TRIPLE STREAM
We Should Give a Boost to Football
I. V. Chalapati Rao
Games and
sports are cultural events and promoters of national integration, international
understanding and a democratic spirit, if they are conducted and played in the
right way. At present Cricket enjoys
the most favoured status in India with a lot of publicity hype and patronage. It is good.
But football which is a beautiful game with its tremendous appeal and
popularity almost all over the world and especially in the European countries,
does not receive the encouragement and support that it deserves. It is essentially based upon sportsmanship
and team spirit.
As the
Euro 2004 tournament is being conducted now in Portugal in June, every one
thinks and talks of football and nothing else.
The TV, Radio, newspapers, pubs, restaurants, clubs and educational
institutions are full of the latest news about foot-ball.
It had its
origin as Football League as a pastime of the industrial workers in the mill
towns of Manchester and Lancashire in England and soon developed into a
professional game crossing all geographical bounds. Now it has eclipsed cricket as England’s favourite spectator
sport. There is suspense every minute
and there is no dull moment in this fast game.
Today the
European Championship is so popular and spell binding that fans from countries
as far as America and China go to Portugal to witness the breath-taking
matches. Millions of sports lovers all
over the world watch the game sitting in front of their television sets. The game is attractive because it is simple
and uncomplicated with the same rules followed everywhere. Moreover, it is a
fast game finishing in less than one hour unlike Cricket tests which drag on
for five days. As one watches the enthusiasm in the over-crowded stands, one
gets the impression that when it comes to national identity, few sports can
equal football. Roofs and balconies in
Portugal are overspilled with jubilant fans.
Village squares and hotels overflowed with spectators drawn by
foot-ball. Even not-so-rich a country
like Portugal threw its entire weight behind Euro 2004. It built and renovated
a dozen stadiums spending four billion euros on the tournament.
In all
European countries including Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Denmark,
Sweden, Holland, Romania, Czech Republic, even in a small country like Latvia
foot-ball enjoys tremendous social profile. It has become the acme of glamour, status,
power and wealth occupying the centre of the celebrity culture comparable to
the potentates, the super models and film stars. It is interesting to note that Euro 2004’s eight leading
corporate partners have paid a record total of 190 million dollars for the
right to be associated with the tournament.
Even Ganguly, the Captain of our Indian Cricket team, one of the icons,
went to Portugal to watch the tournament.
Swami Vivekananda said “You will understand the Gita better, if you play
foot-ball”!
Foot-ball
is a spectator draw and money-spinner.
Whatever we call it ‘foot-ball’ ‘soccer’, ‘futbol’ or ‘Calcio’, it is
undoubtedly the world’s most popular game, raising passions from Beunos Aires
to Barcelona, Manchester to Milan, Seoul to South Africa. It has celebrated its birthday with its
world-governing body. FIFA which was formed in Paris on May 21, 1904. About 240 million people around the globe
play foot-ball.
Pele of
Brazil, the King of the game, is the most famous player. He has been the personal guest of more than
55 Heads of States and three Popes.
Dozens of stadiums were named after him. As a boy of 17 years he helped Brazil win the World Cup in Sweden
scoring six goals in 1958 and is considered today the world’s greatest ever.
Maradona
of Argentina came into lime-light in 1980’s and is considered the Magician of
the game. He had to his credit two most
famous goals in history – ‘Hand of a God’ and ‘Feet of a God’ goals. He led Argentina to the 1981 World Cup title
and 1990 Final during his 20 year career.
His book, an auto-biography, ‘I AM DIEGO’ has been translated into 30
languages and sold like hot cakes in 80 countries. In 2000 FIFA chose him and Pele as the Best Soccer players ever.
Rivaldo,
another world footballer was the highest paid footballer till recently. His club Barcelona agreed to pay him 6.5
million dollars annually. Paul
Gonzales, Real Madrid star was paid 6 million dollars. Roma’s Batistula was paid 5.8 millions. Ronaldo and Ronaldiniho of Brazil were also
highly paid. Now we have Euro 2004’s
famous stars Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, David Beckham , Luis Figo, Michael
Bellack, Franscesco Totti who are icons of football fans. FIFA voted Zidane ‘player of the year’
thrice (1998, 2000 and 2003).
David Beckham is an over-rated
charismatic player. Beckham is getting
26.8 million a year according to France Football Magazine. Ronaldo is getting 19.7 million. Zidane is getting 16.7 million. Most of these champions had humble
origins. They won recognition and fame
by their hard work and merit. Ronaldo
grew up in a poor locality of Bento Rebeiro on the northern side. Rivaldo mentioned in his auto-biography
‘VICTORY OVER DESTINY’ that he suffered poverty in his early years in Recife
after the death of his father when he was 16.
He earned money by selling sweets in the streets. Maradona too had his early days in the
poverty of slums. As we watched
Euro-2004 we found that the favourites like England, France and Germany slunk
out of the competition and the dark horses cantered to the semi-finals and the
Finals. After the first half proved to
be uneventful, the second half produced an increased apetitite for attack and
an unusual burst of spirit. In the
final match between Greece and Portugal, New players like Wayne Rooney, Milan
Baros, Pavel Nedved and Kaller came into limelight.
It is a
pleasant surprise that super star system is superseded by a new order-a
democratic order of low profile but powerful order of merit-based collective
effort. The old brigade has faded and
lesser lights are shining. At one time
the back-grounds, life styles, hairstyles and tremendous trifles of the high
profile stars received media hype and hit the headlines. After this Euro-2004 tournament those who
banked fat cheques from their pre-tournament advertisement contracts withered
and wilted. The new phenomenon is a
collective struggle-team work-for success under the expert guidance of the
coaches. Zagarakis, the Greece Captain
has been named the PLAYER OF EURO 2004 on 05-07-2004.
It is a
matter of regret that foot ball does not get encouragement in India. People in India are getting glamour struck
these days. Cricketers and film stars
are our culture leaders today as there is a vacuum of leadership in politics.
“Tendulkar is Cricket’s Kohinoor” (Rashid Latif). He is “the Tajmahal of Indian Cricket” (Nirmal Shekar). A limited
participation game like Cricket is getting all the attention and boost when a
sport of world-wide participation is utterly neglected. If India revives the National Foot-ball
League, the Asia Football Organisation is prepared to give financial assistance
as per their announcement at their Annual Conference at Kolhapur. In fact, football is less expensive than
Cricket as it is a labour game more suitable for a developing country. In England soccer gets greater patronage
than Cricket. We have greater
facilities than any other country. In
1956 we could get 4th place in Olympics and rose to be champions of
Asia. We should regularly conduct
tournaments like the Durand Cup and D.C.M Trophy.
At present
Kolkata, Kerala and Goa are showing a little interest in the game. If
Government, sponsoring agencies and the media give their whole-hearted support
and market reinforcement, football will generate more money than cricket
because it is a mass game. Even now it
is believed that FIFA is giving financial assistance to the Indian Football
Association to the tune of 30 lakhs dollars! Let us encourage football as well
as cricket.