GARHWAL POST / editorial / 15th July 2014 Increasingly dull? Most people thought Germany would win the World Cup, but prayed for Argentina! The purpose of a game is obviously to win, but the manner in which this is done by some can be deadly dull – to the point that nobody wishes to watch. If such a style of play were to dominate, there would be no spectators and new generations would not be inspired to continue with the game. So, there obviously has to be a balance between the two – that is the dilemma that football and most other sports face these days. A movie may be made by the best production house, with the very best director and script, but if the actors are not up to par, it can never be great. FIFA or ICC can manage the venues and the finances, ensure impartial referees and umpires, etc., but merely ‘efficient’ players like Rahul Dravid will not bring in the crowds. There always have to be match-winners who do it by taking the game to the level of magical art. All those who wished for an Argentine victory were hoping that someone like Messi would give them a glimpse of that magic. It requires great generalship, top class management, excellent team work, bench strength, layered talent identification and development infrastructure, sports medicine, physical trainers and physios, etc., to produce the great player. Yet, it is that individual who takes it to the pinnacle of brilliance through personal performance. Sometimes it takes just one such player to win tournaments, but great teams have had several. When they retire, the crowds keep returning in the hope they will see that greatness again. They cannot be denied. Which is why the World Cup winning German team was not the best there ever was! One reason why the World Cup team performances did not reach the desired heights is, possibly, the kind of rough tackling defenders are getting away with these days. One recalls players like Maradona in the past, for instance, getting scrunched between three defenders, limping and groaning from the onslaught. Yet, the tactic was obvious and accordingly penalised. On the other hand, in the just concluded World Cup, one got to see a very scientific and brutal manner of dealing with rival players that basically amounts to assault. It is done so cleanly that in a swiftly moving game, the referee’s eye simply does not keep up. So high are the stakes that it is much easier to ‘take out’ the top players of rival teams than counter with brilliance of one’s own. Such a ‘defence’ then can wait it out till the one or two inevitable opportunities occur and are exploited by otherwise lesser players. FIFA must make use of technology to eliminate this field of expertise if it wishes that individual brilliance remains the main feature of the game. One must not forget that changes in the rules that made Hockey a more physical game played on artificial surfaces was what ended India’s domination of the game. So, it may have allowed the Australian and Dutch style of play to emerge – with penalty set-pieces and hard hitting becoming the staple of goal scoring, but it deprived the game of the world’s largest market – India. Hockey has naturally suffered as a sport. It is important, therefore, for the administrators of any sport to keep an eye out for developments that might damage the game itself. It should not be that in future world cups, the best players are rendered hors de combat in the initial rounds, leaving nothing for the spectators to see except for maneuvers that have been statistically planned through computer simulation for optimal returns.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:48:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015