As this World Cup draws to a close, it's time to confess that the thing I most enjoyed had nothing to do with football.
With 45,000 spectators packed into the magnificent Cape Town stadium, an advertising hoarding suggested
'Imagine Football in 3D'
Like er, yeh, imagine you can see the game going on, right there, in front of your eyes.
There can be no better metaphor for the way the Beautiful Game has distanced itself from the people who actually go to games. Unless you're watching on tele you don't count.
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2 comments:
For many people, the final became an example of anti-football, where the sport stopped mattering. But tell that to the one million fans lining the streets of Madrid tonight. In such really tough times for people, as Spain also announced today unemployment has hit 20%, football still has an amazing grip on public sentiment, getting people out of their depressing lives for that one moment of glory as Iniesta finally put one away. What a simple way to unite a country as divided as Spain! Weird!
I'm primarily a fan of football, then Chelsea and the England team. It is the greatest of distractions, a chance to realise the tribal instinct as well as a rare and acceptable outlet for blokes to shout, cry, scream and act all emotional in public.
As you say JB, with 20% unemployment, the more distractions the better. Very interested to see if the World Cup victory and the 'Soy Espanol' joy has a lasting and cohesive effect on the Basque and Catalan Spanish/not Spanish splinters.
Now there's no footie. None for aaaages.... Well ... none until August 8th when Chelsea play Man. Utd at Wembley and it all kicks off again!
In the meantime JB, Galway is picking up steam: Film Fleadh last week, first week of the Arts Festival fortnight and Race Week, on the horizon. Who needs footie when you're about to live through your first Galway summer? Good luck out there man.
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