The World Cup Final and the Road to FIFA 2014 Brazil

You can find some of the biggest futbol fans in Spain and Holland, and that was before either of them reached a World Cup final. Neither team has ever won the prestigious title and Spain, while being the current European champions, have never been to a World Cup final in their history. Holland reached the final twice in their history, in 74’ and 78’ but was never able to achieve the ultimate victory in the past. The Latin Americans have all been eliminated, despite having done remarkably well with the exception of Brazil until the later stages of the tournament. Some countries had set their own goals and achieved them, with Uruguay and Paraguay setting new records, with the latter achieving its greatest achievement ever in the tournament, even coming close to defeating Spain, and the former coming to the semi-finals for the first time in two generations. Currently Uruguay is battling Germany for the third spot, leading up to the final game tomorrow where one team will become the next of few nations to claim a world cup victory.

If sport is a predictor of global trends, futbol is one of the best gauges of national sentiments beyond the game. This tournament saw the administrative collapse of France, Italy and England in futbol while the European economy faces a severe tightening of spending to sve the Euro and Pound Sterling from meeting the fate of Greece, and even Greece’s futbol club which always meets low expectations. Spain and Netherlands however do not escape issues with the Euro, however for the moment problems will be forgotten as the powerhouses of international futbol give way to new national teams, and new nations to be the next dynasties of the game.

Latin America has done well to reach new heights in this past FIFA 2010 tournament, but also has done well to avoid their own economic crisis. Brazil, while not doing well at all this time around, will be hosting the next FIFA World Cup tournament in 2014 and have won the summer Olympics as well, placing Brazil in the sights of international futbol, sport and economics in the next six to ten years. With the PAC and PAC 2, Brazil is expanding to take its early successes under Cardoso, passing to Lula and towards the next President who will come about this autumn and bring its economic restructuring to the pitch and the world. Brazil will take its position as kings of the world, this time beyond futbol and as one of the strong BRICs in a global economy where economics in England, France and Italy are as impressive as their futbol clubs in 2010. In the end, in Europe and Latin America, futbol may not be a perfect measure of a nation’s economic pride, but it is a reflection of the national mood of many states as a whole.

Many Latin people have adopted Spain as their champion for the World Cup, but not all support Spain as Holland is hard to dislike by anyone, and no one misses the fact that Dutch Royalty is made up of one loved Argentine Princess. Spain is home to many Hispanics and others who have family and cultural ties between Spain and the Americas. Economically, Spain is trying to reform its public service and spending to avoid a run on the Euro due to Spanish inaction in their economy. What might benefit Spain is the strong commercial and economic ties it has with Latin America and the possibility that Brazil and its Mercosur partners might give Spain a unique advantage in the next few years if Latin America can grow beyond expectations and Brazil and its neighbours can do as well economically as it does con sus pies. Like the World Cup, often teams do well but the main countries are always in the game and usually dominate in the end. This rare occasion where two finals teams are not part of the dominant class of former World Cup champions allow those middle powers in futbol and economics to shine. There is no doubt however that while middle powers are punching above their weight in 2010, the dominant nations of futbol and economics will soon return to their positions of strength…with a few added competitors to make for a healthier game.