Category:

Feel your Support on the inside too

18/6/2010

The Lebanese are crazy about the World Cup. Everywhere in Lebanon people show their support with draped flags on buildings, cars, bikes... There's not a street that hasn't got at least a few flags fluttering. At this point in the calendar the flags of the countries playing the World Cup easily outnumber the flag of Lebanon by a tremendous margin.
Now there's a new manifestation of the craze with some enterprising Lebanese bakers making the traditional mana'eesh flat cheese pies in the colors of the competing nations.
Permitted food colorings anyone? Guaranteed to make you glow... with pride.

0 Comments

World Cup Group B

17/6/2010

0 Comments

Two fantastic games today, Argentina beating South Korea 4-1. At 2-1 it looked like the Koreans were about to come back into the game but La Albiceleste held them at bay and Higuain scored two more goals to get his hat-trick.
Great to see Diego Maradona's passion, although he has to work hard to remedy his side's defensive shortcomings.

Then a thriller between Greece and Nigeria which ended 2-1 to the Greeks, their first ever win in the World Cup. A thrilling game by 2 teams that, while not considered football powerhouses, illustrated the beauty of the World Cup. The sending off of Nigeria's Sani Kaita in the 33rd minute for his irresponsible and unsportsmanlike conduct was a hammer blow from which the Nigerians never recovered.

To all of those talking about the "most boring" World Cup ever, it's just starting to warm up Africa's winter.

0 Comments

The Vuvuzela World Cup

16/6/2010

0 Comments

The Vuvuzela World Cup

The Football World Cup

When all is said and done this will be remembered as the vuvuzela World Cup. Of course everyone with an interest in football will know who won the competition in the end. But unfortunately it's the vuvuzelas that are dominating the atmosphere. Camera close-ups of cheering fans convey nothing except the sound of blaring horns. The drone of these terrible plastic tubes is constant, nonstop.

It is unfortunate that in the once-in-four-years competition we can no longer hear the real atmosphere of the game, none of the thump of the ball being kicked, no supporters singing and cheering, none of the natural reaction to attacks and missed chances, no player sounds as they shout and talk...

I was talking with a friend yesterday and he said his mother refuses to watch the matches because of the incessant vuvuzela noise. It's unfortunate that FIFA won't listen... Listen to and hear what we have to endure.

FIFA has said that the vuvuzelas are an expression of local culture. But to me Africa is rhythm, Africa is a beat, Africa is singing and chanting.

0 Comments

Feel your Support on the inside too

World Cup Group B

The Vuvuzela World Cup

Omar al-Issawi

Archives

Categories