World looks at Munich today, Germany over its shoulder

A day before the greatest show on turf begins, at the spectacular Allianz Arena here, the headlines are dominated by good news, bad news and good news that may not necessarily be that good.

A day before the greatest show on turf begins, at the spectacular Allianz Arena here, the headlines are dominated by good news, bad news and good news that may not necessarily be that good.

The bad news is, of course, Michael Ballack’s almost-certain absence from the first match, which not only means Germany are like a Mercedes Benz with a flat tyre, it also deprives the opening match of whatever star status it had to begin with. It now falls on “Prince Poldi”, Germany’s Polish-born striker, to light up the stage. A heavy responsibility, but, having just turned 21 on Monday, he should be up to the task.

This is also crunch time for Germany’s coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had survived wave after wave of criticism, levelled mainly at his refusal to give up his base in the US during the run-up to the tournament. His glittering career as a player—he won the World Cup in 1990—has all but been forgotten; this is a chance to redeem himself. Yet he is aware, as is all of Germany, that a repeat of 1990 is unlikely.

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There are two nightmare scenarios here. One is a repeat of the 2002 World Cup opener, when Senegal beat the holders France; Costa Rica may lack the tactical nous that Senegal’s players picked up on the European leagues but they can turn on the style. Their short-passing game, orchestrated by midfielder Walter Centeno, and love of dribbling could further unsettle German nerves.

Costa Rica is a small country in the shadow of bigger players but has always held its own and has enjoyed the kind of stability its neighbours haven’t. Famous for being peace-loving—it was the first country in the world to abolish its army, way back in 1949—the message from the camp this time is that the gloves are off, they will be playing to win. Can they surprise? In 1990, they reached the quarter-finals, beating Scotland and Sweden en route.

The other nightmare is any possible fallout of recent happenings in Iraq. Germany was not part of the war in Iraq but tomorrow’s match is among the 21 “high-risk” games in the tournament. There was no extra security in place today but there were helicopters flying over this stadium rather too frequently.

Maybe it’s to do with the stadium itself. Built for this tournament, this really is German engineering at its best. On first sight, and in cold light of day, it resembles a squashed gold ball, dimples and all. Come matchtime, we are promised, the exterior—formed from “translucent, lozenge-shaped cushions”—will glow in various colours, each tile able to take on a different hue.

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The stadium—capacity 66,000—was built following a municipal referendum four years ago; 65.8 percent voted in favour of a football arena (the 37.5 per cent voter turnout is said to be the highest ever turnout in a Bavarian referendum).

Those 66,000 will see the first match of what is, on paper, an intriguing tournament. There may be few fireworks tomorrow but they are only a long whistle away.

The motto for the World Cup is “A time to make friends”. As if to set the tone, Germany’s two goalkeepers, Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn, set aside their bitter, prolonged rivalry to engage in a one-on-one kickabout today. Tomorrow, the gloves will be off.