I was never a fan of football because I hated watching a game that takes so long for players to get a score. Then I learned to appreciate it a few weeks ago after switching channels to find a good program by accident I was drawn to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. It was the game where Mexico defeated Germany that caught my curiosity.
My appreciation for the game intensified when in the other games smaller countries also defeated big countries. It was a highly spectacular thing to watch the players constantly running, passing the ball, passionately trying to bring the ball to the goal, blocked, captured again while the droves of fans at the bleachers cheering endlessly for the full 90 minutes. Players playing, fans cheering for the country. You rejoice with the winning team and empathize with the losing team.
The more closely I watched the games, the more I was awed by the stamina of the players who kept running for the whole 90 minutes with a fifteen-minute break. No wonder the players have flat tummies. And interestingly, almost all of the players are good-looking. How I wish more Filipino males play the game to maintain a good build like that of a football player and avoid carrying a heavy bulge as they grow older. Footages of past games showed former FIFA players from different countries interviewed, and even in their advanced years they still maintain a very fit figure which only shows the sustained discipline. It is true then that this is where legends are made.
It was also interesting to watch players bringing their sons, sons bringing their fathers who were former players. The signature opening of the World Cup is a bouncy tune calling everyone especially young boys from different countries and culture to join this one game whether from their backyard to the venues of the different stadiums in Russia. This is the game that brings together the whole of humanity, a game full of emotion and passion.
One striking note is the team from Japan who left the venue early for they were eliminated, but left a very clean locker room with a thank you note. This is a rare gesture. If this is done everywhere in every event, then there is no need to hire aftercare people to clean up.
Another striking thing is the presence of thousands of volunteers for the World Cup 2018 in Russia. Volunteers were recruited as early as 2016 and their training was done the year before. They were spread out from communication to the different stadiums and the cultural tours in the different venues.
The FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia is so well organized and let this be a lesson for any organizer of a big event. For the country’s sports development program, there should be more interest in football which gives more chances to Filipino boys for this is a sport that does not require height. Why insist on basketball where height is might? Also football is not only for the rich.