The fact that the first World Cup is being hosted in the Arab world is thrilling!
The journey right from the group stages to the semi-final matches has been pleasantly astonishing, to say the least.
Moreover, it has been a bitter-sweet experience for football lovers from across the board. This showcases itself through some astonishing wins and loses, such as Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia at the group stage, Spain losing to Morocco on penalties in the last 16 and Portugal losing to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
If these results are anything to go by, then it ought to be concluded that the traditional ‘underdog’ ought not to be brushed off so easily.
I can’t help but notice that the Arab and African nations have given the rather ‘dominant’ European and South American nations a serious run for their money in this tournament, with another good example of this being Cameroon’s win over Brazil in group stages.
This brings me to the crux of this article which is all about analyzing the place of the underdog and representation at the World Cup.
Football, as a sport unites the world. These are essentially people of a different gender, sexual orientation and skin complexion. One thing that ought not to be forgotten is that these people stem from different walks of life thus, the issue of wealth and poverty is also brought into the picture.
Despite this wonderful and unique attribute of football, I cannot help but wonder whether the place of the Middle Eastern and African countries in football is really valued and recognized.
For instance, prior to the hosting of the World Cup in Qatar, was the Middle East really being ‘seen’ in the sports world?
The same could be asked of Africa particularly prior to the hosting of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Abdullah Al-Ariam in his Article entitled ‘Why the World Cup Belongs in the Middle East’ published earlier this year, in the New York Times, asserts that when FIFA announced in 2010 that Qatar would host this year’s World Cup, football fans and sports pundits were left scratching their heads.
He then goes on to stipulate that it was said over and over again that Qatar had no business hosting the World Cup. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter had even gone on to state that “football and the World Cup are too big for it”. Despite these sentiments, it is my opinion that Qatar has done a splendid job hosting the World Cup.
Its efforts to deliver an enjoyable tournament have borne fruit. In essence, they have risen above cultural differences to deliver thus so far.
Football is intertwined with national identity today. This is not only in the Middle East but throughout the globe.
This is why the World Cup is so significant. It has both a cultural and political importance which takes us back to the uprisings witnessed in Tunisia and mass movements in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Yemen in 2010 after Qatar’s successful bid to host the World Cup in 2022 was announced.
The reality is that football is deeply rooted in our societies, thus matters pertaining to it never fail to touch a nerve. The representation of various teams from different countries situated in opposite parts of the globe opens up different regions to the realm of football.
Thus, it is the duty of the underdogs to represent their countries and continents well. It is only by doing so that they will be able to establish a strong seat at the table for their countries and ultimately continental regions.
The issue for the ‘underdogs’ is not whether there is a lack of talent. When it comes to the African continent and the Arab world, there is a plethora of talent.
Notable names such as Mohamed Salah, Achraf Hakimi, Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba and Sadio Mane among others serve to buttress this point. The problem is compounded by factors such as stereotyping where particularly individuals of Arab origin are constantly being stereotyped with a good number being deemed as terrorists.
It has become a case of the saying that ‘nothing good comes out of Nazareth’.
However, the 2022 World Cup is significant as it continues to open up the ‘underdog’ to the football world. It is now up to such teams from regions that are under-represented to shine. Morocco is doing an excellent job of this having clinched a spot at the semi-finals.
Regardless of the outcome, this achievement should serve as a lesson to the larger sporting fraternity showing that the underdog is capable and has a place in mainstream football. It is time the unexpected happened!
