AIPS: None of the five CAF nations made it beyond the first group stage for the first time since 1982 and Tunisia’s departing ‘achievement’ of a first win at the finals since 1978 (over Panama) was hardly the stuff of legends.
In the past Africa has been betrayed at the finals by abysmal administration and financial wrangling but those excuses appeared absent this time.
Egypt will believe their World Cup return would have been different had Mohamed Salah been fully fit but the World Cup is about playing with the available resources on the day, whether Pharaohs or favourites.
Asia has progressed only one of its five teams in the shape of Japan despite their group-concluding defeat by Poland in Volgograd.
Again, as with Africa, it is frustrating to see neither confederation making significant progress from one tournament to another. This is not a matter of high-speed competition, year on year. World Cups are four years apart. Time exists for a reason.
FIFA might ponder why significant development monies sprinkled among the national associations – assuming it reaches the right destinations – is not being used productively. This World Cup suggests the gap between the haves and the have-nots has barely altered since Brazil in 2014 or even South Africa in 2010.
While the standard of Europe’s elite club game continues to escalate the national team improvement graph is falling away. The World Cup is a great party and Russia 2018 has been a lot of fun but, when it comes to quality football, the national team game does not deliver and has not done so for a long time.
Same for CONCACAF. Mexico have started to run down like a clockwork toy, Costa Rica were a disappointment by comparison with 2014 and Panama were newcomers and looked it. How poor were the US to fail the qualifying challenge? That is worrying, thinking ahead to the need to create a head of popular for 2026 in a complex commercial market and competitive sporting region.
