For a competition barely out of short trousers, it first appeared on the international radar in 1992, the Confederations Cup has sure had its fair share of thrills and spills, and tragedy.
At first regarded in some quarters as an unwelcome addition to an already overladen fixture list the Confed Cup has matured with age and is now regarded as an informative essential step on the road to the World Cup itself.
In its formative years it went by the name of the King Fahd Cup, with the first three editions staged in Saudi Arabia.
Argentina won the inaugural four-nation competition 17 years ago, Alfio Basile’s South Americans seeing off the Saudis 3-1 in a final attended by 75 000 fans.
In 1995 it was the turn of Denmark, the Scandinavians featuring the Laudrup brothers Brian and Michael adding further silverware 12 months after their shock win in the European Championships with a 2-0 defeat of Argentina in the final in Riyadh.
Two years later, with the cast-list doubled to eight, a cluster of Brazilian stars lit up the desert sky — Dida, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Dunga, Denilson, Ronaldo and Romario sweeping all before them.
The final turned into the Ro-Ro show, with Ronaldo and Romario knocking Australia for six with a hat-trick apiece.
Mexico succeeded where Saudi Arabia had failed in combining to stage and win the 1999 Confed Cup, Manuel Lapuente’s Tricolores seeing off a Brazil side missing some of their main players 4-3 in front of 110 000 supporters at the Azteca stadium.
Two years on it was the turn of South Korea and Japan to act as co-hosts ahead of the 2002 World Cup.
France turned up as world and European champions and were not to be denied another title despite the absence of Zinedine Zidane and Fabien Barthez.
Despite an unscripted defeat to Australia in the group stage Les Bleus saw off Brazil in the semis in a repeat of the 1998 World Cup final before a 1-0 win over Japan, coached by Frenchman and the eponymously titled ‘white witch doctor’ Philippe Troussier.
In 2003, tragedy touched the Confed Cup’s arrival in Europe.
At Lyon’s Stade Gerland, with quarter of an hour left in the semifinal between Cameroon and Colombia, Mark Vivien Foe collapsed, unchallenged.
The Cameroon midfielder later died in hospital to cast a pall over the tournament.
At the bequest of Foe’s family Cameroon took their place in the final against France at a sombre Stade de France, both teams lining up behind a giant photograph of the fallen Indomitable Lion to observe a minute’s silence.
For the record books Thierry Henry’s golden goal saw France, who had endured a miserable World Cup the year before, retain their title.
Brazil and Argentina squared up for bragging rights in the 2005 Confed Cup final in Frankfurt which was in danger of being washed out after the stadium’s new roof succumbed to torrential rain.
”Raindrops keep falling on my head” rang out from the stadium’s public address system at half time as one corner of the pitch was transformed into a German Niagara Falls.
The wet stuff didn’t prevent Brazil turning on the style with a 4-1 triumph over their bitter continental neighbours who were undone by goals from Adriano, who got a brace, Kaka and Ronaldinho.
After what was widely accepted as the best edition yet German legend Franz Beckenbauer reflected: ”The Confederations Cup is becoming increasingly popular and has its own image and character.”
2010 World Cup hosts South Africa are set to add what promises to be another colourful chapter in the competition’s history over the next two weeks. – AFP
