The 2006 World Cup: Just another version of Euro 2006.
FIFA should now seriously start looking for World Cup hosts outside of Europe on a consistent basis. Japan, South Korea, and now South Africa is a good start. It is bad enough that this World Cup has turned out to be a larger version of Euro 2006, with just more viewers and lots of beer consumed. Now FIFA’s has announced its World Cup squad with no representation from Africa, Asia, and Central America. The squad is overwhelmingly from the semi-finalists, i.e., it is Western European.
Fifa’s World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Jens Lehmann (Germany), Ricardo (Portugal)
Defenders: Roberto Ayala (Argentina), John Terry (England), Lilian Thuram (France), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Midfielders: Ze Roberto (Brazil), Patrick Vieira (France), Zinedine Zidane (France), Michael Ballack (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy), Luis Figo (Portugal), Maniche (Portugal)
Strikers: Hernan Crespo (Argentina), Thierry Henry (France), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Francesco Totti (Italy), Luca Toni (Italy)
Michael Ballack? You can’t put a player for what he could have done, past reputation, good looks, or a bow to Blatter. Ballack was a non-entity as far as this World Cup was concerned. One assist and no goals. Where is Steven Appiah? He got Ghana out from one of the toughest groups. Without Michael Essien, Appiah took the fight to Brazil and made them sweat. They were let down by some shoddy refereeing and poor shooting. Even Sulley Muntari has a better case than Ballack. How could they not include Juan Roman Riquelme?
Luca Toni? Hernan Crespo? If Luca Toni can get in, then so could Fabio Grosso, and he is a defender. FIFA also overlooked Augustin Delgado, getting Ecuador out of the first round by scoring goals and assisting in Carlos Tenorio’s strike. Or even Carlos Tenorio himself. Paraguay’s Nelson Valdes, was just a beast for his team.
Ivory Coast was in the Group of Death and was led by Didier Drogba, playing tough against Argentina and Netherlands. He showed he could play 90+ minutes compared to Luca Toni and Hernan Crespo. Toni was only good as his service and Crespo was usually winded by the second half.
In fact, the only players who locked their position in the World Cup squad, are the goalkeepers, Gianluigi Buffon, Jens Lehmann, and Ricardo, defenders Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram, and John Terry, midfielders Patrick Viera, Zinedine Zidane, Andrea Pirlo, and Nuno Maniche. None of the forwards except Miroslave Klose truly earned their spot.
You could include Augustin Delgado, Carlos Tenorio, Robin Van Persie, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Nelson Valdes, Jared Borgetti, Dwight Yorke, Pavel Nedved, Tranquillo Barnetta, Steven Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien, Juan Roman Riquelme, Deco, Owen Hargreaves, Luis Valencia, Hatem Trabelsi, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Grosso, Ashley Cole, Denis Caniza, Ivan Hurtado, Kolo Toure, Ricardo Osorio, and Carlos Salcido. Any combination of strikers, midfielders, and defenders from this group of 26 to the core group would be better than the present FIFA 23.
My FIFA 23. This is not a feel good “We’re the World” moment. These players deserve their selection because of their performance.
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Jens Lehmann (Germany), Ricardo (Portugal)
Defenders: Ivan Hurtado (Ecuador), John Terry (England), Lilian Thuram (France), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Fabio Grosso (Italy), Ashley Cole (England)
Midfielders: Steven Appiah (Ghana), Patrick Vieira (France), Zinedine Zidane (France), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Deco (Portugal), Nuno Maniche (Portugal), Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina),
Strikers: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Carlos Tenorio (Ecuador), Nelson Valdes (Paraguay).
Your opinion??
4 comments on “FIFA’s World Cup selection is too Eurocentric: Where is Steven Appiah?”
no Messi?
yea, he didn’t get enough playing time.
I also think Dempsey could be in as a striker, even though he played “midfield” and didn’t get enough game time.
Well said. FIFA seems to doing everything wrong these days, their Refs have already proved FIFA’s credibility. Without Requelme WC 2006 is not complete, he was a huge story. FIFA is probably giving too much weight on the final four teams, that may not be a fair thing to do.
Think about the Swiss team and Ukraine team, Ghana or IV Coast are better than them, ask FIFA why do they have so many teams from Europe ? Columbia or Uruguay or Nigeria/Senegal/Cameroon would more joy to watch than the Swiss/Ukraine team. If it’s truly WORLD cup, FIFA should get rid of this bias towards the Euro-WORLD.
Soccer is not really progressing if FIFA fails to find a new WC champion ?
Ayala had a superbly better world cup……certainly better than Terry…..who was surprisingly circumspect.
Another Euro? Good question, at what disadvantage is it to other nations, when the World Cup is far away. For how long will we see the countries in the same hemisphere put up better performances than away?