Admittedly, my knowledge about football doesn’t go much further than knowing it includes two teams of … 15? So why do I find myself fascinated by this year’s World Cup, and even writing a second post about it? Hmmm, it might have something to do with the fact that for the first time in my life I actually live in a country that doesn’t suck at Football. Truth is, I find myself drawn into the World Cup madness that fill the Berlin air these days. The triumphant convoys on Ku’damm get longer, the celebrations more drawn out.
And who can blame them? Not caring much about the football world I only started to realise how much emotions and crap a game Germany vs. England stirs up. The ever-reliable UK yellow press couldn’t help but swing the good old WWII bat with Hitler-montages on German players, feasting on war-metaphors and martial talk that left the German BILD (so far my main example for great headlines but bad journalism) looking highbrow. German reactions where quite muted on that one (at least officially), watching in bewilderment how the whole past got shoehorned into a football match. Only some tried in their oh-so-german earnestness to tell the blokes in the Daily Star forums to let go of the past and Franz Beckenbauer’s comments, obviously just to be showered in more shite.
Like it would be all 1996 again - Daily Mirror Front Page
Luckily, most of the German fans concentrated on the only real authority when it comes to predicting the outcome of yesterday’s match – Paule, the psychic octopus, had clearly decided that Germany would keep the upper hand in this clash of the emotions… so why bother?
In the end, in a victory of organisation and discipline (damnit, German TV reporter, I am sure some editors of the Daily Star have heard this) the England team were thrashed, ahem, robbed. And I confess, I couldn’t help but snigger with a hint of Schadenfreude there. Am looking forward to what kind of oddities this World Cup season 2010 in Berlin will treat me to in the next game. I hear a special task force of Argentinian Secret Service already has headed for Germany to silence Paul the mollusk….
Pic found on www.dailymail.co.uk
14 Comments
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umm…there are actually only 11 players on each team…
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Hey Hessam – thanks, but thank god my knowledge is good enough so I decided to joke. But you are not the first, so one more and I will put a smiley up there …
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Just changed it there. If a joke’s too subtle, it’s no good … Thanks again for bringing it up, you might have saved my reputation there. ;D
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hahaha, I actually checked Wikipedia to be sure – that tells you a great deal about MY football knowledge
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Hahaha! Well, we both know Germany has won – that’s enough for now, I guess…
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Argh! We couldn’t even make it to the world cup… And my knowledge about football is right there with yours, 2 teams and 15 players!!
I have no idea why but the football madness is very contagious, even I find myself checking the scores of the games and trying the predict outcomes (not that any of us can ever be the mighty Paule, the psychic octopus)
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Hi Lua – same here, Austria’s times as football wonders are long gone. And don’t worry about knowledge, guess sometimes too much knowledge isn’t helping enthusiasm, like, if you are a writer, you spend more time analysing a text than actually enjoying it …
Have a great day!
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World cup is always more interesting than leagues matches or something more local. I guess it’s because of the countries involved?
I like writteninberlin
Cheers
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Speaking about football-related knowledge, I have to mention the case of my late great-grandmother who, after watching a football game with the rest of the family voiced her very serious concern: “Why are all these young men stressing out so much about chasing this small ball across that huge field? Wouldn’t it be so much better for everyone if they just gave each of them their own ball?”
)))
Now wouldn’t that be some game
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Lulu, thanks a lot for dropping by and commenting. Yes, I agree that all those emotions are linked to something “bigger” than just a ball. As long as it is peaceful, great …
Have a good day!
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@Zrinka: Hahaha – love the pragmatic thinking of your great-grandma! Thanks for sharing
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Oh my gaawwd, the Brits were at it again, I see. That’s horrendous. I failed to mention in my previous comment on your other World Cup post that the same article arguing that U.S. players were tutored by England actually drew a grasping parallel to how the U.S. government evolved from the British monarchy. Holding onto the past is a common theme here, methinks…
Whatever, go Germany! That must be so exciting when a team is actually good! And “Schadenfreude” is one of my favorite words…I experience it quite often, wicked little stinker that I am.
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@ Monkey: Hahaha – wicked little stinker?! Love it. There is this myth that only Germans have a word for the chuckle you have inside if somebody receives something back from what they dish out, but I guess the emotion itself is an international one …:)
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@ Monkey again: And yes! Beware of countries with a once-glorious past …