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 A tournament which was derided as a disaster waiting to happen,
has captivated the world, proved all the doom-mongers wrong and has
already been declared as one of the greatest World Cups ever.
The tardy preparations which plagued the build-up have long been
forgotten with supporters in Brazil and around the planet still
gasping at the astonishing quality of play and heart-stopping
tension.
"This has been the best one in terms of quality of football and
entertainment," said Gerard Houllier, the most experienced member of
FIFA's Technical Study Group which analyses tactics, trends and all
aspects of technical play in the tournament.
"There has been top quality drama right from the start of the group
phase."
The on-field drama has succeeded in overshadowing any off-field
scandals that threatened to tarnish the event but still linger.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised Uruguay striker Luis Suarez
after he apologized for biting an Italian defender during the World
Cup while FIFA also addressed claims that matches had been rigged,
but said there was no supporting evidence.
Suarez was banned for nine competitive internationals and cannot
take part in any soccer activities for four months after he sank his
teeth into the shoulder of Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's 1-0
defeat of the Italians on June 24.
It took the forward nearly a week to confess that he had bitten his
opponent, after protesting his innocence when the furor surrounding
the incident first broke.
"He said 'I'm sorry' to the soccer family, and that's fair play
too," Blatter told reporters. "That shows he's a great player and I
hope he can have his soccer career back."
Ralf Mutschke, FIFA's head of security, cast doubt on reported
claims that convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal had correctly
predicted Cameroon's result against Croatia before the game.
Perumal has denied making the predictions himself, which were
reported by the German magazine Der Spiegel and Mutschke said FIFA
had "substantial doubts about the allegations published by Der
Spiegel" and had asked the magazine for some proof.
"This article has put the integrity of the FIFA World Cup matches in
question which is a serious allegation," he said.
"We have carefully monitored all 56 games to date and we will
continue to monitor the remaining eight matches. So far we have
found no indication of any manipulation on the betting market of any
World Cup matches."
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EXHAUSTION POINT
The incredible pace of the matches has even prompted discussion
about changing the rules on substitutions after watching players run
themselves to the point of exhaustion with four of the eight last-16
matches going to extra time.
Under the current rules, teams are only permitted to use three
replacements in a match but Houllier said consideration should be
given for allowing a fourth substitute in extra time in the future.
"I personally think it's time," he said. "You have probably noticed
at this World Cup everything is so quick, the tempo has been so high
and we have seen 29 goals scored by substitutes, a record."
"But among the technicians, we think we should have the possibility
of another substitution."
Although 24 of the original 32 finalists are now out of the
tournament, there is no respite for the remaining teams with the
stakes about to get even higher.
The teams will have another day off before the quarter-finals get
underway when France tackle Germany in Rio de Janeiro and hosts
Brazil face Colombia in Fortaleza.
On Saturday, Argentina meet Belgium in Brasilia before the last
quarter-final between the Netherlands and Costa Rica in Salvador.
The eight remaining teams all won their groups and the line- up
offers a tantalizing clash between styles, with four teams each from
Europe and the Americas.
No European team has ever won a World Cup played in the Americas but
at least one is assured of making the semis with Germany and France
meeting in the last eight.
Germany received a timely boost when defender Mats Hummels and
winger Lukas Podolski both took part in training after battling with
health issues.
"Everyone was in training today and ready for action," assistant
coach Andreas Koepke said.
Brazil striker Neymar is still nursing a thigh injury picked up in
the second-round match against Chile but looks certain to start.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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