The FIFA World Cup 2010 has sure come packed with many surprises. The occurrence of certain shocking happenings that came to pass this time has sure rocked the confidence of many soccer buffs, who usually have a certain "smugness" writ upon their face when the "conversation around the water cooler" turns to their favorite topic of soccer. So, to some extent, i don't feel that empathetic towards them. I can't call myself a "soccer fan" as such, as i'm rather indifferent to this sport which demands an hour and a half of your full attention just to witness a moment of glory which lasts a few seconds. For me, its not a good return on investment "time-wise". For me, its more like eating crabs, because you have to put in a lot of effort just to get to the "eatable-part". (Vegetarians, don't worry, i don't expect you to understand...lol...). But, frankly, though you're compensated with the adrenaline rush everytime your favorite team reaches anywhere near the vicinity of "the D", i somehow don't get a kick out of watching matches ending in a "draw". So, i'm not the regular football crazy guy who can rattle off the entire biography of their footballers( as opposed to just the names of their WAGs in which i'm more interested....lol...), but once the world cup starts, my dormant football genes awaken from their four year long slumber and all of a sudden i'm unwittingly a part of a world consisting of statistics and football trivia and football gossip.

This year hasn't been different. I can't claim to have seen every match minute to minute and as a matter of fact haven't seen any matches except the midnight ones. And i don't want to stretch the already over-blown impact that the WC shockers have had on the football community, so i won't be bringing up any of the "Hand of Clod" or "Referee goof ups" or "France wtf were u thinking" episodes or "England when will u realize that you're all in the same team" agendas. No no no.... that stuff is trite and i guess you could write another "Illiad" out of these topics. I was particularly touched by the "Ghana vs Uruguay" quarter final. Now this match in a Quarter final is something people wouldn't be losing sleep over. I mean i haven't seen a single person out here in India going "ga-ga" over any of them, like "buying shitty fifa tees and cups and saucers with their favorite Ghanaian or Uruguayan player on it"....( Bt then again being a slacker when it comes to soccer, i wouldn't know if such whackos do exist, so forgive me if i'm wrong..:p) So, where were we... ah.. the boring match that somehow i'm blogging about... So, what was in it?? The usual kicking the ball around. But this time, with every shot on goal the heart rates of an entire continent fluctuated. Ghana- a puny little country with a GDP of 16.7 Billion $( much less than the money in the pockets of a number of Indian industrialists)- had something to smile after a long time when they took the first lead in what was a clean effort. The match had all the elements of a Boxing match that a soccer match offers, but the amusing thing was that it was a one sided war- by that i mean that the only people punching were the Uruguayans and the only people getting punched were the Ghanaians. I don't know whether the Ghanaians read "My experiments with true by MKG", but they seemed to act like his non-violent follower clan. That's what made it even more pathetic. A fluke shot at the end of the first half got them a good chance of making it to the next stage, but an "exceptionally brilliant" comeback 9 mins into the second half by the Uruguayans saw the Ghanaians struggling to avoid extra time. All said and done, what intrigued me the most was the last minute of the last half of the extra time which saw an act so seemingly cruel that crushed the spirits of an entire continent. The people out there literally had tears in their eyes- some were tears of the anguish, some of happiness following the penalty. But mine were totally glazed and surprised. This was the height of conceit any team could go to just to win. Its true that the glory begotten by any team worthy enough of lifting the cup is far more than all the riches of the world combined, but in the juicy lust of achievements, people often forget the greater purpose and lose sight of the big picture. "My game is fair play", is not just a catchy-quote that the FIFA adopted to adorn their emblem, but it is a reminder that the game what they are playing ain't just soccer, but also a game of honesty and fair play. It is one thing to stretch yourself to your limits to achieve something, but its something else to forget morals and be hell-bent on winning. Results don't justify the means out here. The means are of utmost importance here as you as play role model to millions of aspiring kids out there. I really pity the fans of luis suarez. And more so i pity the continent of Africa, who for one fraction of a second thought they've done it and lived up to the "this time for Africa" slogan that is the gift of this world cup to this world, only to be deprived of the joy by an act of uncomprehendable conceit. I empathize with Ghana and just can't wait for the 6th of July when Netherlands kick their ass. Won't be sympathizing with Uruguay even if they are brutally murdered( figuratively of course, but i won't mind it either ways...:P...) on-field.