Opoto's Guide to the World Cup

This is part two of an ongoing series, following the first African World Cup.  In case you haven't been following the games, a quick update on where things stand.  Friday evening marked the end of the group stage, from which 16 teams advanced (the top two of each group), to begin the knockout round.  From here on, the tournament follows a typical bracket system that's a little easier to follow-- win, or you're out.  For this stage, the match-ups are as follows: Uruguay v. S. Korea; Ghana v. USA; England v. Germany; Argentina v. Mexico; Paraguay v. Japan; Brazil v. Chile; Netherlands v. Slovakia; Portugal v. Spain.  First item of note: only one African team remains-- Ghana, who now have the support of an entire continent supporting their quest.  In case you're wondering, any loyalty to my home country went away when I realized we were playing Ghana, because my heart wouldn't be in it.  Second item of note: the number of teams notably missing, particularly Italy and France, champions and runners-up for the 2006 World Cup.  The group stage was marked by upsets and surprises, which have made the tournament even more compelling.  However, for today, we're going to focus on two important lessons-- the first is sport related, the second is related to world politics/international affairs.
First, if you've ever watched a game of football, a number of qualities distinguish it from any other sport.  The game is ninety minutes, divided into two halves, and they play straight through-- no timeouts, no breaks, and additional time added at the end to account for any stoppages.  Teams have limited substitutions, and most players go full-time.  Given the size of the pitch and the amount of running, this requires incredible athleticism, as demonstrated by the bodies of football players.  It also remains fairly untainted by modern technology-- there are only four officials, with penalties decided at the sole discretion of the main referee.  All calls are final and there is no review process.  FIFA, the governing body, argues that this is essential to the "integrity of the game" and to ensure that the game is ruled the same from the grassroots level to the highest tiers.  Which sounds noble and good, until you get to the highest levels-- the World Cup-- and see the effect a bad call can have.  There have been questionable penalty calls, such as Kaka's red card against Cote d'Ivoire.  Teams that are better at acting hurt (see Latin American teams, particularly Uruguay) get more free kicks awarded, more penalties against their opponents.  However, the real drama emerges in the controversy surrounding goals: is the point awarded or not?  USA came from two points behind to tie Slovenia, and then scored a third goal, which was ruled invalid because the player was (arguably) offside.  In the reverse case, Argentina scored on Mexico from a blatantly offside position, but the referee allowed the goal.  With a two goal deficit, England rallied and scored twice on Germany in a matter of minutes; the second goal didn't count, because the ref didn't see it cross from his angle.  A simple replay showed the ball going in, but without the use of video replay or microchip technology, the decision on the field stands.  While the belief in the ref's infallibility is charming, it is difficult to understand what the game would lose from a simple process to review questionable goals-- either through a microchip or simply a halftime video review of the few goals that would be called into doubt.
Perhaps the more enduring legacy of the World Cup is what it teaches us about international relations.  Watching a team and their fans can reveal much about the national psyche.  When North Korea (wearing all red and warming up with military precision) failed to advance, their hopes turned to South Korea, despite bad relations between the nations.  With Ghana as the only African team in the knockout round (and now beyond), all of Africa is cheering them on.  And as demonstrated this weekend, the rivalry between England and Germany grows more bitter each year; England fans bring inflatable bombers and chant "Two World Wars and One World Cup. England, England."  The game has the capacity to unite -- community games have been used to reintegrate ex-combatant -- but also to divide.  Italy went home under heavy security, due to death threats when they failed to qualify.  Ghana's coach, Milo Rajevac - a Serbian native - has alleged that the demolition of his house was part of an attempt to intimidate him.  If this interests you, check out How Soccer Explains the World, which goes into further detail on this subject.
I'll leave you with that and the news that my laptop remains on the fritz, so photo updates will be fairly scarce.  More news to follow from my adventures in days to come.