Is the World Cup based on outdated nationalism and past its sell by date?

Question

The World Cup was started in an era when fewer people moved between countries. In particular few people played football overseas.

Now many footballers in effect choose their national allegiance, either to play for a big team like France or one they can get into like.....

The big international clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea play to a higher standard than any national team.

Finally, football rightly deplores racism, but doesn't the concept of a competitive national team essentially have racist overtones, if not ones based on skin colour? And the behaviour of certain teams in the World Cup reflected that deplorably.

How about replacing the World Cup and the European Cup (with its equivalents on other continents) by a tournament for three weeks every two years for the World's top football clubs such as Barcelona, Arsenal etc.?

P.S. Ichi. Yes I take your point about fan solidarity. But firstly I am a bloke and not about to take up knitting, and why not solidarity between fans from different clubs. And for solidarity between real footballers how about a big international meeting for amateur teams of PLAYERS?

Answer 1

I do not mean to divert from the point you are making but I believe that fans of football all over the world are being misled into thinking that the World Cup is a competition between COUNTRIES. It isn't !! Football is a business. Football is entertainment ! When players put on a national jersey and play "for their country" their allegiange is firstly to their professional body, FIFA, and not to their fans. -- If we look at football this way then we no longer feel the need to claim that there are biased referees, or that FIFA is clearly favouring South Korea in the WC'2002 and disfavouring all the countries that played Sth Korea. So, to a point, I agree with you that we should scrap the World Cup and introduce some other form of football championship. For me the World Cup died in 2006. It could only survive up to now if people were naive. I found this WC of 2006 the epitome of stupidity... CLEARLY biased decisons that the ordinary "fan" no longer falls for... dives in perfectly identical situations where in one game "justified" and in the other "disaproved of" even though in one situation a country is kicked out as a result and in the other, because of favouritism, it is explained away as NOT a dive. See these two separate but IDENTICAL situations... Figo headbutts a player.... Zidane headbutts a player too but 100 times harder. Yet Zidane is given the opportunity to explain away his act whereas Figo, who was conveniently labelled a cheat together with all the Portugal team, is NOT given the same opportunity to explain, a clear case of France having to be seen righteous and Portugal as villains. Likewise, there is no way that Germany would have progressed in the WC if Argentina hd not been cheated of TWO penalties. People no longer fall for this sort of thing and so the basis of the World Cup is dead for me. Being a businees, FIFA is free to decide the course of all WCs without having to justify it to anyone... or else they would agree with the public DEMAND to introduce use of cameras into games... and yet they are resisting it at all costs. Only if cameras are not introduced can FIFA continue to steer the course of WCs and Euros, and orchestrate their outcome. I am not Portuguese nor do I even speak the language but Portugal were cheated out of the WC by T. Henri's dive and Argentina of two clear penalties. It clearly was not in the interests of someone that Argentina and Portugal reach the finals. WCs are not 'national' but a business

Answer 2

League is the players and clubs tournament. WC is the peoples tournament.

You are correct that the WC doesn't represent the most attractive football but that's not the point of the WC. It is an event spaced apart to make the CUP more coveted. The Olympics is exactly the same. The race winner is not necessarily the world champion or league winner.

The WC is more about emotions, nationalism, tradition, drama and controversy than it is about football. It's entertainment for all ages and a patriotic time. It creates dreams. If you want to watch the best football watch any of many league games just about every Sunday.

Changing the WC would undermine all the previous tournament life, drama and entertainment.

Are you willing to tell the Brazilians that there will be no more WC ? or a different one where the team is not all Brazilian.

Answer 3

It would be nice to have a trounament between clubs, but it would NOT be better than the World Cup.

The World Cup has history. Countries have history. Germany versus Poland is interesting because Germany invaded Poland. France and England and England and Germany are interesting matchups because of all the wars those countries have had. Brazil is an intersting matchup against anyone because its Brazil and they've had 5 World Cup trophies, Pele, Ronaldo, etc. Argentina is interesting because of Diego Maradona.

True, there are some players that effectively choose their national allegance. But, this happens in every sport and I think it's really only a couple of people, as opposed to the club scene where everyone chooses their allegance. And, once someone chooses a national team to play for, it's not like four years later they're playing for a country that paid them more. I've never heard of anyone switching national teams in between cups.

Answer 4

You don't like football very much - you certainly missed the point of the world cup AND missed how massively over-powering the sense of community was between the fans...

I went over for five days to Germany and I was welcomed with open arms by fans from Holland, Germany, Brazil, England, the Czech Republic, Portugal & Argentina - all in one city, all loving the festival experience and loving life..thinking of the wars that have happened between these great nations in the past..where is the nationalism now?

I recommend you don't worry your pretty little head about such things and take up knitting

Answer 5

He certainly has. Apart from the one free kick that gave England the 1:0 win over Ecuador, he has contributed absolutely nothing to this World Cup. With a new manager coming in, there is a chance to make some drastic changes without losing face. And I hope that Beckham is replaced as Captain and maybe even left out of the team. And Rooney should be left out as well, since his performance was even worse than Beckham's.

Answer 6

It's based on soccer and which team is best... or moreso who is the better actors / poorer referee on the day.

Is the World Cup based on outdated nationalism and past its sell by date? NO... its based on the most successful sporting theme in the world... supporting your country. And you dont have to be playing for your country to experience racism.

How about replacing the world cup with a competition of the worlds most cashed up clubs?? Great idea.. take soccer off the international stage and make it a game for cashed up teams.

Answer 7

Actually it is a sporting discipline and even if people get nationalistic that is good. I mean nationalism in sports is a sort of a cure for nationalism in politics, religion, war etc. so it helps avoiding more serious conflicts. There will always be another event in 2/4/6 months or years in which the others win.

Answer 8

Your right! In this corperate globalised world it should be:
"Welcome back to our coverage of the World Cup Semi's, where Coca-Cola are taking on McDonalds. The winner will meet Pepsi, and with the prospect of a Coke versus Pepsi world cup final, everybodies mouths must be watering....."
Yay. I feel much better about a world ruled by everybodies greed and need to outdo each other in the rip off the poor stakes, than one based on mutual customs, language and ideals....

Answer 9

As some one who is not a football fan I think you are talking drivel.

The big teams are only as good as the money that they get to spend. A few years back Chelsea was on the verge of going bankrupt.

Answer 10

No like anyother game they have world cup in football also.