Spirit of FIFA World Cup : From Brazil to Russia
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 15 2018 -

From Brazil in 2014 to Russia in 2018.

The quadrennial FIFA World Cup is on and while venues will keep changing every four years, the spirit of football will remain the same. Period.

This is the beauty of sports but there is something intrinsically humane about the game of football which no other game can match and this can be discerned from the fact that the ‘beautiful game’ to quote Pele, unfailing manage to pull in viewers and supporters, irrespective of whether their country is taking part in the FIFA World Cup or not.

Something which not every game can lay claim to.

The biggest sporting extravaganza is yet to kick off even as this column is being written, but already the air of excitement is palpable in the air and this is the beauty of the game which no other discipline can lay claim to.

Winners are remembered no doubt and but the beauty of football lies in the fact that while winners are remembered, it does not mean that non-winners are not remembered.

Platini, the French talisman never did lift the World Cup, but he will go down as one of the best footballers the world has seen.

The same is the case with other greats such as Johan Cruyff, Luis Figo, Roberto Baggio, Zico, Socrates, George Best, who all dazzled the spectators with their deft touches and scorching runs down the flanks and astounding flexibility, but never won the World Cup.

Winners or not, their names will continue to rub shoulders with some of the famous players who managed to lift the Cup, such as Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo of Brazil. Central to this is the beauty of the game, a game which appeals to all cutting across Nationalities, colour and creed.

It in line with this that some of the biggest names lined up in the 2018 World Cup are players who have never lifted the World Cup. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar are all champions, who have dazzled the fans with their magical footwork but none of them have lifted the World Cup.

Like in the past the 2018 World Cup is also sure to throw up champions, champions as understood beyond the winning team but champions of the game who will manage to dazzle the spectators and win hearts with their skills.

It is in keeping with the interest that the game of football manage to evoke, that it would be hard to find neutrals watching the matches, especially on the television.

Such is the interest evoked that there will be die hard supporters, even from countries which do not get to send its team to the World Cup.

India is one example and Manipur being the sports powerhouse of the country, one can certainly expect to see football frenzy being kicked up.

There is a reason why in the U-17 FIFA World Cup, there were eight players from Manipur in team India.

A testimony of how seriously the game of football is taken in this part of the country.

And to be sure, with the World Cup on, Manipur will literally not sleep and one can certainly expect to see localities making special arrangements to instal giant screens so that the local people can watch the matches live on giant screens.

This is the spirit of World Cup.