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| Many foresaw that FIFA’s World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar would bring controversies off the field. The host nation has faced criticism for its human rights record — thousands of migrant workers have died, according to some reports, in the country since it was awarded the World Cup in 2010. Meanwhile, gay relationships remain illegal in the country. But few would have predicted that, on the field, soccer’s great tectonic plates would shift in ways unseen in any previous World Cup. This is the first time that the final 16 teams included four from Asia and Africa — five if you include Australia, which comes under the Asian Football Confederation. | | The 2022 tournament has witnessed so many upsets that the rankings used by FIFA, the sport’s governing body, have almost ceased to matter.  | | During the group stages, Cameroon defeated top-ranked Brazil, Morocco sent second-ranked Belgium home, Saudi Arabia shocked third-ranked Argentina and Tunisia beat fourth-ranked France. Japan stunned four-time champions Germany and 2010 winners Spain. South Korea beat much-fancied Portugal. In the round of 16, Japan took 2018 finalists Croatia to the penalty shootout before losing. But Morocco beat Spain in penalties and then trumped Portugal in the quarterfinals to become the first African or Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals, setting off celebrations across the Middle East and Africa. France defeated Morocco in the semifinal on Wednesday. To be sure, most previous editions of soccer’s biggest event have seen upsets. Yet the 2022 tournament has witnessed so many upsets that the rankings used by FIFA, the sport’s governing body, have almost ceased to matter. And there’s been a clear pattern amid the chaos: The successes of multiple Asian and African sides point to a shift in soccer’s center of gravity from traditional powerhouses Europe and South America toward the East. But what’s behind this dramatic change that could reshape the sport as the world has known it? |
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| The Atlas Lions, as the Morocco side are known, have been the underdog story of the World Cup, with a million memes dedicated to their wins, as they’ve sent one former European colonial power after another packing. | | Teams like Japan, South Korea and Cameroon are relying on players who — while born in these countries — play in highly competitive European leagues. | | Yet their success is no flash in the pan. Their development as a football team began 13 years ago when King Mohammed VI decided to build the Mohammed VI Football Academy at the cost of around $13.3 million. The training complex has seven standard pitches and one indoor climate-controlled pitch, as well as medical facilities and several five-star hotels. Emerging from this venue are star players like Nayef Aguerd and Youssef En-Nesyri. But as Mark Gleeson, an expert on African soccer, points out, Moroccan success has also come from a “policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Moroccan Diaspora.” Indeed, 14 of Morocco’s 26-man squad were born outside the country, having learned and plied their trade in European leagues. As Gleeson says, Morocco has gathered an “eclectic mix of players from growing migrant communities across Europe.” Meanwhile, teams like Japan, South Korea and Cameroon are relying on players who — while born in these countries — play in highly competitive European leagues. That includes 20 players on Cameroon’s World Cup squad and 19 for Japan. South Korea’s talisman Son Heung-min was the top goal scorer in the English Premier League last season — tied with Mohamed Salah of Egypt. That exposure means many of the players from perennially high-ranked football nations are also club teammates or opponents for African and Asian national players, who therefore are no longer awestruck when competing on a global stage like the World Cup. |
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| But it isn’t one-way traffic — even as soccer stars from Asian and African nations are increasingly playing in and even dominating Western leagues, these countries are also developing and strengthening their own club structures. Japan’s top soccer competition, the J1 League, now has 97 foreign players across its 18 clubs, up from 76 in 2005. In recent years, top Japanese clubs have begun to emulate their European counterparts in identifying talented players when they’re as young as 11 or 12 years old, and then training them through youth programs. The result: Qatar was the fourth time, since 2002, that Japan managed to reach the knockout stages. Australia, meanwhile, is benefiting from offering opportunities in its club structure to young refugees — somewhat ironically, given the country’s controversial asylum policy. Three members of the Aussie squad — Awer Mabil, Thomas Deng and Garang Kuol — were all born into families who fled the war in South Sudan and found asylum in Australia. Kuol, in particular, impressed with his substitute appearances. He also became the youngest player since the Brazilian legend Pelé to play in the round of 16 of the World Cup. Saudi Arabia’s development of its local clubs is also paying dividends. In the lead-up to the 2018 World Cup, the Saudis attempted to get their players experience in more competitive European leagues. But this strategy did not succeed. So, when preparing for the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia stayed local and developed a team around a few key players who are club mates at the Saudi Al Hilal club. This new strategy brought the Saudis their biggest World Cup victory. And while they might have surprised many observers, those who follow international club football know Al Hilal is a rising force: The Saudi club reached the semifinals of the Club World Cup earlier this year. |
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| But there’s another underlying theme at play here too: Cold hard cash and the willingness to invest it in soccer. Japan’s J1 League is now a premier soccer brand drawing an ever-increasing number of international players. In Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal’s annual team payroll is thought to be around $48 million. And while most African nations can’t match the resources of either Japan or Saudi Arabia, they can look to Morocco, whose investments in infrastructure and player development are paying dividends. Ex-South African head coach Pitso Mosimane, who now manages the Saudi Al Ahli team, has regularly stated that, like Morocco, other African countries need to put money into soccer development. | | Whoever wins the World Cup on Sunday, the future of soccer is increasingly clear. And it lies in Africa and Asia. | | Meanwhile, Qatar is believed to have spent between $6.5 billion and $10 billion on building the eight stadiums used in the World Cup. Qatar has also brought the tournament’s governing body, FIFA, unprecedented profits — boosting its revenue by over $1 billion. At the same time, popular European clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are now believed to have hundreds of millions of fans in the Asia-Pacific region. These teams often now make preseason tours of Asia in order to exploit this huge revenue stream. And in the European leagues, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain — owned by wealthy Arabs — are beginning to dominate other teams. As Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp recently stated, “There are three clubs in the world that can do what they want financially … they have no ceiling, other clubs have a ceiling.” It’s a potent cocktail — rising economic influence, growing quality of players, stronger domestic club structures to feed the pipeline for future generations and breakthrough World Cup successes that can serve as inspirations. Whoever wins the World Cup on Sunday, the future of soccer is increasingly clear. And it lies in Africa and Asia. |
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| Which national team or teams do you support the most when your country isn’t playing? And why? | | |
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