Chris Rattue: Blessed be a World Cup in the right time zone

The world game has never looked so good.

And at the end of this month, we can strap ourselves into armchairs and take a full television blast of the stuff, without even having to get up in the middle of the night to catch the live atmosphere.

This is shaping as one of football's best World Cups, high on skill and the prospect of upsets through the advancement of teams such as those from Africa.

Gone for good, hopefully, are the days when there was so much diving for penalties and free kicks that a World Cup could be judged on degrees of difficulty, or when German efficiency was an overpowering force.

Behind the scenes, huge problems involving money may be looming for world football. The attempt by Scottish clubs to break away from the dominance of Celtic and Rangers is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this problem.

Financial disasters seem imminent in places such as England where club owners have created excessive greed among players and their agents - or should that be agents and their players.

For now though, the football from Japan and South Korea will put the game, rather than the money, on centre stage.

The favourites and champions, France, remain the yardstick. With almost German-like organisation in their defence, clever midfielders and the unequalled co-ordination of their attack by Zinedine Zidane, they crushed Brazil 3-0 in the final four years ago.

France's squad is ageing, but they showed a new attacking ability at the last European championships.

But will France be weighed down by the expectation of champions?

And what effect will the heat and humidity in Asia have on their not-so-young squad?

Their win in the last cup was achieved on home territory - a scenario which has dominated World Cup history. Of the 16 tournaments, six have been won by the home side and the host continent invariably provides the winner - although it won't happen this time.

The tone of this World Cup could well be set in the first match when France take on Senegal in Seoul on May 31.

The West African nation was once part of France's colonial community, and a couple of Senegal-born players such as Arsenal's Patrick Vieira have gone on to play for France. Senegal, who are stacked with European-based players, have labelled this opening game as "our own World Cup final."

From a New Zealand point of view, it would have been exciting to see Australia make it to the finals. So, as in most World Cups, England will be for many of us a de facto representative.

It says much for England's chances that many of the most influential players in their premiership are no longer English. Their supporters will live in hope, and hope that captain David Beckham is fit and can find enough good players around him to use his long-range passes and strikes at goal.

The sad note for New Zealand soccer fans is that not only is our national side a million miles away from qualifying for the finals again, but the game itself in this country struggles from pillar to post, even though it is popular among youngsters.

Of the thousands of World Cup watchers in this country, most will never have been to a game.

It is 20 years since John Adshead's team lived a dream and played in the World Cup finals in Spain. Unfortunately, it has mainly been all downhill since then.

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