Brazil or England
The “Vision Plan” of Greg Chappell is over. Heads will roll, fans will mourn, but trust me in six months time, this cricket mad nation will be back to normal. We just cannot do without cricket. As I take leave from being a cricket fan and go back to being a football fan once again, I have been thinking. Which country would be the equivalent of India when it comes to football?
After a little thinking, two countries come to mind and both have strong arguments in their favour.Brazil and England. I will now try to make a case for each country and then decide. We’ll have some parameters and allocate points on each. The scale will be from 10 to 1, with a country getting a score of 10 on a parameter if, they are exactly like India on that parameter.
So let us begin
The country as a whole – Brazil is so much like India. A developing country with strong agricultural base and grappling with very similar issues. Looked upon as a future economic power. England on the contrary is a far developed nation whose growth has plateaued.
Brazil 9 England 2
Passion for the game – Even though both countries excel in various other sports, football rules. It transcends all boundaries, engulfing everybody with the same passion.
Brazil 10 England 10
Playing Style – Brazil like India, favours natural talent and flair. England is more industrious, its strengths lying in physical conditioning and being better organized .
Brazil 8 England 2
Talent Pool – Brazil has a never ending assembly of world class players . So much so , that great players like Deco turn out for other countries, unable to get into the Brazilian team.India would love to have a couple of world class fast bowlers and a genuine all rounder. England suffer from the same affliction, regularly playing players out of position to complete the team.
Brazil 4 England 8
Home and Away -India and England have had their best results at home and have been miserable away. Very few English players have succeeded in foreign leagues. Look at the list of Indians to fail at county cricket. Gavaskar , Ganguly, Tendulkar and Kapil.Brazilians dominate every league in the world and are the only country to win the world cup outside their continent.
Brazil 2 England 9
Domestic Structure - Even with their great clubs, the domestic structure stinks in Brazil. Football is their greatest export as hundreds of young players look for greener pastures abroad.They dont even have a national level league.India and England are a lot better with coaching academies,corporate sponsorships and proper development programs for all age groups .
Brazil 2 England 8
Achievements – There is no doubting Brazil’s position as the greatest country in football. England fans are still clinging on to the memories of 1966, not unlike India and 1983.
Brazil 2 England 9
The verdict – Brazil 37 England 48
India England Bhai Bhai
This is the way I see it. You may have a different opinion. Please feel free to give your own rating scores and comments.
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