Caught up in cup fever
I don’t even particularly like football. But I love the World Cup.
How can Cameroon be losing to Japan? I just texted a friend of mine. Africa’s first World Cup is my World Cup. And judging from the shouts emanating from the restaurant downstairs whenever there’s a game, I’m not the only one who feels like that.
I asked a friend who his teams are for the World Cup. Africa, he said. I have six teams. And whilst my heart may beat for Cote d’Ivoire this year, I know exactly what he means. It’s why I took special pride in Ghana’s win over Serbia. And why Cameroon’s defeat by Japan felt personal. Do other continents feel this same sense of solidarity?
There is a different buzz about Harare – the frequency that already revels in a veneer of normalcy, of a false sense of stability after years of uncertainty has reached a new pitch since the Samba Boys’ visit. I feel compelled to double check with people that they’ll be at work, that they’ll keep an appointment – that they won’t be watching a match.
My neophyte’s enthusiasm might make a more dedicated fan of the sport cringe. But I was thrilled when a dedicated follower explained to me just how simple it is to understand football. So for others who might want to get caught up in it this month, I‘ll share his instructions:
a) score goals
b) don’t go off sides
Yip. That’s about it for starters. You just want to score goals. You have 90 minutes to do so. And the good news is, to win a World Cup game you only need to score one or two. Unless of course your team is Australia. And the other team is Germany . . .