But now the giant seems to have woken up. They have woken up after a long slumber and dusted their robes and now are getting in their stride. One hopes that this is a beginning of a streak that will last long enough to win them something before the year is out.

The race itself began with a lot of drama. In formula 1 sport the beginning is nearly one third of a race and the pit stops are the rest. The race itself or the driving on the track is less of a drama. And this year with the change in regulations it was always thought that the races would be a touch boring. So far this premonition has stood the test. It seems that if you can somehow escape the mayhem caused by the start of a race and take a position on the track you will be in an unassailable position as there would be bleak chance of you getting overtaken. The administrators of the game have taken away fuel strategy from the game. So pit stops have lost their charm. Speaking about administrators, one really wonders why there is need of so many regulations to establish parity. Why the formula 1 can’t have, like any other sport just a broad set of regulations and let every team be free within those regulations. Whether they fuel during the race should be the decision of the team rather than the administrators. Similarly why put restriction on the number of hardware a team can choose or the type of tires that must be used by teams. Indeed why put ban on testing during the season. One argument that is raised is that having these restrictions gives all the teams some sort of level playing field. If such restrictions are not set, so goes the argument, then teams like Ferrari or the McLaren’s with their gargantuan budgets would be miles ahead of other teams and the teams with smaller budgets would suffer. Really? I don’t think so. If a team is sufficiently resourceful then in any case it will have better R & D and that alone would give it lead. And the last decade in the sport, from when I have started following the sport there has not been any change in the top three or at best four teams. So the gap will always be there no matter what you do. So having minimum regulations is the way forward and the sooner it is done the better. Just have those regulations which are needed from the safety point of view.

The race also put into focus the issue of team orders. Felipe Massa was comfortably ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso and the latter was not in a position to threaten him on the track however Alonso is comfortably ahead of Massa in the drivers standing and Massa was ordered to give way to alonso. While such a system as team orders are definitely against the ethos of the game but it will be very difficult for the FIA to stop these things. So the sport will have to live with this. One can only hope now that it was not a one off show by Ferrari and now they are back as a potent force.

When I say no history behind them, The Netherlands may have some grounds to complaint. In fact, they have been one of the teams that won hearts of the football lovers back in the seventies but fell short of winning the cup. Football can be a cruel game. It has certainly been cruel to them in the past. So far as their build up in the tournament is concerned, they have been far more consistent than their adversaries. At the beginning they were considered a good team but not a contender for the title. But with their hard work and persistence in attack and with the efforts of the likes of Robben, Van Persie and their captain Giovanni they have prevailed. Their style has not been most effective nor the most attractive but it has given them results and they will be wise to play in the similar style. And they have shown that once in the lead they have the ability to defend it. And in this perspective I have a conviction that whichever side takes lead today will have decisive advantage, more so if it is the Netherlands.

On the other hand, Spain have been the pre-tournament favourites. But in the initial stages of the cup, they displayed little of their flair to justify their billing as favourites. However they have become strong as the tournament progressed and after the game against Germany, their confidence would be sky high. It was a high quality game they played against a high quality opposition and on the basis of that performance alone they should be seen as strong favourites today. Their beautiful passing game left the Germans mesmerised and they could not settle down at all. Of course the Spainiards could do the same to the Dutch also but the latter would have taken lessons from watching the Germans. It would, of course help Spain that majority of their players are from a single club and almost all of their starting line up come from two clubs which mean these players have been playing together all the year round creating a very comfortable dressing room environment and great coordination on the ground. In the semi-final game against Germany more often than not one was reminded of the playing style of Barcelona the way Spain played. And once they are in their groove it will be very difficult for any side to dominate them.

And here lies the way out for the Netherlands. Attack early, disrupt the passing game of the Spainiards may be get a goal before half an hour of the game and then defend resolutely with an eye on swift counterattacks. Even the best teams in the world are prone to nervousness once behind and Spain are no exception to that. In fact it has already been proved by the Swiss. No reason why should it not happen again.

Lastly, for neutrals it is going to be a treat to watch the teams play at the final. Both teams will be trying to win it for the first time so there will be nerves all right. That is why I hope there will be an early goal for that would open up the game beautifully and the viewers will get to watch the full repertoire of the teams. I for one would not give much to that octopus Paul humbug but that would be the topic of another writing. So here we are. My prediction? I am not much into predictions but I think it would be 2-1 in favour of the Netherlands. Either this or penalty shootout. I wont say which side will win because whichever wins it will be a heartbreaking way of deciding the question. But football has never shied away from breaking hearts. Has it?

So how all this came about? Football world cups have a way with surprises and unexpected results. Who would have predicted that Italy which was on the verge of crashing out at the first hurdle would go on to win the ultimate crown in the last edition. And this time they crashed out in the first round itself. Football is an unforgiving game and any team which fails to take bold decisions is doomed. It so happened in case of Italy, France and to some extent in case of England too. While as yet it is too early for a post mortem to take place, yet some points have emerged only too clearly to be missed.

First, teams that have occasion to gel well have generally performed better clearly underlying the fact that it is a team game and individuals matter little. The superstars or their teams have generally failed. Messi could not score a goal- a fate shared by Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Kaka. Teams that have very strong domestic leagues like England an Italy have not done well. On the other hand Germany whose players normally play in their national league are doing very well. So its all about the team and the camaraderie rather than individual brilliance that matters.

Second, the age factor has emerged to be very important. More than seven players of the first choice German team are aged less than 23. And so far in their performance speed has been the key factor. The agility with which they counterattack and the alacrity with which they get back to defend certainly points towards the cruciality of age factor. Same thing can be said about the Dutch team. So far they have presented to us a compact team which has bonded really really well.

Third, teams that have depended mostly on defending and rely on swift counterattacks have not done well. Italy is a case in point. And Germany is the best example of what to do succeed. Its no less than an eye candy to see German players going forward in droves to attack. So apart from physical fitness it is the mindset that also has to change. Brazil is also an interesting case. Dunga sacrificed the traditional Brazilian flair football in favour of safety first approach- a strategy that backfired against the Dutch.

So is the world cup now poorer for the loss of likes of Argentina and Brazil. Definitely so. Both teams bring to the world cup something that is not there in case of other teams. They have so much history so much charisma and so much passion. The national teams of these countries are perhaps the most followed teams of the planet. A single victory is an occasion of so much celebration so much joy for an entire nation and one defeat can easily and the nation plunges into mourning with clamours of dismissal of everyone connected with the team-  right from the President of the National Football Federation to the Goalkeeper of the team. They bring color and drama to the game. This is not to say that German or Dutch fans are any less passionate about their team or they care less about the success or failure of their team- but that in the situation of failure they are much more circumspect and amenable to reason. So the exit of the two Latin American powerhouses have robbed the game of passion, drama and star power. The game will be poorer for that- whoever wins the match on 11^th July. My guess- on the current form I would say Germany but my heart will be with The Netherlands.

So in their match against Brazil after getting their equalizer in fortuitous circumstances they were all over Brazil after that and had the strength and character to convert their dominance into goals. And having got this advantage they did not relax while Brazil shot themselves in the foot by getting Melo red carded in what was very stupid challenge. One expected better from a team that had so much history behind it. And in their moment of defeat they must have rued the fact that they could not get that goal from Kaka on account of a brilliant save by the Dutch goalkeeper. 0-2 down it would have been very difficult for the Dutch to stage a comeback. But, as it happened, there was a different stor  y to unfold on Friday night and the Dutch knocked out the pre-tournament favorites with, it must be said, with some ease. But to go all the way they have other stiff challenges to overcome. But with the kind of quality they have in their ranks they must be fancying their chances against Uruguay. After that there would be the small question of vanquishing either Germany or Argentina or Spain in the final. It would be quite an interesting match- the final match between the Dutch and either of the three teams. It would be the biggest match in the life of all the Dutch players and their true character  would be revealed there. For one I would be the happiest person if they go all the way.

It is a question that is occupying the cerebral space of every football lover. And the evidence supporting the start of such a practice seems to be so many. Goals disallowed, handballs missed, yellow and red cards wrongly given missing occasions to give them, fouls missed are happening with too much frequency to be palatable. Who can forget the handball of Thierre Henry which plunged an entire nation into mourning for days altogether and the guilty himself not being sure as to what reaction he should give- from downright defiance to apology. Or the red card of Kaka who was only trying to protect himself from an onrushing defender. The hand of God of Maradona has become a part of footballing folklore. Every mistake or error of judgment by the referee or every act of cheating by a player invites wrath and indignation of thousands of fans. People who just have passing interest in the game bemoan the falling standards of ethics and probity and sense of fair play.

But is this all? Are these reasons sufficient to call for video referral. In other words what will change if the changes are introduced in the game. Of course the percentage of right decisions will increase the most blatant errors will be eliminated and the deliberate offenders like Henry and Maradona will be caught and possibly punished. But what it will do to the beautiful game itself? The example of other sports where video referrals have been put in place should be an eye opener. The pace at which the game is played the fluidity of the soccer skill on display which is such an essential and even crucial part of the game cries out against any such move. I think an example will suffice. Suppose match is on between Portugal and Brazil. Brazil are on attack. All defenders are in attacking positions. Suddenly ball is snatched from Kaka in what the referee thinks a fair challenge and the ball is lobbed to fast advancing Ronaldo. He just has one defenders to beat which in all probability he will do. Brazillian defence is caught. And they suddenly claim that challenge on Kaka was unfair and video referral should be called for. Now what will happen to Ronaldo and the advantage of position that he is in possession of. In such a situation eight out of ten times he will score. But in this situation he has not scored yet and his advantage will be lost. Is it a fair system? Games like football and hockey rely on the speed of counter attacks and this is the one aspect that is going to be severely compromised if any system like video referral in the manner we know is introduced in the game.

And I have one more reason for speaking against the video referral in the beautiful game. The injustices caused in the course of a game, the cheatings by players, the notion that some teams have been unfairly treated by the referee or that some players are habitual divers in the penalty area it all adds to the glamour of the game. Does it not give us some sort of perverse pleasure to see a player writhing on the turf at the slightest off the ball touch by a rival player just to get that player red carded and removed from the game? It is this coming to the fore of all that is base and ugly in us gives us a strange sort of satisfaction to know that the stars who are at such a height stars who are thorough professionals are after all just human beings. I would, for one not change it for anything.