Sour grapes in the UK

The Netherlands meet Spain in the FIFA World Cup and I hear talk of this being the worst World cup ever. Quantify worst I say. Is it the Jabulani or the Vuvuzela that has made it the worst? The failure of over egged big time marquee players failing to light up the tournament? Is it the lack of goals? Could it be the lack of ‘passion’; that phrase that seems to have become a by word in the UK? It couldn’t be due to the petulance shown by Rooney and Ronaldo to the watching millions? Could it possibly be that Premiership players, by and large, have failed miserably to live up to the hype of the self named ‘best league in the world’? A league where survival at all costs, the long ball, getting stuck in, the launched throw- in and rampant egotism is king?

To label this tournament as the worst is to overlook and belittle the achievements of the stadia that were erected on time, the organisational excellence of the competition, the successful planning and delivery of the first World Cup to be held in Africa.

It was a bad idea, it wouldn’t be safe, it wouldn’t be organised it would be a disaster. It was a disaster; For the England team. Of course it would be overly cynical to accuse xenophobia and a distorted view of the so called third world when raising the UKs smug and contemptuous condemnations of Africa’s World Cup. It’s easier to call it sour grapes but it’s something much more bitter.

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