Watching the games of the 2023 World Cup in Qatar was, in equal measure, uncomfortable and compelling. How do we assess the moral balance sheet of this tournament? Is the notion of morality even applicable with FIFA? Can moments of footballing loveliness ever be considered more valuable than the lives lost, the obscene spending on transitory stadiums, and the astounding, continuing carbon footprint? But the football and Messi were exciting, often beautiful and highly competitive. It was a humbling experience for some of the big football nations: take your pick from Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal or England.

Morocco were the feel-good story of the tournament and the images of Moroccan players dancing with their mothers are unforgettable. But there were many admirable teams who played their hearts out. Neutral fans like myself found it hard to pick a side in the third-place game where Croatia’s compact, creative midfield finally ended Morocco’s dream. Then, there was the speedy, purposeful football from Japan; the valiant South Koreans, and the rugged play of Australia and Switzerland.

Messi showed up with his magic feet and a renewed commitment to winning. I have written about him glowingly before and his influence on the time-space continuum. And more critically, the team around him were deeply invested in giving him a fitting farewell to his international career. Argentina’s victory was like the second coming of Diego Maradona who brought the Cup home in 1986. Messi is a more complete player but less charismatic person than Maradona, as my former East Bay United teammate and Argentinian, Andy Connell notes.

Maybe lifting the World Cup will correct that charisma deficit. Messi has always been easy to admire and love, unlike Ronaldo, who is an equally graceful player, but rarely gracious. Teammates seldom wax eloquent about Ronaldo but nobody has a bad word to say about Messi. Ronaldo’s egotism often got the better of him in team dynamics. He seemed to spend more time sulking on the sideline than playing in this competition, an inelegant finale to his international career.

It was not a happy tournament for those who fixate on star individual players like Neymar, De Bruyne, Van Dijk, or Lewandowski. None were able to bring their team beyond the quarter-finals. The two best individuals, Mbappe and Messi, were integrated into solid teams and showed their class in the exhilarating finish to the Final with the two best goals of the tournament. And then, there were other stars in waiting who stepped out of the shadows here: Brighton man Mac Allister for Argentina, Chelsea player Ziyech for Morocco and Gvardiol for Croatia. 

Argentina had hundreds of “brujas” casting spells to protect Lionel Messi and the team. England, on the other hand, were undone by a kind of karmic deficit (Brexit?) against France. Olivier Giroud, who is so familiar to English Premier players, slipped between Stones and Maguire to head home the decisive goal and then, almost unbelievably, Harry Kane misses the second penalty kick. It was disappointing for Gareth Southgate who has shown leadership qualities that are sadly lacking elsewhere in the English political sphere. And ironic because the quality of football in the Premier League (itself an anti-Brexit project before that nightmare was foisted on English people in 2016) is a big reason for the renewed credibility of the English team.

During the competition, I watched the Netflix series, FIFA Uncovered. It made for sobering viewing exposing the full stories behind the disgraceful shenanigans that brought the World Cup to Russia and Qatar and cast some shade on the decision to award a World Cup to South Africa. The revelations about behind-the-scenes bribery, corruption and sports-washing that went into the decisions to hold the World Cup in two totally unsuited locations were distressing and depressing.

Of course, there is a long history of politically ambitious, power-hungry administrators with a purely transactional attitude to football. In Ireland, we had John Delaney running the Football Association of Ireland as his personal fiefdom for years and the 2002 debacle of Roy Keane’s abrupt departure from the Irish squad’s preparations in Saipan.

Sepp Blatter, who is banned from participating in the game until 2024, had no regrets and claimed he was not responsible for the actions of representatives from other countries or cultures. The U.S. representative on the North American federation (CONCACAF), the late Chuck Blazer, was finally forced by the FBI investigators to spill the beans on all the illegal wheeling and dealing. Two notable and timely tidbits about him from the documentary: he lived in Trump Tower and had not paid any taxes for 15 years -is it something in the water there?

I have written about the FIFA scandals previously in 2015, when the s-word hit the fan, a piece called Bye, Bye Blatter.  

“There has always been a certain type of narcissistic, immature -invariably male- character attracted to administrative roles in soccer. In my experience, it can happen even in youth leagues. The opportunity to exercise power and authority is irresistible for some who are patently ill-suited to the responsibility. They are generally disinterested in the more beautiful elements of the game which don’t readily translate into bottom-line or status considerations. FIFA is a graphic, global example of this phenomenon and maybe the worst offenders will finally be held accountable.”

But don’t take my word for it. The late Eduardo Galeano, in his extended love poem to the game, Soccer in Sun and Shadow, has plenty to say about administrative ineptitude and the stench of corruption which has hung over FIFA for years. His pithy indictment of FIFA: “Like everything else, professional soccer seems to be run by the almighty, even if non-existent, UEB (Union of the Enemies of Beauty).”

Or Phillip Lahm, the German international and Bayern star, who Pep Guardiola called “the most intelligent footballer I have ever coached.”

“There is nothing wrong with football itself. But the people who govern, manage and market it are squandering the unrestricted joy of it. They forget that they are merely service providers for a common good.”

It is time for FIFA to start making reparations for past and current sins. The decision for where the 2030 World Cup will be played has not been made. Let’s cut through the crap and award it to Morocco, who has tried five times unsuccessfully to host the Cup. Saudi Arabia is said to be interested, but please?

One other annoyance in the World Cup coverage in the United States is the unevenness of Fox Sports coverage. It leans towards jingoistic, lowest common denominator commentary and analysis. Yes, I am talking mainly about Alexie Lalas who dug a fine hole for himself by admitting early on, that he had never warmed to Messi.  Fox Sports is stuck in a kind of early 90s time-warp where U.S. audiences needed spoon-feeding about tactical approaches, styles of play, and the rules of the game. They don’t seem to realize that almost ten years of continuing soccer education from NBC Sports sophisticated coverage of the Premier League has greatly expanded knowledge and appreciation for the game. The coverage on the Spanish channel Telemundo was often more enjoyable to watch.

****

Commonwealth Closing

A sad note for East Bay soccer fans was the closing of Commonwealth Pub in Oakland at the end of the World Cup. It was a fine, friendly location with good food and drink that drew a diverse crowd. I went to the US-Iran final group game. The place was packed. Brian Watt from KQED radio was working the room, interviewing fans. I have always enjoyed his work, so it was a fun sidebar seeing him in action.

*****

Women’s World Cup 2023

I plan to write more about football in a sub-section of the blog titled Foot Notes. I will be in New Zealand next summer for the Women’s World Cup and I plan to offer a series of pieces about the teams and the players before and during the competition. I have tickets for six games, four in Auckland and two in Wellington. The competition opens in Auckland with New Zealand against Norway followed by the United States versus Vietnam, a meeting with a big historical shadow. Can the women’s game transcend the misogynistic FIFA culture? We shall see. If you come for the football, please stay for the music.