Soccer's pre-eminence in sport has been visibly underlined by the colour and excitement of the World Cup, which came to a fitting finale in Paris last night with victory for the host country. Success or failure of sporting events on the scale of the Olympics and the World Cup is invariably measured by TV audiences, security successes and marketing expenditure but France 98 went beyond these markers in providing a tournament which will be remembered for outstanding games, wonderful skills and moments of real sporting heartache and ecstasy.
From the opening game between Brazil and Scotland in the Stade de France on June 10th, the tournament picked up a tempo and style which rarely flagged over its 33-day duration. Good weather, full stadiums, exuberant supporters (with the exception of English and German hooligans) and efficient organisation all played their parts in making the extravaganza a huge success. But ultimately it was the standard of the games and their top players which captivated the global audience.
Although a little blighted by FIFA's directives to referees and the gamesmanship of a few players, the competition was illuminated, even in the early stages, by some unlikely teams and games: Nigeria with their dramatic victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites, Spain; Chile with their surprise draw against Italy and the sublime skills of players from emerging football nations such as Morocco and Iran.
As the tournament moved into the knockout stages, the emotion and excitement moved up a gear. Unforgettable moments of sporting drama were provided in England's penalty shoot-out defeat by Argentina and the exquisite skills of individual players like Holland's Denis Bergkamp and England's Michael Owen. In football terms, the strength of the game in Europe and South America was emphasised by the two continents providing all eight quarter-finalists.
France may have taken a while to warm to the event but few would argue with FIFA's choice of venue for the biggest World Cup to date. The country has been instrumental in developing football in Europe and it was the vision of a Frenchman, Jules Rimet, which gave us the World Cup in the first place, in much the same way as it was a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who breathed life into the modern Olympic movement.
There is a lingering belief that major sporting events are merely a sop for the masses - artificial, though admittedly useful, outlets for baser instincts. In some respects this is healthy scepticism but the 1998 World Cup challenged some of those assumptions in the best manner possible by providing top-class sport in a wonderful environment.