In my opinion the game was not fit to be called a final even though little maestro Andres Iniesta scored the lone goal for the Spanish. The hype that was generated was undone when the players started doing their bit in the middle. Where do I start? First let’s look at the Spanish team that started the game. Everyone knew what a strong squad the Spanish had in this tournament and they had to go in to the finals with their best set of players. Having three front line goalies in their ranks justifies how strong the squad was. Unfortunately for Victor Valdes and Pepe Raina who were the two substitute goalies in the team, they didn’t get much opportunity to play because their captain Iker Casillas was the main man and the first choice goalie of the side. He was a true leader and can be categorized as one player who saved the Spanish from getting beaten in the finals.

Most of the Spain supporters were not happy with the composition of the side going in to the finals. Two major changes, if been made would have resulted in a much different story still in favor of the Spanish. As soon as the Sevilla SC forward Jesus Navaz and Arsenal mid fielder Cesc Fabregas came into play they made a huge difference and made way for some ‘almost goals’. If these two had started it might have been a bigger margin for the world cup winners. It’s a known fact that Spanish football is run by the Barcelona Mafia and that was one of the main reasons why these two players were left out. Out of the 11 players that started the match, five or six were from Barcelona. Keeping out Fernando Torres who is a star amongst his nation for most parts of the game was a brave move by the coach Vicente DEL Bosque. He might have been a bit ore useful if he was brought in slightly earlier rather than for just five minutes before the final whistle. The good thing for the Spanish was that players from their league dominated the accumulated number of goals. The Spanish league had 29 goals while it was 21 for the Bundesliga and only 12 for the English Premier league. What has happened to one of the most or the most famous International league? Is it the talent or the management? Clearly something wrong somewhere otherwise the English league goals would have been touching the 20 mark.

One thing the spectators got to see most was the colors yellow and in one instance red. The English referee Webb Howard was adamant on giving the players cards from the time the game began. The ghastly practice started when the man in charge of the game showed a card to Robin Van Persie in the ninth minute. The referee went on to show a record number of 14 yellow and red cards in a World Cup final. This was more than double the amount of previous world cup finals which was only six. This fact indicates how much the game was slowed down. The referee made sure that the Dutch defense lines were always on the back foot and at one stage they were all on yellow cards. Ultimately John Heitinga made the blunder for the second time and was shown the red card by Webb Howard. Let’s just assume that the ref did everything possible to prevent himself from giving the cards and used it as a last resort. Even then it was a far greater number in the eyes of anyone and surely dampened the open play of both teams. It contributed to the lack of goals seen in the finals because both teams were reluctant to go that extra bit been nervous of been shown another yellow card and going out of the match for good. The referee was showing cards like it were on display and made sure that he got on the record books for showing the most number of cards in the finals. I’m sure that he will hold on to this record for quite some time unless another referee is brainless enough to top that one.

There was one important thing that really surprised me and it’s not like I have not seen it before but this time it was done more dramatically. This was the general conduct of the players; definitely third graders would have been much easier to control. This is why the entire blame should not be put on the referees who some say had a very poor tournament. The players also have a huge part to play to restore and maintain discipline in the sport whatever it could be. The players seem to be going down for the slightest of touches and making sure that they win the free kick their way. Fair enough, what they do ultimately ends up for the betterment of the team. But do they have to be so dramatic about it? Rolling on the floor, swamping the referee if it doesn’t go their way, pleading their case of innocence and finally looking disgusted at the referee’s decision even if it goes your way?

If you compare football to other sports like rugby or cricket you would see that the men in the middle, who are supposed to control the game, do their job with the least amount of pressure from the players. Rugby being a contact sport the referee’s might always be frightened of what might happen to them if they give the wrong call as they are put on the field to control a bunch of giants. But they actually don’t have this thought in their conscience because they know that the players have been disciplined enough to answer to their calls even if they might be right or wrong. The order has to be maintained inside the field as not only the crowds in the grounds are watching but the entire world has their eyes on the players and their conduct. And sometimes it’s a shame to see these international players act in the manner they do, I am not blaming football players in general. Everyone would have seen this happening and would agree with me when I say that control is a must in any sport and why should it be different in football. There might be demand for such behavior within the sporting community sighting the controversy, glamour and also the fake drama created, if so it would be a sad sight.

Finally the world cup fever has come to an end. Weeks of action that entertained crowds have finished with Iker Casillas lifting the gold world cup trophy. The Spanish deserved to win by a greater margin if it was done correctly and as for the Orange Sea of supporters who went home disappointed they could be proud of how their Dutch team displayed guts against a star studded side. It could have gone to penalties which I think everyone wanted, even the Spain supporters because that’s what a final is all about. Their emotion and feeling were summed up by the word of their captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst who said ‘We’ve come so close, and that makes it even more disappointing. We had to take one of our chances, and you never know what might have happened after that. We gave them too much space in midfield at times, but I’m still proud of this team. Having said that, once you’re in the Final, you want to win it’.

The world of football have accepted Spain as the world champs and they have surely done their nation proud by winning the prestigious world cup.