Soccer values

Two hundred million people, the majority of them young, can't make it to the World Cup finals. Indonesians love soccer. Why miss this opportunity to display the red and white? I'm trying to understand why.

The ultimate joy in the finals is to perform the lap of honor with the cup. Or watching a striker run to the corner with his shirt on his face and do his own dance with the crowd. Soccer lets emotions loose. In Indonesia, the kids don't bare their chest or display anger or joy in public.

The World Cup finals don't end until one is left standing. A draw calls for extra time. Then they go for the penalty shoot out. There is no time for pity as losers fall to the ground in despair. In Indonesia, one should be pleasant and not humiliate others in public.

For the finals, one just doesn't assemble a team of friends for the game -- teammates become fierce adversaries and adversaries gang up together to trounce on their friends. In Asia you have Guanxi.

Strikers are poor boys with tattoos with unpublishable words. Red cards are counted by the dozens. They crash cars on Friday nights coming home from the disco and we wouldn't like them to marry our daughters. We love them because they are the gringos with goals.

In Asia, the sport Asians are good at is badminton. Cricket and Rugby are played by the elite from the upper classes. When it comes to a democratic sport played by the little guys, Asians are trounced upon. Golf didn't improve the situation of the little guys. Soccer will.

I think I have to wait until the little guys root for Indonesia in the finals. I wouldn't have to read the business section to know if the rupiah was stronger then.

OSVALDO COELHO

Jakarta