World Cup Guide for Girls

Well, well, well…the World Cup is coming next month girls..so brace yourselves! If you have no interest what so ever in above average looking men in shorts (exactly 22 of them scattered in a field) running around, pushing, shoving, kicking, swearing, sweating, jumping, all trying to have control over 1 small ball, then, you may not join my club because at least, I have some interest in the above average looking men, if not the uncivilised physical activities mentioned above.

So let’s understand it a bit, so that your boyfriends and husbands will be a little impressed with you and so that you won’t appear to be too ignorant of the most popular game in the world or the game that is also known as the ‘world’s favourite pastime’. No, I’m not going to explain to you the basics of football, because most of us know that already, right? (Just in case the answer to that question is NO, then maybe you should start here.) Yes, instead, I’m just going to tell you a little bit about The World Cup, how it works and some of the above categorized men in the most popular game in the world.

The World Cup is a tournament that is held every 4 years, the most recent being in 2002. Its organiser is FIFA, Federation Internationale de Football Association that is also the governing body for this sport. The event that will be held for 1 month starting from the 9th of June is really the ‘finals’ of the tournament as the qualifying rounds have been ongoing since 2003, 3 years before the World Cup Finals take place. Obviously, it was in one of these qualifying rounds that Malaysia failed to qualify for the grand final event (not surprisingly) where 32 countries that made it to the finals will be seen competing against each other for that most prestigious World Cup Trophy.

There will be 8 groups, Groups A–H, each group consisting of 4 teams from different countries that will compete against each other methodically and the winners of each group will proceed to the next round until the final round, where the 2 best teams fight it out for the trophy. The favourite for the championship is Brazil, a team which has already won the World Cup 5 times, including the most recent 2002 tournament. But other strong contenders are Germany, Italy, Argentina, France and also England who is indeed a very popular team, thanks to the popularity of David Beckham, Manchester United and the English League.

That’s all there is to it, girls..not complicated, like all other things that interest men. The game is interesting enough but as I said, you can’t disregard the players, their skills and their more than average good looks which all contribute to the popularity of the game. My personal favourites are Harry Kewell (pic right), the Australian Liverpool winger whose boyish good looks make my tooth ache each time I see him play and the renowned Barca footballer from Brazil, Ronaldinho (pic above, left). This man, although one may not categorise as handsome, to me, is so very attractive that my toes curl each time I see his pictures. What’s more intriguing, he is reputed to be very, very skilful in the bedroom as well…so that makes him pssss..SO HOT! Oh and another thing, he’s equally skilful on the field (as if that's of any importance...hehe). Two other players that come to mind is Hidetoshi Nakata (pic below, right) from Japan who is definitely the best-looking blonde Japanese I’ve ever seen and of course, Thierry Henry (look at him in the pic (above left), need I say more?).

But here in England, the fan’s interest is not limited to the game and footballers. They also poke their shiny red noses into the footballers’ personal lives, their wives, girlfriends, children, their expensive mansions and even the cars these footballers drive. You may not believe that Theo Walcott, 17, the youngest addition to the England’s team this year was not the only buzz on British telly a few weeks ago but also his girlfriend who was interviewed in the evening news! I did wonder what his parents felt at the time, with all the focus on his pretty girlfriend instead of on him and his family. Don't forget the busty and glamorous footballers’ wives - they even had a series here called The Footballers’ Wives and everybody used to love watching it (except yours truly, of course, who prefers to imagine that the footballers are all single available men). The storyline and plots are fictional, but they just love their footballers so much here that even an imaginary scandal in the series make them whimper with the pleasure they get from their imagined insider’s scoop.

So now you know a little bit about football, you can show off and nod knowingly when the men start talking. You can make intelligent comments like; ‘That Brazilian player? I heard his prowess is not limited to the field…(wink).’ When somebody scores a goal, remember to shout 'goal!' just a little louder than normal to show some extra enthusiasm. You may also buy your boyfriend/husband a football jersey, (from the nearest night market and a similar one of a smaller size for you, of course) of his favourite team, to show him that you do have some interest in the World Cup and that you are not to be ignored while he sits glued to the telly for 1 month starting the 9th of June. Most importantly, you must remember to decide beforehand your favourite team(s) (other than England) and your favourite player(s) (other than Beckham) to show some ‘superior’ knowledge of the tournament. That is all. I myself, will be rooting for Brazil and England as usual and hoping that they will meet in the final game. If they do, then, 1 thing I definitely know for sure is that, the game will be equally as good as the view.