World Cup's role in unifying the globe

Sports

World Cup: Unifying the Globe

In almost every country of the world, the way that the national pastime is played is seen as a guide to national character and identity. For nearly 100 years, soccer has united a divided world. Soccer was invented in England in the mid-19th century, and rapidly spread to Europe and South America. Soccer's world cup draws an audience larger than that for the Olympics. According to Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World (2004), American hostility toward soccer is attributed to globalization, feared by many because it forces us to accept other people's cultures (Szymanski and Zimbalist, 2005

In every sport it is easy to find a player, a team or a nation that is on the edge of becoming the next memorable story, a story that will survive the test of time as well as go down in history. The FIFA World Cup is exclusive, in that, every country can qualify to compete. It is the only competition that can unite the world with its universal passion for the sport. It is a tournament where everyone celebrates, dances, and rejoices in the streets of their capitals, reveling in the spectacular feats of their players, their teams and their nation (Aranda, 2010).

What makes the World Cup predominantly amazing is the national pride that it inspires, especially for the first time qualifiers. Since the first provisional World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, World Cup history was not only about the winner or winning the title, but about the stories behind it. World Cup history resounds with the back-stories that echo through time, of players, teams and nations that surprised the world by achieving the unexpected. "From the poignant times of the underdogs and the worlds Cinderella teams, to the birth of legends and the brilliance of the football giants, the World Cup brings joy to every nation. It is about the stories of players, teams and nations that take it to the highest levels along with the stories about emotions and pride that unites the world" (Aranda, 2010).

The history of World Cup Soccer dates back to the start of FIFA, which was created in 1904. History tells us seven European soccer associations from Denmark, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands met in Paris, France and created the Federation

Internationale de Football Association. The headquarters of FIFA was eventually moved to Geneva, Switzerland and the first World Cup was held in 1930. There have been 19 World Cup tournaments to date. However, World Cup Soccer History really owes its beginnings to Jules Rimet who became President of the World Football Association in the year of 1921. He planned an international tournament to unite the world and of course the various soccer federations. Rimet, along with other officials arranged the first World Cup Soccer tournament for 1930 (Vigil, 2004).

The history of World Cup Soccer truly was formed through the World Football Federation's efforts after World War I to bring forth Rimet's vision that soccer could reinforce the ideals of a permanent and real peace. This vision was started in 1926 and by May 26th, 1928 five European countries and the host country of Uruguay made history by arranging the first World Cup Soccer tournament. They tried to keep the World Cup Soccer tournaments scheduled between the years of the summer and winter Olympic Games. The first World Cup

game was played on July 13th, 1930 in Pocitos Stadium with France beating Mexico 4-1. And so, the history of World Cup soccer games began (Vigil, 2004).

"The first World Cup games had European teams France, Romania, Yugoslavia and Belgium compete along with South American teams of Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru and the North American teams of Mexico and the United States. This gave the World Cup thirteen teams to compete for the trophy which bore Jules Rimet's name, with Uruguay eventually beating out Argentina for the Cup (Vigil, 2004). The history of the early World Cup games ended suddenly for twelve years during World War II. Three tournaments were held before the war, and when the World Cup resumed it rapidly grew in interest and status. Between 1958 and 1998, the World Cup was held alternately between Europe and the Americas. Then, Korea and Japan were selected as co-hosting countries for the 2002 World Cup Soccer games (Vigil, 2004).

When looking back at the history of the World Cup which has spanned over seventy years, the tournament has only had a handful of different winners. There has been a lot of drama, with a history of upsets that have surprised many soccer fans. It has been estimated that billions of people around the world watch soccer on TV, and the World Cup has truly become a global event. FIFA estimates that nearly 240 million people play soccer on a regular basis in more than 200 countries. As soccer is declared by many to be the most popular sport in the world, the World Cup Soccer Tournament is smart in bringing all of this world excitement together at once, every four years (Vigil, 2004).

Across the globe, whether you call it soccer or football in England, fuss ball in Germany,

Calcio in Italy or i'Litbol in Mexico, soccer is king. The Cup tournament is one of the few global championship team events that get the collective attention of the sporting world for one solid month. When the International Federation of Association Football (EIFA), was formed in 1904, it generated the first inklings for holding a true world championship of soccer. The best players there were from each country would be formed into teams to represent their homelands. Nonetheless, it took 26 years for the idea to come full circle, with the initial World Cup being held in the tiny nation of Uruguay. Stalling out as a simple single-elimination competition, the event matured through the years to the point where it has become an international marketing giant that generates billions of dollars in revenue (Polis, 2006).

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, there were some heavy favorites, some from the European continent and some all the way to the South American continent. In their character there was the promise of thrilling showdowns, individual achievements of brilliance and the majestic harmony in motion of a team united in its quest for the world's most desirable prize in football (Aranda, 2010). There were also underdogs, long shots, and Cinderella teams. There is always something special about the underdogs since winning is not the whole thing to them. Merely by qualifying to walk onto the world stage, they have reached their goals and ignited the hopes of their nation. Armed with this impossible hope, win or lose, they are there to defend their national pride, and courageously defend it they will, sometimes to the very chagrin and amazement of doubting onlookers (Aranda, 2010).

As football fans across all continents count down to the opening day of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, it is interesting to sit back and consider, what a day it shall be, what a month it shall be. The whole world will be looking to South Africa, watching history in the making. There will be sorrow, there will be joy. There will be dreams crushed, there will be dreams made. There will be peace in the streets, there will be rejoicing and dancing in the streets (Aranda, 2010). Soccer is the world's favorite pastime and the only sport that is truly universal in its fame. Therefore, soccer is like a natural bridge between cultures, religions, races, ethnic groups and nations (Soccer, 2007).

"Soccer's worldwide popularity isn't surprising when you look at what has always motivated humanity: money and God" (Soccer, 2009). There's a lot of money to be made in soccer. Club soccer like capitalism is essentially the childlike desire to make dreams come true, no matter what the cost, realized by men with enough money to combine such commodities as the best Brazilian attacker, Dutch midfielder, British defender, and German goalie and turn them loose on whatever the other billionaires can put together an unfair situation that describes much of the world these days. But the divine's there, too. It is universal and yet particular, the source of an infinitely renewable supply of hope, occasionally miraculous, and governed by simple, un-contradictory rules that everyone can follow. Soccer's laws are laws of equality and nonviolence and restraint, and free to be reinterpreted at the discretion of a reasonable arbiter (Soccer, 2009).

The religious connotation present in soccer runs especially deep during World Cup years. Teams from across the globe meet at the host nation in something of an unarmed, athletic campaign. As in the Crusades, the host nation tends to resist them. There's a strange power in home-team advantage. Hosts find a level of success uneven to their talents on paper, triumphing over stronger teams, as if applying a gravitational pull on the game, causing it to be played the way they want to play it, as if, God were on their side (Soccer, 2009).

It's well-known that soccer, like religion, can provoke violence like hooliganism and tramplings at overcrowded, large stadiums, and this is what many Americans assume it is all about. "But soccer has also proved unique in its ability to bridge differences and overturn national prejudices. The fact that the World Cup could even take place in South Korea and in Japan, as it did in 2002, was a victory for tolerance and understanding. In less than half a century South Korea had gone from not allowing the Japanese national team to cross its borders for a World Cup qualifier, to co-hosting the tournament with the former occupier" (Soccer, 2009).

Soccer's universality lies in its simplicity. It lies in the fact that the game can be played anywhere with anything. Children from anywhere can kick the can on concrete or kick a rag wrapped around a rag, barefoot, on the dirt. Soccer is something to believe in now, maybe empty at its core, but not a replacement for anything else (Soccer, 2009).

The beautiful game can be at its most unfair, frustrating, and magnificent all at the same time. And what makes the World Cup most beautiful is the world, all of it together. The joy of being one of the billion or more people watching 32 countries abide by 17 rules fills people with the conviction, perhaps ignorant, that soccer can unite us all (Soccer, 2009). Humans have always played some version of a kicking game. What the world now calls association football, or soccer, evolved in medieval Britain and was formalized by England's Foofball Association in mid-19th century. British sailors and merchants spread the game to the far corners of the world, where soccer's simple formula, imagination and a ball, found instant translation. "Today soccer is played in every nation on earth, by more than 120 million regular players and countless others on beaches, playgrounds and streets" (Soccer Unites the World… (FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

Soccer is seen as a sport for everyone. Soccer in the U.S. is both male and female sport, since a 1970s boom in youth soccer taught girls to play and equal opportunity laws opened new horizons for them at the college level. In 1991 the U.S., won the first Women's World Cup, and repeated in 1999. With a strong showing in World Cup 2002, the U.S. men are also on the rise, although on any given day regional rivals Mexico and Canada or smaller nations such as Guatemala or Costa Rica can humble their giant neighbor. Soccer is the great equalizer (Soccer Unites the World… (FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

In South America there are 15,236,800 total players. Overcoming chronic poverty and poor infrastructure, South America consistently produces some of the most exciting soccer on Earth. Brazil and Argentina are proving grounds for young players, whose flamboyance and skill are admired by the rest of the world. Many players are snapped up by wealthy European teams after making their mark at home, where clubs rarely have the money to keep them (Soccer Unites the World…(FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

In Europe there are 35,783,000 players. This is the birthplace of the modern game, England helped popularize soccer worldwide. In 1966, on its home soil, it won its single World Cup. Roday most global soccer revenue comes from Europe, home to the world's richest professional clubs. Hosted by Germany, the 2006 World Cup will bring together the best national teams in the world, who survived a rigorous, two-year competition to qualify (Soccer Unites the World… (FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

In Africa the total number of players is 6,984,500. Africa already produces its share of superstars, but it lacks strong domestic leagues and loses many of those stars to European clubs. Like South America, Africa is poor in resources but rich in talent, with thousands of gifted young players dreaming of the big time. Teams such as Nigeria and Ghana light up the world stage and could have a home continent advantage in 2010, when South Africa hosts Africa's first World Cup (Soccer Unites the World…(FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

Asia has 34,708,100 players. Over the past two decades, a heated soccer rivalry, among Japan, China and South Korea, has stirred soccer passions across the continent. Not all countries share the fervor, however; India and Pakistan prefer other sports, especially cricket. Meanwhile, oil-rich Persian Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar are investing huge sums of money in their programs, hiring the best coaches and player's money can buy (Soccer Unites the World…(FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

In Australia and Oceania there are 628,300 players. Long dominated by cricket, rugby and Australian Rules football, Australia had lately made room for soccer, fortifying its national team with immigrants from the Balkans and other soccer-mad regions. The 2006 World Cup will be Australia's first appearance in 32 years, after beating Uruguay in a dramatic playoff series to qualify. New Zealand, which hosted the Under 17 World Championship in 1999, also has a competitive national team (Soccer Unites the World… (FIFA) Federation Internationale de Football Association, 2006).

In Honduras, Guevara, the soccer team's captain, fulfilled a boyhood dream in October when his country clinched a berth at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in dramatic fashion. Entering the last round of the CONCACAF qualifiers, Honduras, nicknamed Los Catrachos, needed to win in El Salvador and hope the United States, which had already qualified, would not lose to Costa Rica. Guevara and his cohorts did their part by winning 1-0, but Costa Rica jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, a result that, if it had stood, would have sent Costa Rica to the World Cup, and Honduras into a two-game playoff series against mighty Uruguay, with a World Cup berth at stake (Molinaro, 2009).

The Americans came back, though, and earned a 2-2 draw thanks to an equalizer during injury time. This allowed Honduras to book their flight to South Africa and set off wild celebrations in the streets. And while World Cup qualification was special enough for Guevara, the magnitude of Honduras's achievement was even more meaningful in light of the current situation in the politically embattled Central American country. Ever since a military coup led to the ouster of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, Honduras has been plunged into a state of bedlam and turmoil (Molinaro, 2009).

Guevara believes Honduras's World Cup qualification can bring unity and stability to his homeland at a time when the country is steeped in political chaos and uncertainty. He hopes the politicians take a lesson from what's going on with the team that Honduras is a country that can stay unified, regardless of any political problems going on. With the World Cup qualification, the people of the country have gotten together, have put their faith in God ahead of everything else and have been working on the objective of unity. It is hoped that the politicians can take a lesson from that. In order to understand what qualifying for the World Cup means to the Honduran people, one only needs to look at the reception the team was given on its return home. Guevara and his teammates had modest celebration plans, but they ended up having an audience with interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti (Molinaro, 2009).

In expressions of nation building, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is the ultimate unifying event. South Africa has never before had such an opportunity to stand together as a nation and welcome the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup gives them the chance to shine on the global stage and every South African citizen is taking this opportunity to heart. "Team South Africa consists of every South African who wants to see the event as a huge success, and it's not only about the exhilarating weeks leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The journey began soon after the announcement in May 2004 that South Africa would host the tournament" (A unifying even, 2010).

They have been building stadiums, transport systems, hotels, roads and the spirit of their nation, and as a result a restored sense of solidarity and togetherness has emerged from their joint efforts. Enthusiasm for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has not been limited to those directly involved in the project, but has spilled over onto the streets and into the townships and rural areas, and the message is clear that one doesn't have to be a soccer fan to understand the value of this major sporting event (A unifying even, 2010).

In South Africa, they are not strangers to the power of sport to cement a nation together. In the 1995 IRB Rugby World Cup, Nelson Mandela wowed the world as the country's Number one sports fan. The opportunity of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is calling and every South African is waiting to welcome their international visitors, cheer on their national team and show off their very special brand of homegrown hospitality. The effects of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are going to be felt long after the fans have come and gone, as a unified South Africa congratulates itself on a job well done (A unifying even, 2010).

Although it seems strange today, the idea of a professional Jewish soccer club did not seen so strange many years ago. In the 1920s, Jewish soccer clubs had sprouted throughout metropolitan Europe, in Budapest, Berlin, Prague, Innsbruck, and Linz. Jewish teams cloaked themselves in Jewish, not Hungarian or Austrian or German, nationalism, literally wearing their Zionism on their sleeves and shirts. Decades before Adolf Eichmann forced them to don the yellow star, some of these clubs played with King David's logo stitched onto the breasts of their jerseys. They swathed themselves in blue-and-white uniforms, the colors of Israel. Their unabashedly Hebrew names, Hagibor (The Hero), Bar Kochba (after the leader of a second century revolt against the Romans), and Hakoah (The Strength), had unmistakably nationalist overtones (Foer, 2005).

If all this seems exceptionally political, it was because these clubs were the products of a political doctrine. An entire movement of Jews believed that soccer, and sport more generally, would liberate them from the violence and tyranny of anti-Semitism. The polemicist Max Nordau, one of the founding fathers of turn-of -- the century Zionism, created a doctrine called Muskeljudentum, or muscular Judaism. Nordau argued that the victims of anti-Semitism suffered from their own disease, a condition he called Judendot, or Jewish distress. Life in the dirty ghetto had affected the Jews with effeminacy and nervousness. In order to beat back anti-Semitism and eradicate Judendot, Jews didn't merely need to reinvent their body politic. They needed to reinvent their bodies. Muskeljudentum was prescribed as a cure for this malady. They wanted to restore to the flabby Jewish body its lost tone, to make it vigorous and strong, nimble and powerful. Jews were urged in articles and lectures, to invest in creating gymnasia and athletic fields, because it was believed that sport would straighten them in body and character (Foer, 2005).

More recently unification can be seen in other parts of the world. Copa America, the oldest running international soccer tournament in the world, has many nicknames. One Sunday afternoon at the tiny El Farolito bar on Mission Street in San Francisco, where nearly a hundred fans crammed in to watch Brazil defeat Argentina in an overtime shootout, the contest earned a new one. Copa America is a semi-annual continental soccer championship. In 2004 it was held in Peru. Twelve teams competed in the tournament. After Brazil eliminated Mexico with a 4-0 victory in the quarterfinals, Argentina suddenly became a refuge for many of San Francisco's Mexican soccer fans. Had Argentina beaten Mexico that badly, some fans might have worn a yellow Brazilian shirt and sat on the other side of the bar. On any given day, choosing which soccer team to support is a complicated process. As the game seemed to be headed for a victory by Argentina, the majority of Mexicans let out waves of whoops and shouts of supports in adopted Argentinean accents (Vigil, 2004).

But when Brazil scored a last-minute equalizer and then went on to win the game in a shootout, the Brazilian fans erupted in grammatically incorrect Portuguese yelps. Several swear words native to Mexico were heard on the other side of the bar. Minutes after the game ended, a 30-year-old fan from Honduras and a friend of his skipped down Mission Street, recalling details of the game aloud in frustrated tones that did not reveal whether or not they were happy with the outcome. But in the end all that mattered was that it was such a great game. Soccer is seen as being for everyone. It unites the whole world. On that day it has united Latin America (Vigil, 2004).

Over the past couple of years the world has been painfully reminded that the clash of cultures can be horrific. Hindus and Muslims slaughtering one another on the subcontinent. Jews and Palestinians locked in a death grip on the Levant. Extremist Muslims declaring jihad on America and destroying cherished symbols of that country's might. The tired metaphor, deployed in countless books about the sport, is that football is war. But now that we have again seen the very real violence and despair of battle, we have to affirm that no, football is not war. Rather, it is a game of uncommon, life-affirming beauty. When Christian Vieri takes the ball at pace on the outside of his left foot and drives it home with exquisite precision, or when Hidetoshi Nakata dribbles past five defenders and launches a perfect cross that leaves the opposition's entire back line flat-footed, we see in a glorious instant the wondrous capabilities of the world's finest athletes. The game, we are reminded, is an act of creation, not destruction (Saporito, 2002).

But to the hundreds of millions of fans who will watch the World Cup from around the globe, football is also more than a mere game. After all, a football team is a vessel for a nation's habits and aspirations, psychoses and strengths, triumphs and disappointments. Brazil's beautiful game. France's Les Bleus. Italy's Azurri. Nigeria's Super Eagles. They are more than teams. They are 11-man embodiments of national pride and passion. And yet the World Cup may be the only medium where national pride can be flagrantly, vividly manifest without diplomats being recalled and troops mobilized. The Cup will provide a joyous month -- a cosmic moment-when we can for once set aside and even celebrate our cultural differences, in the midst of an era that sometimes seems all too ugly and fractious. An Englishman may grudgingly admire an Argentine's playmaking; a Saudi might nod approvingly at an American's ball handling. In this angry and uncertain era, we need these matches more than ever (Saporito, 2002).

Germany, like much of the rest of the world, is a soccer-crazy country. Each year, hundreds of thousands of fans flock to see Bundesliga games. During international competitions, the entire nation comes to a seeming standstill, as Germans focus their attention on the national team's success. At a cursory glance, it is easy to see that football plays a large role in Germany's culture (Gethard, 2006).

Soccer's recent World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea exemplify how the world's premier sport has become fully globalized. Before a worldwide television audience of more than 30 billion fans, 32 national teams from all continents battled for a shot on history. Soccer's diffusion and political structure offer an advanced case study in the globalization of a cultural form. Yet a closer look suggests that soccer's global advance, like many globalization processes-is less widespread than first meets the eye (Giulianotti, 2002).

London School of Economics sociologist Patrick McGovern assesses the degree of soccer's globalization in his study of elite labor migration within English soccer over five decades (1946-1995). Writing for the quarterly journal Sociology, McGovern described how English soccer clubs have favored the recruitment of players from nations within the British Isles, northern Europe, and the British Commonwealth-nations that closely approximate English cultural attitudes, weather, language, and even playing styles. On this matter, many U.K. soccer fans would point to the great Liverpool team of the early 1980s, famed for featuring Celtic British players, the odd Australian and Zimbabwean, and sometimes even an Englishman. Contrast this trend, up to 1990, with the striking absence of Italian and Iberian players and the rare forays of South Americans into English clubs. Overall then, McGovern contended, we witness a process of internationalization in English club recruitment, not the kind of freewheeling globalization that more extreme labor market theorists might otherwise advance (Giulianotti, 2002).

These findings also fit most European and South American nations. Reaffirming their colonial connections, Spain and Portugal remain prominent destinations for South American players; top African players are more likely to arrive in the European leagues, notably France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain; and the larger South American economies of Brazil and Argentina continue to draw in elite players from smaller countries in the region, notably Uruguay. Italy is perhaps exceptional: It has long recruited players from a wider pool of nations, including large numbers from South American countries, since the interwar years. In general, however, postwar evidence suggests that distinctive regional patterns underlie the formation of the soccer world's top club sides (Giulianotti, 2002).

Of course, many realist analysts highlight globalization's unevenness and regionalism. Political economist Linda Weiss of the University of Sydney argues that sovereign states are not disarmed by globalization but instead actively promote corporate internationalism, notably at the regional level. Paul Smith of George Mason University notes that the largest corporations are not truly transnational but are still tied strongly to localities by business centers and cultural symbolism. And University of Aberdeen sociologist Roland Robertson coined the term glocalization to explain how global social processes are selectively redefined and adapted to suit local cultural exigencies (Giulianotti, 2002).

These interpretations fit the soccer context as well. Many top English and other European soccer clubs operate very much like modern multinational corporations. Manchester United, for example, may play its home matches in northwest England, but it has a global fan base of over 50 million supporters; with 20 million of these in Asia, it becomes Singapore's home team. Moreover, to retain a local cultural definition and identity, the world's largest clubs still appoint a long-serving team captain who has close personal ties to the club's civic or national base. Thus, the world's most famous club, Real Madrid, has the Spanish star Fernando Ruis Hierro to lead his cosmopolitan teammates, Roma has the renowned local star Francesco Totti as its captain, and ac Milan has Paolo Maldini as its leader (Giulianotti, 2002).

Nevertheless, it should be recognized that in the past decade or so, English soccer has undergone increasingly rapid structural and cultural changes, and recruitment practices are no exception. Clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Fulham have recruited European coaches with avowedly European coaching techniques, playing systems, dietary programs, and management styles. Britain has experienced an unprecedented influx of elite players from nontraditional nations, such as Italy, France, Germany, and Croatia, as well as African and South American countries. Most of the 20 English Premier League soccer clubs could field a team consisting primarily of players from outside the British Isles. This trend has certainly enhanced the aesthetic sophistication of English club soccer. Whether or not it improves the standard of English players -- and thus boosts the World Cup chances of England's national team-remains a matter of serious debate (Giulianotti, 2002).

Suddenly, all the old divisions around the world don't seem so important. The Ukrainians who are bitterly split over language, politics and whether they belong in the West or with Russia; all came together when their country advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. When the team steeped onto the field, the nations 47 million Russian-speakers and Ukrainian-speakers all were rooting in unison (Giulianotti, 2002).

It's caused a wave of patriotism and it didn't matter if you were orange or blue, they were all Ukrainians. Politicians were salivating over how to capitalize on the unusual sense of unity, but also grumbling that it took a soccer team to do what they could not. For others, it was another chance to show the world that Ukraine is more than just the location of the world's worst nuclear accident or home to the president whose face was badly scarred in a still-unsolved poisoning. It was a huge breakthrough, millions of people all over the world, some of them for the first time were hearing about Ukraine in a positive light. They saw that they had cool boys who can play soccer (Giulianotti, 2002).

Torn apart by competing empires throughout much of its history, Ukraine has spent the last 15 years of independence trying on different identities. It has yet to settle on one. The pro-European outlook that fits so easily in the country's west, where Ukrainians are nationalists and view Moscow as a former occupier, angers the ethnic Russians who people Crimea and the industrial east. Even the 2004 mass uprising that captured the world's attention won the support of only about half the country. Ukraine has had some problems with patriotism, with forging one national identity (Giulianotti, 2002).

Soccer has been seen as the chance to bridge that gap. Serhiy Varenyk was in a train car headed to Kiev when Oleg Gusev scored the deciding penalty kick against Switzerland. Listening by radio, the car, filled with Russian-speakers from eastern Ukraine, erupted into a roar so loud it shook the windows. Across the country, in the nationalistic west, a similar cheer went up as Lviv fans set off fireworks and bellowed out the national anthem. Such victories unite people and lay the groundwork to create a normal nation (Bellaby, 2006).

The timing was very good. Ukraine's political life remained unsettled after a parliamentary election ended indecisively. Success on the soccer field was just what the Ukraine needed. Ukrainians fear the rising prices will widen the gulf even further between living standards here and in the club of nations they aspire to. But when it comes to kicking around the soccer ball, the country's first appearance in the World Cup dared them to dream that they really do belong (Bellaby, 2006).