If you haven’t guessed by the majority of innuendos I’ve used in my blogs by now, I’m a huge football fan – or soccer depending on which side of the ocean you live on. I promised myself I’ll never do a blog dedicated to football but in a couple days times it’ll be the 2018 World Cup in Russia and I’m buzzing. The World Cup is the only time I can watch Panama vs Tunisia and still maintain the will to live. Wondering whether Saudi Arabia legally allow their women to watch their team get smacked up in the group stages of the tournament. Despite the negative rep it sometimes receives though, football has a way of uniting people together… sometimes uniting people against another set of people but beggars can’t be choosers aye? And during the World Cup month a nation is lifted… I just so happened to be currently living in one that didn’t qualify, thanks Greece!
But whilst the Greeks are without a team to support, I currently have two; England and Nigeria. I have the pleasure of being disappointed by both of my nations at the same tournament! I don’t mean to be pessimistic but if you underachieve at a World Cup with Gerrard and Lampard in your team then only Lord knows the outcome with Henderson and Lingard manning the midfield. And as for Nigeria, our lovely kit might just be the highlight of our tournament. The World Cup jerseys sold out in 2 mins online.. roughly how long I expect them to stay in the tournament considering our defence. All I’m hoping for is that England and Nigeria don’t end up competing against each other cos’ for every goal scored I’ll feel so conflicted. I’m sure if Nigeria won, immigration won’t even let me back in the U.K. Might have to switch up my last name and go into incognito mood.
I’m not the only one who aligns with two nations mind you. The English Raheem Sterling and the Jamaican Raheem Sterling will both be heading to the World Cup and dependant on his performances, we’ll see which nationality he’s referred to by the media. The British press are so so petty lol, you can go from the British footballer to the Jamaican-born World Cup flop within the space of a tournament. They have you switching nationalities at half time, come out in a new jersey and all sorts. Majority of the time, all of the negativity and hysteria is right before the competition itself! Unique to the British media is their attempts to destroy a player’s morale ahead of a major tournament, how patriotic.
I don’t mean to be pessimistic but if you underachieve at a World Cup with Gerrard and Lampard in your team then only Lord knows the outcome with Henderson and Lingard manning the midfield.
My favourites to win would be Brazil, which does seem a bit tongue-in-cheek considering their last showing at the World Cup. They lost 7-1 to Germany on home turf in the semis, being 5-0 down by half time. You don’t even need to follow the sport to know that result was a shambles. This time around though, I reckon they’re gonna return with the wrath of a million men; samba around all their opponents to victory. I know certain guys will be taking their ancestry tests to see if their great great grandfather had a bit of Brazilian in him. People be putting “ihno” at the end of their names and swear they’re cultured. Regardless, we’re fast approaching a whole month of top level football day after day, what’s there not to like? Like I said before I’m buzzing. Get ready people, there’s only five days until the start of the tournament… or if you’re Ghanaian, it’s only 1,466 days until the next one!
Joe
Joe Oriade Blogs 