Whilst we've been ensconced in a hospital in Nice with our new baby daughter, we have watched quite a lot of the World Cup in South Africa. It may have been the worst World Cup in living memory but trust us, it is a damn sight better than the rest of French television or the mind-numbing BBC World.
We watched in utter horror England's shambolic 0-0 draw with Algeria on Friday. In all our years of watching the England football team, this had to be the worst performance we have seen from them. Yes, we have seen them play poorly before, but have they ever been so passionless or lethargic? It is a World Cup, for Christ's sake.
As usual it was everyone else's fault. The ball. The pitch. The disloyal fans according to a certain Wayne Rooney. Injuries. The manager for being too strict or for naming the team only two hours before kick off. Of course, it was the mirror that would have told Gerrard and co where the fault lay. They keep telling us how good they are and that they are English football's golden generation, but if that is the case how can they be outplayed, outfought and outgunned by such footballing giants as Algeria and the USA?
If we England fans thought things were bad, we've got nothing on the French. Nicolas Anelka was sent home after telling French manager Raymond Domenech to "Go fuck yourself, you son of a whore" at half time in their crucial match with Mexico. Anelka was even given the opportunity to apologise the day after, but chose not to and was swiftly dispatched onto the next Air France jumbo leaving for Paris.
If this wasn't bad enough, the French players then decided to refuse to train to show their solidarity with the shamed Anelka. Now as inhabitants of France, we are used to the locals going on strike, but millionaire footballers? Well, that is a first even for the French.
A number of French people we have spoken to in the wake of this scandal agree with us that money has now well and truly ruined football. The lunatics (i.e. the players - quite an apt comparison we think) have well and truly taken over the asylum. Part of us even wants England to fail in their must-win match against Slovenia on Wednesday. Do these players deserve the plaudits and knighthoods that would follow should they turn it around and actually win the World Cup? Or do they deserve the ignominy of failing to get out of a group that was supposedly so easy that even the Bangladesh cricket team would have had an evens chance of progress?
Whatever, the fall from grace of football and the complete detachment from its working class origins presents a warning to cricket. For English football, it was the birth of the Premier League that sparked all the Sky hullabaloo, wags, money and primadonnas. The IPL has already seen a certain type of young cricketer emerging in India that seems to have more in common with Ashley Cole and John Terry then Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. The commonality of the freelance cricketer is not far away and how soon before players from the less rich test nations like Chris Gayle, Tamim Iqbal and Ross Taylor retire from international cricket and hawk themselves around the Twenty 20 leagues to the highest bidders?
Cricket, you have been warned.
Unfortunately for the players who wish to become mercenary, national teams are important as marketing tools. The poor loves will have to continue to play for their national teams if they are to get the 'name' to enable them to sell themselves for ridiculous amounts to the leagues. At least I hope that will continue although your comparison with the Premier League is instructive, where the players seem to be club players first and national players second.
Congratulations on the sprout and I hope the French hospital system is as good for you and your family as reported (topped the WHO tables a few years ago).
Posted by: The Beggy G | Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 08:49