It was back in Maputo, Mozambique in the mid-80s that I got introduced to football and became addicted to it. The Mozambican television was not yet working but there were some diplomatic homes that had access to South African TV. Way back then, I remember how we cheered for the Swedish and Danish teams. "Danish dynamite!" was a favorite cheering slogan. I don't particularly recall if it was then when Sweden took the bronze. Football became a social energizer in many boring diplomatic events. I watched all the matches in the recently-concluded Euro 2008, cheered the Swedes for all "love of country" sense of patriotism and was indeed proud when they kicked in two goals against Greece, last season's champion. Good start for the Swedes, the football fanatics said. The second match against Spain was a tough fight but which the Swedes heroically brought to a 1-1 goal. We watched from Sheraton's bar and had neglected the Philippine independence ball upstairs. A last minute goal by Spain ended Sweden's quarter final aspiration.
There were disappointments and lots of surprises in the UEFA Euro 2008 series. For us who admired how the elegant French players had been in the past, only saw rough collisions and yellow cards. Some matches were rather dull like the one between Croatia and Germany (2-1). But matches played in by Turkey, Russia, Holland, Spain and the Czech republic were thrillers. The biggest surprise came from the Russian team who were young, quick, hungry, daring and innovative. For a while, I thought they would win the coveted EU championship after overwhelming the Swedes. But when Spain gave Russia a 4-1 goal, it became clear that Spain was going to become the new champion. Germany never got a chance!
Now that all the football matches have been played, we are once again back to crime investigation on American and British television. Where do we our evening excitement and thrill. A big question mark especially after your friends have departed from the living room, the bar, Sergels Torg - exhausted from all the yelling,cheering and flag- waving. What comes next? Four years is a long wait.
(Photo Credits: Reuter/Dagens Nyheter, 2008-06-30)
There were disappointments and lots of surprises in the UEFA Euro 2008 series. For us who admired how the elegant French players had been in the past, only saw rough collisions and yellow cards. Some matches were rather dull like the one between Croatia and Germany (2-1). But matches played in by Turkey, Russia, Holland, Spain and the Czech republic were thrillers. The biggest surprise came from the Russian team who were young, quick, hungry, daring and innovative. For a while, I thought they would win the coveted EU championship after overwhelming the Swedes. But when Spain gave Russia a 4-1 goal, it became clear that Spain was going to become the new champion. Germany never got a chance!
Now that all the football matches have been played, we are once again back to crime investigation on American and British television. Where do we our evening excitement and thrill. A big question mark especially after your friends have departed from the living room, the bar, Sergels Torg - exhausted from all the yelling,cheering and flag- waving. What comes next? Four years is a long wait.
(Photo Credits: Reuter/Dagens Nyheter, 2008-06-30)
