As the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia moves into what the commentators love calling the “business end of the tournament”, spare a thought for the keen sports fan, equally passionate about cricket and football. Barely does the cricket fiesta end on November 13, that the mother of all sports extravaganzas, the FIFA World Cup kicks off at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on November 20.
The stress will be particularly high for those whose loyalty is to England and Australia, the only two teams to have qualified for both the events. England, in particular, could fancy its chances to bring back both the trophies, only for the second time each. Having won the rapid-fire cricket tournament as recently as in 2010, it might be more keen on football’s highest honour, which it last earned 56 years ago. Since then it has had a barren run, not even reaching the finals of the tournament despite hosting the world’s richest sporting league.
The English Premier League (EPL) isn’t just the annual gathering of the world’s finest footballers. It is also big business. According to an Ernst & Young financial services analysis, the EPL’s total Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution to the GDP of the UK was £7.6 billion and this was in the 2019-20 season when it had been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions.
On paper at least England shouldn’t have too many hassles making it to the next round from a group which has Wales, besides the US and Iran. The last two will have their own political scores to settle but shouldn’t be a threat to an English team that has superstars like Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Of course, England have always flattered to deceive. So an upset or two can’t be ruled out. In two World Cup games against the US over the years, England has transpired to lose once, in 1950, and draw once, in 2010.
Australia, the other contender in both World Cups, is in an intriguing quandary. In cricket, it was expected to be a serious contender to repeat its feat of 2021 when it won the last T20 World Cup. But playing at home, it has struggled to qualify.
Not much can be expected of it on football’s greatest stage. In Qatar, the team which has only once qualified for the next round, will find it difficult to go through to the next stage. It faces reigning champions France in its pool but also Denmark and a relatively lightweight Tunisia. Only a win against both will catapult it into the round of 16 where it will most likely take on Argentina led by Lionel Messi, almost certainly playing his last World Cup. That should be an occasion in itself and one that the always spirited Socceroos and their fans will relish.
For the rest of the 30 teams that will be playing the Fifa World Cup, cricket isn’t even a minor distraction with most countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe having no interest in the game.
In India, of course, cricket bosses all other sports. Thus, Viacom18 won the media rights for the FIFA World Cup for a sum of Rs 450 crore. By contrast Star which is showing the current tournament and Zee which recently signed a licensing agreement with Disney Star for exclusive TV rights of future ICC Men’s cricket tournaments, have paid billions for the privilege. The difference in the numbers also sums up India’s no show in international soccer. It has never qualified for the finals of the World Cup and is ranked a lowly 19th in Asia behind countries like Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam and Lebanon.
Despite that, aficionados of football in the country will be glued to their TV sets watching the skills of the game’s greats. The timing is convenient too since Qatar is about two-and-a-half hours behind India. But for all the love that Brazil and Argentina enjoy in India, there is no substitute for home involvement. Sadly, there doesn’t appear to be any chance of that happening in the near future.
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