The history of the World Cup has produced as many villains as heroes, and Mark van Bommel could add his name to that list in Sunday’s final.
By David Sheehan
Harald Schumacher, the Uruguay team of 1986, Marco Materazzi (or Zinedine Zidane, depending on your viewpoint) and, somewhat hilariously, Benjamin Massing – all villains of World Cups past. Invariably, an international tournament made up of so many competing nations is going to throw up its share of drama and controversy.
In the maelstrom of incidents that comprise a World Cup, only the extreme examples of skill or skulduggery are remembered. Maradona achieved both in the space of a few minutes at the Azteca Stadium in 1986. Schumacher’s assault on Patrick Battiston in 1982 is arguably the most infamous foul in the history of the game, Massing’s probably the most amusing.
Before the World Cup began we were led to believe that FIFA had presented referees with a list of English swear words for which to keep their ear cocked, in case that scouse scamp Wayne Rooney saw the need to vent his anger in their direction. If true, it proved to be unnecessary as the poster-boy for England’s World Cup hopes left as little impression in the books of the officials as he had on opposition defences.
Given their apparent desire to ‘head off at the pass’ any prospective misdemeanours, one wonders whether FIFA will put together a highlights reel of Mark van Bommel’s World Cup campaign so far. The Bayern Munich captain has somehow rampaged his way through the tournament and picked up only one booking to date – that for questioning the referee’s timekeeping at the end of Holland’s semi-final win over Uruguay.
According to FIFA.com, the combative midfielder has committed just 12 fouls in the tournament so far – a figure which seems very low – but then Van Bommel has gotten away with one or two without being spotted, the most notable of which came in the lead up to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s spectacular opener in the aforementioned semi-final.
FIFA have appointed England’s Howard Webb as the referee for the final, and he will surely be aware of the abandon with which van Bommel has thrown himself into tackles – sometimes fairly, all too often recklessly. While he treads a fine line, van Bommel’s presence, along with that of Nigel de Jong, has been crucial to Holland as they plotted their way through to the final playing in a style that cannot be described as classically Dutch.
Marco van Basten’s Oranje side of Euro 2008 were certainly more entertaining and looked set for a tilt at that championship, but flattered to deceive as Russia accounted for them 3-1 after extra-time in the quarter-final. Notably, van Bommel was absent from that squad having declared, after the 2006 World Cup, that he would not play for Holland again while van Basten was in charge.
His presence in Bert van Marwijk’s Dutch side, however, is as important as that of Wesley Schneider or Arjen Robben, but he has led a charmed life in this tournament so far. While he won’t change his game for the final, it would surely be prudent to curtail his penchant for ‘leaving a bit on his opponent’, to borrow from the Graeme Souness phrasebook. It will surely end in tears sooner or later.
Zidane’s dismissal in the final four yeas ago drew much sympathy from neutral observers, but there is a feeling that van Bommel has a red card coming his way, and few would shed a tear if one of his overly-robust challenges – like the potential leg breaker that went unnoticed against Uruguay – drew the ultimate sanction from the referee. Should that happen, it would almost certainly cost Holland any hope of victory, as it did France in 2006, and van Bommel will be remembered for costing his side the World Cup rather than helping them lift it.
Fancy Mark van Bommel to be sent off against Spain? He’s 16/1 in Paddy Power’s World Cup final specials.
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