FIFA World Cup 2014: An experience full of exhilaration

Brazil 2014 – A World Cup full of excitement and exhilari

International football has never been as high up as Champions League football on my priority list. In the past, it has seemed almost lacklustre and prosaic when compared to its club counterpart. And frankly, after the downright boring and monotonous World Cup 2010, despite all the hype surrounding the “carnival”, I wasn’t looking forward to this one.

The commencement of Brazil 2014 left many with a sour taste in their mouth as the very people who worshipped Football as their religion protested against the World Cup being held in the nation, due to – as comedian John Oliver so impeccably described it – the “grotesquely comic” antics of FIFA. Hundreds of millions of dollars were literally thrown down the drain in the construction of ostentatious and lavish stadiums that would not end up hosting more than half a dozen matches. In a country as badly struck by poverty as Brazil, this is an inhumane waste.

We football fans are a hypocritical race; seamlessly transitioning from angrily cursing the referee’s parents for conceiving him to singing songs in praise of him are things we indulge in on a regular basis. So, in typical fashion, we adopted “the-show-must-go-on” attitude the moment Robin van Persie epitomized his “Flying Dutchman” tag with that outrageous header that marked the beginning of the end for the reigning World Champions.

The moment the back of the net rippled - courtesy that unbelievable effort - all sympathetic thoughts for the poverty-stricken Brazilian kid who gazed longingly at the bright lights of the stadium from the doorway of his rundown house vanished.

From that moment on, there was no looking back. Brazil 2014, so far, has been a breath of fresh air that has swept the globe – complete with high-scoring annihilations, low-scoring thrillers and late, late goals that have either filled a nation’s heart with pride or broken it to the point of inconsolability. The group stages raged through our living rooms leaving us staring in awe at the unadulterated mercilessness with which the former World Champions and favourites were knocked out.

Spain, England, Italy and Portugal were all gone within the blink of an eye while the so called weak teams like Costa Rica and Mexico played ruthless, fast-paced football.

As the tournament entered its first knock-out phase, as expected, the ease with which teams were scoring goals over the course of the 90 minutes transitioned to more laborious efforts for goals to be scored as caution crept in. Yet, no match could be classified as “lacklustre” or “boring”. Goalkeepers had a paramount part to play in the low-scoring matches, pulling off impossible saves effortlessly and regularly. Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa, Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama, Algeria’s Rais M'Bolhi, Brazil’s Julio Cesar and, more recently, USA’s Tim Howard were exceptional.

Another point worth bringing up is the importance of youth in a team’s squad. Spain made the fatal mistake of allowing their legendary but ageing squad one last chance to reach the pinnacle and this led to their disgraceful downfall. They simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game. (Of course, Arjen Robben can’t be classified as young, yet he gallops up and down the pitch like a zealous 18-year-old.)

Belgian captain Vincent Kompany’s gesture of sportsmanship, after his team ended USA’s campaign in one of the most exhilarating matches I’ve ever witnessed, epitomized the true spirit of the Beautiful Game.

Two words.. TIM HOWARD #Respect #BelUSA

— Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) July 1, 2014

Brazil 2014, on the flipside, has had its fair share of controversy with Luis Suarez causing the internet to explode once again with vampire-related humour. But the magnanimity with which Giorgio Chiellini accepted the former’s belated apology was commendable.

.@luis16suarez It's all forgotten. I hope FIFA will reduce your suspension.

— Giorgio Chiellini (@chiellini) June 30, 2014

From a football purist’s point of view, the World Cup so far has been an absolute treat to witness - a pleasant surprise taking into account the unmitigated disasters international matches usually are, with players either apathetic, fatigued or injured. The never-say-die spirit with which unfancied teams like Iran, Nigeria and Algeria battled their better-known and feared opponents was just incredible to watch.

Despite the many controversies and all the skepticism surrounding Brazil 2014 before it began, it has elevated international football to a higher pedestal where it will now be respected. So much so that, I must admit that I've enjoyed these matches as much - if not more than - Champions League matches; and that is the highest praise I can give.