely start the first couple of Premier League matches and I suspect Cazorla will play 70 minutes of the opener v Villa.
So my view on the Confederations Cup is that it’s there, it’s a taster for next summer, the teams are taking it seriously, so I might as well enjoy it. I’ll be tuning in this evening to watch the first semi on BBC3.
As for Brazil itself, there are obvious ethical dilemmas over FIFA riding into town, taking all the cash and leaving a legacy of a collection of brand new but often unjustified football stadiums funded by the host nation. Justifiably, people are asking whether money being spent to stage the tournament would be better spent on addressing the fundamental problems of a nation of haves and have nots. There was a similar situation in South Africa, but the tournament passed off very well, not least because the people of the country decided to get behind it. One has to wonder if the same will occur in Brazil, although my belief is that it probably will, given the love of the game there. However, ethically, it’s a no brainer. Countries with the social problems of Brazil and South Africa should not be spending public money on football stadiums. I am weighing up whether to attend the tournament in person, as I did in South Africa. There, by some logistical miracle, I managed to see a game in every single stadium. That kind of idea looks like Fantasy Island in Brazil down to the mix of the size of the country, the sheer expense of flying (the only realistic option) and food/drink (prices are apparently astronomical for eating and drinking in bars and restaurants in the host cities). One imagines accommodation is not going to be reasonably priced either. And then there is the danger of crime, although in fairness, the same was said of South Africa. Decisions, decisions. As the Clash song goes, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ Maybe I will fly out for a week or a fortnight and try and catch games at two or three venues, just to get the flavour. Any thoughts from those with knowledge of the country welcomed. Just how expensive is it going to be? Is it possible to do anything on the cheap?
