World Cup 10'

I know that it's a little late to put up this post as the fever has already settled down.....but I still want to have a memoir of this year wonderful World Cup.After waiting for 4 years......I mean waiting after the boring final between France and Italy(boring excluding the Zidane headbutt), finally the World Cup had arrived.The decision by FIFA to hand South Africa the job of hosting the 2010 World Cup was a worthy bet.Leave that nations football aside,and you'll see that they had done a very good job indeed.The African theme really caught my attention this time around.

One of the most unforgettable things during this tournament was the vuvuzela.A horn which was capable of causing hearing problems for the normal human ear,it was a hit among the supporters as they had their own battle in giving out the biggest and loudest support for their respective teams.Many teams put the blame of their disappointing campaigns on the vuvuzelas....but little did they realise that the horns had awoken the spirit of football fans to watch the World Cup which was dubbed "boring" even before the tournament kicked off.

Next,the football matches themselves.At the beginning of the tournament,most teams failed to show off their flamboyant style of football,Brazil in particular.They were suppose to be the focus of the tournament,but even their former players criticised their straightforward style of play.England disappointed many as well........not me.....because I knew that they didn't stand a chance at all with their 23-man squad in South Africa.One of the most memorable matches of the tournament was the match between Netherlands and Brazil.Netherlands looked like a bunch of lost kids in a jungle,running around the ball during the first half.In the second half,they turned on their play.Two headers decided everything.Brazil bowed down ungracefully with their players losing their temper before the match ended.Again,the dark horses Spain,who started off their campaign with a defeat,won another major tournament in international football.

Not to forget......the infamous.....Paul the Octopus.This octopus which was born in England and now brought up in Germany,had predicted the right results for every match the Germans played,including the loss the Serbia and Spain.His prediction was making match-betters around the world super rich.However,I personally feel that Germany lost the match to Spain because the prediction had instilled a psychological fear in the hearts of the German players.

I saved the most important point for the last.Most importantly,every 4 years,people from different ages,cultures and backgrounds all come together to celebrate this great event.All along the 31 days of the tournament,I enjoyed a lot of wonderful conversations with my friends about the World Cup.We discussed and argued about many things.....but at the end of the day......we just got closer together......as family and as friends.I like to dub the World Cup "auspicious"......but sadly......this form of "auspicious" only comes around once every 4 years........