Musings on the World Cup

In which way is the World Cup Football (WCF) heading? Heading for improvement? No way! The use of the Jabulani ball has made the game almost a laughing stock; expert free kick takers making Rugby-ball kicks! Penalty kickers hitting the posts! (Those careful ones just pass to the keepers!) Passes go to the opponents! Corner kicks going to the other corner! Adventurous balls passed to the goal post go straight to the goal keepers! Ha! Ha! World Cup football indeed!

I have seen goal keepers become heroes of a team for saving penalty kicks or sure-goals. I have seen players who shoot in the all deciding last balls, especially in penalty shootouts, into goals become instant heroes. I have seen players going solo, skillfully weaving in and out of the opponents to score decisive goals become much acclaimed heroes. I am agreeable and warmly appreciative of all those heroes. But to see a player become a national hero by becoming a ‘second goalkeeper’ in a football game is really too much for me to bear. A soccer game should have only one keeper, not two! Uruguay has flawed! They should be disqualified!

Conversely, Uruguay should take the advantage and train Luis Suarez to become a countries’ goalkeeper! He seems so good at saving sure-goals! Ha! Ha! He had single-handedly, (or rather double-handedly) made sure Uruguay entered the World Cup semi-final!

Having said all that, to all the Uruguayan fans, don’t feel bad. Your team did play well. Your Diego Forlan is a player I admire! To a lesser extent, also Luis Suarez, when he is not a goal keeper!

Lo England! My England! You let me down again! With all your breast-beating and your clamour of an invigorated team and the few pre-world cup mirage wins had me falsely convinced that this England team really had a chance to finally hold the World Cup high over its shoulders. If someone had given me a huge pile of money, which need not be paid back, I would have surely placed all that money on England! But that was not to be! England did not even enter the quarter-final! However, this is not the end. The next World Cup will come in four years’ time. England will again trumpet up its capabilities again and I will be a sucker for England again. England again will be my favourite team to win the World Cup, same as with all the other English fans!

It is hard to believe, but looking at the eagerness and enthusiasm shown by many towards the English team, I am sure England had been many people’s favourite team to win the Cup ever since 1966, year after year! Oh, God! Blow me down!

This World Cup final is disappointingly different from the past finals, at least to the fans who watch it on TV and other screens; no sound of the shrieking crowds, the chorus songs, the jeering whistles, the drums, the screams of applause and happiness when a team scores a goal. The screen watchers could only hear the bee like hums of South Africa’s vuvuzelas. The teams enter the field – vuvuzelas! A goal is scored – vuvuzelas! A rough tackle on the field – vuvuzelas! A penalty miss – vuvuzelas! A team wins the game – vuvuzelas! Finally, when the champions lift the Cup – vuvuzelas! Vuvuzelas are the real winners!