Several stars on the sidelines

Paul Lambert (No. 14) and two team-mates hang their heads: Scotland fail to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. Photo: FIFA archive

"To be considered great, a footballer has to have taken part in at least one World Cup, otherwise his record of achievements will never be truly complete," said Iván Zamorano, for years Chile's exceptional striker. He played in the 1998 World Cup and, according to the man himself, it was the most sensational feeling that he had ever experienced throughout his footballing career. Zamorano wanted to play in this year's World Cup in Korea and Japan, but that was not to be since Chile's World Cup aspirations were quashed early on in the South American qualifiers, and with them ended Zamorano's career in the national team.

But Chile are not the only ones who have had their bubble burst in the last few months as far as dreams of a place in the finals are concerned. Several well-known teams have been shunted onto the sidelines on the road to the 17th FIFA World Cup™, which will be held in Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June 2002. Take Colombia for example, first-time winners of the Copa

Stars that will not make it to Korea and Japan: Faustino Asprilla (Colombia, top) and Philipp Cocu (Netherlands, bottom) Photo: FIFA archive

America last year, who have managed to qualify for the World Cup three times in succession and who boast half a dozen world-class players. This example just goes to show that it takes more than a few sure-footed kickers to build a strong national side.

The secret of success
Time and again we witness matches that are decided by a single player, or by a flash of genius, by a last-minute goal or by some catastrophic error committed by the opposition. But broadly speaking, the days when a team could scrape through with three or four outstanding lone rangers to notch up wins regularly in critical matches are long gone. The secret of success these days is a careful blend of teamwork, discipline and organization.

Stars that will not make it to Korea and Japan: Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia, right), Noureddine Naybet (Morocco, left) and Ali Daei (Iran, No. 10, top). Photo: FIFA archive

Teams such as Ecuador, Slovenia, China and Senegal can attribute their places in the finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ first and foremost to their pronounced team spirit, their group dynamics, their efficient style of play and their on-field harmony, as well as to their clearly defined roles within the team itself. They are not teams that euphorically lift their fans to heady heights with attractive, attacking play, but they are sides who fight, who play the game the best way they know how, and who dig deep into their modest (personal) reserves to give all that they have. And that is why they deserve the chance to give the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ their best shot.

Many teams famous for their class soloists fell on their faces. Apart from Colombia, the Netherlands are another prime example that a collection of polished individual players do not necessarily form a cohesive strike force. Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Philipp Cocu are all star performers in the European top flight, yet none of them made it through the World Cup qualifying rounds. The Netherlands, who have twice made it to the World Cup finals and were semi-finalists in 1998, will be absent from Korea and Japan, a fact that caused the biggest upset of the elimination rounds.

The French example
A lack of discipline, non-existent organisation, injured star players, arrogance, erratic team performances – the reasons for blunders are manifold. In very few cases can failure be put down to plain old bad luck. After all, qualification for the World Cup finals is not won or lost in a single game.

The favourites fall again and again. What about the 1994 World Cup in the USA? The French were not represented, yet four years later they became world champions. Two years after that they were European champions, and for several months now they have topped the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Still, every cloud has a silver lining and missing out on a World Cup could be a good opportunity. But first of all, the proper lessons must be learned from past mistakes and doing this will take patience, trust, staying power and a lot of personal changes. Burning bridges to the past is sometimes painful, but it is often necessary before you can get back on the road to success.