A very interesting and extremely entertaining and quite exhilarating FIFA World Cup competition is over. One looks back with joy at the some of the unforgettable matches. Mine was that between the eventaul finalists Argentina and the lowly rated Cape Verde. I saw the great Argentina huff and puff before beating Cape Verde, with the celebrated Messi in full operation. Yet ….
Yes, I did not expect any African team win the cup. I did not even expect any of the ten that qualified to make it to the quarter finals. But, their collective outing was laudable. From Tunisia that left early to Egypt and Morrocco that made it the the elimination finals. Then one thinks about the fall of the much favoured France and their third place meet with the not so liked England. The glee from some countries, especially the Scots when they fell to the Spanish, expressed the joy their joy at the fall of the English.
Then the third place match that looked suspicously like what it was, a third place match. Yes, the word is really that. Suspicous. For two highly rated teams to conceed so many goals in one match, leaves a lot to doubt or suspicion. One would think that it was an allegedly planned play to make sure that someone, not from the two countries did not win the top goal scorer of the tournament. Allegedly.
Then there was the Trump interference in the American versus Belgium match. Where the president of a country would brazenly butt into the running of a global feature like the world cup just because his country is hosting beats me. But that the decision makers of FIFA would cow tow to him is quite disappointing.
The final torch of the competition had left with some sort of sour taste in the mouth of many of the lovers of the beautiful game as it came with the accusation levied against Argentina of racism. A syndrom, which attempts have been made to keep out of the FIFA world cup in particular, and the game in general. But it persists. To think that virtually all the countries in the competition had black players except Argentina, while a country like Nigeria had sixteen players playing for other nations in the competition, while she did not qualify. A sad misnormer. However, this has brought Argintina which was the last holder of the highly covetted FIFA World cup under intense scrutiny. Cases of dire political racism and open marginalization of blacks in the football of the country has seriously risen.
However, the greatness fallout of the competition is this floating accusations of corruption in the FIFA. The demand from Trump that a red carded player from his country, who was not supposed by FIFA rules to play in the next match had FIFA blatantly over ruled its own rules and had that American player back in the field in the qualifying match against Belgium. Not that it did them any good. For Belgium walloped America, good and proper. Also accusations are all over the place concerning who wins what in relation to Highest goal scorer, best player, and all other best and highest this and that relating to the world tournament. there were suspicions of nepotism and shady issues at the FIFA top echelon. To the point that their were rumoured calls for the resignation or removal of the FIFA president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino.
One wishes that these accusations and rumours remein just that. Football, which has transcened the status of a game has graduated to a cult, and now some sort of religion. It is one thing in the world that seem to be keeping it interestedly together. Please let no one conterminate it.
