Skip to main content

Life lessons learnt from FIFA World Cup 2010

Life lessons learnt from FIFA World Cup 2010 (under the hypnotizing hum of the vuvuzelas..)
Clinical Japan cruise past Danes
A living day is a learning day in the voyage of life. We all sail, somewhere. Some wade along aimlessly, some claim to know the way whilst others follow blindly but there is no Google map to follow.... The destination may be variable but endpoint is the same!
Now, what can we learn from the FIFA World Cup 2010.
  • France: if there is no mutual respect between coach (leader) and player (citizens), the team (country) is bound to go nowhere. Just like that, the 1998 world champions fizzled out after the first round with dismal performances.
  • Argentina: do not write off people too easily. Everybody deserves a second chance. In the qualifying stage, Argentina just managed to scrape through as a representative of South America. In the first and second match, they showed the world the  real way to play football, shutting up their critics.
  • Primadonnas never shine: Look at Italy (the last WC winners) and their humbling 2-3 defeat to Slovakia, all at once eliminating them at the first rounds! The arms that hoisted the world cup in 2006 is now supporting their fellow sobbing team mates!
  • Mind the minnows! Knowing that the Japanese are inferior in physique and stature, they excelled in speed and 'never-say-die' samurai spirit. South Koreans, out to prove that their last outing was no fluke and a flash in the pan, are giving their opponents a run for their money in this dogfight! (could not resist the pun). Do not forget the Fernleaf country with more sheep than human, New Zealand! Even though they have part time footballers and no big guns to shout about, they exited the 1st round without losing a single game!
  • Team spirit is important. Just like the previous WC, the African teams are not doing so well. No, thanks to their internal squabbling.
The football pundits say, "Life's a pitch". If that is true, we can learn a thing or two of lessons in life from the football pitch (field). Well, it is not over yet. The world cup action is just heating up and the best is yet to come!

Comments

  1. there are still many lessons to come. Just wait for the last 16, q-finals and more....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...