10 Things We Learned From Confederations Cup 2009

Daryl I am with you on the Confed Cup being the real deal! Chris is to busy being an Italian fan to realize it, and because our country of origin didnt take the tournament seriously many tifosi have written it off as a “friendly tourney.” I am not of that belief, I believe Italy did take it seriously and they plain sucked!! Did anyone tell JCeaser it wasnt a serious tournament when he was howling in joy after Fabiano’s second goal, how about guys like Kaka, Torres, Zidan, and Villa who went full bore in these games…no way is this Cup a joke!

Lastly, the vuvuzela must stay!! How can you silence a national tradition…shameful to even consider it really.

Because the only thing more annoying than the sound of the vuvuzela, is the sound of someone complaining about it.

COULDNT AGREE MORE! THATS AFRICAN CULTURE- LET IT THRIVE DURING THE WORLD CUP

Players and managers celebrate winning games against the likes of Andorra, San Marino and Faroe Islands, ffs. Doesn’t mean those games are significant. Players and coaches hate to lose, they love winning trophies, regardless of which trophies. And the emotion of the moment, with adrenaline pumping, will get anyone to celebrate. They’re winning a trophy after all, and winning it after a difficult game against a team who were very close to beating them.

I’m Brazilian and pay close attention to the Brazilian football media. Last year I saw an interview with Dunga talking about his priorities as manager of the national team. He said he had two big priorities when he first took on the job: 1. win the world cup and 2. win the Copa America. When asked about the Confederations Cup he said of course he wanted to win it, because every player and every coach wants to win everything. But he said the trophy itself means little, it’s the experience the tournament provides as preparation for the wc — and that the 2009 confed cup would be esp. important because of the unique location of the 2010 wc, South Africa. The 2009 CC would provide his players experience in getting to know what it means to play competitively in that country in that time of year against a variety of opposition. But it was clear he did not prioritize the trophy as very important.

Fact is no one remembers who wins the CC — and this tournament has failued utterly as a guide toward what will happen in the following world cup. No winner of the CC has ever gone on to win the wc the following year. In fact, the winners of the CC tend to crap out badly — France in 2002, Brazil in 2006. I agree with Chris. It’s an interesting little tournament during the European off-season for those of us wanting to watch football but it’s not a very important trophy at all.

Spain are not unbeatable, no — in fact this tournament proved the maxim that European teams do not travel well outside Europe. I do not believe a European team will win the 2010 wc. However, if Spain had had Senna and Iniesta, I think they would’ve reached the final. Just as in Korea/Japan 2002, non-elite football countries like the US, Turkey and South Korea do well in tournaments outside Europe. I think we’ll see surprises in 2010 just as we did in 2002. And since 2014 will be in Brazil, that’s two consecutive world cups outside Europe.

Many Brazilians like me have been amazed to see what Dunga’s done with L. Fabiano. He cannot stop scoring for the selecao, he’s been doing it for many games now. He’s keeping Pato on the bench. This tournament also did teach those of us in Brazil who’ve complained a lot about Dunga that–despite our disappointment with his style–his team has a strength, grit and cohesion, and esp. a determination and passion to win that cannot be denied.

Complaining about the vuvuzela may be tiresome but I will nonetheless add this point: the 2010 wc will be the first televised int’l football tournament in which it is impossible to hear the crowd — in particular, it will be impossible to hear the crowd roar when the ball goes into the net. There will be no crowd noise–the sound of human voices reacting with emotion–at this tournament. I find this sad and I cannot understand how anyone can celebrate that. And this has absolutely nothing to do with respecting another culture. The vuvuzela is a 10-year old fad. I studied in South Africa in the late 80s and visited the country in the early 90s. Games and other events were not in any way dominated by those plastic horns. And many South Africans hate the vuvuzela as well.

Oh, and Kaka was fantastic in every Brazil game.

Don’t forget that roughly 20,000 more partisan fans will be filling those stadiums during the World Cup. I don’t think the vuvuzela’s will be quite as noticeable because the number of people blowing them rather than singing will be quite less. Unless, of course, all the incoming foreign fans decide it’s more fun to blow the horn than sing, in which case the noise will just get louder…

Maybe if they dont give those stupid horns away for free during the WC it will cut down on the terrible drone.

As an aside, why was the crowd booing Booth (Defender for South Africa)? Or were they just saying his name?

I was confused.

Johonna, they were just saying his name. But it didn’t sound like it.

Its sounds like BOOOOOOO,buts its actually BOOOOOOOTH.Weird really.

“Were you saying boo or boo-erns?”

Those horns ruined the tournament for me, I tried watching a few games but I had to turn it off, it was driving me mad.

It’s like the Coppa Italia, Gianfranco. Sure…it’d be nice to win, but does anyone really give a damn if we don’t? The only difference is we brought our first-team to the table, which means either they were lacking motivation or the league title is gonna be really, really hard.

It nice not hearing the espn commentators. the vuvuzelas must stay.

I figured they were saying his name, but as he was the only player that got that treatment, I was unsure.

Boy, the home crowd really likes him. His name was the only noise that broke through the drone.

i love the vuvuzelas and i would buy one if i could go. i dont understand why everybody is complaining because come WC there will be many other fans drowing them out. europe has chants/flares, north america has shirtless fat guys painting letters on themselves, africa has plastic horns. its there tournement, let them do what they like.

ps. i even started yelling booth, too. it must be so exhilerating to be him when that happens.

Africa consists of 58 countries and thousands of ethnic groups. I am from one that has no vuvuzela in its culture. Don’t listen to people whose sole defense of the plastic horn is that it is “African Culture”, no plastic horn is culture.

sandrahn I disagree with you with regard to crowd noise, anyone who watched the game on television was bombarded with colourful images of very emotional fans either celebrating a goal or mourning a loss, I think the world cup next year is going to be absolutely amazing due to South Africa’s unique football culture

“its there tournement, let them do what they like.”

I’m so tired of this line. Because no, it’s not. It’s not “their tournament.”

It’s the WORLD’S tournament. Specifically, it belongs to the teams, fans and nations who have worked very hard for four years to get there.

Forget the vuvuzelas themselves for a moment, or that fact that they are blown by human beings. Imagine FIFA were scouting future World Cup locales, and were looking into Region X. A scientist says, “Well, Region X has a very odd air climate — it muffles most loud noises. No one would be able to hear the roar of fans.” Region X would immediately be scratched off the consideration list. No one wants a World Cup without the roar of fans, for God’s sake.

But that’s what we’re destined to get next year if the vuvuzelas aren’t toned down. The world hates these things, and there’s no good reason the world should have its own tournament spoiled. The world is letting South Africa be the site of this tournament in 2010 — it didn’t “give” the tournament to South Africa, to do with as it pleases.

vuvuzelas wont be used as much for sure. when real fans start going to games in the WC, they’ll make it feel like the WC. thats why its still gonna be nice watching it on high def from the comfort of your home.

Leslie,
its their chance to host the worlds tournament and they get their chance to add their culture to it. the vuvuzela is the roar of the south african fans.

All coaches said before the tournament that they were playing to win. The look on the Brazilian’s faces (especially Lucio and Elano) after scoring their third goal says it all.

You will NEVER see that happiness during a friendly…

the horns you people hear are a message to the players, kaka gets the ball the noise gets louder, so he knows that the fans are supporting him all the way to the net, its a must for him to play his best that moment because now the entire stadium is making a noise, even the fans of the other team can’t boo him & the goalkeeper has no idea what’s going on.

we send clear messages to all the players who play well, that hey keep it up & don’t let the other dude tackle you & pressure.

also to my note, the reason why we always shout Boooooooth when he gets the ball, the position he plays goes to great players who ever played in our team, the likes of mike fish (Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiish) ace (aceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee) so he knows that no-matter what happens tonight, i have an almost entire stadium behind me so its a must i defend this territory.

So please guys don’t mind the noise its just other way of showing our support to our players & world players, its like hearing the sound of a group of bees you’ll get scared & run away, so its pressure for the other side.

“So please guys don’t mind the noise its just other way of showing our support to our players & world players, its like hearing the sound of a group of bees you’ll get scared & run away, so its pressure for the other side.”

Um, there is no “other side” when you’re just neutral fans at somebody else’s game.

Please, the world is begging and pleading with you to leave the vuvuzelas at home and not ruin our World Cup. Blow them only at matches with your South Africa team — that’s great. But please do not ruin the atmosphere at the rest of the games.

I’m not kidding: We are begging you at this point.

Sorry for show to you AMERICANS that in the soccer we are the best!!!!!!

I think its all down to personal choice. Some people will like the vuvuzela, some won’t, others won’t mind. I remember back in the 80’s (and possibly 90’s) with countries, namely Japan and other Asian countries blowing horns throughout matches. Nothing much was made of horns then. So why now? Some countries cannot understand singing at soccer matches/sports occasions – some Americans weren’t too keen on the singing at the Ricky Hatton boxing matches… but that’s part of the European soccer crowd culture which Europeans would not change. So why should South Africa change theirs?
As I sit here typing this there is a “friendly” game going on between Tottenham Hotspur & West Ham United in Beijing on TV which, in between the sound of no crowd roar, all you hear is horns. Goes to show that not everybody thinks the atmosphere is ruined by horns. Now… maybe if their was less of an issue made of it…