So Much Football, So Much Time.

The world cup is here! Of course, it has been for some time and is actually starting to come to an end but I thought I should make some grand statement of it at some point. Also I haven't made an entry in quite some time so I felt I should alleviate your agonising wait.

So what can I say about the football? Well it is lovely to see so many countries coming together for this illustrious event with most tensions forgotten and a smile on everyone's lips (at the start, anyway). As one supporter from North Korea put it so splendidly on their board "Let's forget politics for 90 minutes". Of course, that only covers one match, should we remember it for the rest of the games? And considering they were playing Brazil at the time, I imagine that most people were actually thinking about how badly they were going to get thrashed. Or, as it turns out, how Brazil weren't managing to thrash them. I would have been most interested to witness events had they played South Korea, but alas, luck or rather careful organising, didn't allow this. And another thing, when I think about North Korea I don't necessarily think about politics, which are easy to forget, but rather nuclear bombs and surging armies and an antagonistic leader whose motives I just cannot fathom. Was I supposed to forget those things as well? I think there might have been too much for him to fit on one board, perhaps he did alright after all.

Now being half English and with my beloved Scots tumbling out somewhere else in the prolonged process I had a designated team to support. And didn't it go well? As usually the hype and excitement preceding any English football effort was about absolutely nothing. Now is the time to remember that no one actually promised us the World Cup so hopefully people can calm down and not be so angry about it. It is only the world cup after all. Actually wait, the use of 'world' does make that sound quite grand. What I mean is that it is only football after all. Perhaps if we keep experiencing this repetition of hope and despair people will become desensitised to it all and one day we will turn around and an aged Rooney will be holding aloft the cup but no one will care.

Like a lot of the nation, and perhaps the world, I had a strong affection for the African teams in this world cup. This was not new for me, having been to Africa and being one of many that seems to subscribe to the idea that the continent is really just one nation with one identity, I have always supported the likes of Côte d'Ivoire (see I use the actual name) and Ghana. This didn't pan out either, but at least Ghana provided us with the most exciting bit of the world cup but I do feel sorry for the player who is presumably still crying. Now I just hate Uruguay.

This world cup has brought with it a startling realisation for me. I just don't like football that much. It was quite some time ago that I came to terms with the relentless eternity and meaningless of domestic club football but I always thought that international tournaments still exuded enough excitement and passion to keep me entertained but now I think I might be wrong. I have sat through so many hours of mind numbing ball passing that I am even considering doing something productive. Maybe it is thanks to the accompanying atmosphere, sitting in silence watching the clock count to 90 with my parents doesn't lend itself to excitement. It is infinitely more fun to experience the environment of a packed pub, downing beers and watching the toothless alcoholics jeer and sing. Being a judgemental arse, I enjoy that spectacle more than the one on screen.

So to summarise my pointless discussion, football isn't that great and we all make too much of a fuss about it. But saying that, it has some merits and can be a little fun. Now if they could only do something about how shamelessly these players roll around on the floor and collapse at the slightest sign of contact. I can't help thinking that they must struggle in life generally as accidental bumps and touches aren't exactly infrequent.

Goodbye!