World Cup woes

[exsequar]

WHAT.

So, the first shocker of the World Cup aside, I want to talk a little bit about how uneasy this whole deal is making me feel. At first I thought that things were just getting off to a slow start, but more and more I'm thinking that the lethargy of this World Cup is symptomatic of something larger and much more ominous and disturbing.

This is the first World Cup in Africa. You'd think that in this day and age, we might be able to handle that, to pull it off with decency and a true bonding of people from around the world.

Apparently we can't. The constant whining about the vuvuzelas is one indicator of that. Vuvuzelas are a fundamental part of how South African people enjoy their sporting events, but all these foreigners have come in and instantly starting bitching and blaming the sound for their own poor performances. I honestly didn't notice, or consider it bothersome, until someone else pointed it out to me. Now I understand that the sound through my internet feed is much diminished compared to what players and refs are experiencing on the pitch (and I think it is a problem when players can't communicate or hear the ref's whistle) but that doesn't change the fact that these instruments are a part of the local culture, and to complain about them is like to complain about Premiere League fans singing songs all the time. It's offensive and it's intolerant, and has taken up far too much of the talking time around this tournament.

Everyone's also bitching about the ball. It's entirely possible that the Jabulani ball really is that strange, that it's throwing off the best football players in the entire world. But honestly - teams like New Zealand, Switzerland, North Korea - all of these underdogs have gotten goals from this ball, so why can't Spain or Argentina or Italy? At least certainly not with the frequency expected of them. It seems like a convenient excuse for what is just some poor football, and that makes me unhappy. Take some responsibility, guys! Now I don't think there's nothing to their complaints - Germany was obviously the team who actually managed to blast several goals home, and "coincidentally" (or not), their Bundesliga (national club league) adopted the Jabulani back in December. So I think that probably is a factor, but the teams should just practice with the ball and stop whining.

But the thing that's unsettling me the most is how badly the actual people of South Africa are being treated. The first warning flag was on Sunday when local hired security personnel protested because they received 1/10th of the wages they were promised, and they were shut down by riot police. The protests have not stopped and the security of half of the stadiums have been taken over by South African police. Furthermore, poor South Africans have actually been moved out of their houses by their own government and into literal shantytowns just to "clean up" the area around the stadiums and present a "good face" to the world.

This turns my stomach. Certainly the South African government is culpable here, but also culpable is FIFA for allowing local people, hired to help out with the tournament, to be treated in such an abominable way.

I'm getting more and more uneasy with how things are unfolding. I think all of these factors are contributing to why we just have not seen quality football. Every team has played now, and the only one who really wowed was Germany, and even they had their flaws. Selfishly, that's awesome, because I would love nothing more than for Germany to win this thing, but in terms of the tournament I just really hope some of these issues get resolved in a peaceable, humane way, and that the quality of the football also improves. Or else my World Cup fever may be doused far too soon.

Comments

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

I am completely with you on everything but the vuvuzelas. I'm not trying to be offensive to another culture. It has nothing to do with that for me. What it has to do with is that the noise that comes from them is JUST BELOW the sound of a gunshot. That is not healthy for anyone's ears, those using them and the players on the field. If there was a way to change the decibel level, I'd be on board with using them. Otherwise, they REALLY make it difficult for players to communicate with each other, let alone hear the ref's whistle. Is it the major reason for poor performance? Hell no, you are absolutely correct. In fact the decibel level is 127, two points above what causes physical pain. This isn't okay.

When it comes to the wages promised to the security, the people forced to move from their homes, etc. I am completely disgusted by how the government and FIFA are handling these issues. I've noticed these issues and it makes me sick that a WORLD event seems incapable of rising above.

[humdrumtown.livejournal.com]

Also, I want to add that you are correct with the sound being different for those not actually there. On my tv, the vuvuzelas merely sound like the buzzing of bees. It didn't bother me or distract me at all. I tuned them out the same way I tune out the songs when I watch Premiere League games. The difference is for those standing next to those using them. I'm all about accepting a different cultures way of showing support for sports teams (among other things), but not when it poses a danger to everyone involved. If its two points above physical pain I don't think this is a bunch of "whining."

[angel726.livejournal.com]

A lot of these same happenings were paralleled at the Olympics in Athens & Beijing. It seems like "international sports competition!" is synonymous with "let's violate some rights!"

There were reasons that human rights interest groups did not want the cup held in S.Africa, and their terrible treatment of their citizens was one of the main reasons.

[valmontheights.livejournal.com]

None of this is new, unfortunately. When the 2002 World Cup was held in Japan-Korea, there were also complaints about the ball, about the humidity, about the hassle of traveling between two countries for matches, and generally it's all supposedly world-class teams blaming everything under the sun OTHER than themselves for their poor performance.

I don't want to douse your World Cup Fever, bb, but I've been a football fan since 2002 and these kinds of things are always part of the picture, from racism to ignorance to the infamous 2006 headbutt at the finals (France's Zidane got a red-card for headbutting Italy's Marco Matterazi, whom Zidane claims called him--an Aljazairan immigrant--a "terrorist").

There have been efforts to fight this both from domestic leagues and FIFA, but FIFA is such a massive organization overseeing football in so many different countries and sometimes we forget these issues exist until another World Cup result that's hard to swallow brings all the bitching back out.

Let the vuvuzuelas toot on, unless they become missiles that fall on the pitch (FIFA regulations strictly forbid throwing any kind of object onto the field either in celebration or in defeat).

As for their decision to award the World Cup to a nation that is desperately ill-prepared to economically cope with the strain, well I can't really know what lay behind it, only assume that they thought it was due time to award the hosting responsibilities to the African continent, since Asia already had their turn and Africa, regardless of the actual feasibility, has a passion for football that is as strong as anywhere else in the world.

[legethien.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with everything but the thing about the vuvuzelas (partly, at least).
I understand that it's the way they show support, and I do think it's getting really old that *everyone* is bitching about it, even people who don't watch football; but when an 80000 stadium full of people is blowing on those things, the sound levels are quite harmfull to our hearing capacity, so I think some of the talk is founded on sound concerns.
But IMO this is only valid for people who plan to attend - while it gets annoying on tv (a local digital tv provider has even come up with a 'mute sound of vuvuzelas' option), it's really not based on actual concerns about our hearing, right? xD It's just the need to constantly whine about something when our teams are playing crappy football!

But I guess this is the issue that solved itself, really, because I don't think anyone will have the guts to forbid people to use vuvuzelas during a match, because that would be too much of a *public* way to supress their culture, instead they choose to talk about it endlessly and condemn it officially while not forbiding it.

(sorry for all the edits, I should re-read better before I click post!)

[novafairy.livejournal.com]

Seriously. The next person on televion that says "vuvuzela" is getting kicked by me (oh, just happened... twice already!!). I can't hear the whine-whine anymore. Sure, they annoy me as well since I'm used to singing and cheering in my league but so what? It's African culture, we know about that since the Confed cup. So suck it up people, will you?

But Sami (Khedira) said something awesome in todays press conference when asked about the Vuvuzelas:

It's the same in German stadions. When we play in front of 60.000 - 70.000 fans and they are cheering, screaming and singing it's the same. So we are used to that anyway. [Well and thanks to Sami for pimping out the Bundesliga by the way ;)]

Oh yes, the Jabulani. When I heard what Carragher from England said I had to headdesk. Seriously. When that would have been cheating don't you think that maybe the FIFA would have forbidden it, Carragher? Eh? And also the ball wasn't a secret. You could have get yourself one (or your national team) and practise with it. Plus: I didn't hear any player of the Bundesliga complain/whine about the ball when they started to play with it.

But it was the same back then with the "Teamgeist" (our ball from 2006) when I remember correctly. People just need scapegoats for their weak performances.

As for the rest. Well. It's still Africa & the fact that the FIFA is involed or the whole world is looking at them won't change anything I fear. At least not that fast.

Re: the wages. I don't know who is responsible for paying them. The FIFA? Or "South Africa"? Because I don't think the FIFA would do that. Not because they are all saints but because they are promoting Respect and Anti-Racism for years now and this would be HUGE setback.

Games during the group stages are often not the best ones. France did weakly four years ago and got into the final. Italy only were able to get into the semi-final because they got a (wrong) penalty against Australia. It just happens. :)

[ariadne83]

Honestly, all the complaining about how "impossible" the Jabulani ball is kinda pisses me off. And some of it seems to have the tone of whining about privilege-leveling: people who are used to automatically being at the top suddenly can't take that for granted anymore.

[ethrosdemon.livejournal.com]

Adidas produces a new ball every World Cup and the players complain about it every tourney, that's not unusual. Last WC was worse in that regard because the ball bounced too much.

I find the horns rly rly annoying, tbh.

However, all of the social justice points you make can't be discounted. I was listening to a BBC doc today about the infrastructure push they made before the WC started that emphasized trying to name all the streets with no names. Boggle. NAMING STREETS!

Germany? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[pau494.livejournal.com]

Every time a new ball is created for a World Cup, everyone complains about it. It's old news by now. Complaining isn't going to give you a new ball to play with (heh!). I have noticed that it seems to fly a lot more, like it's lighter, but the players just need to adapt! PEOPLE, you are being PAID to kick a ball around, do your jobs!

I'm not sure I agree about the vuvuzelas, though. The first game I watched was Argentina's, and at first I thought the noise was made my our own fans, they get pretty loud over here as well. It wasn't until later in the day that I realized it was part of the South African culture. The constant whining about it is pissing me off, but I can understand why it's happening. The noise is distracting through the TV feed, I can't imagine what being at the stadiums must be like. It's not just about the players and their inability to communicate, it's about health, at least for me (I know that's not a major concern for the people who are bitching about it). I still don't think the noise should be blamed for the way they're all playing poorly, because that's just ridiculous.

I didn't know about the people being told to move out, that is infuriating! It all goes back to money, in the end. I kept up for a while with the amount of money being invested in the Cup, billions of dollars that could have gone into making people's lives better instead of going to entertainment. That was my main issue with South Africa hosting the Cup. Should they really be using all that cash for sports when there are more important issues to take care of?

I like this post a lot. AND I LIKE YOU. ♥

[jamesinclair.livejournal.com]

Every world cup has complaints.

Before the world cup/olympics it's "x country wont be ready in time, who will get to host if they fail?"
Then its time to blame the ball, every single time.

Im surprised they havent complained about the cold yet (it has gotten close to freezing in many of the night matches)

As for the vuvuzelas....those complaining either a) arent fans of the sport or b) are english and expect everyone to sit down and clap politely like in tennis. I dont notice them, theyre white noise. Ironically, similar horns are very popular in mexico during games but were very quiet during todays match (which was 50% mexican fans).

As for this:
"I think all of these factors are contributing to why we just have not seen quality football"

Thats not it at all. The point format encourages a tie in the first round. Going for a win exposes you too much, and a tie can be a very very good thing, which is why there were so many. Once the second round started, you immediately see teams going for big wins. Look at group a, from two ties to two dominations. I expect very few ties in the coming week, except from a team that is clearly outclassed (new zealand would love to end the tournament with three ties).