Not so beautiful

Football is played from the heart. It’s a beautiful game as long as it is for players and their fans.  But the 2010 World Cup football matches are scenes of pride, prejudice and pitfalls.

Prejudice is manifested in many forms during the period of the games. Let us begin with an ad from Malaysia. An examination of an ad by a local  pay TV operator highlights some interesting aspects of the prejudices we perhaps unconsciously expose our children to.

In this particular ad, Frank Lampard of England and Lionel Messi of Argentina, two world class footballers ring the doorbell of a Malaysian home. Two children open the door and one child calls out to the mother, “Dua mat salleh, emak” (Two white people, mother).   

Without being overdramatic, I must say i find this rude ad a manifestation of prejudice. Well brought up children would say, “We have visitors,” and not identify guests at one’s doorstep by colour. Children are colour-blind towards others until they are taught to identify people by colour and race.

If the ad had featured two African players eg  Didier Drogba, the icon of Ivory Coast and Andre Ayew of Ghana, would the children describe them to their mother as “Dua orang hitam “ or two black people or two brown or yellow persons?

For children, the dynamics of racial prejudice may well start from such ads. Prejudice is a learnt behaviour. Continuous watching of this ad creates the notion in children’s minds that it is not wrong to identify people by colour.

Frank Lampard and Lionel Messi play beautiful football but this ad is not beautiful. I hope the Malaysian Multi Media Commission will review it.   

Cacophony of complaints                        

The mutiny of the French team – refusing to train and insulting their coach – demonstrates the not so beautiful side of football. Imagine what messages the French team is sending to children who are watching the 2010 World Cup matches.

Team rivalry may spin out of control and players may act irresponsibly, resulting in yellow and red cards which add to the not so beautiful side of  this world cup series.

The World Cup is a celebration of sports, cultures, traditions, music and food –one unifying pluralistic human gathering. South Africa offers everything. But there are players and fans who are less tolerant of the colourful vuvuzelas.

While some players and fans see the tooting of vuvuzelas as cultural , others are annoyed by the noise. They complain the whole stadium is drowned in the din of thousands of vuvuzelas.

Experts are warning of the hazards of the beautiful noise-making horns to ears and windpipes.  But there are entrepreneurs who see opportunities in hazards. They have invented the vuvuzela killers, the earplugs. Can you imagine the FIFA world cup in South Africa without the vuvuzelas? 

Bad balls and rough refs

The Jabulani ball and the altitude in Johannesburg and Pretoria have been cited for the less than spectacular matches. According to some football commentators, in the first 32 games the average was 2.1 goals per game. Without the goals, the matches are draggy and boring.

The most expensive star of football, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal was disappointing. The world waited for this goal scorer‘s brilliant performances but perhaps the Jabulani ball and vuvuzelas are the reasons for the less than impressive performance?

And he was not so beautiful when Portugal lost to Spain and failed to make it into the semi-finals. Reports are suggesting he spat in front of a TV camera.

Not only players, but referees too add to the not so beautiful side of this globalised sport. I like many fans saw that Lampard goal which crossed the goal-line but was disallowed by the referee during the much awaited England-Germany clash.

FIFA president Sapp Blatter has apologised to the Football Association of England and discussions on  the use of technology for determining goals may bear fruit.

The betting, match fixing stories and eruptions of fan violence have also added to the not so beautiful side of the game. Camvera Jose, a young Malaysian who has played football since primary school and has not missed most major European and World cup matches adds, “  Sponsorships, ratings, number of viewers etc are factors too that influence the outcome of games.”

Pride, prejudice and inequality

Why do Malaysians show a prejudice for non-Asian teams? In coffee-shops, pubs and homes, Malaysians display strong emotions for Brazil, Spain and even Germany but not for Australia. Camvera says, “As for Australia…well, no one in Asia really considers Australia an Asian team so you know that the Asian continent in general is not going to be following their progress too much even if they made it through.”

But Malaysians were rooting for Ghana when it played against the United States in the hope it would keep the African continent in the World cup.

And how disappointed most of us were when Cote d’Ivoire had to play in the ‘Group of Death’, which is the not so beautiful side of competitive football for weaker developing world teams.  

The 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa has brought to the world’s attention the inequalities in wealth, income, and inaccessibility to basic needs like shelter, food, education and health – in a country that is endowed with natural resources, spectacular scenery and beautiful people. Colonization, apartheid and exploitation of people and nature are some of the reasons.

But can  the globalised sport of football – which has created millionaire footballers who migrate to play for rich clubs – reduce the inequalities and contribute to the goals of sustainability for South Africa?   

Josie says, “I am not a regular football fan but a passionate follower of the World Cup series.”

JOSIE M FERNANDEZ is currently an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, director of Philanthropy Asia, researcher and engages with Transparency International Malaysia in anti-corruption measures.  She holds a masters degree in development management from the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines. Working on sustainability, philanthropy and anti-corruption actions are some of her current passions besides writing.