Football: The beautiful game

“How can I explain to you the multitudes and vicissitudes of life, if you haven’t seen a game of football? How can I explain to you magic, if you never saw Pele Play? How can I explain to you passion, if you never saw Diego Maradona in action? How can I explain to you poetry, if you have never seen Lionel Messi play. How can I explain to you brilliance, if you haven’t seen Christiano Ronaldo play? How can I explain to you loyalty, if you don’t know the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson?

How can I explain to you faith, if your team never won by the virtue of a last second goal scored to win a match? How can I explain to you pride, if you don’t know what lifting as World Cup trophy means? How can I explain to you ecstasy, if you haven’t seen millions of people rejoicing their team’s victory. What is football? – It’s not merely a sport it’s life, soul and a religion.

Football is a global sport not only because of its panoramic scope, but because of the dynamic but similar sociological emotions that arise across the world. It’s a sport watched by approximately one-third of the world’s population. Over 209 nations of the world are affiliated to football’s highest governing body FIFA – that’s even more than the 193 members affiliated to United Nations. Think it over; there are more people being represented in football’s highest governing body than there are in so-called world’s highest governing body .

Therefore, I believe football can serve the purpose of humanity. It’s a sport that has been able to overcome politics of hatred, race, religion etc. It’s a sport where you will see the richest countries of Europe and the poorest countries of Africa compete together. There are not many sports where you will see a small country like Ghana defeat the mighty USA. It’s a sport where in the heart of the English capital a German is loved and adored. It’s a sport where the most reclusive countries like North Korea also actively participate.

The different football leagues around the world see players from numerous nationalities compete under a single franchisee for a single title. In many of the war- ravaged nations of Eastern Europe the game of football was used for restoring peace in the 1990s. From the war–torn fields of Africa to the rain-forests of Brazil to Japan, we have always had differences, but there’s one thing that we all agree upon i.e. our passion for this beautiful game. The leaders of the world might find it hard to negotiate terms but are always seen happy and amiable beside a football pitch.

The positive energy that breeds through the sport of football can give this world a hope of peaceful co-existence. A hope that one sport can transcend the boundaries of race, ethnicity and politics. The sport of football also brings along with it the globalization of cultures. The trademark wave-like celebration we see nowadays originated from the sport of football.

Every big football tournament leaves behind a legacy, the 2010 FIFA World Cup gave us the vuvuzela. After the 2006 World Cup, hosts Germany experienced a sudden increase in patriotic spirit, which was highest ever since the German re-unification in 1989. Football is a game that is so intricately connected to our lives as well. Our lives are so similar to the game of football; they require harmony, perseverance, hard work and a bit of an opportunistic approach. Just as in football in life you can’t just keep playing around aimlessly, you got to have a definite goal.

As a famous football coach once said, “In life as in football you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.” There’s a lot one can learn from this game. The game of life is a lot like football tackles your problems, block your fears and score your goal when given the opportunity. There’s a reason why this game is called the “beautiful game” enjoy and live the beauty of this game that touches billions of lives around the globe.