....and who will win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in waka-waka land?

Having been World Cup crazy since the 60’s let me share with you issues about football styles in the World Cup competitions.

It changed dramatically after 1970....and Malaysia was about to come into the big picture!

Brazil was no longer the dominant samba power it once was and England, the great inventor of the game, had lost its way...kekeke....till today.

....and Rooney? ....Rooney who? Did he play recently? You mean Alfred Rooney?---------------->

Brazilian samba football and Italian catenaccio were spent forces, while "Total Football," noted for its inter-changeability and versatility, ruled the game.

"Total Football" came to the 1974 competition in West Germany, just two years after the Munich Olympics Massacre in 1972 where 11 Israeli athletes were killed. (Yeah, terrorism isn’t a new thing). 

The Malaysian Football Team qualified for 1972 Olympics in Munich by beating Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Philippines. They even defeated the United States 3-0 but lost the other 2 matches losing 3-0 to West Germany and 6-0 to Morocco. We were that good. With a team like that, Malaysians started to dream about introducing "keronchong" or "silat" football into the World Cup in 1974 or 1978!

The World Cup in 1974 was played against a backdrop of tension and unease, without Malaysia, and of course I watched the final in tension and unease too; only to lose a heavy bet!

In total football, a player who moved out of his position was instantly replaced by a fellow teammate, thus retaining the team's intended organizational structure. In this fluid arrangement I observed that the Spanish were better than the Germans at the recent 2010’s semi-final. No player was tied down to their assigned position; any player could be an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. And it wasn’t a Spanish striker who scored.

Yes, we’ll get to see more total football in action this Sunday between Spain and the Netherlands in WaKa wAkA Land. It should be a loud and exciting ”vuvuzela” match, and as usual – I expect the Spanish to be the matador, the exhibitionists, the ones who’ll display style and hopefully, kill the Dutch Cow that gives us Dutch Lady UHT. If that happens, we’ll have no more milk, so wage for the Dutch to win this time, kekeke!

....and sometimes I wonder why a cumulative viewing audience of 30 billion people around the world has actually watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Now I think it is simple; because the World Cup is important. It brings the human race together.... at least for a month of togetherness... a lot of finger foods, lotsa beers & bets, annual leave, sick leave, silly excuses to get away from work, good conversation tag lines, stories of untold but short-lived miseries for some and instant happiness for others; ....and of course, bleary “panda” eyes during working time.

No wonder we always look forward to the World Cup even though Malaysia has slipped to number 8 out of the 208 FIFA member countries count – from the bottom up!

In 1980, Malaysia qualified yet again for the 1980 Olympics, but boycotted it for political reason.


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........Malaysia Boleh! (Malaysia Can!)....Malaysia can do anything! The whole world better watch out for grand-pops in Kapitan Soh Chin Aun and Santokh Singh (the great Malaysian footballers of yester-years) may well make a come-back to the game. At least they have done so in recent TV advertisements...hehehe...

Otherwise, our girls are gonna make an all-new Malaysian team for the next World Cup...and start a new football style!