To get to the FIFA World Cup 2010
In 1996, when my friends and I were around 16, we decided that we wanted to go and see the FIFA World Cup 2010. It was the biggest dream for us. It was all we wanted and talked about. We figured out how much money we would need to get us there even though we had no idea where it was being held or how much flights would cost, or how we would get visas. Although they were just the dreams of children they seemed so real to us. We wanted this more than anything in the world.
The appeal of the Football World Cup is universal. Football fans of all ages and all races see it as their football tournament. A few reasons can be seen for this aspect of universality. Football in itself is a game played all over the world, with almost every country having a football team and the young playing football wherever they can. Football stars have become worldwide icons and superstars and their fan following has soared. Football is also an easy game to understand and to follow; all you have to know is that one side has to kick the ball into the other side’s goal and the other team has to try and stop you. Also each match only lasts 90 minutes so fans can squeeze it into their schedules with ease.
The other aspect of the football World Cup is the fact that besides local leagues, fans can support their national teams. This type of support makes the tournament take on a level of national pride that the citizens of a country or nation can feel towards the teams and players that are representing them. When this happens and if a country’s team wins the tournament then the players are honoured as national heroes, like victors in battle, or triumphant soldiers that have just won the war and saved the nation. The fact of the matter is also that when players play in national leagues they usually play for money and fame and recognition. But when they play in the World Cup they are playing for their countries and for their people. Money is seldom a factor then and the tournament takes on a whole new meaning. It is also why watching something like the World Cup becomes so enjoyable and worthwhile because you can just tell from looking at the players that they are playing for their countries and something more than money and fame is at stake if they lose.
As the 2010 World Cup is slowly creeping up and will start on the 11th of June and it will be an amazing tournament. The atmosphere that is being felt all around the world and the way it is lifting the spirits of the South African is great to see. The World Cup is always one tournament that is seen as something that can change the fortunes of a country and any country that is hosting it gets a serious and very real boost in its image. This tournament or any World Cup would be one of the highlights of anyone life if they got to experience it. It becomes a talking point for many years to come and as it has the ability to transform people’s lives it takes on a whole other meaning than just being a simple football tournament.
Well in the end we won’t get to go to the 2010 World Cup, some of us are married, some have work commitments, some have visa issues, some can’t get holidays, some don’t have the money (that was my issue) and some have just lost the notion and don’t want to anymore. The dream that we had as kids will not be realised now but still there is always 2014 to look forward to. Now it’s all up to me and my persuading skills, where did I leave that phonebook?
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