A memorable World Cup<\/p>\n
Brazil may have won for a record fifth time, and Ronaldo's two
\ngoals in Sunday's final against Germany may have placed his name
\nalongside other soccer legends before him, but the 2002 World Cup
\nwill be remembered more for what it has done to Asia, and
\npotentially to the world of soccer in general.<\/p>\n
The 2002 World Cup marked the coming of age for Asia in the
\nsport, not only because it was held in the largest continent on
\nEarth, which in itself is significant, but also because Asian
\nteams broke new ground in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Cohosts Japan and South Korea went beyond their group
\nqualifying rounds, beating European and Latin American soccer
\ngiants along the way. Japan's march ended in the quarter finals,
\nbut South Korea went one further, beating three-time champion
\nItaly to reach the semifinal stage.<\/p>\n
For sure, there were other memorable moments to indicate that
\nsoccer too is undergoing a globalization process of its own.
\nAlthough the final match still reflected the domination of Europe
\nand Latin America, the earlier rounds proved that other regions
\nare fast catching up.<\/p>\n
Turkey, never before considered a soccer nation, made it to
\nthe semifinal and then clinched the third place. The United
\nStates went beyond the group's qualifying round beating the likes
\nof Portugal and Mexico. While many welcomed the U.S.'s coming of
\nage, there were fears that if Americans suddenly took a keen
\ninterests in soccer, their giant TV networks would come in and
\ndictate changes in the rules of the game as they did with popular
\nAmerican sports. Africa too made its presence felt, with
\ndebutante Senegal beating champion France in the opening game.<\/p>\n
But there is no doubt that the 2002 World Cup belonged to Asia
\nas much as to champions Brazil.<\/p>\n
This is the first time in the history of the World Cup that
\nAsian teams reached the quarter-and semifinal stages. Japan and
\nSouth Korea did it with style, taking many soccer giants at their
\nown game. The partisan and noisy home crowd certainly gave them
\nan edge, but it was their determination, discipline, hard work,
\ndiligence and skills that really brought them to fame.<\/p>\n
The 2002 World Cup therefore will be remembered as the
\nlaunching pad for Asia to elevate the region from being a mere
\nspectator of the greatest show on earth to one in which it is
\ntaking an active role, and in the case of Japan and Korea, to
\nshow the rest of the world how the beautiful game is played.<\/p>\n
Granted Japan and South Korea happen to be the two most
\nsuccessful economies in the region, but if the economy was the
\nonly factor, it does not explain why South Korea performed better
\nthan Japan, the mightier of Asia's two economic superpowers.<\/p>\n
Memories alone however won't be enough to propel the rest of
\nAsia onto the world soccer stage. South Korea and Japan have
\nsimply opened the doors and opened our eyes that Asia can be just
\nas good as the rest of the world. If the 2002 World Cup is to
\nleave any real and long lasting legacy, then the rest of Asia
\nmust work harder to catch up with Japan and Korea.<\/p>\n
China and Saudi Arabia, the other two Asian teams taking part
\nin the 2002 World Cup, failed miserably, if not embarrassingly,
\nwith both teams taking the early planes home without scoring a
\nsingle goal during the tournament. Yet, these two teams
\nrepresented the rest of Asia, outside Japan and South Korea who
\nautomatically qualified for the finals by being the cohosts.<\/p>\n
On the basis of South Korea and Japan's achievements this
\nyear, Asia now has a stronger reason to claim a fifth slot in the
\n2006 World Cup, but the rest of Asia must in the meantime rise to
\nthe occasion by improving their own games.<\/p>\n
Where does Indonesia fit in all of this?<\/p>\n
While the nation seemed to have caught the World Cup fever, it
\nis not clear whether we have caught the spirit that was shown by
\nSouth Korea and Japan in winning their games. The advantage of
\nnot taking part in the tournament is that we can cheer the
\nwinning team, whoever they are. So, going by the huge turn out at
\nthe cafes and the open fields where these matches were screened,
\nthe World Cup was nothing more than a reason to party.<\/p>\n
The World Cup, if anything, has provided the nation with a
\nmomentary aberration, to take us away from the problems that have
\nbeset us for the last four years. Now that the party is over, we
\ncan all get back to tending our problems. Strengthening the
\nnational soccer team, while important, is probably the last thing
\nin our minds for now.<\/p>\n
Still it was good while it lasted.<\/p>\n
On that note, we bid Kamsa Hamnida to South Korea and Japan
\nfor providing a memorable event, and Sayonara, or should we say
\nAuf Wiedersehen in Deutschland, the host of the next World Cup.<\/p>",
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