by papereyes »
21 Jun 2010 14:16
Hoop Blah In terms of just their immediate success at this tournament it seems a little odd.
I'm not sure how the fixtures have fallen for the South American teams so far but with the number of games played by now they must've played a reasonable mix. The European big guns have all stuttered so far so that highlights the good start the South Amercians have made but it does seem a bit odd.
Does the altitude have anything to do with it perhaps?
Is the South American qualifying just doing a bit more to provide teams that little nbit better? Don't forget there are 13 (??) European teams in the competition and only about 6 from South America so Europe must have a few more weaker teams in there.
Perhaps the South Americans are also that bit more motivated to make an impression to earn the big money moves to the major European leagues?
5 - Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (won the play off vs Costa Rica)
But there's only 10 countries in the confederation - Peru, Venezuala, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador didn't qualify.
UEFA had 13 qualifiers from 50ish countries.
Is it perhaps a simple trick of geography? That South America and South Africa are, well, both in the southern hemisphere.
FWIW, I actually disagree with the idea that Inverting the Pyramid explains anything in this case. Whilst there is a severe issue in England/Britain about the role and success of smaller, more skillful players, its not something really covered in that book. There might be something in the 'makeup' of the 5 countries mentioned - Brazil has a massive population and is football mad but the other four are incredibly European in their ethnic makeup. Its the combination of influences and backgrounds that's important.
