Watch and learn!

I’M not sure if the Bahrain national soccer team players watched Sunday’s French Open final and the Canandian Formula One race.

They were back-to-back, and almost perfect in timing coming a day after the Bahrain soccer season concluded with the King’s Cup final and two important events just a couple of months away.
First, the French Open. It was a mouth-watering contest, a dream final, and it lived up to expectations although it denied Roger Federer a full Grand Slam dinner set. The Swiss was left to hold on to one of those ubiquitous rectangle silver plates while Rafael Nadal, for the third successive year, got to lift the all important trophy.
Nadal’s all-round superiority, never say die attitude, and a strong will to win were decisive in the end while Federer’s rare inability to cash in on the big points (he failed to convert 16 out of 17 break points) was his major undoing.
But the match was not short of breathtaking points and scintillating rallies. Nadal in particular played some brilliant drop shots charging to the net with the power and guile of a raging Spanish bull, while Federer was imperious playing his patented passing shots, some from at least five to six feet behind the baseline.
One particular rally late in the match saw the best two players exchange four volleys at almost point-blank range. Those fiery eight shots mirrored the intensity of the contest like nothing else.
Moving on to the other side of the Atlantic for the Canadian Formula One race. This was equally riveting, and record breaking. The winner again was a 22-year-old who carved victory with sheer daring and a lot of hard work.
Lewis Hamilton finally capped the sequences of podium finishes with a much-awaited and hyped-up victory. Like Nadal thousand of miles away, Hamilton was pitted against experience and expectations. But the Briton, like the muscular Mallorcan, accepted the challenge head on and kept his cool under chaotic conditions to race to his maiden Formula One victory.
The underlining factors in both these victories were self-belief, self-control and living up to potential. Bahrain national soccer teams need those in heavy doses over the next two months when they embark on a grinding journey in search of Olympic glory and Asian Cup success.
The 2006-07 soccer season was the usual: the good, the bad and the ugly. Muharraq clinched a double with the Premier Division title and the Crown Prince Cup while Al Najma lifted the King’s Cup.
The season also witnessed its quota of red cards, fan riots, controversies and paradoxes.
In striker Ala’a Hubail Bahrain has the highest paid GCC soccer player (his one-year contract with Kuwait Club, Kuwait, is worth $470,000) yet the heart and motor of champion club Muharraq is Brazilian Rico, who was also the league’s top scorer with 25 goals!
The season, however, was not devoid of action and excitement. The senior team qualified for the Asian Cup finals and the junior team has made it to the final qualifying round of the 2008 Olympic Games. But not before suffering from usual bouts of self-doubt.
This was clearly evident during the decisive matches against Kuwait, both in the Olympic and Asian Cup qualifiers. In both matches, Bahrain came close to committing suicide when victory was only a matter of minutes away.
Take the Olympic qualifier for example. Bahrain held a clear edge playing at home, took an early lead and should have put the hammerlock on the match. But no, instead, Bahrain went into a shell, missed a host of chances and generally made a mess of a match which it should have won hands down.
Kuwait bounced back in the second-half and not only equalised but also threatened to throw Bahrain out of contention as they needed only a draw to advance to the final rounds.
But Kuwait were reduced to 10 men following a send off and Bahrain’s second-half substitute Jaycee John scored in injury time to seal a place in the final qualifying round … one more victory by the skin of the teeth to add to a catalogue of similar feats.
Bahrain cannot afford complacency any longer. The tasks ahead (Asian Cup and final Olympic qualifiers in July and August) are daunting and demanding and only a determined effort can see the team taste success.
The Asian Cup in particular is a litmus test for Bahrain as the sweet memories of the previous edition in 2004 are bound to come back. Bahrain over-achieved last time by entering the semi-final against all odds. Ala’a Hubail was the toast of the nation then by being the top scorer.
The 2004 Asian Cup sparked a golden era in Bahrain soccer as the national team went on to achieve much more by coming close to qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. What happened next is too well known (and heartbreaking) to warrant a repeat here.
Those memories can either spark remorse or rejuvenate the team. It depends on how Bahrain looks back … or looks forward.
In the meantime, a close look at the French Open final and the Canadian Formula One race won’t be a bad idea at all.

By Vijay Mruthyunjaya
vmruthyunjaya@gmail.com