PARIS, July 12: Unexpected success on the field, coupled with unprecedented support off it, have given France a glorious World Cup, defying the cynics who had predicted a dour tournament for the hosts.As the competition approached its end, the French laid everyday worries aside and rallied behind their multi-cultural team in a way few people had expected of a country deeply troubled by racial divides.Politicians' ratings have soared and tourist officials eagerly anticipate a bonanza in the months ahead as positive images of France sweep the world.``From the first games of the World Cup, France looked at its reflection in the mirror of the stadiums. What a surprise ! It had expected to see itself sick and pallid. Instead it was beautiful, dynamic, multi-coloured, passionate and victorious,'' Le Journal Du Dimanche newspaper wrote today.The mood was so different at the start of the finals in June.Cup organisers warned that militant transport unions would hijack the tournament, foreigners complainedthey could not get match tickets and police fretted about terrorist threats.Amidst all these worries, the independent-minded French feigned general indifference about the last great, global sporting event of the century.Everyone was so glum that president Jacques Chirac felt compelled to give his citizens a pep talk.``For some days, France will be at the centre of attention for the whole world, host to the entire planet. Our welcome must be exceptional and perfect. I hope everyone will display a spirit of responsibility,'' he said.At first, his call appeared to fall on deaf ears as a strike by Air France pilots brought air travel to a virtual standstill during the build-up to the World Cup.But hours before the kick-off of the first game, the bitter dispute was resolved and all other labour rows were banished to the sidelines.From then on, France caught the World Cup bug, excited by the strong showing of their team, which battled its way through to its first World Cup final despite a limitedattack.After their semi-final victory over Croatia last Wednesday, more than 300,000 French supporters poured into the Champs Elysee for a highly un-French impromptu street party.Top selling newspaper Le Monde described the huge celebrations as ``unparalleled since.well, since we don't really know when''.Commentators enthused over the way whites, blacks, men and women, were united in their new-found passion for soccer.``When you see all these French, seemingly so different but in fact so similar, sharing the same enthusiasm.You wonder whether there isn't a cement, a principle, a solution to all our problems,'' mused the conservative leader of the opposition Philippe Seguin.Politicians were swift to jump on the rapidly moving soccer bandwagon, with Chirac attending every French game and his socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin joining him for the later stages.The football glow rubbed off on both their ratings, with Chirac's approval vote among the electorate soaring to 68 per cent froma previous 53 while Jospin jumped to 70 from 60.Tour operators also expected to benefit. As often happens, the number of visitors to the World Cup host cities actually fell during the tournament but all the surrounding publicity should eventually pay dividends.``France has been at the centre of the world during the 1998 Cup. This will bear fruit for everyone in 1999,'' said Marc Dumoulin, president of the Association of Tourist Offices.One original worry was borne out - the ticketing was not a success and was exacerbated by fraudulent operators who sold thousands of foreign fans non-existent seats. The silver lining to this cloud as far as the French were concerned was that a massive black market shot up overnight with visitors willing to pay a small fortune for the locals' tickets, pumping huge amounts of cash into the economy.But how long can the World Cup feel-good factor last ? Maybe only for a short time.After a summer of industrial peace, the unions are already threatening strike actionin various sectors, rumblings in the coalition government have only been silenced not killed and corruption investigations may yet cause a political earthquake.``No-one is really deceiving themselves. Once the World Cup truce is over, once these times have passed, France will once again find its divisions and its problems. Nothing will have changed,'' Le Figaro newspaper said in a weekend editorial.``But for a month, the French have shown themselves they can get together, be generous and fraternal, share the same emotions.That's not bad.''
