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26th October 2010
Soccer Rant II: Spain National Football Team
Fortunately for me, even though England bowed out of the WC10 early, my second favorite team and a team that I supported since the beginning of the WC, Spain, was able to clutch the victory.Now, I can’t say I’m a very die-hard soccer fan nor do I know the game the best. I have a decent knowledge of what the game is like and also the rules. I don’t really care what others say about Spain being a lucky team (perhaps that is true, but pure luck never takes you to the top of the WC). The beautiful and courteous way that Spain plays (even their dives are usually interesting) generally lets me forgive them for what other faults they had. And in this WC, they were the team that deserved to win the Cup.
The viewing of the final wasn’t the easiest experience. My friend invited me over to watch the finals with his friends. Little did I know, I was walking into a nest of NED fans. There were a total of about 20 people, of which 5 were girls and the rest were guys. The other girls were only there to “experience to WC” or watching with their boyfriends. I was the only one who really was into the game. Unfortunately for me, about 11 of the 15 guys were NED fans and the few ESP fans were actually very quiet… so as one could imagine, it wasn’t the most friendly exchange.
I screamed at the top of my lungs for my team and against NED and there were exchanges like this between me and various boys:
Boy: if you're not cheating you're not playing hard enough
Me: Then don't complain when we decide to dive to avoid getting bulldozed over by your teamBoy: That kick to the chest was to open up his chest! It's good for him!
Me: Would you like a very friendly kick to the chest? I promise to open up your chest too. (Poor Alonso!)Me: Oh look, Spain's Queen!
Boy: No, that's NED's Queen!
Me: No she's wearing Spain colors!
Boy: Spain has a King! NED has a queen!
Me: ... (thinking: WTF) The King has a QUEEN!
Boy(s): ... oh... haha... (meanwhile everyone else not involved cracked up too... b/c that was ridiculous)
Me: ...Boy: Why are they falling all over on their own team members!?
Me: Because your guys decided to take out 10 of our guys so they have to play so they don't end up mangled?Boy: Do you want a Heineken to drink your tears down?
Me: No I have my Cava to celebrate your tears at the end.
Boy: Yea, tears of joy.
Me: Tears of delirium from disappointment.Boy: Don't talk to the ref!!!
Me: Talk to the ref!!! Get him out of the game!!!
(This actually was funny… and an indication of how the ref was card happy. Not that I am complaining. Those cards were well deserved, except for the one Iniesta got for taking off his shirt)Boy: What? Do you think you can dribble like Brazil? You think you can play like Brazil?
Me: No, they're playing like Spain. Brazil already dribbled themselves out of the WC.Boy: They wired some money to him (the ref)! He's rigged!
Me: Yea, that's why he didn't see the clear foul from de jong that could've left you with 10 men within the first 20 mins.Boy: Hey! Why didn't he get a card for that!?
Me: B/c it's pretty obvious who was hitting whom. Our lineup averages more than a head shorter than yours.After the game was over (and all the NED fans left with glum faces), I went out onto the streets with my ESP WC10 shirt and paraded it around. Then I ran into someone who was wearing the Euro 08 shirt and we took a joyous picture together.
Another funny related interlude is that the owner of a restaurant near me is a Germany fan, and from the numerous times I’ve worn either a ESP shirt or a Torres shirt, he figured out that I am a Spain fan. We’ve had several fun exchanges and to this day he still playfully threatens to kick me out if I wear the shirts. Ah how soccer draws the world together.
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8th October 2010
Soccer Rant I: England National Team
For the purpose of these post (total of 3), I will use soccer to refer to the sport of international football. I am in the US after all.
Even though in the US it’s difficult to find people who are into soccer games, all the true England fans that you’ll meet will share a great deal in common. Being an England fan means that you have to be prepared for heartbreak at any moment; you have to maintain faith in your team based on exactly just that – faith; you have to endure teasing and put downs from fans of other strong teams. It’s tough enough being an England fan. Try being an England fan around majority of people who don’t care one bit about the team.
I’m a fan because of fond memories of helping cover the 2006 World Cup for my radio station. But since then I’ve grown into a respectable fan who would go to a bar alone at 7am in the morning to cheer for my team (while the entire rest of the people there are cheering for another team). I also know a little about the painful history of England, including snide from other people about how bad a team England is. I still had faith…
In the 2010 world cup, they were, as always, labeled as favorites. But once again, the hearts of all England fans broke at the end of Round of 16, when bad luck (some call it the lack of skills, I think of it as a combination of factors) led to the team losing a particularly painful battle to Germany – partly thanks to a bad call by a ref/line man that broke the morale of the team. A friend mentioned “at least they always find a new way to lose every time,” which brought back bitter memories of the 06 world cups, when Beckham had to leave the pitch because of an injury, Rooney got himself thrown off with a red card, and the 9 remaining players labored to finish the entire 90 minutes plus extra time, only to lose in penalty kicks. It was one of the most painful moments for me as a fan.
I can give many reasons why the team lost, but I can’t help but wonder whether or not the English team that I’ve come to love and adore is just not meant to win. My favorite player has always been Steven Gerrard, even before he became a great England captain, despite that everyone else was rooting either Beckham or Rooney. I know that after this world cup, many of the players that I watch the games for may not seek another run at the world cup, which made it doubly hard for me.
Regardless, after this rant, I will continue to support the team. There’s a sort of tragic beauty to the team. Apparently that’s very English. Perhaps that’s why I continue to support them. I am sure if there are any other England fans out there, they will know exactly what I mean…
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Sze K. Aka Chan's Posterous
歸去，也無風雨也無晴。
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