The biggest party on earth is starting amid all the problems that are plaguing the world! The World Cup, worshipped by billions, halts wars and brings humanity together for a short time. Soccer is indeed the big democratizer, the best equalizer and I am rooting for Africa this time.
Maybe for a short month we can have fun (with most people on the globe) without forgetting the general calamities that burden the planet. Call it Football, Futbol, Fussball or Soccer madness…Its accessibility makes it the most popular sport in the world.
I have found the best World Cup calendar online! It’s easy to use and gives you the schedules, national teams, groups and stages and the cities and stadiums where the games will take place.
I will repeat my predictions for the first round and I would love to hear from you as well (especially all the people who challenged me after my Group of Death post on December 6th!)
Ever since I remember I have rooted, like most Persians, first for Brazil and then Germany. My favorite game of all time remains Italy 4-3 West Germany in 1970—I am keeping a grudge against Italy ever since.
I found out from Roger Cohen: ” the game is written in the blood of only a few nations, who have stamped their genius on it, and then there are the also-rans. Of the 18 World Cups played, half have been won by just two teams — Brazil and Italy. Another three went to Germany.”
Cohen cites Jean Paul Sartre also: “In football everything is complicated by the presence of the other team.”
My favorite soccer players of all time here
Check out the coolest world cup calendar here
Watch a couple of minutes of my favorite game Italy 4-3 West Germany in 1970
Your picks look good, especially with Didier Drogba out. Algeria is a wild card. I have cleared a month just to watch football with my family. I hope refs will not ruin too many games by excessive yellow cards!
Je vais sans doute regarder quelques matches mais plus pour passer le temps (waste my time) que par passion.
Peut-être est-ce le sentiment que la “planète football” est de plus en plus éloignée de notre monde quotidien : salaires faramineux, voitures luxueuses…Mais the show must go on.Ce n’est plus la religion qui est “l’opium du peuple” mais le football. La société a les dieux qu’elle mérite.
Quant au jeu lui-même, hier soir, une émission sur France 3 donnait la parole à un ancien gardien de but de l’équipe de France. Il faisait remarquer avec pertinence que ce n’était pas les équipes qui pratiquaient le plus beau jeu qui gagnaient la Worldcup.
En 1998, la France n’a pas gagné en développant un jeu extraordinaire.
Anyway, il y aura peut-être quelques beaux matches, les joueurs pouvant être motivés par des primes de plusieurs centaines de milliers d’euros.
Hi Michele!
I’m surprised you didn’t do a post yet on the French team’s antics. 😉
I like your picks.. Of course we now know who went through… I’m disappointed the US lost today…. they were exciting to watch.
Like Nazar, I’ve put a month aside for the World Cup too!!! It’s the greatest treat that unfortunately comes once every 4 years… and maybe that’s why it’s so special… but I’m glued to the TV for every game… Of course I work so I have to record the weekday matches and watch at night… In the process, I have to avoid all human contact so unsuspecting strangers don’t spoil the excitement by blurting out the score!.. If anyone suddenly attempts to talk about a match before I’ve seen it I stick my fingers in my ears and make wild noises! So far so good! Partly because I live in the US no one really cares enough to talk about soccer, so much for sharing the score!!! LOL!
Anyway. My money is on Argentina during this World Cup! Let’s see how it unfolds! 🙂
how funny!”I have to avoid all human contact so unsuspecting strangers don’t spoil the excitement by blurting out the score!.. If anyone suddenly attempts to talk about a match before I’ve seen it I stick my fingers in my ears and make wild noises!” I’ve done the same thing in the U.S. for years!
most of the comments on this post were done on the original post about the subject http://micheleroohani.com/blog/2009/12/06/2010-world-cup-draw-and-the-group-of-death/