Had Robben scored, had bad triumphed over good, it would have destroyed the World Cup in the space of one game

By Martin Lipton in 2010 World Cup Blog

Published 12:35 12/07/10

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There are none so blind, they say, as those that will not see.

And after the most cynical World Cup Final ever witnessed, Bert Van Marwijk put Nelson (as in the Sea Lord, at Copenhagen, rather than Mandela, whose appearance at Soccer City was the highlight of the night) to shame.

Van Marwijk's stubborn, blinkered refusal to concede what the world had viewed was as staggering in its own way as his decision to renege on every aspect of Holland's footballing heritage.

In the reality of defeat, Van Marwijk could have held up his hands to admit things went too far, acknowledge that John Heitinga's red card was an accident waiting to happen, or at least accept that Nigel De Jong might, at least might, have been lucky to stay on the pitch for planting his studs in Xabi Alonso's chest.

Instead, in a demonstration of one-eyed bias, the Dutch coach turned his fire on Howard Webb and then accused Spain of being the aggressors.

It was a shameful approach, mirroring that of his team.

We knew before the game that it was Spain, rather than Holland, who were the true inheritors of the Total Football tradition of Cruyff, Neeskens and that Rinus Michels team of 1974.

To be honest, we all probably expected the "Clogs of War", embodied by Mark Van Bommel - son-in-law of the coach and clearly given familial licence to nail every opponent he sees - trying to force Spain out of their stride and into a real scrap.

Yet nobody truly anticipated it would become such a kicking match, such a blatant example of thuggery.

And before anybody tries to tell me it was a one-off, that Holland do not play like that, pointing to their 100 per cent record in qualifying and the tournament proper before Sunday night, let me refer you back to their previous World Cup exit.

July 4 2006, Nuremberg. The last 16, Holland against Portugal, a game to sit in the annals of World Cup history with infamous "The Battle of Berne" between in Hungary and Brazil 1954 and the "Battle of Santiago", involving Chile and Italy, eight years later, the match that helped referee Ken Ashton invent the yellow and red cards.

Russian referee Valentin Ivanov produced 16 cards, including four reds, as Portugal won 1-0. Seven of those cards went to the Dutch, every one of them - the dismissed Gio Van Bronckhorst and Khalid Boulahrouz, Wesley Sneijder, Van Bommel and Joris Mathijsen - in Van Marwijk's squad.

That is not to say Holland were solely responsible - the majority of the cards went to Portugal, with Maniche and Deco sent off while Luis Figo should have been - but it certainly takes two to tango.

In the same manner, Spain were hardly shrinking violets themselves, although only Carles Puyol's booking was for a dangerous tackle, allowing Van Marwijk to suggest: "It's not our style to commit horrible fouls. It's not our kind of football. It was a World Cup final and people were tense.

"Look at the rest of the tournament. I think both sides, also the Spaniards, committed terrible fouls."

But this was a situation the Spaniards were suckered into by the Dutch, whose intention was to destroy the game as a spectacle, seeking one chance to win it.

That chance came too, when Sneijder sent Arjen Robben away through the middle.

Had the former Chelsea man scored, had bad triumphed over good, it would have destroyed the tournament in the space of one game.

Africa's first World Cup was at times chaotic, at times naive, at times disorientating.

Yet it was also life-affirming to see the sheer exhilaration of so many people - fans and non-fans alike - who felt pride in their country, who were delighted to be able to showcase it to the world.

The pre-tournament fears of a crime wave washing away hundreds of visitors did not materialise and in the main - apart from the mayhem at Durban on the day of the second semi-final - travel across the country was relatively easy, while the shuttles to the grounds ferried thousands with few problems.

That was a triumph for Danny Jordaan and Sepp Blatter, proof that the decision to award the tournament to South Africa was the right one.

Sadly, South Africa did not get the finale it deserved - that, it could be said, came in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, when Germany and Uruguay left their skin on the pitch in pursuit of third place - but the memories will not go away.

Unfortunately, neither will the memory of Holland's approach to their chance of glory. Thankfully, the world could shout "Viva Espana!"

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