New world order: after a century of European and South American dominance, world soccer is now finally a global game

Soccer Digest, Oct-Nov, 2002 by Barry Wilner

IF THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP taught us anything about international soccer, it's that what used to be the least tumultuous of all sporting events is now completely unpredictable.

Sure, the most successful nations in soccer history--Brazil and Germany--made it to the final, and the South Americans won an unprecedented fifth title, but both were long shots to win the 2002 World Cup when it began.

The first World Cup staged in Asia--as well as the first with its hosting duties split between two nations--was also the most topsy-turvy in history. Upstarts and upsets marked the tournament. The co-favorites, France and Argentina, each failed to advance out of match play. Cup holders France couldn't even manage to score a goal. Portugal, ranked fifth in the world, also went home after the opening round. Italy soon joined the parade out of the Far East, as did Sweden, Denmark, and Mexico. "There is no longer an established world in soccer," claims U.S. coach Bruce Arena. "It is now truly a global game, At the end of the day, teams such as Brazil, Germany, England, and Italy will be there but the gap is closing."

The gap isn't only closing at the top, either. CONCACAF's representatives in the 2002 World Cup remained unbeaten as a group longer than any other federation's teams. "In all honesty, I think our region is very underrated around the world," claims Arena. "Have we arrived? No, we are not even close and we are not even pretending to be. But this showing by Mexico, Costa Rica, and the U.S. will get our region a lot more respect."

Asia had a semifinalist for the first time. Turkey, in just its second World Cup--and first since 1954--went to the semifinals and proved it could become a European power. African upstart Senegal advanced to the quarterfinals With the most entertaining style of play this side of, well, the samba-dancing Brazilians.

There is no reason to believe that nations long called the "minnows" of soccer can't turn into barracudas. The leaders of this upheaval were the Koreans. No country was less accomplished in the World Cup than South Korea, which never won a game in its first five trips. This time, it won its first-round group and eliminated European powers Italy and Spain before bowing out in the semis to the Germans.

Naysayers credited South Korea's fervent, red-clad rims, but they weren't the only reason the co-hosts surged through the tournament. "It wasn't a miracle, just a big, big achievement," says Guus Hiddink, who coached South Korea in the 2002 Cup. "The Korean players impressed the world with their style and spontaneous play. I hope other nations will follow Korea's example. It's not just by accident that the Korean team has improved so fast; it was structured. Many other countries can do that."

When FIFA expanded the tournament to 32 teams prior to 1994 it was criticized because many believed there weren't enough teams capable of competing on such a high level. In 2002, FIFA's sagacity and wisdom was confirmed when teams from five different federations advanced to the quarterfinals. In previous World Cups, no more than three federations had ever been represented in the quarterfinals in the same year.

Even in Europe, which along with South America has dominated world soccer for years, there are new powers emerging. Turkey is finally benefiting from being a UEFA member nation, even though they could easily be placed in Asia, where the competition isn't as fierce. The country's top club team, Galatasaray, has become more prominent in recent years, even winning the 2000 UEFA Cup and 2000 European Super Cup.

Now that Turkey's national team has made waves, it could perform at the same level as Europe's top nations. "We wanted to give hope and happiness to our people and we managed that," says Turkey coach Senol Gunes. "We wanted to be the masters of the soccer field, and we did that. The players understand how big a job they did in the World Cup."

For the Turks, having club teams advance well into the later rounds of the two major European club tournaments--the Champions League and the UEFA Cup--was a boost. For other nations, letting players leave home and scatter throughout Europe and other soccer-strong countries, was beneficial.

Senegal upset France in a shocking World Cup opener. Afterward, several Senegalese joked about being more French than France's players because each Senegal starter played his club ball in France. Most of the French team plays outside their home country. The experience in France was irreplaceable for the Africans.

The improvement of club leagues in Japan, South Korea, and Turkey helped those countries, as well. With their success in the World Cup they can expect to attract more topnotch players to their shores. Or keep the outstanding homegrown talent within their borders.

FIFA must now consider bringing its showcase event to areas that have never staged the World Cup. Africa is almost certain to get the 2010 Cup, and FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted it could be split between two countries that year.