When Asia Welcomed the World

Danny Lewis

Description

When Asia Welcomed the World tells the story of the 2002 World Cup, a tournament that will be remembered for many reasons, from heart-warming stories to dark accusations. The book resurrects the great characters that lit up 2002's biggest footballing stage, including Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn, David Beckham and Ru?tu Recber, as well as humbling defeats for the game's giants at the hands of comparative minnows. It also explores the tournament's controversies and issues that arose before it had even begun. This was Asia's first ever World Cup, with South Korea and Japan also acting as the continent's first ever co-hosts. The tournament's legacy has proved to be a divisive one, but it has remained ingrained in football's collective memory for 20 years and will continue to do so.

Sujets

• World Cup
• South Korea
• Japan

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 27 juin 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801502832
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Danny Lewis, 2022
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright.
Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781801501255
eBook ISBN 9781801502832
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Contents
Introduction
1. Bringing the World Cup to Asia
2. Group Stage - Matchday One
3. Group Stage - Matchday Two
4. Group Stage - Matchday Three
5. Round of 16
6. Quarter-Finals
7. Semi-Finals
8. Third Place Play-Off
9. Final
10. Legacy
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Photos
Introduction
FOR A six-year-old child who was only just getting into football, the 2002 World Cup felt truly magical. Every day there were games, I would do everything I could to catch a glimpse of the action, and there was even a television screen set up in my school where we could watch the England games.
Flags lining the streets, a pack of Panini stickers every time I went to the shops and MATCH magazine brought plenty of joy throughout the tournament. Even so, nothing at home - no matter how impressive - could compare to what was broadcast from South Korea and Japan.
There were so many incredible characters throughout the competition who couldn t possibly be ignored: R t Re ber, the mad goalkeeper with lines drawn on his face; Oliver Kahn, who threw himself in front of everything; El Hadji Diouf, whose bleached hair was almost as eye-catching as his performances for Senegal; David Beckham, the star almost every England fan adored; Brazil s incredible trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo who swept teams aside. Wherever I looked, there was a player ready to make me fall in love with football that little bit more.
Then there were all the major upsets, which showed me that anything is possible in football, and it is never guaranteed that one team will beat another. However not everybody shared my youthful naivety, and those upsets that had caught my attention became part of what is now a divisive legacy for the tournament.
Unbeknown to me, there were calls of corruption that had helped certain nations progress, while there is also the argument that scheduling put the stronger nations at a disadvantage - in turn, making the upsets that took place less impressive or noteworthy in the minds of some.
No matter the wider opinion about the World Cup s 2002 edition, this is a tournament that has maintained a strong place in the history books and is still being looked at and discussed 20 years later - whether that s reminiscing on moments of brilliance or questioning decisions. This edition will always be historic as it was the first to be hosted in Asia, as well as the first to be co-hosted by two nations.
So this book will delve into the first time Asia welcomed world football to its shores, reliving those incredible moments that captured my attention so emphatically, as well as the things that have stained the tournament in the minds of many others.
1
Bringing the World Cup to Asia
SOUTH KOREA and Japan eventually became the first countries to co-host a World Cup, but that wasn t always the plan. The two Asian nations had initially gone up against each other (and Mexico) in a bid to host world football s biggest tournament. Both countries are said to have poured money into their publicity campaigns, partly fuelled by a historically poor relationship.
Eventually, the head of the Asian Football Confederation stepped in and the two nations were given an ultimatum: they would host the World Cup together or not at all. Mexico had always been deemed a long shot, so the pair had a straight run at co-hosting after the decision was made to partner up. There was even talk of some games being played in North Korea to help ease relations, but that was eventually ruled out.
There were complaints from some about the hosting situation. European fans were unhappy that they wouldn t be able to watch games at a time comfortable for them, while many questioned the logistical challenges of hosting a World Cup across two countries. The tournament s start date was also questioned, with the Asian climate playing a part in the decision to play the first match just over two weeks after the Champions League Final and 20 days after the Premier League season ended.
Japan had never played in a World Cup when the hosting rights were awarded in 1996 - though they did in 1998 - which initially caused further questions to arise.
Queries even surrounded the Adidas Fevernova ball that was used throughout the tournament. Mick McCarthy said in Ireland s World Cup 2002 , The ball is lively. It moves differently in the air, the bounce is unique and its unusual colour scheme deceives the eye as it comes up off the turf. There were also issues with unused tickets being slow in being returned from the countries they were sent to.
There were positives as FIFA and the United Nations branded their partnership with a slogan reading Say Yes For Children . The campaign was advertised at every game, aiming to encourage people to improve and protect the lives of children. Roger Milla was also brought in as an ambassador to help address AIDS during the tournament.
In addition, Japan and South Korea both heavily invested in their infrastructure to ensure they would be able to build and improve their venues so that they were up to the level required for football s biggest competition. In fact, eight of the ten arenas had World Cup Stadium in their names.
No matter the questions that had arisen, there was a real buzz in the build-up as everyone waited to see who would be crowned world champions.
2
Group Stage - Matchday One
France 0 Senegal 1 (Group A, 31 May, Seoul)
It seemed as though only one team could possibly win the opening game as it approached: France. Les Bleus were coming into the tournament off the back of their World Cup victory in 1998 and lifting the European Championship in 2000, so were seen as favourites to win in 2002. Meanwhile, Senegal were entering their first World Cup, having progressed through their CAF qualification group by outdoing Morocco on goal difference.
The Africans had also endured a tough time in the build-up: their pre-tournament friendlies resulted in a 0-0 draw at home to Guinea and a 3-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia. To make things even harder, Khalilou Fadiga was interrogated by South Korean police over the alleged theft of a $245 gold necklace from a jewellery shop in Daegu. The charges were dropped after the forward admitted he had taken it as part of a prank that had gone wrong and the store owner made peace by sending him a small golden pig as a good luck charm. Regardless of the happy ending, police interference days before a major tournament isn t ideal.
The individuals lining up for the two teams only seemed to accentuate the difference in quality. France had the top scorers from three of the world s most respected leagues at their disposal: Arsenal s Thierry Henry had notched 24 times in the Premier League, Juventus s David Trezeguet scored 24 goals in Serie A, while Auxerre s Djibril Ciss was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 22 goals. The latter only made it to the bench for the opener. Their side also boasted Chelsea s leader Marcel Desailly, as well as big names including Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram and Frank Leboeuf. In comparison, all but two of Senegal s squad played their domestic football in France - with the others playing in Senegal and Morocco.
France were missing Zinedine Zidane, who was fresh from winning the Champions League for Real Madrid with his sensational volley against Bayer Leverkusen. The talismanic midfielder had gone off injured during a pre-tournament friendly against co-hosts South Korea, with it later being revealed that he had suffered a tear in the median third of the quadriceps. That wasn t enough for expectations in France to be dampened, though.
Even Vieira, who was actually born in Dakar, Senegal, seemed to dismiss the African side s chances. When speaking to Le Parisien days before the tournament, the midfielder s thoughts translated to, It will be hard for the Senegalese because they will discover the World Cup. In addition, we will be highly motivated because we know the importance of this match. It will condition all of our competition. Having said that, I really want an African team to be at least in the quarter-finals. It could be Cameroon. This selection gives off a nice impression of power. She progresses with each competition.
Twenty-one-year-old El Hadji Diouf showed France that he posed a threat from the very beginning. Within a minute the winger had won a free kick off Desailly, then got his head on the delivery to force Fabien Barthez into the game s first save. If Diouf was showing that Senegal could attack, Aliou Ciss took it upon himself to remind France that the Africans would compete as the midfielder slid in on Henry moments later, conceding a free kick in the process.
There were also signs that France weren t at their imperial best, as Vieira and Leboeuf both gave the ball away cheaply. Still, this was a team packed with game-changing talent and despite having made a mess of two previous chances, Trezeguet off