Balls Galore: The world's 16 best teams on parade

ITS been two weeks of breathless action on the football pitches of Brazil and the 64 teams that have come with great fanfare and high hopes have been whittled down to a quarter the original size. The Group Stage matches – the first round in which all 64 teams played each other in their individual group of four teams; with the top two progressing.

For the uninitiated, here’s a primer; a Fooball 101.

Soon after Spain won the last World Cup, beating Holland in the 2010 Final in South Africa, all the world’s soccer playing nations affiliated to FIFA started playing each other in a series of qualifying matches.

The games were played according to the various footballing federations based on geography. That’s how Malaysia played their qualifying matches under the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) umbrella, France and England under the UEFA grouping (Union of European Football Associations); and so on.

FIFA (hardly the epitome of off-field fair play) has a system in place that largely favours the big boys in the manner in which the nearly 200 member nations battle it out in the qualifying stages.

That means South American and European nations have bigger representations by the time the countries take their place in the quadrennial shinding.

That honour of playing host was earned by Brazil, the next in 2018 will be in Russia and, most controversially will be held in the heat of the Qatari desert at the height of the northern hemisphere summer!

To that, I can only say; FIFA oh FIFA!

Football fans will get all of 48 hours rest before the next round – the Round of 16; kicks off the second phase of the tournament. If the teams had the luxury of traipsing through gingerly in the initial rounds, this time round, every game is a final – for you lose, you die, you fly; say bye-bye!

Like the first round loser Italy, no more ciao; but as the Hokkiens would say it – chao!

Homesters Brazil will once again take the lead by playing first; on Saturday 28, June with their game against Chile. It will be played at 17:00 which means Muslims in Malaysia will be up and about having their morning `saum’ meal to begin the first day of fasting at the start of the month of Ramadhan.

This game will be followed four hours later by Colombia and Uruguay with the winners pitted against each other in the Quarter Finals to bed played on July 4.

Uruguay – yes, the country that has the deserved distinction of being the first host and inaugural winner of the tournament, when the winner took home the Jules Rimet trophy back in 1930.

It will go into battle this time toothless and defanged. No Count Dracula. The notorious mauler has now sought refuge in the capital city Montevideo.

That apparently is the only place in the world where Luis Suarez, the mangler who for the third time buried his molars and sank his teeth into his opponent, is still treated like a Saint!

I pity the Italians. Suarez has been pronounced guilty by FIFA but the Uruguayan FA has still yet to appeal. The guilty verdict can yet be overturned, no doubt but should they have the gall to do so, the verdict does not seem to be reversed. It will be a cold day in hell before that happens. In fact, a failed appeal might also mean harsher penalties being applied.

So what of the Italians? They should by now be boarding the next available scheduled Alitalia flight, crammed in coach to return to Rome or Turin or Milan. Better still, paint the plane in some non-descript third world country livery, land the age-ing plane somewhere remote and steal into the night going home unnoticed.

To be fair to them, Suarez was instrumental in the goal that knocked the Italians out and had he been kicked out of the pitch and sent off for that act of mealy-mouthed violence, perhaps Italy would still be in the tournament.

Retrospective punishment is certainly out of the question and there does not seem to be any prospect of reversing the result. So Uruguay still take their place in this round, however unfair it may be to the Italians.

As for a dog, only its owner can love it to death, louse and all. We need not feel so sorry for Suarez as already, teams in Spain (read Barca and Madrid) are already licking their lips contemplating giving his employer; Liverpool, a place to unload their problem player.

The ingrate has expressed a loathing for the British scene (the media) and is itching to leave for sunny Spain. He can take the lengthy ban – all 9 months of it imposed by FIFA for his biting offence; as enforced, but much welcome downtime for real rest and recuperation. Hmm...a cloud with a silver lining moment, if ever there is one!

What are the prospects of the other European teams that have made it this far?

France play African giants Nigeria, Germany meet North Africa’s best – Algeria, the Dutch battle it out with Mexico; Greece play Costa Rica; Switzerland battle against Argentina while Belgium will try to be better than the USA.

Playing in South America may mean the South American teams representing the CONCACAF footballing nations might be at a distinct advantage. Neutrals might argue nay – as most South American and United States stars ply their trade in the playing fields of Europe.

Neymar and Messi strut their stuff in Spain – albeit sunny Spain; which makes them virtually European in conditioning. The fans? No doubt they will support their home team but I cannot help recalling one lone Brazilian featured on CNN who is a diehard supporter of Croatia!

So we should all take a bit of rest, let the excitement simmer down and build our reserves of fat and blubber for the rest of the action to come.

What we can look forward to is a stage being cleared of this great game’s most notorious mongrel one Luis – beware I bite – Suarez!