India did make it to the world cup, once. Kind of. Well, not really:
No, don’t rub your eyes in disbelief. India did make it to the 1950 World Cup finals. Well sort of. Four countries from Asia were invited to participate in the qualifiers. Burma, Philippines and Indonesia all withdrew, so India qualified automatically.India was placed in Group 3 with Sweden, Italy, and Paraguay. But their request to play barefoot was turned down by FIFA and they withdrew! [Link]
Sadly, this was back in the hey day of Indian Soccer, too. Until some South Asian team makes it to the world cup, we’ve always got Vikas Dhorasoo and his action figures, right?
Although common sense gives the edge to Germany on the basis of home team advantage, I am going to use a more dependable rule of thumb to predict the eventual winner in a World Cup. And that is whoever beats Brazil, wins. So it will be France.
I’m just glad “Empire” got tossed. I think most of the world’s glad actually. What a day!
Right. Cos Italy, Portugal, France and Germany have never had an Empire. Only England has.
If we’re irrationally holding history against 22 young men, let’s be fair about things and boo Portugal for the slave trade, wiping out native South Americans and the longest of all European empires, France for looting Africa, Germany for the two reichs and the Nazis and Italy for Mussolini and slaying Abyssinians. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
I was talking about Brazil mate. Five World Cups maketh an Empire no? Mix it up a little? 🙂
Oh. Completely misunderstood you in that case, I thought you meant England when you said ‘Empire’, in light of all the anti-England banter on here.
Nah, nobody really noticed England’s defeat 😉
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!
I wish the World Cup wasn’t in Europe 🙁
but ribery is great! I’m glad I discovered this little frenchman! He’s like a midget among giants.
-s
While we are looking for symmetry and other omens to make our predictions, here are a couple of more scenarios to consider.
1966 WCS quarterfinals: England beat Portugal and went on to win. If you believe in reverse symmetry, it will be Portugal in 2006. Although they don’t have the fabled Eusebio this year, the young Portuguese players have pluck and they have Scolari.
The last time there was an all European final (1982), Italy won. So that is a good omen for the Azzuris. But then that year Italy was the one who beat Brazil. Hence by my other circular logic, it is still France.
Heck, who knows! It is anybody’s game at this stage. Let’s sit back and enjoy.
i think France will win against Portugal, which got a bit lucky to play england, which wasn’t a very good team in the end, mostly hype. i think sometimes teams can advance on the strength of expectations
in the other, i’ll root for the swarthy italians!
Sahej if you say that England was mostly hype and wasn’t very good (which I’m not denying) then Portugal are surely no better – they could not beat a team of ten men in open play. They are a mediocre side with mediocre players, bar Maniche, and France will have the better of them.
It’s France or Germany for me (Italy don’t have a chance). I have a sneaking suspicion it might be the hosts, but I’d love France to do it again. I’ve written a little post which was kind of inspired by Sepia Mutiny’s commenters here (recycling the pics I linked to before!)
The World Cup IS Europe this year 😉
This better play out differently in 2010 South Africa!
I recently discovered Zidane & Ronaldo and am slightly enamored (though I continue to mourn for Brasil)
If we’re irrationally holding history against 22 young men, let’s be fair about things and boo Portugal for the slave trade, wiping out native South Americans and the longest of all European empires, France for looting Africa, Germany for the two reichs and the Nazis and Italy for Mussolini and slaying Abyssinians. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Yea but the above dudes didnt colonize my forefathers. I am glad England got kicked out (yet again!) All the God save the Queen claptrap couldnt elevate the 11 Englishmen from their pedestrian mediocrity. Yea!
My predictions: Final: Germany versus France Winner: Germany in a blowout
Btw the mastery of Brother Zidane is overwhelming.
Ah, so double standards are fine when it comes to sport AMfD? It only matters if it affected YOU. Well hang on…did it? Oh no you weren’t born then! Still, got to hold those grudges.
It only matters if it affected YOU. Well hang on…did it? Oh no you weren’t born then! Still, got to hold those grudges.
I feel small and humiliated when I meet an Englishman. It reminds me of the fact that his grandaddy slaved over my grandaddy. This makes me nervous and unsure, coupled with a strage feeling of racial inferiority and impotence. I compensate that with lustly cheering the downfall of the English soccer team.
From wikipedia:
Portuguese India. “After India’s independence from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to accede to India’s request to relinquish control of its Indian possessions. The United Nations General Assembly in the 1950’s ruled in India’s favour.”
“The Salazar regime in Portugal refused to recognise Indian sovereignty over Goa, Daman and Diu, which continued to be represented in Portugal’s National Assembly until 1974.”
French India. The French East India Company. “The independence of India in August 1947 gave impetus to the union of France’s Indian possessions with former British India. The lodges in Machilipatnam, Kozhikode and Surat were ceded to India in October 1947.”
My grandaddies have lived in Delhi/Western UP for hundreds of years. I dont care about Goa, Daman and Diu or Machilipatnam, Kozhikode and Surat.
Do you root for Iran’s demise as well? Seems about as relevant vis-a-vis the Mughal Empire. Ah so you don’t care about other Indians? Just the ones related to you…OK it’s becoming clearer. You know I’m just pulling your leg here AMfD, but I do think your viewpoint is odd.
Just tell him that his kid will probably grow up to work for an Indian or Chinese company 🙂
Bong Breaker, yeah i’m not overly impressed with Protugal, but Figo, Deco, and C. Ronaldo are good players. maybe its the swarthy aspect, but i find them to be stylish at least. the fact they could not score a goal a man up, in the quarters was disappointing. england though, i think needed to play lennon much more than they did…..maybe beckham was a sacred cow that stayed on too long, goal notwithstanding.
i also think it’ll be allemania, but hope against hope for someone else, namely France
I think South Africa 2010 may be a time of change in world soccer, but then again, who knows? new blood in the form of an African or Asian semifinalist would be nice
but overall, good Copa so far
I feel small and humiliated when I meet an Englishman. It reminds me of the fact that his grandaddy slaved over my grandaddy. This makes me nervous and unsure, coupled with a strage feeling of racial inferiority and impotence. I compensate that with lustly cheering the downfall of the English soccer team.
Damme mate! It must be a thousand times worse on the British desis, living in Britain and all.
It’s true. At school they made me lick their boots and they whipped me as they laughed and said “Jaldi jaldi Ramsingh!”
I can still hear their cackles echoing now as they shot young Patel in the face for japes. I cried out in anguish, but this merely fuelled their merriment. “Haha, what are you going to do now darkie?! My father’s the fucking VICEROY and your father’s a damned coolie, out of my way! Teen dugna lagaan!”
Oh, I can barely face a white man today without humiliation welling up inside of me. They broke me. They broke me.
we’ll always have the Anglo Sikh War, I and II
Oh, I can barely face a white man today without humiliation welling up inside of me. They broke me. They broke me.
Oh poor you! It aint that bad mate, its not like Empire is that much of one any more, especially on the football field 🙂
Erm…I was joking. You got that, right? I’m sure AMfD was joking when he first said it too. I think any Indian who feels any inferiority to a white or English man is a jerk. Plain and simple. Just the same as if a white man feels superior to an Indian – jerk.
Erm…I was joking. You got that, right? I’m sure AMfD was joking when he first said it too.
I was too, mate. Its all good.
AlMfd,
I’m going to have to back up BongBreaker here. By this logic, are the rest of us allowed to desire the failure of Iran, Afghanistan, and large swathes of the rest of the Middle East in any international sporting event ?
In fact, are the rest of us allowed to “boo” present-day subcontinental Muslims too, considering the fact that many of their ancestors comprised the “ruling class” over many areas of India for about 800 years ?
Rhetorical questions, and I’m not sure if your statements were serious or made in jest, but you catch my drift.
Anyway, support or boo whoever you want. May the best team win.
Is it just me or does anyone else agree when I say that Ribery would be the kind of guy they’d put in a monk’s robe and conduct the inquisition in the medieval ages?
My friends and I have named him ‘The Inquisitor’.
I really admire Zidane though. A rare player who manages to sustain a play-great-but-fair ethic. He’s the only reason I support France.
I’d want Germany or France to win. (I can’t believe I’m rooting for france!) Actually anyone but those cheating diving Italian drama queens.
Rhetorical questions, and I’m not sure if your statements were serious or made in jest, but you catch my drift.
Bongbreaker and Jai: Of course, I am kidding. I was teasing Bongbreaker. On a serious note, I am a little pissed off by England’s performance. I think they had another good team this year, but still failed to play well together.
AlMfD,
Thanks for the clarification bro, I did have a feeling your previous comments sounded a little too surreal to be true 😉
However, there are desis around who do actually think that way, y’know — out here in the West and also back in the subcontinent.
It used to be quite prevalent amongst many 2nd-generation (South) Asians here in the UK when I was younger (I’m 32 now), although not so much these days apart from the crazier extremes (“armchair jihadists” etc). But I have met Indians back in India who still have a knee-jerk anti-Brit attitude (a minority of commenters here on SM also appear to have similar attitudes, at least amongst those who are relatively recent arrivals in the West).
ribéry is muslim, it turns out. he converted when he married his moroccan-french wife, wahida, and he takes it seriously. he says that islam has helped him get meaning and focus in his life. he doesn’t draw attention to it; it only came out in the french papers a few weeks ago, and there’s no controversy about it. it was amusing however to see the odious le pen make his usual comments about “too many players of color” when the great white hope is of le pen’s least favorite religion. ha!
In my opinion that guy, Lennon (I dont know the first name) ws great. I think he was the quickest amongst all players on the pitch at any given time of that match. Also I think England was playing better than Portugal for the most part. Thats why I felt bad when England lost. Besides it sucks so much to lose in penalties.
Portugal will be easily defeated in the semis.
England clearly had a better game in my opinion. The portugeuse just dove a little too well and too often. Heh, it didn’t matter who was going to win – till the PKs, and then i wanted England to make it through. England had a great team, but their coach just seemed like he wouldn’t be able to motivate any living thing. Maybe under a different coach the team would’ve been a little more aggressive and free flowing.
Brazil was a shadow of its normal self. They got one shot at goal close to the 90th minute. It was amazing to watch zizou control the game.
My predictions: Germany Vs. Italy – Germany, France Vs. Portugal – France. France Vs. Germany is a tough one to predict, mostly because of germany’s home advantage, but i’ll go with the old fogies from France.
Its worth noting that England held portugal off inspite of not having their two top players in Beckham and Rooney.
But what’s up with this report Man. United shows the door to Christian Ronaldo Allegedly for C. Ronaldo’s contribution in getting Rooney red-carded. But then this is a report from Times of India so take it with a TON of SALT 🙂
Regardless, he would still be quite fast at the inquisition football matches.
or as a brazilian sports journalist puts it:
you have to wonder where Ronaldinho was during France-Brazil, i heard he was moved to a forward position, and it seemed to show
i really don’t think Germany can be beaten, much as everyone but the Germans would prefer
Lennon and Ribery to me are similiar players. Ribery will be my player to watch for France
Well Italy proved me wrong. During the game I hated that Italy were diving like little school girl, but in the later part of the second half and throught the extra time they were controlling the ball. Their attempts were better. Germany had hardly any attempt worth showing in the highlights.
Ricardo was qouted to have said he tries to scare the other player in order to stop their goal kicks, but looking at him facing Zidane you have to wonder at a strategy liked that working
i am just so happy to see Italy play so well and France to get in. South Africa 2010 is too far away! the only thing more to want is an African or Asian team to do well, so the whole world should be able to join in at the same level
Jai, there’s direct continuity between the state of England that colonized South Asia (and Ireland and…) and the England that exists today. The English team represents England. As a result, despite not necessarily feeling the same way, I understand why a desi–particularly one not from the UK–would feel like it’s against his/her sensibilities to root for an English team in a competition out of a historical grudge. The other examples you pointed to don’t follow the same logic as far as I can tell.
On a sidenote, the TOI claims that many Goans were rooting for Portugal. Anyone confirm/deny?
-s
Haha…were they wearing Red coats with gilded piping when they said this stuff? Because that is EXACTLY what I learnt from Bollywood.
On a sidenote,
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!
Anybody know of a good Italian Sports Bar / Restaurant to watch the final in Chicago?
Saurav, i would’n’t be surprised at all if many Goans were supporting Portugal this world cup.
Not any more, they’re not 😉 Maybe the desis in Pondicherry are rooting for the French?
How about NYC? Anybody got any particular recommendations? I’m thinking about Becky’s on the Upper East Side. Good food, and only women bartenders/waitresses (they’re mostly British though, so the hottie factor is hit or miss)
Other than that I know Nevada Smith’s in the East Village is a good football bar, and Scruffy Duffy’s in Hell’s Kitchen is rated as one of the best sports bars in Manhattan.
Any other recommendations?
ricardo was possibly the best goalkeeper of the tournament. and at the end of the semi-final he seemed like the one portuguese player aware of the stakes and with the urge and drive to attack. watch how he came up in the final two minutes. hell he nearly set up a goal. meanwhile the rest of portugal kind of gave up the ghost in the last 20 minutes, each time an attacker penetrated he’d find himself totally without any kind of support. the portuguese suffered a real mental breakdown at the end of this thing, and they are mainly to blame for the lower quality of football relative to the other semifinal, since all France had to do was manage the lead and not commit any silly fouls or get carded.
but back to the penalty, ricardo almost got a hand on it. the beautiful thing about the penalty was the way zidane took it. not even two strides — a small step, followed by a longer step and right into the kick. he knew exactly what he was doing and wasn’t afraid to show it (from the position he stood in over the ball and the short distance, the probability of a low hook to the left was very high). he just did it. that’s calm and confidence. ricardo couldn’t do much more than he did… i’d still put him as goalie in my world cup starting XI.
I like the fact that France won, but I was hoping that the win could have been more convincing with a higher margin of goals (not that it matters, at all). Just makes that much better to watch. Portugal had a one excellent chance when the French goal keeper did not clear the ball after the free kick and portugal tried to head it into goal and missed by a little. That was preety close. Anyways, now for the finals Go France !!!
But we are waiting and hopefully in 2010 time an African team would do better. One thing that I am surprised about is that why the bigger African nations cant make it to the world cup?? Such as Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan even South Africa?? We have been seeing smaller countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo… Cameroon etc.. I dont remember Kenya or Nigeria ever making it. I may be wrong, but if not, isnt that interesting???
Kenyandesi is going to hit me for saying this, but that’s because the best teams don’t come from the larger countries. Disproportionately many of the better football teams come from West Africa (note that Ghana was the only Anglophone in that bunch), although Cd’I is not that small a country. Even Ghana is 2x the size of the Czech Republic, so it got annoying when they kept calling it tiny Ghana.
DJ 88:
I know the Up E. Side (and West) are where the most sports bars are in NYC. But Soho, w/ its heavy eurotrash and S.American Population is going crazy w/ makeshift sports bars (little cafes w/ a TV added for the world cup), football on the street, and some TV’s on the street too.
I went down to the cub room (Prince & sullivan) to watch italia/germ on tuesday. It was packed and fun…and you can eat some fois gras instead of buffalo wings.
or try felix (french) and novo cento (argentinian)on the corner of w.broadway and grand. I saw one old italian guy set up a table on the sidewalk, complete w/ wine, pasta and a tv, while watching tuesday’s game. A live band was playing the Dead just a stone throws away and there were a lot of S.american/european talent around. Lots of fun, a tad pretentious, but you gotta hand it to them euros and latinos…they know how to live and they have style.