*When I think about writing on the FIFA world-cup 2006 I’m humbled by my understanding of the game which is absolutely limited. I dont even know what FIFA stands for...just like one F stands for Football. For me the other F can stand for any un-parliamentary word and I give any F about it.
Football for me is ...
*A game played between two teams where one team needs to put the ball in other team’s net.
There are as many as 11 players in one team and wear same colour clothes except someone known as one Goal-keeper who can wear any kind of flashy colored clothes.
The game is played for two periods of 45 minutes each. Its extended for two more periods of 15 minutes if there is no results in the earlier normal periods. If these 15 * 2 blocks prove inconclusive, the game heads for something known as penalty shoot-out.
The Ref. is like a God and he delivers punishment like Shahenshah...insaf tabadtob..on the spot !
And finally, the team that puts the ball in the net for maximum no. of times, wins the Cake ! Hush...
*FIFA World Cup 2006 : From a Cricketing Perspective ....
Now...the question comes...why cricket... My understanding of Cricket is tad richer than that of Football. Secondly, anything tagged with Cricket sells like hot-cake in India. We even made two films on it taking some hypothetical situations.
1. England Football Team was like Indian Cricket Team.
They had bigger and better names in the team. Always aspired to win the world cup without much effort. In the cliff-hangers, depended much on miracle to happen rather making miracle happen.
Team never performed like a team.
But emerged as Better Contender or the next World-Cup ! Managed to feature in Big League.
*2. Its not a Gentleman’s game..
So the next question or argument could be ... So is Cricket a gentleman’s game ? The answer is negative. Cricket involves verbal assault whereas football results into physical assault and this world cup had gone much ahead and shown us one game where atleast a dozen cards were flahsed to the erring teams. Portugal were the winners in the category. My suggestion to the FIFA is to install Card-Vending machines next time to give away the cards. Say Christiano Ronaldo wants to kick the defender from other team, he will first go the Vending machine and the players from opposing team will try to avoid him.
*3. There is nothing like GOD in either of the games.
*We thought Tendulkar is god and can pull out anything magical from his bat to make us win. We realised that its now so. He is also a mortal like us. West Indies realised the same thing about Lara so Srilanka about West Indies.
France realised it yesteday about Zidane. No one is God in these games. We all are mortals.
*4. Refs. can commit a mistake and make you suffer !
*Umpires and Refs. are mortals and they have a God’s gift to commit mistake. And these mistakes can change the course of the game or even a tournament. Ask Australians who suffered at the hands of the Refs. against the Italy.
But again, the players are lesser mortals against the Refs. and can only crib about his decision. His one finger pointing to sky or one card pointed to you can do disaster.
*5. Its money, honey !
Let’s not talk about the astronomical income derived by these players....but footballers leave cricketers in a super inferiority complex.
*6. Popular choices never generally win !
*Everyone thought of Argentina and Brazil to play the World Cup Finale. But they were knocked out in the Quarter Final. Much like cricket, when we expect someone to perform, it fails most of the times.
Come on dont tell me u expected France to loose in Final.
*7. Emerging teams remained emerging teams only.
In Cricket, Kenya was a promosing team once upon a time with abundnce of talent. Ghana story is almost same. Failed to deliver against the Big team.
*8. Coaches play a very important role.
- Its a GAME !
And when one sees Football from Cricketing angle, variables have changed...the underlying principles haven’t !
We all are mortals ! For yesterday night, Italy were blessed mortals ! Frenchs were not...thats it...and hey tomorrow is a different game !
------------------------------
*From Gossip Corner
------------------------------
Madhur Bhandarkar to make a film on Football politics.
Ganguly to play for Real Madrid Cricket Team. Dalmia to head Real Madrid’s Cricketing Ambition. CPM arm-twists Government to fund Real Madrid.
Hero Honda to be the official sponsor of the next World Cup. One can see titles like Goal of the day, player of the day in Football too. Zidane and Ronaldo to chat with Mandira Bedi during next world cup.*