Political Football

In the comments to last week's blog I stated that politics belong on the front pages of the newspaper and sports at the back. But now I'm beginning to think that nothing is ever quite that black and white.

After some reflection, a few failed drafts and with a looming deadline, I have decided it was impossible to escape the political realities of Group D.

So instead of ignoring politics I have decided to embrace it and perhaps find in the political machinations of the four nations some parallels with their football fortunes in this year's tournament.

You see, each member of the group has profoundly different systems of governance and politics has a tendency to infiltrate every facet of our lives. Therefore it makes sense that it would have also have a noticeable effect upon that most important component of life - football.

Let the analysis begin.

Iran (Theocratic Republic)

Considering they represent a theocracy it is perhaps none too surprising that the Iranian campaign has been built upon a strict adherence to dogma. They are confident in their strategy and tactics and won't forsake them even when things are going against them.

In their opening match against Iraq the Princes of Persia found themselves on the back foot after conceding early. But they stuck with it, maintaining their style and sneaking a goal back courtesy of Reza Rezaei just before the break. In the second half they built upon their hard work, netting a well-deserved second from a fortunate free-kick and claiming the three points.

Their second match against North Korea saw the same unflashy and practical Iran plug away steadily at a stoic defensive line. Eventually, their reliance on width and low crosses paid off with a 62nd minute winner from Karim Ansarifard that saw them become the first team to qualify for the next round and simultaneously top their group.

Buoyed by an early qualification that reinforced their self-belief, Iran's third game saw the side build their momentum with a second half demolition of a highly motivated Emiratis that were desperately seeking a win. In the end Iran's three goals were well deserved and there is little doubt the defence-splitting passes they produced in this fixture from midfield will cause problems for teams later in the tournament.

Of concern for Iran going in to the knock-out stages though are some glaring defensive lapses. The back four sometimes appear reluctant to temporarily move out of position and pick up lose players inside the box. While their higher defensive line against UAE seemed to create more problems than it solved.

Rather aptly, this is the downside of being too rigid and quarter-final opponents South Korea will certainly look to exploit this weakness with crisp movement and quick exchanges of short passes this weekend.

Strangely enough, this will be the 5th consecutive Asian Cup that Iran have met South Korea in the quarters and in that time the winner of this fixture has always claimed third spot. Perhaps the punters should take note of that although you should also be warned that the theocracy does frown upon gambling - unless they are playing hide the reactor with the United Nations of course.

United Arab Emirates (Constitutional Monarchy)

Effectively an absolute monarchy with much of the political prestige focused around Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the constitutional component comes about as the seven emirs seek to carve up influence in unpopular government areas like sewage treatment, library fines and turning a blind eye to undocumented construction workers from southern Asia.

This is pretty much the same way the team operates as the Emiratis only seem truly threatening when Ismaeil Matar is on the ball and Ahmad Khalil is running in to space. There is the occasional cameo from other players but it simply is not enough to create sustained pressure on their opponents and as such their early exit is of no great surprise.

The reliance on two players was especially evident against the tight defence of DPR Korea. The White, who were strangely wearing an all-red kit in this particular fixture, had difficulty creating clear-cut chances and relied far too often on speculative crosses and winning one-on-one contests against their stronger opponents. Needless to say it didn't work out.

Against Iraq the theme continued, although to be fair to the Emiratis they probably didn't deserve to lose the match to an own goal like they did. Both teams hit the woodwork several times throughout the game and a draw would've seemed a fair result for both. Unfortunately football, like life and politics, is rarely fair and the UAE's lack of killer instinct proved to be their downfall.

Their final game against Iran saw the Matar and Khalil partnership at its very best but again they lacked support from behind. After conceding the opening goal and desperately needing a win to progress the Emiratis threw everything into attack. This created too much space in behind the midfield and the backline fell apart trying to counter the threat. The clumsy own goal that made it 3-0 nil pretty much summed up their tournament.

They did show some promise though and hopefully for their supporters they can channel the disappointment of this Asian Cup into a more comprehensive team performance in future campaigns. And perhaps, with a little luck and a bit of hard work, they will regain their crown as the best of the Gulf nations in 2013.

Iraq (Fledgling Democracy)

I say fledgling democracy because unlike a more established, and dare I say enforced democracy such as our own, the Iraqis get darn excited about participating. There is no donkey voting nor is there the perennial write-in candidate "none of the above!"

The same is true of their football team where every player is convinced their individual contribution could be the deciding factor. It makes for fantastic viewing since you never know which player is going to be the one that makes the difference.

In their rather evenly tempered grudge match against Iran (there was only one case of hair-pulling); it was the Iraqis that came to play. The Mesopotamian Lions rode their passion without riding roughshod and played some sublime football in the first half. Unfortunately a keeping mistake cost them the match and provided an early reality check for the defending champions.

In the second match though, the Iraqis maintained their effort for the full 90 minutes and finally a little luck shone their way as they benefitted from an own goal by Walid Abbas. They then unleashed their emotions as they embraced en masse, jumping up and down in a circle much like fat people do when they win the showcase on The Price Is Right.

The last match against North Korea was the tug-of-war many expected and was decided by a single goal in the first half. Although, credit where it is due the Iraqis didn't allow the Koreans any clear-cut chances as the defending champions remained well structured and disciplined in defending their lead. This bodes well for their quarter-final against Australia.

And no matter the result of their next match against the Socceroos one thing will be certain, the Iraqi players and fans will continue to wear their hearts proudly on their sleeve. You have to hand it to them for consistently showing the rest of the world what our great game is all about - raw, human emotion and triumph over adversity.

DPR Korea (Single-Party State)

The term Stalinist dictatorship pops up a lot when it comes to the strangely-named Democratic People's Republic of Korea but that is not strictly true. The machinations of North Korean politics are more complex than that so I went with the more benign term above. Precise details are impossible to find, hence the only true guide to the red north seems to be their completely unpredictable record on the world stage.

And so it is with their national team as they have proven pre-tournament talk of a dour defensive mindset to be a touch misleading. At times the unheralded squad have demonstrated some sweeping passing movements from front to back, switching play and forcing some sensational saves from opposing goalkeepers. Unfortunately there has simply not been enough of it and their more experienced opponents have all managed to counter the threat.

In the first game against the UAE, The Thousand Mile Horse followed the script as they sought to keep their opponent scoreless at the expense of their own attack. They even managed to earn an early penalty which, had it been converted, would've thrown early Group D predictions into complete disarray. Alas, it wasn't and an inevitable bore draw played itself out.

Against Iran they managed a few more chances and almost snuck a point with a last minute crossbar grazer from Hong Yong-jo. But still, it was far too little far too late and they eventually lost to a single goal.

Rarely do teams qualify for the knockout stages by amassing draws and so it was again this tournament for the North Koreans. In their final match versus Iraq it seemed they didn't even want to win as their tempo and mentality seemed completely unchanged from the two previous games. They got what they deserved as they again fell to a solitary goal.

They are a patriotic bunch and their early exit will probably be treated harshly at home but North Korea still have much to learn about winning matches in major tournaments.

It seems the only way they will improve is if they allow their players and coaches greater access to higher standard leagues and training methods in the coming years. Although, that is unlikely to happen considering the mentality of the powers that be. As I said, politics infects everything.

Blogger's Disclaimer

Of course I realise my political analysis of the four nations might be imperfect which is of little surprise considering I was required to repeat a unit on governance during my university days. Three times, in fact.

Although to be fair, that had less to do with my ignorance of the content and a whole lot more to do with me consistently citing the lecturer as an example of a fascist dictator due to her constant refusal to permit her students toilet breaks.

Trust me when I say the Ayatollah, Dear Leader, seven Emirs and a certain late former dictator of Iraq had nothing compared to that woman. She was pure evil and right royal pain in the axis.