A catalyst for true peace

Six years of vicious civil war have ripped the West African nation in two, creating an environment of fear and recrimination in which thousands of French troops represent the only bulwark between a fragile peace and the all-out anarchy demanded by the rebel-held north.

With the rule of law having been usurped by the survival of the fittest, and any chance of economic revival remote thanks to a combination of widespread corruption and a lack of foreign investment, wandering on to the city's streets after dark is generally an ill-advised venture.

But, last Saturday, a walk through Abidjan's central avenues would have been a much more uplifting experience. The same youngsters were holding court but, in their wake, they trailed flags of orange, white and green. Ivory Coast had qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history and, for a weekend at least, the country was at one.

"At the airport, people came from everywhere," said Ollo Kambire, the sports editor of Abidjan-based newspaper, 24 Heures. "Everywhere, regardless of political affiliation.

"This is proof that, when Ivorians are united, they are capable of great things. We hope this will show politicians and be a catalyst for true peace in this country."

It is far too easy to be dismissive of the unifying power of sport, and of football in particular. In Britain, we have become accustomed to the unpalatable realities of a business - and that is what it has become - fostering huge disparities of wealth that would make the average third-world dictator blush.

But, last weekend, the scenes of unbridled joy and celebration that accompanied the final throes of the World Cup qualifying campaign provided a timely reminder why football continues to matter.

In a world more, not less, fractured since the end of the Cold War, 11 men in a team sporadically combine to foment the unity and common identity that continues to elude the political elite.

Nobody is suggesting being in next summer's World Cup will eradicate the deep-rooted problems that blight every Ivorian. But even if a tenuous sense of nationhood takes hold for just one day, football will have done something to improve the chances of stability and security in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.

The sport is already having a far more tangible effect in a similarly fractured society 180 miles west.

There are few countries that can claim to be even more volatile and insecure than Ivory Coast, but its neighbour, Liberia, is one of them.

Fourteen years of fighting transformed the republic from one of Africa's biggest success stories to one of the continent's most chronic sores.

Conservative estimates put the civil war's death toll at 250,000 and, while 2003's peace agreement created an environment in which presidential elections could take place, few expected them to be anything more than a forced acceptance of the status quo.

Until, that is, a footballer threw his name into the ring. George Weah, a former Chelsea and AC Milan striker who was crowned World Footballer of the Year in 1995, was one of 22 candidates who stood for the presidency on Tuesday.

It is difficult to over-estimate how popular the 39-year-old is. His rise from the slums of Clara Town, a small village near the capital Monrovia, to the San Siro is seared on the national psyche.

He was Liberia's only national hero when the country was tearing itself apart and, after years of living in America, he is home.

"I am an African," he said, at Sunday's election rally. "I can bring about change. I have the same mind and intelligence I used when I was playing football and I can use it for the job."

Weah might not win, although early indications suggest he polled more strongly than expected, and he may prove to have been a better footballer than politician.

But his mere presence has ensured a turn-out rate far in excess of anything predicted - it may well surpass Britain's - and developed civic roots unimaginable just four or five years ago.

In one corner of the world at least, football has rediscovered its common touch.

While England were hardly complaining on Saturday night, it is difficult to see FIFA's decision to hand World Cup spots to two best-placed runners-up as anything other than a reward for mediocrity.

The runners-up in a mediocre Group Six (including Austria and Wales) have been rewarded , while the second-placed team in Group Two have been punished for struggling against far superior sides (a combination of Turkey, Denmark and Greece).

Failing to win a group that was by far the weakest - both on paper and on the pitch - should not have been enough.

Some people really will watch anything. More than 50,000 fans and countless Sky TV viewers tuned in last weekend to witness one of the biggest non-events of the year.

A group of washed-up former champions taking on a rag-bag XI desperate for exposure and a bit of hard cash. Still, enough about cricket's Super Series, did anyone see The Match on Sky One?