The kick-off for football World Cup Final is upon us. On June 11, dawns the big day for the Football World Cup in South Africa as 32 teams pit their skills, guile, athleticism and styles of game. Nearly 200 countries have gone through the routine over four years so that these 32 countries can compete. Scheming coaches and players will see crests and troughs of patriotism in those countries. Heroes will become villains, nobodies will become heroes in a matter of trice. And the world will be swept by the magic of football.
But what about a country where the national religion is not football but cricket? Where the beautiful game is a vicarious experience for people who may have never touched a football nor kicked around the round ball of joy and glory. Okay, some might have touched the Rs. 1250 replica ball at a sports goods showroom and bounced it on the floor (the made-in-Pakistan replica football costs Rs. 1499), but that is nothing compared to kicking and passing the ball.
“You don't need to have played the game to enjoy football. You don't need to know how the ball bounces or how to make a pass or how to kick it,” says footballer Victor Amalraj. “It is a thrilling game. It is a simple game, the whole world follows it. All you have to do is kick or head the ball between the goalposts,” says the footballer.
But to understand the intricacies of the game you should have played it. Right? A former football great had this to say: “This game that is being played now is totally different from the time we played. It is much faster, the athleticism is of a different level. I wouldn't be able to comment on the game now.” Perhaps, those who know only know they don't know.
According to 2006 statistics, only five out of 1000 Indians play the game (we are on par with Mongolia) and a few other countries. The average midfielder covers over 10 miles in the course of the game (imagine doing that in Indian weather). Hyderabad has just under half dozen full-sized football fields. With 5,76,00 sft required for each ground, it is no wonder that the football fields are disappearing in this concrete jungle and there is no scope for creation of more. If the older schools in Abids had football grounds, the newer schools across the city, if they can have, are developing basketball courts. There in a nutshell is the future of the game.
Right now, a soccer fever of sorts is being created through marketing hype. The pubs are wooing folks to watch and stay merry cheering their favourite teams. The sports apparel shops are filled with national jerseys, shin guards, all-weather football shoes and an assortment of accessories.
“You cannot say youngsters don't know the game. I know a lot of them follow the game, they are tuned to all the happenings in the European league matches, they know how the teams stack up and they know the intricacies of the game,” says Victor Amalraj, one of the most articulate game-maker on Indian scene.
“Yes I have never played the game, I may not know the effort involved in kicking a ball halfway down the ground, but I can still shout goooool like they do in South America, can't I?” asks A. Sarathy, who works in a BPO.
