The UAE's willing but seemingly wilting football team, suddenly fronted by a new French field marshal in Dominique Bathenay, need to discover a heartbeat in Seoul, a soul even, if their increasingly convoluted campaign to career towards the World Cup finals is not to become detached from reality.
History and tradition in football and, indeed, in a wider worldly sense, without getting bogged down in a cracker-barrel philosophy, are assets that money cannot buy. In the world game, South Korea would appear to have it all. Bathenay and his team hope to avoid being poleaxed tomorrow night, but there are other venues that they would prefer to visit for such a searching qualifying game. South Korea continue to possess and enhance a heritage, particularly in carrying the game out of Asia and into the land of the rising sun that the higher planes of European football represents.
The success of Park Ji-Sung in representing Manchester United and the defender Lee Young-Pyo of Borussia Dortmund, two clubs who have won the Champions League, was partly founded by the team's forefathers. They are both included in the squad to face a UAE side who are coming off a 1-1 draw in a friendly with Japan. South Korea have been quite active in the World Cup finals for some time now. Argentina defeated them 3-1 in an opening finals match that would help them on their way to winning the tournament in Mexico in 1986, but the moment was also significant for the losers.
Park Chang-Seon buried one against Argentina, and the South Korea head coach Huh Junh-Moo man-marked Diego Maradona. He also scored against the 1982 winners Italy in a 3-2 loss. It proved to be the early days of a great gold rush. South Korea have continued to out themselves at such tournaments over the past 22 years. Fifa recognised such a contribution in playing at seven finals, by allowing them to host the tournament with Japan in 2002. The Dutch manager Guus Hiddink enthralled a nation by overseeing their progression to the semi-finals.
Hope has been replaced by high hopes, and expectation. A 1-1 draw with North Korea in their opening qualifying game was not greeted by fervour. The UAE know such a feeling. The hardy bunch of Emirati players were bruised by home defeats to North Korea and Saudi Arabia last month, and left dazed by the resignation of their befuddled head coach Bruno Metsu. He is gone and, in these parts, was probably forgotten before he even opted to board a plane and get busy with the Qatar national side.
Bathenay, a figure who played for France at the 1978 World Cup finals, may represent another gun for hire as a coach, but he could quickly follow Metsu into the ether if the home team have their way. If the UAE do fail to leave South Korea with three points, then for South Korea it bring closer a seventh straight finals in South Africa. With such riches on offer, the visiting side could easily be left groping in the dark. @Email:dkane@thenational.ae
