Beyond promoting the Game : Asia at the World Cup
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 25, 2022 -

Promoting the game, yes in a way. Encouraging the readers to know more about the game, develop a degree of knowledge for after all, it always helps to be kept well informed such as who won the golden boot or for that matter who scored the fastest goal in the tournament (though this may note necessarily feature in the category of awards announced by some media houses in Imphal).

All this and more is one particular reason and that is to soak in the ambience of the FIFA World Cup.

The Sangai Express is one such media house which has gone ahead and announced a number of awards to be had for the winners, provided they come up with the right answers, obviously after following the game with dedication.

The winners will be declared via the draw of lots from amongst those who have given the right answers and this in a way is also taking the spirit of the football world cup well beyond the day of the final.

Readers pull up your socks, stay tuned to the TV, read the articles that are being carried in the media, listen to experts on TV and radio, and then draw your conclusion and who knows, one could be up there metaphorically rubbing shoulders with some of the better known brains in studying the game and predicting the outcome.

An added bonanza, if one may add and brought humbly to the readers, the patrons and well wishers of The Sangai Express. Look up the recent history of the World Cup, for this may go some way in helping all to take the right decision.

As the history of the game or rather the World Cup has shown, it is not always the favourite who have lifted the coveted trophy and no one would have entertained the thought that the total game of the Netherlands played with such finesse under Johan Cruyff would crumble under the machine like efficiency of the Germans, then known as the West German team back in 1974.

A year which many of the avid football fans of today would not have even been born, but it is tales like this which evoke so much interest even today, underlining the mass appeal of the game of football.

Or imagine the Hand of God from the late and superbly gifted Maradona in the 1986 World Cup against England.

Again many of the youngsters of today would only have seen that particular goal on TV, thanks to the modern technology, but see it and the magic of the game is sure to engulf anyone.

It is to celebrate the magic of football and the event that comes every four years that The Sangai Express has also joined the rest of the world in opening the doors to pep up the interests of the readers in this beautiful game.

As in any World Cup, this time too, some teams have awed with their fighting spirit, not to speak of their finesse in downing teams which come much higher up in the expectations of all football connoisseurs.

Saudi Arabia downing Argentina and Japan following suit against Germany may have left many die hard football fans across the world disappointed but this is the beauty of the game and in a way may be said to be a demonstration that the game is not finished till the long whistle is blown.

The World Cup is on and there are still many more days to go and Manipur, like the rest of the world, will be hooked to the small screen and till then if at all there is a lesson that may have been picked up at this stage, it is the Japanese fans cleaning up the stadium after watching the match.

A fitting lesson from the World Cup for Manipur to pick up and imbibe.

There is something sublimely beautiful in this selfless act from the people of Nippon, which befits the beauty of football.