The greatest sporting tournament in the world will be held this month in Brazil. Sean Sequeira elaborates with a dummy’s guide for those who are yet to be introduced to the wonderful world of football
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
The World Cup is only the greatest sporting event the world has ever witnessed. Which begs the question – what have you been doing with all your life that you need a dummy’s guide to introduce you to it?
Nevertheless, we are here to help. Just pay attention to every single detail in this article and you will be able to rub shoulders with the most ardent football fan and tell him or her that Joga Bonito are not just 2 random Portuguese words (it means ‘play beautifully’ which draws from the popular nickname ‘the beautiful game’ used by football fans).
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE WORLD CUP?
You probably have several questions about why people are fanatically charged about the event. To start with, the tournament is only conducted once every four years. The last time the tournament was conducted was in 2010. This means a football fan has to wait four long years to get a glimpse of the world’s favourite football tournament.
The participants of the tournament are countries playing for the honour of being named champions of the world. The winning team receives US$ 35 million as prize money. The stakes are high since there is a matter of bragging rights and pride for the players who are representing their country. For the fans, there can be no better feeling than watching your country compete and supporting them through thick and thin.
Since the tournament features only 32 teams, you can be assured that only the best are participating and the quality of the performances are quite high. This is the reason the World Cup is considered to be the best competition in the footballing world.
HOW ARE TEAMS SELECTED TO COMPETE?
Only 32 teams participate in the final World Cup tournament which is held over the space of one month. However, 208 countries compete in the qualification phase which is spaced out over a period of three years before the tournament is hosted – this is the reason the tournament is considered an overall world competition and the winning team is declared World Champions. The teams competing in the qualification phase are all member nations of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) which organises the tournament and is the international governing body of football.
Of 32 slots in the World Cup, 31 are competed for while one slot is reserved for the host nation (Brazil for this World Cup) who receives automatic qualification. The winner of the previous World Cup tournament would also receive automatic qualification but this rule was changed with effect from the 2006 World Cup; the winner of the previous World Cup now has to qualify in the same manner as other competing nations.
A select number of slots for each continent are decided before the qualification phase begins. This is based on the number of countries and the number of top seeds present in the continent. In order for a country to qualify for the tournament, they have to accumulate a certain number of points and finish within the top positions of their qualifying groups to be awarded one of the slots for the World Cup which is reserved for their continent.
WHAT IS THE LOGO FOR THIS WORLD CUP?
The logo is titled Inspiration and is designed to resemble three hands lifting the World Cup trophy. The logo is mostly in yellow and green which are the colours of the Brazilian football team’s kit. The logo has received criticism for resembling a facepalm.
WHAT IS THE MATCH BALL FOR THIS WORLD CUP?
Since 1970, Adidas has held the contract to design, manufacture and supply the official match balls for the FIFA World Cup. A new official ball is designed and produced for every World Cup. The official ball for this World Cup is the Adidas Brazuca. It is the first World Cup ball that has been named by fans through public votes.
WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL SONG OF THE WORLD CUP?
The official song for the World Cup is We Are One (Ole Ola) and has been performed by Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte in English, Portuguese and Spanish. There is also an official anthem titled Dar um Jeito (We Will Find A Way) performed by Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Avicii and Alexandre Pires as well as a mascot song called Tatu Bom de Bola by Arlindo Cruz.
WHAT IS THE MASCOT?
The mascot will be an endangered three-banded armadillo named Fuleco. It has been very well received since 90% Brazilians believe that the World Cup should be environment friendly – the name of the mascot is derived from the words Futebol (Football) and Ecologia (Ecology).
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST WORLD CUP?
The last World Cup was held in 2010 in South Africa. It was the first World Cup to have been held in the African continent. The winner of the tournament was Spain who were crowned World Champions for the first time. Approximately 3.2 billion viewers watched the 2010 edition of the tournament which is 46.4% of the entire population of the world.
WHAT WILL BE THE LANDMARK FEATURES OF THIS WORLD CUP?
After much deliberation, this will be the first World Cup tournament to utilise goal-line technology. There have been many arguments for and against the use of goal-line technology but FIFA has decided to go ahead with its use for this tournament having tested it previously. This tournament will also feature the first use of vanishing spray by the referee.
WHAT IS INDIA’S STATUS RELATED TO THE WORLD CUP?
The Indian national football team is said to have had its golden era from 1950 to 1962. The team managed to qualify for the 1950 World Cup through automatic qualifications after several other nations withdrew after the Second World War. However, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to withdraw its participation. The reasons for withdrawal include Indian players not being permitted to play barefoot, travel costs, lack of training time and team selection issues. India hasn’t managed to qualify for the World Cup since 1950.
WHICH TEAM SHOULD YOU SUPPORT?
Most football fans pledge allegiance to national football teams based on players they idolise and domestic football leagues they follow. Most football pundits expect Brazil to put in a strong performance since they are the host nation and one of the most successful footballing nations in the world. Spain won the last World Cup and is currently rated as the best team in the world. Germany is also expected to perform well and has a strong fan base. Belgium is said to be entering its golden age of football and may emerge as the underdog competitor.
WHICH PLAYERS SHOULD YOU WATCH OUT FOR?
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently hailed to be the best player in the world and may try to influence Portugal, his home country, to win the tournament since he is the captain. Likewise, Lionel Messi is the captain of the Argentina team and may try to pip others to the trophy. Other stars performers like Eden Hazard of Belgium, Neymar Jr. of Brazil, Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast and Franck Ribery of France will be those to look out for as they have the ability to be game changers.
WHICH ARE THE AWARDS GIVEN TO THE BEST PLAYERS AND TEAMS?
FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY
AWARDED TO THE TEAM THAT WINS THE FINALS OF THE TOURNAMENT. THE TEAM THAT WINS THIS TROPHY IS SAID TO BE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS. GOLDEN BALL AWARDED TO THE PLAYER WHO IS JUDGED TO HAVE PERFORMED THE BEST IN THE FINALS OF THE TOURNAMENT. GOLDEN BOOT AWARDED TO THE PLAYER WHO SCORES THE MOST NUMBER OF GOALS DURING THE COURSE OF THE TOURNAMENT. GOLDEN GLOVE AWARDED TO THE BEST GOALKEEPER OF THE TOURNAMENT. BEST YOUNG PLAYER AWARDED TO THE MOST PROMISING YOUNG PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT.
FOOTBALL PARLANCE FOR DUMMIES
BRAZIL IS THE ONLY TEAM TO HAVE PLAYED EVERY SINGLE WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT – 20 INCLUDING THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP
BRAZIL HAS WON THE TOURNAMENT 5 TIMES WHICH IS THE MOST NUMBER BY ANY COUNTRY
RONALDO (BRAZIL) HOLDS THE RECORD FOR THE MOST NUMBER OF GOALS SCORED IN WORLD CUP TOURNAMENTS. HE SCORED 15 GOALS IN 3 TOURNAMENTS
HAKAN SUKUR (TURKEY) SCORED THE FASTEST GOAL IN A WORLD CUP MATCH. HE SCORED WITHIN 10.89 SECONDS AFTER KICKOFF AGAINST SOUTH KOREA ON 29 JUNE 2002
THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST ATTENDANCE IN A SINGLE WORLD CUP MATCH IS 199,854. THE MATCH WAS URUGUAY VS BRAZIL PLAYED IN THE 1950 WORLD CUP AT BRAZIL’S MARACANA STADIUM
PANENKA A skill for penalty taking when the striker cheekily chips the ball into the goal to trick the goalkeeper instead of striking it firmly.
TIKI-TAKA A style of attacking play involving short passes and keeping maximum possession of the ball to dominate over the opponent. Spain is famous for this style of play.
SAMBA FOOTBALL A style of play requiring excellent technical ability and creativity when in possession of the ball. Only Brazil is known for perfecting this style.
PARK THE BUS Extremely defensive style of play where the team has all their players defending their goal and allows the opposition to attack continuously.
GROUP OF DEATH The one group which holds the most number of strong teams in the competition.
GAFFER Slang for boss. It is a term used to refer to the manager or head coach who is in-charge of a team.
HAND OF GOD A reference to an infamous goal scored with the hand by former footballer Diego Maradona in a previous World Cup. CAP An appearance for a national team. For example, a player’s 100th cap would imply that he is playing his 100th game for his national team.
JOGA BONITO Portuguese for ‘play beautifully’ which is a term that encompasses fair play, passion and respect.
AET Abbreviation for After Extra Time which implies the match has ended as a tie and requires a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
With the football World Cup only a few days away, what better way to get into the groove than go down memory lane? Denver Dias looks back at 10 of the most memorable moments from previous FIFA World Cups
10 Most Memorable World Cup Moments
With the football World Cup only a few days away, what better way to get into the groove than go down memory lane? Denver Dias looks back at 10 of the most memorable moments from previous FIFA World Cups
10. BAGGIO’S PENALTY MISS
The 1994 FIFA World Cup final had Brazil and Italy pitting their wits against each other. The deadlock couldn’t be broken after 120 minutes of football, which meant that for the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the final would be decided via the dreadful penalty shootouts. Italian talisman, Roberto Baggio stepped up for the crucial fifth penalty, knowing that if he missed, Brazil would be crowned World Champions. Miss he did, with his penalty sailing high over the bar, making Brazil World Cup winners for a record fourth time.
9. FASTEST WORLD CUP GOAL
The fastest World Cup goal was scored in the 2002 World Cup third/fourth place playoff game between host nation South Korea and tournament dark horses Turkey. The goal came after just 11 seconds, when Turkish captain Hakan Sukur capitalised on some shambolic defending by the South Korean defense to give Turkey the lead. Turkey went on to win the game 3-2 and claim an unlikely but well deserved third place.
8. GOAL OR NO GOAL?
Did the ball cross the line? A question a lot of football fans are familiar with. When Geoff Hurst of England cannoned a shot off the underside of the bar with the ball then bouncing off the line, referee Gottfried Dienst was left unsure whether to award England the goal or not. He eventually awarded the goal to England much to the dismay of the West Germany players and to the joy of the on looking Wembley faithful. That goal made it 3-2 in extra time; England went on to score another and lifted the World Cup for the first and only time.
7. BEAUTIFUL BRAZIL
The 1970 World Cup Final saw Brazil, inspired by the mercurial Pele, outclass Italy in a completely one sided game. The game’s brightest moment came when a beautiful passing move by Brazil ended up with Pele laying the ball off to the charging Carlos Alberto who hammered the ball into the bottom corner without breaking stride. Beautiful!
6. SUAREZ TO THE RESCUE
When Ghana met Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup quarter final, they were hoping to be the first African team to reach the semi-finals. Deep into extra time, with the scores tied at 1-1, Ghana almost got that goal they needed when Dominic Adiyiah’s header was on its way into the net. But up stepped Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who parried the ball away with his hands and was red carded for his efforts. Ghana missed the subsequent penalty and went on to lose the game in a penalty shootout.
5. GIANT KILLING
Defending champions France entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup as one of the favourites. They were without talisman Zinedine Zidane for the opening game but faced a Senegal side containing players few had heard of before. What should have been a walk in the park turned out to be an absolute disaster as Papa Bouba Diop turned in the opening goal for Senegal at the half hour mark. The world of football looked on stunned as the Senegalese put in a passionate performance and secured what surely remains one of the biggest upsets of World Cup football.
4. THE INFAMOUS HEAD-BUTT
Legendary French player Zinedine Zidane came into the 2006 final against Italy knowing that it would be his last game as a professional footballer, having announced his retirement after the tournament. Into extra time, with the scores tied at 1-1, it would be sensible to make sure your team has every chance of winning the impending penalty shootout by staying on the field, right? Wrong. In a moment of rare anger, the otherwise composed Frenchman head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in his chest, and got needlessly red carded. Right enough, France went on to lose the final via a penalty shootout.
3. COLOMBIAN HEARTACHE
Colombia entered the 1994 World Cup in USA as one of the favourites, having lost just one of their previous 26 games, thrashing Argentina 5-0 along the way. But things went pear-shaped for Colombia as they were eliminated in the group stage, with captain Andres Escobar scoring an own goal against USA. A few days later, back home in Colombia, Andres Escobar was shot six times outside a night club in retaliation. That own goal, albeit fatal, remains a memorable moment in World Cup history.
2. HAND OF GOD
There are few moments in world football that come close to being as controversial and memorable as this one. England played Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarter finals, knowing that if they restricted Argentine wizard Diego Maradona, they had a good chance of progressing. Easier said than done. For 51 minutes they did manage to do it, until a freakish clearance by an English defender looped the ball straight up in the air inside the penalty box. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton jumped to punch it away but was beaten to it by Diego Maradona, who guided the ball into the goal with his hand. Maradona later described it as the ‘Hand of God’.
1. MESMERIZING MARADONA
In the same game as the Hand of God, in fact just four minutes later, Diego Maradona went on a run that was hardly believable. Receiving the ball just past the halfway line he went on a mazy run and dribbled past England defenders like they didn’t exist, before rounding off keeper Peter Shilton and netting Argentina’s and his second goal of the game. It was later voted as the Goal of the Century and was certainly the most memorable goal scored in a World Cup.
Volume 3 Issue 12
