Uruguay face struggle to stay at peak
Reuters - Wednesday 07 July 2010, 09:53
CAPE TOWN - Uruguay's performance in
reaching the last four at the World Cup has been an
extraordinary struggle against the odds and keeping the tiny
country among football's elite could prove even more difficult.
In fact, it is quite possible that Uruguay, beaten 3-2 by
Netherlands in Tuesday's semi-final, might not even qualify for
the next World Cup in neighbouring Brazil in 2014 given the
difficulties they face.
Some pundits have sneered at Uruguay, pointing out that they
beat Ghana in the quarter-finals after Luis Suarez stopped a
goalbound shot with his hand on the line, but there has been
much to admire as they hugely exceeded expectations.
Although Uruguay won the World Cup twice back in the early
days of the tournament in 1930 and 1950, the country today can
barely support a professional league.
Few first division matches attract more than a couple of
thousand fans and many of the stadiums would not be considered
fit for even semi-professional football in many European
countries.
Penarol and Nacional, who once dominated the South American
Libertadores Cup, are no longer feared on the continent and
Uruguayan clubs won the last of their eight titles back in 1988.
The only way out for most young Uruguayan players is the
airport. The lucky few end up in Europe but the country also
exports dozens to Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia.
Coach Oscar Tabarez, who also led the Celeste to the second
round at the 1990 World Cup, sees his players only a few times a
year and has warned frequently that the differences between
countries such as Uruguay and rich European nations are growing.
He says that European countries are snapping up Uruguayan
players at an ever-younger age, sometimes in their mid-teens,
and although the country produces players at an impressive rate,
it does not have the chance to develop them.
YELLOW CARDS
Before Tuesday's game, a philosophical Tabarez said it would
be impossible for Uruguay to stay among the elite, even if they
won the World Cup.
"It would be utopian to think of Uruguay's permanence at the
summit ... but we can believe in circumstantial results," he
said.
Uruguay played a major role in turning soccer into an
international sport, winning the 1924 and 1928 Olympic
tournaments with a short-passing game which had never been seen
before in Europe.
They were also at the forefront as the World Cup became a
reality, hosting and winning the first tournament in 1930 at the
Centenario stadium which is still used for their home games.
After winning again in 1950, other larger nations equalled
their technical ability and, with such a small population, they
fell behind.
At one stage, they became synonymous with rough play and
gamesmanship, something which Tabarez and his immediate
predecessors have worked hard to wipe out.
They completed two games in South Africa without receiving a
single yellow card.
"We have worked with respect, humility and a belief in
long-term projects and we have seen the reflection in the
result," forward Sebastian Abreu told reporters after Tuesday's
game. "It has been very positive for our country.
"Other teams would have thrown in the towel and raised the
white flag, but we didn't."
Uruguay almost missed out on South Africa altogether. They
faced elimination when they trailed 1-0 to Ecuador at altitude
in their penultimate qualifier but hit back to win 2-1.
That earned them a playoff against Costa Rica where they
scraped through 2-1 on aggregate to qualify for only the second
time since 1990.
With competition in South America so intense, just getting
to Brazil in four years time will once again be a huge
challenge.
"The qualifiers are torture, the finals are a party," said
Tabarez.
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