The FIFA World Cup in Qatar has seen a number of surprising twists and upsets. Japan stunned the world by beating Germany and knocking out Spain in the group stage, Saudi Arabia defeated Lionel Messi-led Argentina in their first game and Morocco became the first African country in history to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
The wild wins have attracted global attention, bringing soccer glory and invaluable publicity to the victorious nations.
Due to the influence of the US, Taiwan’s most popular sports are baseball and basketball. However, despite its links to Japan, soccer in Taiwan trails far behind its neighbor and the J1 League when it comes to the professional game.
If exercise and health were the only considerations, then the sport being played is irrelevant, but if Taiwan wants to garner further support in the global community, then it should consider carefully which sport to endorse.
In terms of economic activity, soccer far exceeds basketball and baseball, accounting for a staggering 43 percent of the global sports industry. The mainly US-centered sports of football and basketball account for 14 percent and 6 percent respectively.
In terms of global strategy, Taiwan has every reason to develop its soccer industry, but such proposals are regularly shot down with criticism steeped in defeatism. Naysayers cite Taiwan’s population, financial situation and culture as reasons for soccer not being a good fit, but these excuses do not hold water.
With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is not far behind Morocco’s 37 million people. The runner-up in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Croatia, has fewer than 4 million people. Uruguay, one of the leading teams in South American soccer, has an even smaller population than Croatia.
North Macedonia, which has only 2 million people, produced one of the greatest upsets in world soccer when they defeated Italy in a playoff semi-final, ending the hopes of the European champions to qualify for Qatar.
Taiwan’s GDP is about 10 times bigger than Morocco’s and double Croatia’s, which emerged from a war for independence in 1995. The beating heart of Croatia’s national team, captain Luka Modric, grew up in a war zone.
Regardless of how bad critics say the conditions for soccer in Taiwanese society are, they could not be worse than in a country embroiled in war.
The host of soccer superstars who grew up in poverty show that soccer is not an expensive sport.
Taiwanese children generally do not play soccer, but that should not be seen as a hindrance. More than half of Morocco’s World Cup squad were born abroad — although the sport is popular in the nation — so success is not necessarily tied to local culture.
Even so, cultural and societal trends can be cultivated if the government sets its mind to it.
Saudi Arabia’s upset of Argentina has promoted its image as an Arab nation, while Morocco’s historic run has galvanized Africa, the Arab world and Muslims worldwide.
The World Cup results show that Taiwanese should not underestimate the appeal and profound influence of soccer, and giving up on the industry is the last thing the government should do.
As long as there is a long-term plan, more people would get into soccer and the national team would benefit.
Tommy Lin is director of the Wu Fu Eye Clinic and president of the Formosa Republican Association.
Translated by Rita Wang
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