In a final pitting perennial underachievers Spain and the Dutch in a match that was historic in its consequences, yet low on quality, the La Furia Roja neutralised the guile and raw talent of the Oranje. The fact remains that a European nation winning the World Cup is far more beneficial to the business of football than an African, Asian or South American nation doing so. Professional football stems from Europe. Patriotism aside, the best players in the world and the highest global viewership, sponsorships and merchandising revenues come from European leagues. La Liga, Spain?s premier football league, boasts some of the richest talent and is now set to reach unparalleled heights, doubtlessly afflicting the EPL stakeholders with chronic insomnia. Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of the world?s most profitable, popular and successful football clubs. The fact that most of Spain?s starters are home grown and play in domestic clubs only adds to the allure of European football.

In the Indian context, however, the winner scarcely matters. What matters is the imprint that football would likely have made on the psyche of the average Indian sports fan. Football has emerged as the legitimate number two sport in India. And the FIFA World Cup 2010 (FWC) has proved to the sceptics that football is chomping at the bit to usurp cricket?s mantle. Before one starts to directly compare TRPs, sponsorship revenue and overall interest in the games, one needs to take into account the differences between the two sports in the Indian context.

While European club football enjoys a rabid fan following in the metropolises, cricket is far more accessible and interesting for the average viewer. Above all, India is more successful here?a superpower. With the BCCI being the dominant cricket federation globally and the South Asian faction contributing close to two billion fans, compared to less than 150 million that the rest of the cricket-playing nations can jointly rustle up, it?s no wonder that cricket matches and leagues are tailor-made to suit the Indian market. Whether its location, times or empathy, it?s a lot easier to watch and sponsor cricket in India. Keeping that in mind, one should then look at the FWC data and figures with a somewhat more indulgent eye. Of the 64 matches played in South Africa, many were played during the midnight slot. One could make a legitimate and strong argument supporting the hypothesis that had all the matches been played during primetime in India, much like the IPL fixtures, the data would have reflected somewhat different conclusions.

As it is, India is at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to football, at least until the international clubs and FIFA make a conscious effort to target the Indian fan base, and work on the merchandise and broadcasting revenue model, rather than trying to invest in human capital development, trying to make Forlans of our abject ?forlorn?s?. The fact remains that the money in sports lies in eyeballs, hospitality collaterals, sponsorship and intellectual property rights, at least in the short term. It would be great to have superstars of Indian origin but for the time being one ought to just be a fan and enjoy the rise in popularity of the first global sport in India. FWC isn?t the message, it?s merely the messenger. It?s the answer to an industry starved of prophets and profits alike when it comes to sports beyond cricket?60 million unique viewers, hundreds of crores of rupees in sponsorship and merchandise sales, not to mention events tailored to the FWC, despite the fact that the best matches couldn?t be shown at most restaurants and bars due to the lateness of the hour.

In fact, it would be astonishing although heartening if more Indians watched FWC 2010 than FWC 2002 in Asia, when the timings were conducive to watching the matches in their entirety. Even the professional football leagues such as the EPL operate at a time that is ideal for European viewership, not Asian or African. Over time, one can expect this to change, as clubs and FIFA become more fan-friendly in the South Asian context. Rest assured, this will happen. With over 800 million people watching the finals globally, it?s a virtual guarantee that this edition was the most successful FIFA World Cup in every which way, barring the ?Hand of Fraud? and the officiating. It has made heroes of the disdained and made a global celebrity of an eight-legged cephalopod. Football is a global sport and over time Indians, too, will deify it just as everyone else has. And it doesn?t take Pablo/Paul/Paolo or any other octopus oracle to predict this foregone conclusion.

The author is a sports attorney with J Sagar Associates. These are his personal views