Spanish Culture wins the World Cup

by Neil Thomas
July 16th, 2010

“First we say we will and then we won’t, then we say we do and then we don’t… we’re Undecided now…so what are we gonna do…”

This is our attitude to culture as played out in sport. Despite our better selves we keep linking football to cultural identity.

It has happened to me, again, with Spain winning the World Cup, defeating Holland, who have been the losing finalists on a few occasions now and always seem to have their bright orange future behind them.

Here we go then, committing cultural chaos as we develop the theme of this blog.

We have reported and commented on the campaign to ban bullfighting in Spain, especially by the Catalans. However, the Spanish football team show that the bullfighting tradition, even if ended, will live on in its football. Sorry to blur sporting culture, but you will see where we are going with this, shortly.

The Dutch were described after the final, in a genuflection to their national costume, as “cloggies” – a description of their style of play rather than of a new development in the culture of footwear. They, then, represent the ‘Bull’ for our purposes – seemingly always in the arena, turning up despite the long history of defeat.

What follows then during the contest are a few charging runs by a bull-necked Robben and a few mad stares and thrusts by Sneijder with some animal kicks and body checks from De Jong and Van Bommel.

All of this is easily brushed off with some fancy Spanish footballing ‘cape work’ with turns and tricks of footwork which thrilled the crowd. It is as if the bull is being ‘played with’ and taunted by the matadors, who make pass after pass despite the charges and the challenges.

There is even the drama of a grand entrance by the star matador, Torres who comes on to a fanfare, but falls to the ground writhing in agony moments later.

Then in the endgame, the sword is at last passed by the dashing Fabregas and the bull is killed with a turn, a twist and a stabbing shot from Iniesta.

Unfortunately, the bull, ultimately is always the one killed.

Sorry Holland.