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Phillip Zulu Special Correspondent
THE 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup grand finale has come and gone.
But its renditions are reverberating in increased crescendo to the exceptionalism of talent display by both winners, Argentina, and losing finalists, France.
The ongoing high-pitched debates of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the extraordinary saves by both goalkeepers during the last minutes of extra-time, the highest goal scorers and the shift of dominance when France levelled the scores to 2-2 in the last 10 minutes of regulation time, the noise still blows as the most ardent fans of football critique fervently unprecedented qualities ever witnessed in world football.
Messi produced fine art football display that was scripted from high above the skies. The delicacy in-inch perfection of the control of the ball (high or low), the judgement of the passing to allow build up of possession or, offensive dissecting passing that split the French defence at will, and the intelligent goal assist, lest we forget that exquisite penalty that lazily rolled into the net. Fine art indeed as we watched the greatest footballer in the world masterly and creatively strum the most delicate keynotes of football architecture ever witnessed on earth. I always believed that he was a great player but, the Messi we witnessed on the grand finale was from another planet as he oozed melodramatic episodes that read, “Save the best for last”.
He has never played like this for Barcelona nor for PSG of late, but that was for Argentina, his team-mates and his pedigree.
In contrast, we had French starman Kyllian Mbappe, who looked subdued, “defeated” and pretentious in the face of the world’s great. But the 24-year-old sprung out like a gazelle to stop the show with a huge bang that silenced all the orators and chanting brigades of King Messi with a quickfire brace.
The pendulum swung much to the amazement of the Argentines dirty tactics of trying to kill the game. Mbappe scored spectacular goals that silenced even Messi and Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. We were all in dreamland as the high tempo forward ran from deep and the flanks intensified and suddenly, it was the heir to the throne marching to the victory.
Though the ending was cruel to France, everyone agreed that football entertainment has scaled greater heights than before, especially when the super talented players are on display.
Then out of the blue at one of the local joints where Zimbabwean football fans were gathered watching the Qatar World Cup final on Sunday, one apoplectic fan just burst out chanting, ”What’s wrong with Zimbabwean football?”
What followed was a melee of vile attacks on him as some angry fans told him to fellowship with empty stadiums where some sport resembling an international airport that deals with long haul flights operates in a veil mock to the quality of the local football that epitomises kick and rush long balls that are popularly known as Qantas.
Another visibly angry fan interjected, as if he meant to calm down things, but without any remorse, he berated the guy who raised his opinion of Zimbabwean football and castigated him for being disrespectful to everyone watching the game by comparing a Jaguar and a village cat.
The defilement of our local football became an intense debate and how it has been strangled to death, the visible testament of our love for the game electrified this debate and it was all clear that the multitude of our local football fans know what is wrong with local football.
To accuse them of being ignorant of how modern professional football runs defies logic and it’s an insult to their intelligence. Then another interject of why we fail dismally yet Morocco surpassed all expectations. The simple answer was that Morocco used merit to select their players and hence this astronomical rise to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, a first-ever by an African nation.
Contrast our Zimbabwean situation with that of Morocco, we have over 40 players in the English professional leagues, a much bigger quality player base in the diaspora than Morocco. The cartels of football capture here in Zimbabwe have made it a taboo to select all players on merit. Where sanity, coalition of efforts, ideas and experiences prevail, success is guaranteed.
Our clarion call is to retrieve our football from the mafia gangsters and propel our vision to qualify for World Cup 2026 and 2030 tournaments respectively.
Zimbabwe is the second African country to have more than 40 players in the English professional leagues behind Nigeria and when we reflect on the just-ended World Cup in Qatar, the dreams of all our local and foreign-based players have been set ablaze by extreme greed and anarchy serenading number 53 Livingstone Avenue.
Let us all celebrate the most beautiful football ever witnessed between Argentina and France, but let us join hands to retrieve our GAME from the mafia in Zimbabwe.
Additional reporting by Senior Sports Reporter Eddie Chikamhi
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