All games evoke nationalism, sub-nationalism or micro-nationalism among its adherents. They say it?s the beautiful game, but the passion, frenzy and delirium football evokes is unmatched. Maybe, this is because no other game is more often played at the international level than what the Americans call soccer and rest of the world football. And also, unlike other field games where points are scored in an orderly fashion, in football matches, it?s an agonising wait?for somebody to spin the ball into the net. And, the wait can be taxing, exciting or heartbreaking.
That could be the reason why football, more than any other game of sport, is textured around ecstasy and frustration.
In defence of deliberately blocking the ball with his hands?in what would have been a certain, match-winning goal for Ghana?on Uruguay?s goal-line in the final minute of extra time in Fifa World Cup 2010?s quarters on July 2, Uruguayan striker Luis Su?rez resorted to dry humour after the match. ?The ?hand of god? now belongs to me. Mine is the real ?hand of god?. I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper, so it was worth it. There was no alternative but for me to do that,? he said. Of course, he was alluding to Diego Maradona?s goal in Argentina?s 1986 World Cup match against England, which the Argentine striker later described as having been scored ?a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God?.
This time, the hand of god was not lucky, though. Su?rez, one of the stars of the competition, was banned for a straight red card for his flagrant act of cheating. He missed the semifinal against Holland last week, thus denying the Uruguayan side a top talent in their lethal 4-3-3 attacking combination with Diego Floran and Edinson Cavani as the key pointsmen, which proved to be no match to the 4-2-3-1 combination of the Dutch with Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt assisting the lone Robin van Persie on the front.
Let?s freeze the moment. In the last minute of extra time in one of the classic games of this World Cup, the Black Stars had a perfect game to lose?and make history as the only second African team after Cameroon to enter the World Cup semifinals. There was the golden opportunity in the penalty awarded to Ghana after Su?rez?s misdemeanour. Ghana?s star striker Asamoah Gyan takes it, but hold on: he smashes the ball against the bar. There was absolute silence and disbelief in the stadium. Minutes later, Uruguay went on to win the shoot-out that followed the extra time, and two things happened. Gyan broke down in tears. And the whole world began to debate the incident so vigorously that it will not die down for a long time to come. A BBC blog headline said it all: ?So what do we think: Luis Suarez?hero or villain??
On that day, no doubt, Su?rez was the hero for the Uruguayan team. Back home, too, after that infamous quarterfinal match, Su?rez was cheered like a hero for his ?goalkeeping? act. And, Gyan, the other wonderful player, would be feeling pretty miserable for many weeks in Ghana. One would say, some people leave the World Cup in tears; some others leave as unlikely heroes. But it is not a wild stab in the dark to suggest that nationalism was never in short supply in those feelings of joy or dejection.
If nationalism is the stimulant, soccer remains a game structured on teamwork. It beauty lies in the dazzling array of passes, tackling, attempted and precision-powered surgical strikes to the other end of the goalpost, and ideas for defence and strike formation to make a team hit the net. It?s a game of leadership at the individual and collective level, blending dazzling individual talent with selfless teamwork. Behind every pinpoint passing-and-possession game, there?s a plan. And, behind every beautifully crafted and simply executed move, there is management in action. The nature of the game encourages this: speed, collective aggression, clinical execution. Aren?t the management studies also emphasis this?
?The analogy is excellent. However, in a soccer game the gap between performance and results is 90 minutes. In corporate management, it takes at least 90 days (a quarter) for performance to be evaluated in terms of results. The fundamentals, nevertheless, remain the same in both cases. However, for ?speed? to deliver results, ?momentum? or ?rhythm? is critical. German speed was no match for Spain which controlled momentum for most of the match in the semifinals. Collective aggression translates as synergy in the field of management. This implies that the collective energy of a team is greater than the sum of individual energies. Clinical execution is about cutting down all processes and movements that distract you from your basic purpose?whether it is to net the ball or to net a handsome profit.? says Debashis Chatterjee, director, IIM Kozhikode.
Take Spain?s semifinal match against Germany Chatterjee refers to. Both teams went into the game with a clear but risky plans. Spanish coach Vincente del Bosque believes possession will be the key to his team?s success in the World Cup; his German counterpart Joachim Loew believes in swift counter-attacks that surprise the opponent and never letting the other side?s offence gain momentum. In the game, Spain produced a brilliant dsplay of possession and passing, slowing down the game with a measured approach. The Spaniards did what they did in every other game in this World Cup?muddle through the game as long as it takes for David Villa a perfect position to have the shot on goal. Even before Carles Puyol scored the lone winning goal on the 72nd minute, it looked it was a game too far for the Germans.
?In management, as in football, what delivers is not strategy or your perfect plan. It?s leadership and the synergy that you derive from a purpose. In football, you negotiate obstacles to the goalposts with mental strength and tact; in a similar way, in the corporate world, you negotiate your targets with a structured, measured and collaborative approach. There?s no room for being static,? Chatterjee adds.
Kanwal Kapil, associate professor of marketing, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, agrees that it?s teamwork that matters in business leadership, too. ?Individual brilliance has its place, it has its value, but working as a team makes you learn from others, listen to others and makes you practise better. The end-result is that you come out as a better individual,? he remarks.
?Those B-schools that teach a student not to outsmart others in a level-playing field would rank among the best,? he says.
Rinus Michels, the legendary coach of the Dutch team that lost to West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final, once remarked that ?football is war?. Barring one occasion, the sport?and the only sport?has sparked an actual war between nations?El Salvador and Honduras in 1969?no countries have fought with each other over football.
Fortunately, there is nothing in the least bit belligerent about the game in our era. And, unfortunately for Su?rez, there is nothing in the least bit funny about justifying unfair means, too.
The splendour of football lies in executing a game play to near-perfection by sportmanly conduct?analyse that, and you will find many a good insights to business management.
?rajiv.jayaram@expressindia.com