Saitama, Sapporo, Niigata. Daejeon, Daegu, Seogwipo. These are no longer just strange and difficult to remember names but an integral part of the international vocabulary. They are names of towns, cities and an island that have, for the past month, staged a football revolution in the form of a World Cup full of upsets.
In the process they have created colourful memories, which were bad for some and good for others. The Far East is now more than just the land that gave humanity martial arts and its various disciplines. It has taught us many valuable lessons and given us timely reminders about ourselves.
First, it reminded us that sovereignty and national borders are man-made. The carnival started in South Korea a month ago and has moved with ease across to Yokohama in Japan for the final on Sunday. Now Seoul can banish the memories of 1988 Olympics, forever tarnished by Ben Johnson. The oriental hosts also took the opportunity to remind us of their technological sophistication with 20 stadia from another planet, mind-blowing both in their digital slickness and architectural splendour. There could be no better venues for the kind of football, or results, we have seen in the 62 matches so far.
At the start of the tournament, we thought we would miss Holland. Their sweeping, imperious style flowing in waves of orange would have added spice to the tournament. But their collection of individual stars would have been overpowered by the marauding lions of Senegal, the coherent but unglamorous Turkey or the sea of red that was supporters of South Korea. All three countries have also taught us something: individual stars are fine to capture the imagination, but it is teams that make an impression and win prizes.
This was also the World Cup where Africa was meant to shine, but apart from providing a dark horse that led a charmed life, the continent did not even flatter, let alone deceive the world into believing it can produce a champion.
In a way, Africa should have seen the storm clouds gather when it staged a poor Nations Cup at the beginning of the year, where goals came with the regularity of municipal buses. You would wait a few games and none would come, and when they did they would do so in number.
Continental champions Cameroon paid a price for allowing the Republic of Ireland back into the game during their drawn opening fixture. They also failed to score a hatful against Saudi Arabia, the whipping boys of group E. Their sole goal from Samuel Eto’o came from what could have easily been an off side position.
Nigeria played the kind of football that deserved better reward — to be effectively knocked out by a penalty from Sweden’s Henrik Larsson. But there is a lesson in there too: the beauty of this game is as much in how you play as in how you score.
Tunisia lived up to their low expectations and did not proceed beyond the first round. As for South Africa, many will choose to remember Andre Arendse’s loss of nerve against Spain as the moment that cost the country dearly. But it was against Slovenia, in particular Benni McCarthy’s angular header that crashed against the bar, that the opportunity slipped. To be so close, yet so far.
Senegal flew the flag, only to surrender in the quarterfinals against Turkey by failing to mark Umit Davala — he of the Mr T haircut — who crossed to Iilhan Masiz (with a sumo wrestler hairdo) to bring home the painful unfairness of the golden goal and the lesson that sometimes you suffer defeat without being offered a chance to make amends.
The most unfortunate aspect of the success of the underdogs has been the conspiracy theories that have flown about. The decision by the Egyptian referee Gamal Gandour to judge the ball out in the last 16 game between Spain and South Korea was wrong and unfortunate. But to suggest that it was orchestrated is cruel.
Argentinean journalist Daniel Arcuci’s assertion that this World Cup should be declared null and void because of errors is an incredible mixture of the rich and the cheap. If there is a result to declare null and void, it is the 1986 quarterfinal where Argentina overcome England thanks to Diego Maradona’s Hand of God.
The final chapter in this series of the football revolution unfolds over this weekend. On Saturday in Daegu, unfancied European contenders Turkey face South Korea, the first Asian nation to reach a semifinal — ahead of Africa quite sadly.
And then in Yokohama on Sunday, two of the game’s most successful sides and two who struggle to qualify for this World Cup, Germany and Brazil, meet in the final — amazingly for the first time in a World Cup match. Germany have played pragmatic, unimaginative football over the month; let’s hope they saved the best for last against a side that has dazzled in sporadic bursts with inspiration from a genius whose recovery is an apt and timely lesson in overcoming adversity: Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima.