Something is in the air

“Can you feel it in the air?” I casually asked a friend recently. He looked cluelessly at me. “The World Cup!”. Today only 16 days away, and counting down. I can feel the excitement creeping up on me. It happens every four years. I have a hard time focusing on anything else. If football means a lot to me, it becomes truly my life obsession for a month.

Although some will not understand, football is truly in the air. The greatest event of the world is coming! I am not exaggerating: Last World Cup final was the most watched live event in the history of mankind with 218 million viewers! People all over this World, round as a ball, shares in the excitement of one months of football, national tensions, joy and tears, beautiful details, amazing goals, great saves… all that makes football the most beautiful game of all!

Last few months I have been traveling to Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Denmark and Angola. Believe me, if any theme unites anyone in any of these places, it is the fact that everywhere you will meet people who will share in the excitement. People who usually never watch football, will even join in! No barriers - football becomes the one language that unites the world.

In the latest National Geographic the feature article was “Why the World Loves Soccer”, and writer Sean Wilsey wrote: “…what makes the World Cup most beautiful is the world, all of us together. The joy of being one of the billion or more people watching 32 countries abide by 17 rules fills me with the conviction, perhaps ignorant, but like many ignorant convictions, fiercely held, that soccer can unite us all”.

Something is indeed in the air. I can’t wait!