BRAZEAL: World Cup returns to its spiritual home

The Fifa World Cup is returning to its spiritual home after 64 years. England may be the home of modern football but Brazil is where the beautiful game’s soul is. Statistics speak for themselves. Brazil are the only country to have participated in all the 19 editions of the World Cup. And, they also hold the record for the most number of trophies — five.

What the numbers can’t convey is the vibrancy with which Brazilians play the sport. For the land of samba, style and substance go hand in hand like lovers in the early days of their courting. Placards bearing a declaration like “Manchester United, kids and wife — in that order” are common at the stands of English Premier League grounds. Club football attracts committed followers whose attention span stretches to 10 months a year.
The international variety is a different beast as it casts its spell on humankind like no other sporting event for a month every four years.

Nothing unites conservative Arab countries to ultra-modern Western Europe and clan-ridden sub-Saharan Africa like football. The World Cup elicits extreme passions even in countries that are remotely connected to the event. For instance, the TV viewership figures for the Fifa World Cup in India, which is light years away from playing the tournament, are astoundingly high. The cumulative numbers can give cricket a run for its money. TV ratings are steadily climbing in the US which had remained free from Fifa World Cup madness for many years. To say Brazilians love football is like reiterating the bond between Indians and cricket. The sport is part of their psyche. Anglo-Brazilian Charles Miller was credited to have introduced football in Brazil towards the end of the 19th century. Why it caught on in the continent-sized country and how its citizens acquired an impressive playing style can’t be explained rationally.

English expatriates’ first priority in Brazil, as in other countries, was cricket which had its rules codified 200 years earlier. Perhaps Brazilians found in football a medium to express themselves. Brazil hadn’t fought a war for independence and the country lacked the spirit that waging a battle for freedom entails.

Brazil’s passion for football came out in all its glory when  they hosted the World Cup in 1950. It was the first World Cup after World War II and expectations were sky high in the host nation. For the first time, the tournament didn’t have a proper final. Fortunately, though, the last league match between Brazil and Uruguay in a four-team group turned out to be a virtual final.

Brazil needed only a draw to be crowned champion for the first time. Nearly 2,00,000 fans had crammed into the Maracana, the magnificent stadium built for the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. The celebrations had already started because many thought winning was a formality. The mayor of Rio hailed the champions to be and a victory song was at the ready. But the script went haywire as Uruguay upset Brazil 2-1 to claim their second title. Brazil went into mourning and some fans reportedly killed themselves.

Now Brazil have a chance to set the wrong of 1950 right. The onus is on Neymar and Co. to deliver on the pitch. If Brazil exit early, there could be trouble in the country which has already been beset by public unrest over the cost overrun of the World Cup.

Protesters used the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, a preparatory event for the World Cup, to highlight lack of funding in education and health while the bill for the World Cup is a whopping $11 billion. Brazilian players who returned home after completing their season in Europe were welcomed by slogan shouting protesters. One of them shouted: “An educator is more important than Neymar.”

There are fears on the corridors of Fifa that protests could spiral out of control during its showpiece tournament. The Brazilian government would like to believe that protests would be peaceful during the World Cup. It must also be hoping that once the event starts, the games would divert the attention of agitators.

Who can win the 20th World Cup? At the outset, Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Spain appear to be the frontrunners because the World Cup has always been about the big boys. England, Italy, the Netherlands and Uruguay could be the dark horses. So, let the ball roll.