Light Within

This blog post was written during world cup 2006 and appeared in the daily Nation.

The stage is set for football lovers for the biggest event in history of the game where teams from 32 countries are battling hard to prove their worth, for many players, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Word Cup is taking place in twelve cities in Germany, from June 9 to July 9, 2006 and football fans have gathered there to watch the thrilling game and the rest are glued to different media channels to find what is happening.

The passion for Football is certainly sweeping every one in Pakistan this time, particularly the youth and sportsmen. In addition to conventional media (Radio, TV and Press), for the first time on the Internet, Pakistani football fans are going online to find all sorts of information about the championship, including multimedia content such as an extensive gallery of brief video clips of stars and highlights from games from earlier championships. Many Internet sites have sprung up which are reporting during the matches about every goal, foul, booking or other event out on the stadiums. “The hype this time is of an entirely different order," says Shahid Javed, a student in Business and Information Technology, University of the Punjab.

Earlier football fan frenzy started when the FIFA World Cup Trophy (designed and recently renovated by Italian sculptor and creator Silvio Gazzaniga) was taken on whirlwind tour jointly organized by FIFA and a beverage company where it received a thrilling welcome - 200,000 visitors, some 1,000 articles published and 45 Television shows broadcast in its honor.

The passions of hundreds of thousands of football fans were stirred for three months in 32 cities in 30 different countries. On 5 January 2005, the statuette so coveted by footballers the world over set off in the direction of Accra, the capital of Ghana, before finishing its journey in Italy and Rome on 9 April. Nigeria, Tanzania South Africa, South America, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Argentina, Ecuador, Columbia, Paraguay, Japan, Korea Republic, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Bangkok, Indonesia, Sydney, France, Zurich, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal are some of the places where Trophy was paraded.

The tour gives an idea that FIFA is cottoning on to the idea of an equivalent to the Olympic Torch for football. Two years ago, instead of being carried by athletes to the Olympic Games in Greece, the torch made a tour of all the countries that had hosted the games. This year, the World Cup trophy was taken from country to country before it finally reached in Germany. It is not just visiting the countries which have hosted the tournament, but the idea seems to be along the lines of Olympic Torch.

For Abdul Ghafoor (65-year-old Pakistani), once known as the "Black Pele of Pakistan," life revolves around football. He has found a renewed vigor ahead of the World Cup finals. Mere mention of football and the mega event in Germany which helps him forget his loss of hearing and nearly impaired vision sparks life in him. As the showpiece events approaches, the former Pakistan caption told AFP, “One of my wishes is that Brazil retains its title.” Though away from football ground, Ghafoor still is in touch with the English Premiership and Brazilian soccer.

Lahore School of Economics students are looking forward to the World Cup and when asked unanimously replied, “Brazil are the favorites to win the World Cup. Argentina will try hard for the top honor, but Brazil are the main candidates because of their players’ abilities and because of their recent performances. Tufail Raza says, “I have no doubts that Brazil will keep the title. I wish I could go to Germany to watch the World Cup live in the stadiums, but it is costly for me.”

“Being a Pakistani, I expect Pakistan to play and win. May be we will be in the tournament in 2010,” said Ammar Pervaiz, but when Pakistan is not playing, I will still watch the game with concentration and enjoy without accompanying tension and verbal duel of traditional rivalries as are seen in Indo-Pak cricket series.

We Pakistanis are used to kind of sporting atmosphere, with fans rapt to the game, extremely cheering for players and teams,” says Taha Amir, player and an ardent football fan who is currently studying in Lahore School. “What I take for granted at football matches, others are amazed by. It is always a joy to see international tournaments and understand the game. Seeing my favorite stars at their best improves my own game.” That is why football fans from around the world will watch the World Cup even if their own teams are not participating.

Mobashir Ahmad, an ex army football color holder has his 15-year-old son Mubarak who has got the love for the game from his father. Most of his friends play the game in a satellite colony where they live and have a football ground nearby. “I will certainly be following World Cup,” he says enthusiastically. I asked him how many of his friends would be following the World Cup. "Oh, about 20, and my father has invited them to come a watch the matches at our home," was his answer. His father told, “Mubarak’s interest in football is due to my own passion for the game mainly and our stay in cantonments where this game is regularly played.

Mobashir is disappointed that our country is not participating in FIFA World Cup in Germany. For Pakistan he says, “as far as the future is concerned, we have great potentials. Some talent hunt, some sponsorship from public and well as private sectors may take Pakistan in next finals.”

Iran is participating in World Cup. Commenting or Iran, Mobashir says, "I do not think that Iran will win the trophy. Thinking this will be unrealistic, but getting through the group stage would be a fantastic achievement for Iran.

Iran's Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic has been quoted as saying that the team heading to Germany is the "best generation in Iran's football history". We will not go to the World Cup just to make up the numbers," he said after qualifying, "we feel we can beat anyone."

Bitter controversy of Jewish community leaders notwithstanding, Afshin Afshar writes, “Iranians should get their manifestly talented stars to gel as a team and they stand a chance of being the first Iranian side to make the second round of the tournament.”

Despite being among the pick of Asian sides since the 1970s, Iran crashed out of the finals in the first round in Argentina in 1978 and in France in 1998. Iran's only victory in the finals, a 2-1 win against the United States in 1998, sparked delirious street celebrations. “Wizard of Tehran, the Asian Maradona and Asia's "Player of the Year 2004″ Ali Karimi will present the biggest headache to first-round opponents Portugal, Mexico and Angola,” adds Afshin Afshar.”

Great supporting events have different impact on economies too. Remember bazaar closed and low turn-out in offices and educational institutions on the eve of India Pak cricket match across the country in the past. Germany will have upward economic surge due to large number of foreigner fans coming to watch World Cup in the country. On the other hand it is feared that the World Cup finals might have negative impact Asian markets as during the 2002 World Cup (May 31-June 30), the Stock Exchange of Thailand slipped 4.34 percent. In Singapore, when England played Nigeria at the last World Cup, turnover on the market plunged and the Straits Times Index fell 11 points on a lack of buying interest.

“This time we are expecting dwindling sale during the Word Cup. Which is why we are putting up big screen TV for the customers to sit and watch the game,” says manager of a reputed café on M M Alam Road, “football fans are already enquiring about when we will put up a multimedia for the Word Cup as we do for cricket.” Many other cafes and posh eating joints across the city are putting up bigger screen televisions to attract the Word Cup enthusiasts.

Zahir Khalid, good player of his own time and father of two promising football players says, “Football is one of the greatest and most powerful things in the world. It is more than a sport, it is an economical activity. The amount of money and trade passed during Word Cup is remarkable. So many sports retailers, shops, transport channels and restaurants do good business during the championship; football creates many potential jobs for those who have that unique gift. Football gives our children hope and dreams. In places such as Brazil, there is extreme poverty and yet they still worship the beautiful game. Football is a lot more than a game. We should encourage others to become involved in the game. I can see footie fever striking Pakistan like cricket, hockey in near future.”

Representation of Pakistan – once a credible footballing nation, grinding its way into Asia's top 10 with players in demand from league clubs in India - in the 2006 World Cup is limited only to sending a few hundred “Made in Sialkot” balls to be used in practice sessions, and the attendance of three Pakistan Football Federation officials at the opening ceremony.

Unlike cricket that can be played on streets, football needs need wider grounds. And there is dearth of open spaces and grounds in our cities. That is one of the reasons that this game has not been popular in the past. But “football craze is picking up here too. There are many ardent fans who are looking forward to the Word Cup, for entertainment if nothing else,” says Mujtaba Haider, manager marketing in an international concern who was on Lahore College University team in his own times. Sports are often referred to as the world’s finest form of entertainment. They are health social and activities that holds the attention of an audience as well as its participants. “Football does it best,” Mujtaba adds”.

On the other side, story is the exact opposite in Holland where the Women for Football-free Netherlands have launched a campaign to get rid of the World Cup. “We are really bored with it. All our guys are glued to the TV, forgetting about us and everything else. They think that women do not understand the game and are only good to serve beer and snacks.”

I don’t think so. And I am going to spend my time immersing myself in the world’s most amusing and impulsive drama: Word Cup 2006. You are invited.