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The Village Voice - July 12, 1994

Third World Cup
By Matthew Yeomans

Say what you will about Joao Havalange, you can't fault his commitment to world soccer. So okay, he couldn't really give a damn about the good of the game, and yes, his sucking up to African and Asian soccer by allocating Africa an extra place in this year's World Cup was simply a way of outmaneuvering his nemesis, the European football federation, UEFA, but the fruits of his Machiavellian schemes have already been seen in this World Cup: South Korea draws with Spain. Cameroon ties Sweden. Saudi Arabia dominates Holland. Nigeria defeats Greece. Flukes? No. Could they have done better? Yes.

While on the surface this 15th World Cup will probably end up much like all previous competitions--a mix of strong Germans, fancy Brazilians, dreaming Italians, and cynical Argentinians all waltzing their way to a semifinal or two--the tournament was also meant to signal the arrival of the real world soccer. Yet to a great extent, the new boys have shown promise but achieved little success. As the Guardian's Matthew Engel put it, "It is no longer credible to argue that the best of the Africans are ready to beat the world." Only Nigeria qualified for the second round, and while Morocco showed strength and organization, Cameroon, the much-hyped darlings of 1990, collapsed under the pressure and financial strain. At least the two sides representing Asia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, played well, even if only the Saudis finally went forward.

With victories over fellow minnows Morocco and imperial-wannabes Belgium, Saudi Arabia look set to play the Cameroon role in this year's mundial. Unfancied, and much ridiculed at the start of the tournament for their habit of going through managers at much the same rate as drummers in Spinal Tap, the Saudis hinted at what they could deliver by grabbing the lead in their first match against Holland before finally succumbing to the greater Dutch persistence. But it was Saeed Al Owairan's 60-yard dash, eluding six Belgian players before neatly slotting the ball into the back of the net, that announced the Saudis had arrived.

Of course, in a competition that remains as Euro-Latinocentric as the World Cup, the success of such a small team, just like Cameroon, Algeria, Iran, and North Korea before, is applauded while being dismissed at the same time as an aberration. For in the eyes of a First World audience, the smaller countries have simply not yet earned the respect to be counted as anything more. Never mind that African nations were represented in the World Cup by Egypt as far back as 1934, or that two of the greatest "European" players ever to grace the tournament, Just Fontaine of France and Eusebio of Portugal, hailed from Morocco and Mozambique respectively.

But of course the one team to truly excel this year has been Nigeria's Super Eagles, who despite losing to Argentina 2-1 in the opening round, have looked to have enough talent to win a place in the semis. With the running of Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amunike and the sure touch of Finidi George, the Nigerians have threatened to barrel their way through the competition, making up with power what they lack in strategy.

In the end, it may be the simplicity of the African game that lets them down. But add Nigeria to the overall promise of the other African and Asian teams, and the future augurs well for true world soccer.

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