One day having kids didn’t stop me from continuing to love the World Cup, but reality changed

“Is it reasonable for a girl to go to games?”, “Watch Mexican soap operas, I won’t get rid of your headache.” I used to hear many phrases from my girlfriends, while I sat day and night with my brother and watched the games. His enthusiasm and love for matches made me love them too, and later it became my favorite hobby. My brother had a lot to do with teaching me the rules of the game, from offside to corners to free kicks. We watched the European Champions League, the World Cup, even the Syrian league had a large share of our interest.

“Can a girl go to the matches?”… there are many phrases I used to hear from my friends, while I sat and watched the matches with my brother day and night.

My brother supported the German national team, and as my closest friend and idol, I subconsciously became inclined towards this respectable team. I remembered the names of his players, even as a reserve for them, and my passion and love for the national team became comparable to my brother’s love, or even more than it. I admire a lot of players, especially the hot ones. I put them on lists, I even followed them when they played with the teams they played with, like Michael Owen, David Beckham and Michael Ballack.

The days of good weather that I found during the World Cup, and that was before the start of the Syrian crisis, when we gathered with relatives and friends, spent the most beautiful moments at that time. We stick pictures of players on the walls, put flags on the balconies to annoy the neighbors and others who don’t agree with us in cheering. Unlike me and my brother, my mother and sister cheered for the Brazilian national team, while my father was neutral, encouraging the “sweet game”.

The most beautiful thing about the World Cup at that time was the preparation and planning of it, which sometimes lasted for months. We were only worried about the victory of our beloved team at that moment. That’s why we buy notebooks with pictures of players and clothes with pictures of their favorites. I was rooting for Klose, who doesn’t miss a ball that could pass near him, so a little bow from this magical head is enough to make it a beautiful goal.

I well remember my arrogance at that time and my rejection of any criticism towards my German team, as if I was defending a cause that interests me or the country I belong to. And it occurs to me that I sometimes argue with my close friends if they try to make fun of him

The owner of the head, who does not disappoint – in my opinion and in the opinion of many – managed to break Ronaldo’s record, after scoring 16 goals in the World Cup finals at the World Cup in Brazil. I also adored the goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, known as the “Fierce Cat”, who guarded the German net intelligently and shrewdly every time, and he was able to win the title of the best goalkeeper three times.

I remember well how Oliver Kahn flashed everyone at the World Cup matches held in Japan and South Korea in 2002, when he fiercely defended his goal, led his team to the finals, commanding everyone’s respect with his wonderful performance and desperate defense. . Japanese newspapers at the time described him as “a guard who never smiles.” Indeed, his harsh facial expressions and his screams on the field played a major role in spreading terror and fear in the opposing team, he said.

We are looking to light up a stadium in our sister country Qatar, which might be enough to light up a city in our country, and we are frustrated. We see huge amounts of money spent on this “big” event, while most of our people suffer from difficulties in securing the basic necessities of life.

In those good old days, discussions, disagreements and expectations started before the start of the game, and continued even after it ended, sometimes for several days. I well remember my arrogance at the time, which I regret today, and my refusal to accept any criticism towards my German team, as if I were defending a cause that interests me or a country to which I belong. It was impossible to negotiate with me, or even bargain. I feel bad if I don’t like their game, I cry when they lose, and sometimes I fight with my close friends if they try to make fun of my favorite team or talk bad about a player I adore.

I continued my interest and loyalty to my favorite team even after marriage, despite differences of opinion with my husband, who always liked games, even less than ordinary ones, which also enjoyed a large share of his attention. Arguments and disagreements between us continued, because until the last World Cup he supported Argentina – Germany’s official enemy.

Having children has not stopped me from still loving matches and attending any German match. But today, after all the misfortunes that we as Syrians are going through, including the political and economic wars that burden the citizens of Syria, we no longer have the passion to follow the World Cup, nor the enthusiasm to attend any match. Since the last FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, my enthusiasm for watching FIFA World Cup matches has waned, but now I hardly have the energy to come to any match. My current situation is similar to that of many of my compatriots, who find encouraging players saturated with money and fame trivial, while they seek the minimum ingredients and requirements of everyday life.

I do not deny that I am trying to regain my passion and enthusiasm for the games, to forget my real suffering and the suffering of many.

We look at the lighting of the stadium in the sister country of Qatar, which could be enough to light up a city in our country – as an exaggeration – and we get frustrated, because we live in the darkness imposed on us by the unjust rationalization of electricity. We see huge amounts of money spent on this “big” event, while most of our people suffer from difficulties in providing the basic necessities of life, so we are unintentionally deceived and hated.

I do not deny that I am trying to regain my passion and enthusiasm for the games, to forget my real suffering and the suffering of many.

So I decided to resist my disdain for the World Cup and break the barrier of apathy towards it. So I went with my husband and children to watch the match “Brazil-Switzerland”, which was held in the hall of the sports club, in which a generous donor from abroad provided necessities for the World Cup, such as electricity, internet, fuel, etc. in light of the absence or almost non-existence of these phenomenon among people.

In the first half, I didn’t care, or even care. But as soon as the second half started, enthusiasm returned to my veins, especially since my husband and I were the only fans of the Swiss national team. The desperate defense of the Swiss national team made me respect them and return my enthusiasm and passion for cheering, and as before, I started giving my notes in the analysis and prediction of goals. Even though they lost to Brazil, I felt happy because I got back my enthusiasm and love for the games and my favorite hobby.

* The article expresses the point of view of the author, not necessarily the opinion of Raseef22