It is truly a matter of pride and pleasure that a soccer league is taking shape and India’s own football captain is able to fill a stadium when needed, but the ardent fan still waits for the day when India will play against one of their favorite Latin American teams in a World Cup Final
Imagine the excitement in a crowded pub just outside London when England were playing Argentina in a prestige game in the 1990 World Cup. Fans of great World Cup moments will recall the infamous Maradona “Hand of God” goal in a previous edition of the tournament followed by another truly superb goal which had put paid to England’s hopes in that tournament. The entire pub was waiting, praying and willing to cheer England’s revenge win and here I was, a fervent Argentina and Maradona fan, silently hoping for another win. It happened, the goal was scored by Argentina and almost involuntarily a whoop of delight emanated from my lips. A stunned silence laced with hostility met my delight and the brave bartender quickly rushed to my side and said, “Come mate, I will take you out through the back door, else your life is in danger.”
This was a World Cup that carried less excitement largely due to the elimination of the exciting Latin American teams before the semis but the exuberance in countries like Japan, Croatia and of course England who almost did a “bring it home” act showed why this is still the most followed sport in the world! Many scenes this year brought back memories of great moments from World Cups starting from 1970 when I, a teenager growing up in Ranchi, learnt the joys of World Cup football for the first time. That famous Brazil win fashioned by the legendary Pele was followed by the artistry of the flying Dutchman Johann Cruyff who broke all our hearts when Germany beat the Netherlands in the 1974 final. I was in college still glued to a radio station when Mario Kempes stole hearts and the Cup for Argentina. At that point my loyalties moved firmly to Argentina and the Maradona exploits and bravado through the eighties made this team my firm favorite for two decades till my preference for process and scientific planning moved my support to the German team.
There is an old cliché that “all the world loves a winner” and at one level, one could surmise that every Indian loves winners too
The game of football is a highly emotionally charged oneA recent stay in Germany that coincided with the Cup schedule was memorable because of the joy of being in a nation whose team I supported and when a famous victory was being celebrated in the main square of Berlin, I was there dancing into the wee hours with the fans. And one of the most memorable weeks in my World Cup schedule was undoubtedly being in Johannesburg and Cape Town when the tournament was played in South Africa. Watching games with clients and finally lining up with a friend to watch the England-Algeria game in the Cape Town stadium was truly an experience to cherish and the fact that Wayne Rooney’s feet seemed to be made of lead in that game and England played out a soulless, scoreless draw did not diminish my passion for the game and this particular tournament in any way. The fun of being in a World Cup city is the excitement that pervades the whole country and the city at that time. Checking out Paul the octopus and his incredible predictions in South Africa, consuming more liquids in a week than one would normally consider in a year and just bonding with the fans everywhere is what makes the life of a soccer fan truly worth living.
What is it about sport in general and soccer in particular that brings on tides of special emotion in so many of us? As a kid growing up in the East of India, I was consumed by the Mohan Bagan-East Bengal-Mohammedan Sporting rivalry and bliss was getting to watch a game in one of the old Calcutta stadia. Then and even now, the drama and passion before and during any major tournament in the city could not be surpassed by any cricket tournament in the country. While some of us may scoff at half the city wearing Brazilian yellow while the other half dons the Argentine blue and white, deep down lies the need to support a gallant side that can win much of the time and strikes a chord in the highly emotional and passionate citizen of Kolkata and football fans elsewhere too.
There is an old cliché that “all the world loves a winner” and at one level, one could surmise that every Indian loves winners too and while the Tendulkars, Gangulys, Dhonis and Kohlis may have given us lots to cheer for cricket and the occasional win of a Nehwal, Sindhu or Batra gives us some pleasure, we still want to live and die for the winner in the biggest of all sports. It is truly a matter of pride and pleasure that a soccer league is taking shape and India’s own football captain is able to fill a stadium when needed, but the ardent fan still waits for the day when India will play against one of their favorite Latin American teams in a World Cup Final. And as parents, we need to encourage our kids too to get off those mobile and video games and follow a real sport. It brings out the best in us, washes out the worst in us and truly makes us global citizens.
And as far as this Cup goes, the best team finally did win!
Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect and Social Venture Partners, India.
Ganesh Natarajan
