Football is opium for the masses and the greatest spectacle of World Cup sport ended Sunday with Spain emerging victorious at Johannesburg Stadium. Netherlands were third time unlucky and Spain was lucky in their 13th attempt in the final. The figure of 13 is unlucky for some, but lucky for Spain.
South Africa is a proud country now because the country as well as it’s people have shown the world what they are all about. This
World Cup Trophy
land has managed to prove their critics wrong, by showing them that this magnificent Rain-Bow nation is much more then the usual and have far out-shone world’s expectations on the management of an event of this magnitude.
There have been no terror threats. Adequate police protection was in place. The Stadiums are superb, the crowd appreciative, the crazy vuvuzelas noisy, enthusiastic people, perfect arrangements, all added to the beauty of the tournament. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that it was South Africa who won the World Cup 2010.
No, there have not been sprees of hooliganism, there have not been scores of bandits who murdered and raped their way through city centers. Betting, of course, must have been there but no problems surfaced. Though one man bid on the loser, ignoring the predictions of Pundit Octopus Paul, and lost Euros 500,000.There may be other instances also.
The Sunday’s match between Netherlands and Spain was not an artistic delight for football lovers, but both teams excelled in their defenses and did not allow their opponents to take the game away easily.
It was certainly a treat to watch as both the teams tried to get the better of the other, and 90 minutes, with no-result, were over. The match went into extra time, twice, and it was in the 116th minute of the match that Spain scored.
Spain controlled the match right from the start, had the ball possession for most of the match duration, and their victory always looked on the cards, although they took until the 26th minute of extra time to seal it.
They made it easy for themselves as well, waiting until Holland had gone down to 10 men after Dutchman Heitinga was booked for a second time. Then, Iniesta, stroked home a shot into the bottom left hand corner to scenes of joy in the stadium and on the streets of Spain’s cities.
Spain will also reflect on the number of missed goal opportunities, with their midfield control a strange contrast to their lack of finishing ability. But although a low-scoring side compared to the flamboyant fast-moving Germans, nobody will grudge Spain their victory, simply because it has been so long in coming.
Ha Ha. The world has enjoyed this billion dollar extravaganza. The streets were half empty just before 1930 hrs every evening in India and people were glued to their TV sets impatiently waiting for the kick off and used to sleep at about 0300 hrs the next morning, after the completion of the second match.
I am sure the same would be happening in other parts of the world. How is all this managed? How did South Africa World Cup organising Committee achieve this? Everything went off with absolute clock work precision.
It was a billion-dollar extravaganza. The Committee has to check all the spouts from which the money is pouring in. Firstly the TV rights allotted globally, then the stadium tickets sales, the indoor hoardings, the car parking’s. The gate money and the resources generated from inside and outside are perhaps, looked after by the stadium in charge himself.
Alongside the income there are expenses also. There are payments for utilizing the stadia, payments to hotels, airlines, food, catering and prize money to the winning team and the runner up as also to the player of the tournament. Arrangements for transport of VVIPs, their Security and hospitality extended to them were adequate.
WOW! This is a job of gigantic proportions. It requires immense stamina, management skills and a keen eye for every detail.
All this is definitely not a one man’s job. The management team has performed under the able guidance of the Head of the organising Committee.
Hats-off to the South Africa Football Management Committee who has done a splendid job in smooth running of the tournament.
I would like to stress here that this massive logistic exercise makes an excellent case study for Business Management Schools all over the globe.
This excellent performance on the management front will contribute to a changed perception of South Africa, which could lead to more foreign investment.
With herds of ‘new tourists’ that will flock to this magnificent country, tourism, which is one of the most important contributors to the GDP, will certainly grow. This again means again more jobs, more revenue for the government and less people living in poverty.
I would add here that even though Spain took the trophy, it was the victory of South Africa for hosting the best World Cup. Some interesting revelations also emerged during this tournament – vuvuzelas become world famous and will be part of all stadia in future, Shakira’s Waka Waka proved she dances so well that she, apparently, doesn’t have bones, and Pundit Octopus Paul [1] is world’s best in Astronomy & Astrology.
And last but not the least, our heartiest thanks to Nelson Mandela for attending the final match.
Ravi Matah.