The Red Talisman

What do the 32 teams need to do to lift the Fifa World Cup  in South Africa this June? Is it enough to have a bunch of superstars?

What do the 32 teams need to do to lift the Fifa World Cup  in South Africa this June? Is it enough to have a bunch of superstars, a field-marshall like manager who can motivate the troops and device sound strategy, with a bit of luck on your side? Researchers at the University of Chichester in England say a team needs all that, plus a little extra—a goalkeeper wearing a red jersey. According to Iain Greenless and Michael Eynon, sports psychologists at the university, the colour of a goalkeeper’s jersey has an impact on the player taking a penalty kick, and every second striker falters on seeing a red goalie. Their recent research on 40 footballers found that the fewest number of goals were scored against a goalie in red (54 per cent success rate), followed by yellow (69 per cent), while blue and green were the least effective. Interestingly, a variation of this idea was adopted with some success by the German coach Jurgen Klinsmann during the 2006 WC when his team finished a creditable third. Klinsmann shocked the German football association and the nation when he decided that his team should junk its traditional green ‘away’ jersey and wear red because the colour was more intimidating to opponents. England, almost always kicked out of the tournament on penalties at the quarter-final stage, must try this one out. If it indeed works, the Indian cricket team could also swap their blue for red. Perhaps the only way a toothless bowling attack can look menacing.

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TR Vivek