The end of the soccer World Cup What is the new scenery seen in the Middle East at 17:46 on December 19

The World Cup Qatar tournament ended with Argentina winning the tournament for the third time in 36 years.

As the world's largest sports festival, fans from all over the world were enthusiastic about this tournament, and the performance of the Japanese national team brought a lot of excitement even in Japan.

On the other hand, various aspects other than the competition, such as themes related to human rights and the environment, also attracted attention.

What kind of tournament was this tournament held in the Middle East for the first time in history?

(Atsuto Furugen, Sports News Department)

Middle East's First World Cup What's Changed?

The 22nd World Cup kicked off in Qatar on November 20th.

As it was the first tournament in the Middle East, it attracted a lot of attention from various aspects.

First of all, the timing of the event has changed.

Until now, it has been held from May to July when the major European leagues have finished, but FIFA = International Football Federation decided to hold it from November to December in consideration of the severe heat in Qatar. I was.

It was the first time since the Games began in 1930.

In November, immediately after the opening, the daytime temperature often exceeded 30 degrees, but the stadium used air conditioning to cool the field, so the players did not seem to suffer from the severe heat. .

Most of the eight stadiums that will serve as venues are located in Doha and its surrounding areas, and the fact that they can be reached from the center of Doha in about an hour was highly praised.

In addition, in a strict Islamic country, drinking alcohol in public places is usually prohibited, so alcohol is not sold at stadiums, and some people try to dress in consideration of the custom of refraining from exposing their skin. There were also unique characteristics of the Qatar Games, such as being tired.

Japan's breakthrough, tragedy turns into joy

There were many surprises at the tournament, but one of them was the performance of the Japanese national team.

Both Germany and Spain, who have won the first league championship, came from behind to win.

Overcoming the inferiority, they advanced to the final tournament at the top of the group.

Although they did not reach their goal of reaching the top 8, according to FIFA, they are the first Asian team to advance to the knockout stages for two consecutive tournaments.

In this tournament, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the number of players that each team can register has increased from 23 to 26, and the maximum number of substitutions per game has increased from 3 to 5 (extension except for war).

Coach Moriyasu's ability to make the most of this substitution slot and the efforts of the Japanese national team players were praised both at home and abroad.

A member of FIFA's technical research group said, ``Many Japanese players have played in Germany, and some of them are captains. No. And they are more competitive.”

In 1993, it has been 29 years since Japan missed out on the World Cup for the first time due to the so-called "Doha tragedy".

Japan has taken a big step forward in this land of fate, and Director Moriyasu, who has personally experienced the tragedy, proudly said, ``The tragedy in Doha turned into joy.''

It was a meaningful tournament for Japan, as they were able to show their ability to compete against the world's strongest teams.

Is it the arrival of the age of rivalry?

Japan is not the only country that has made great strides.

There were also frequent upsets when Asian teams beat traditional world powerhouses.

Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat Argentina in the first round.

South Korea also won against Portugal, and each Asian team grabbed the gold star against opponents ranked higher in the world rankings.

A record three teams from Asia, Japan, South Korea and Australia, advanced to the finals, and a FIFA official pointed out that "the gap between Asian teams and the traditional powerhouses has definitely narrowed." .

Morocco surpassed the Asian teams even further.

In most of the past tournaments, European and South American teams dominated the top 4, and while the last tournament was all European teams, Morocco broke in as an African team for the first time in this tournament.

They fought tenaciously offensively and defensively with their high physical ability, and despite losing to defending champions France in the semifinals and losing to defending runners-up Croatia in the 3rd place match, they showed their solid ability to the world.

In this tournament, not a single team won three straight games in the primary league, and teams from all regions advanced to the knockout rounds for the first time.

There are teams that fight while controlling the ball by turning passes finely, while there are teams that show their strength in one-on-one situations, and there are teams that defend tenaciously and counterattack with sharp counterattacks. sent.

star shine bright

While the new power was shown, it was also a competition where the star players shined strongly.

The final will be Messi's Argentina, who positions it as "the last World Cup," and Mbappe's France.

Both aces have pushed the team up with top five goals.

The final was watched by nearly 90,000 spectators, and it was a great game that both fans were enthusiastic about.

Messi scored twice and Mbappe scored a hat-trick of three.

The game was tangled up to the penalty kick battle with 3 to 3, and in the end Argentina won and won the third victory for the first time in 36 years.

Messi scored 7 goals to become the MVP (Most Valuable Player), and Mbappe scored 8 goals to become the top scorer.

Attention to VAR and introduction of the latest technology

At this tournament, various "techniques" surrounding the match also attracted attention.

In the match against Spain, where Japan scored a dramatic victory, there was a lot of interest in the decisions made by VAR (Video Assistant Referee).

Just before Tanaka Aoi's come-from-behind goal, Mitoma Kaoru's pass that crossed the finish line seemed to have crossed the line.

This play, also known as "three millimeters", was recognized as a goal as a result of VAR that the ball was slightly over the line.

In fact, Japan would not have been able to advance to the knockout rounds if this score had not been recognized, so interest in the game has increased significantly, especially in Japan.

In previous competitions, it would not be surprising if the decision was correct or not, but with the advancement of technology, it has become a goal that can not be complained about.

In terms of technology, the offside judgment system also showed its power.

Inside the official ball, a sensor that transmits data 500 times per second is installed to accurately detect the position where the ball was kicked.

A dedicated camera in the stadium tracks up to 29 points, such as the ball and the hands and feet of individual players, 50 times per second to measure their exact position.

By using AI (artificial intelligence) in the data obtained in this way, FIFA claims that offsides are judged more accurately.

The effect was demonstrated immediately after the opening, and in the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, a goal that was thought to be the first in the tournament was disallowed.

While there are voices to evaluate the accuracy of the judgment, former Japan national team Keisuke Honda said on his Twitter, "VAR has changed football greatly. With the introduction of VAR, it is no longer allowed.To be honest, I feel sad about this trend.”

In addition, the time when play is stopped, such as during video judgment, is strictly added to injury time, so the number of games with injury time of 10 minutes or more has increased significantly.

The game time management became stricter, and I felt that the number of situations where the lead team's players collapsed on the pitch for a long time after a contact play to gain time decreased.

Conflict between Europe and the Middle East

Behind the gorgeous competition, conflicts due to differences in values ​​became clear.

Concerns and protests were voiced from European countries about human rights and the environment in Qatar over this tournament, casting a shadow over the tournament.

▽It is pointed out that many foreign workers died in poor working conditions in the construction of stadiums, ▽Homosexuality is illegal, ▽In addition, the negative impact on the environment caused by the use of air conditioning in stadiums, etc. has been the subject of criticism.

There was also opposition from the people of Qatar against these European movements.

The semi-final match between France and Morocco was the highlight.

Many of the locals support Morocco, an Arab country similar to Qatar.

Deafening boos echoed throughout the arena when France had the ball.

Before the game, I spoke to a Qatari man who lives there, and he said, "Europeans think they are better than others and do not respect Islam. All the people in Qatar are Arab countries' teams. and support Muslim teams.I hope people can distinguish between what is right and what is wrong."

And FIFA President Infantino commented, "For many people, this tournament was an opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the Middle East. Thanks to everyone involved in the tournament, it was the best World Cup ever." emphasized.

On top of that, "People around the world learned about the Arab world that they had never known before, and Qatar welcomed fans from all over the world. People who visited Qatar will return to their own countries and tell others about this experience. I can be open to the world and that's my legacy outside of competition at this World Cup."

Next tournament will be held in 3 countries

Four years later, the next tournament will be held for the first time in history, co-sponsored by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The number of participating teams has increased to 48, and the composition will change significantly from the 32 teams up to this tournament.

In this tournament, Japan showed their ability to win even against the world's powerhouses.

In the first round of the finals tournament, we lost in a penalty kick match (PK match), but I think it can be said that we are closer than ever to reaching the top 8, which is our goal.

However, captain Maya YOSHIDA said, "I think we have to be a really strong team in the last eight. We have no choice but to build up more and more." It shows the desire to carry out penalty shootouts as much as possible.

I hope that the next tournament will surely bring Japan one step closer to a "new landscape" for Japan, which has started to "build up" without resting on the leap.

Sports news department reporter

Atsuto Furugen Joined the station in

2015

After working at the Utsunomiya and Kofu stations, he is currently at his current affiliation

.