Ole! Ole! Ole!

Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden
(A Time to make Friends)

Courtesy Of fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

Yup so the moment in the football world that everyone is talking about now has arrived.
Once in every four years, we would get to catch glimpses of the best players in the world coming together to play in the most prestigious football tournament.

I have always liked the World Cup. Not because of betting! Personally I do not like to bet on football matches.

I like the world cup because it produces some of the most magical moments in football. Think Johann Cryuff's goals, Maradona's 'Hand of God',Michael Owen's spectacular goal against Argentina in '98, Senegal's shock win over France in '02, South Korea's dream run to the semis in the same year.

But it is not just the goals or the wizardries that make the world cup special. When the whole team celebrates a goal scored, the camarederie displayed is amazing. When opposing players involved in rough tackles help each other up and shake hands, I can't deny that I had not been touched. One would just have to go back to the last World Cup to remember something very touching that happened.

I believe it was the 3rd/4th placing playoff between South Korea and Turkey. The match was full of passion, the 2 countries having supporters who were very patriotic. The South Koreans played well but were beaten by an even better Turkey. At the very end of the match, something incredible happened. Instead of walking off as usual at the end of the match, the Turkish and Korean players joined hands and cheered, thanking the passionate fans for their support. I had never seen such a thing in football before. For that moment in time, all social, racial, cultural and political boundaries were cast aside. There was only friendship. Needless to say, it was a very heartwarming feeling.

Let there be only ties of friendship and none of enmity during this period.

Joga Bonito!