从与中国的乒乓外交一直到德国队在1990年实际统一的比赛之前，体育成为政治发展进程的先兆，而各地的政治家们则抓住了世界杯的重要性。
From ping-pong diplomacy with China to the united German Olympic team that competed in 1990 before actual reunification, sport has prefigured political developments, and politicians everywhere have seized on the importance of the World Cup.