Another Step Forward

We saw a very good World Cup in China -- and I'm intentionally leaving the "women's" modifier out of the sentence. And this evaluation doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the German team succeeded in winning its second title in a row -- something the men's team has still never done.

The 16 national teams have spectacularly shown that women's soccer has absolutely nothing to do with the seemingly ineradicable views of armchair players. The World Cup was, without a doubt, a tournament played at a high technical and tactical level. Women's soccer today is fairer than men's, offensive and well-played at a pace that has clearly sped up. Of course, the men are still faster, but that's the case in track and field, too. Are those races any more boring because of it?

The journey women's soccer has taken from its beginnings when it was often chuckled at -- or even openly ridiculed -- can be shown in many ways. While the women on the German team who won the 1989 European Championships were rewarded with a coffee set, each member of the 2007 team will receive 50,000 euros ($71,165) for winning the title. And the nearly 40,000 spectators per game in China speak for themselves. While the 1999 Cup was broadcast in 67 countries, this time around it was 220 -- and German television ratings were very high.

The World Cup in China has doubtlessly given women's soccer a new worldwide impulse for further development. The announcement from Brazil to introduce a real professional league as soon as possible is only a small, first step. If the sport still doesn't make a giant leap in terms of public perception then it's because of limited funding and the lack of a league structure.

In comparison with men, there are also simply fewer women playing soccer, which lowers the number of truly gifted players. The result is that the level of club soccer varies from club to club and is clearly lower than the soccer played by national teams. That's a reason why organizers should carefully consider whether the plan to increase the number of teams at the next World Cup from 16 to 24 is the right decision.

The World Cup was also another test for the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, and it was a test spectators passed with flying colors while small and usually insignificant mistakes tarnished the organizers' results.

It leaves a bitter taste in many mouths when teams complain of sports espionage, journalists and players are constantly monitored and even have the feeling of being watched in their hotel rooms. In this regard, the Chinese can only be urgently advised to work out solutions to keep these scandals from resurfacing next year.