SHANGHAI // Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho will go head-to-head in the semi-finals of the football tournament today in the latest chapter of a storied rivalry between Argentina and Brazil. The two former Barcelona teammates will be chasing a place in the final and the chance to win a gold medal. Argentina are the defending champions, Brazil have never won the title. The question is: outside of Argentina and Brazil, will anyone else really care?
The Olympic football competition has had image problems for decades and the reality of the Beijing Games is that, whoever wins the title, far more people will remember Michael Phelps' record eight gold medals in the swimming pool, Usain Bolt's world record in winning the 100 metres on the track and host China's incredible haul of gold. Football, however, had the best start possible in terms of media coverage - a major controversy. The clubs won a ruling only days ahead of kick off that they could pull players such as Messi, Diego and Rafinho out of the competition. Then they let them play after all.
The competition unearthed a rising star in the Ivory Coast forward Gervinho, and produced a stunning quarter-final turnaround by Belgium, which beat favoured Italy 3-2 after being 1-0 down with only 10 men on the field. Messi and Ronaldinho have played their parts, too. Messi has scored two of Argentina's goals and set up two more as well as thrilling sell-out crowds with his amazing skills. Even the former World Cup winnner Diego Maradona showed up to cheer on his country as they attempt to defend the title.
Ronaldinho scored twice in Brazil's 5-0 rout of New Zealand and seems to be regaining his old sharpness. Whoever wins today's showdown in Beijing will go to Saturday's final and face either the 1996 champions Nigeria or Belgium, who play here in the other semi-final. But there seems little doubt that, without these big-name players bolstering squads which are restricted to players aged 23 and under, the football competition would carry on almost with no one other than dedicated fans showing any interest.
The timing of the matches doesn't help because the action is taking place in China. The games are being played mid-morning or early afternoon in Europe and Africa, and while people in North and South America are still in bed. The games are rarely screened live. League football has also just resumed in England, Germany and France, so the coverage of the Olympic competition has been reduced in those countries, none of whom have men's teams in Beijing. It's difficult to see how the organisers or Fifa can make the competition more compelling so that it gets the same interest as athletics, swimming or gymnastics.
Fifa are reluctant to allow the national teams to send their strongest players because it would rival the World Cup. They compromised by allowing teams to field three over-age players, and that's how Ronaldinho, 28, got his chance to play. Maybe football's only solution to make a big impact is for Fifa to allow the full national teams to play. To get around the problem of yet another qualifying competition, they could invite the six confederations to send their top teams in the world rankings. If they did that, and made sure that the Olympics were part of their official international calendar so that clubs have to release their players, then FIFA might solve two problems.
But football would still have to get used to letting the other traditional sports have the spotlight. * AP
