Seeing a nation of just 500,000 people like Cabo Verde steal the show gives Nepal plenty of reasons to dream big
The FIFA World Cup has finally come to an end with the lifting of the trophy by Spain after 16 years for the second time. It defeated the defending champion Argentina amidst thousands of spectators in New Jersey, including Donald Trump, the U.S. President. In a way, it has been a great relief for the Nepalis as they were spending sleepless nights, with most of the tournaments taking place at midnight. But the game's excitement and romance were so high that they simply overshadowed such marginal discomforts.
While the origins of football date back to cuju – an ancient game played in China during the Han Dynasty in the 3rd century – its early history in Nepal remains undocumented. For instance, the renowned Chinese traveller Huen Tsang detailed many facets of Nepalese life, such as art, architecture, and local skills, but made no mention of the sports played in the country. However, historical records confirm that wrestling was a popular sport in ancient Nepal. A 604 AD Licchavi inscription by joint rulers Siva Deb and Amshu Verma reveals a state budget of 68 manika (the local currency) allocated specifically for wrestling.
Elsewhere, football was played in different forms and formats. One of them was known as mob football, which was played by many people for an undefined period of time in Britain around the 15th century. It was banned and restored several times. But it started to be played regularly after the announcement of a weekly holiday following the industrial revolution.
Football assumed its present form with the establishment of the International Federation of Association Football(FIFA) in 1904, whose main objective was to popularise the game internationally. Consequently, Uruguay organised the first World Cup match in 1930 and also lifted the trophy. Since then, it has been mostly a Latin American or European affair with Asian and African countries only playing a bridesmaid kind of a side role. This year also, several Asian and African countries qualified for the game, but they were eliminated before the final. It eventually boiled down to Europe-Latin America rivalry as usual.
Countries around the globe have created their own football associations. Accordingly, Nepal had established its football association in 1951. However, football had been played in Nepal since 1921 during the Rana regime. But it received FIFA's affiliation only in 1972. This year, Nepali fans had to watch the World Cup with a heavy heart due to the unfortunate suspension of ANFA by FIFA on alleged meddling by the Nepal Sports Council. ANFA now cannot take part in any of the international competitions due to this unfortunate incident.
Nepal's men's football team is currently ranked 177th in the world. It played unsuccessfully in the Group H of the second round against the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Yemen after proceeding to the Group match by defeating Laos in the qualifying matches. Nepali women football is ranked 88th globally.
Each of the qualifying countries has their own fans, but teams like Brazil and Argentina, in particular, have fans around the globe. There were many in Nepal who wanted Argentina to bag the cup because Brazil had made an earlier exit in the tournament. Argentina is the heartthrob of many as it had fascinating players like Messi this time and Maradona in the earlier games.
Maradona is remembered in Nepal even after his demise because of his witty answer to a journalist's question. When asked about his team's chances against England –especially following Argentina's defeat in the 1982 Falklands War – he gave a politically charged reply. Maradona famously stated that while England won that war because the Gurkhas were fighting for them, England would lose the quarter final match because they would not be playing for them. Argentina won the match 2-1 after the umpire failed to see the hand goal which was termed as a hand of God by Maradona.
This year's World Cup football will be remembered for reasons good and bad. The smallest nation, Cabol Verde, was able to reach the Round of 32, with their historic run featuring a heroic draw against the eventual champions, Spain, and a hard-fought 3-2 extra-time defeat to runners-up Argentina. This remarkable performance was largely attributed to their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, who pulled off at least seven spectacular saves. On the other end of the spectrum were some young players like 19-year-old Spanish forward Lamine Yamal. French striker Mbappe earned the golden boot award by scoring 10 goals.
Football brings estranged nations together. It was evident in the participation of Iran in the tournament with the US as the cohost despite the war underway in the Middle East. Iran unfortunately could not advance to the knockout rounds even though it saw three draws against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt.
The game was marred by a controversial decision to allow the United States striker Folarin Balegun to play despite an automatic one match ban for a red card. This was done following the personal call of U.S. President Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Despite this dark blot, the game was a huge economic success. It earned $15 billion, $4 billion more than the estimated income of $11 billion. Somme $655 million out of this mammoth earning went for team distribution following which the winner Spain bagged a purse of $50 million and the runner up Argentina $ 33 million. Three billion dollars were spent by FIFA for staging operations across Canada, US, and Mexico. Another $8.3 billion went to Global Football Development, of which Nepal is likely to receive Rs 1.22 billion.
The game was very enjoyable with live transmission by Himalayan Sports. Since Nepal wasn't among the 48 teams in the tournament, Prime Minister Balen Shah didn't follow the games. However, seeing a nation of just 500,000 people like Cabo Verde steal the show gives Nepal plenty of reasons to dream big.