Farewell to the King
By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Paris
Thierry Henry announced on Thursday to the American press that he was putting an end to his international career and that the loss against South Africa was his last game with “l’Équipe de France”. We had expected the 32-year-old to make this move after a excruciating season highlighted by controversy, injuries and bench-warming for the former Barcelona striker, who just signed a 4-and-a-half-year contract with the New York Red Bulls. Although they were only half-surprising, both news came as a shock to me as it marks the end of a generation. The Arsenal legend was the last survivor of the French team who won the World Cup back in 1998 and I feel this is the sad ending to a wonderful career for one of the best strikers we have ever had the pleasure to watch.
Who is the villain of the 2010 World Cup?
By Eric Beard
In 2006, Marco Materazzi stood out to many as a villain for his unbecoming words that caused Zinedine Zidane to lose his cool, sparking the infamous headbutt. However, this time around, there are all sorts of villains. From the FIFA administration’s reluctance to provide referees with the tools to make correct decisions to absolutely atrocious calls made to handballs to cursed celebrities, South Africa has been the home to a whole lot of controversy. Here’s my list of 2010’s villains that were present in Africa.
Sepp Blatter and FIFA
Always happy to be the centre of attention, Blatter and his stubborn, old-school ideas have made neutrals and supporters of the likes of the United States, England, and Mexico outraged. Goal-line technology, in some form, is needed in football. At least when the stakes are this high. But Blatter, in his dictator-esque role, is no stranger to stubborn, illogical thought. Conservative in his ways, the winners of matches have been placed in jeopardy because of his reluctance to use some sort of video replay at the game’s biggest stage. Sepp, this is a disgrace to football.
The Referees
From Jorge Larrionda (Germany-England) to Koman Coulibaly (United States-Slovenia) to Carlos Batres (Spain-Paraguay), blown calls have never been in such abundance in a World Cup. Sure, they’re only human and they’re not getting too much help from FIFA as there could be extra officials on the touchlines or even instant replay, but some of these mistakes have been unforgivable. It’s a hard job to be the man in the middle, but to many, these men are nothing but villains who don’t have to explain themselves.
The Team Of The Tournament
By Dominic Vieira, Writing from Portugal
It wasn’t easy selecting the best XI from the World Cup, especially because many players performed at such a high level. This squad plays under the 4-3-3 formation, the winning tactic used by the Spanish national team and its not a surprise that the team is dominated by them.
Casillas (Spain): The Spanish captain was a key player in the team, conceding 2 goals in 7 matches, defending a Paraguayan penalty and stopping Arjen Robben twice in the final. He was outstanding and a top performer, and it’s no wonder that Spaniards are now calling him San Iker!
Honourable mentions: Eduardo (Portugal), Stekelenburg (Netherlands)
Forlan & Muller: The Gods Of Africa
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Portugal
Spain may have grabbed most of the headlines at South Africa this summer as they rightfully won the World Cup, but two stars who constantly shone and played at an exceptionally high level were Diego Forlan and Thomas Muller. The Uruguyuan striker was elected as the best player of the tournament by a panel of journalists. The latter won both the Golden Boot and Best Young Player awards.
Ten players were nominated to win the Golden Ball; Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Robben, Sneijder, Oezil, Schweinsteiger, Gyan, Messi and Forlan. The competition was fierce, however, Forlan fully deserved it. He was the key driving force for Uruguay, leading the team many times as the captain Lugano was injured. He scored crucial (and beautiful) goals as well as took part in creating goals. This was Diego Forlan’s World Cup, and despite not reaching the final, he was the pioneer of the team’s best WC performance in the past 40 years.
The striker dedicated the award to Uruguayan football, a small nation, but one with a die-hard passion for football. The 31-year-old may not play at another World Cup, but he certainly left his mark in South Africa. I wonder if Sir Alex is regretting selling him at the moment?
Luis Suarez: Hero or Villain?
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
One the eve of The Netherlands’ semi-final against Uruguay, one man in particular will be notorious by his absence. Luis Suarez’s dramatic volleyball-style clearance off the line in the last minute of extra time of Uruguay’s quarter-final match against Ghana has divided the opinions of football fans across the world. Whilst Uruguayans are calling his actions ‘the hand of god’ and ‘hand of an angel’, others find his actions truly abhorrent. The vast range of reactions prompted by Suarez is truly amazing.
