The World Cup tournament is now finished, which means that journalists outside the U.S. are now focusing again on actual news and not the latest soccer highlights. The World Cup is truly a unique event being one of the rare occasions that can spark international attention for an entire month. This year’s tournament was focused on one particular region of the world— Europe—not only because it was held in Germany, but also because the tournament itself managed to reveal much about what is happening on this continent.

The French national team, which went down to defeat in the final championship game of the World Cup tournament against Italy, surprised just about everyone who followed its progress. Their start in the tournament was dismal, and few gave them a chance to get as far as they did. But in the end they had the championship within their grasp only to have it whisked away by a resilient Italian squad.

The French side was also notable for the diverse background of the team members, which consequently also ended up highlighting one of biggest problems currently facing Europe—the issue of immigration. Leading France’s efforts was Zinedine Zidane, a Frenchman of Algerian decent from the southern city of Marseilles. His presence, along with the prominent role played by a number of French-Caribbean players, prompted right-wing political leader Jean-Marie Le Pen to decry the team as not really representing France.

Mr. Le Pen’s voice was drowned out by the cheers of fans urging the French team on; but it did highlight a sensitive issue: France approximately 8 months before the World Cup suffered some of the worst riots in its modern history sparked by disgruntled North African immigrants. Unfortunately the ethnicity of the French players surfaced again in the final game of the World Cup when one of the members of the Italian squad—which in comparison to the French side featured few if any non-Italian players—goaded Zidane with a taunt, referring to his mother as a “terrorist”.

The ugly display of racism resulted in the normally dignified French star head butting the Italian player and being kicked out of the very last game of his professional career. This, of course, sparked a media controversy that may take some time to blow over. The slur and the resulting violence was a personal example of the racial tension that exists within Europe between immigrants, particularly muslim ones, and Europeans.

The World Cup also highlighted another social-political trend in Europe that has drawn considerable notice. Germany, as the host of this event, has won considerable praise for its handling and organization of the games, particularly since there were no incidents of violence on any large scale and no terrorist acts. What also has sparked quite a buzz is the resurgent German confidence that was on display during the tournament.

Post World War II Germany has often been timid in expressing enthusiasm for its collective accomplishments. It was former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who, during his time in office, signaled that it was time for his country to start holding its head high by indulging in an aggressive, unapologetic foreign policy. The 2006 World Cup seemed to accentuate this burgeoning new German self-confidence as was noted by commentators including the International Herald Tribune which stated:

“…the German news media began describing a Germany in one of the happiest collective frames of mind since the end of the War, the most visible sign of that being a kind of breakthrough in the display of the national flag, a display that the Germans, always haunted by the Nazi past, have been hesitant to make until now.”

Germany appeared to come out of its shell during this year’s tournament and many observers have wondered aloud whether this may signal a change in the German national character as a whole.

Watchers of the latest World Cup were treated to a month long display of entertaining Soccer. In the end, however, the tournament may have revealed just as much about the continent where it was being held as the game itself.