And so it is over.
The games are over, South Africa can go back to its regular routines (we sure hope that the world cup was, after all, a great success for all South Africans), we here in the offices of FAR went back to work. And everybody lost their bets. Argentina, Brazil, England (especially England), Germany, USA - all disappointed us. Well, at least financially. I think we have to send the wagered money in the pot to the Spanish team. Or just donate it. Hey, perhaps we can finance some new soccer balls for our summer camps...
Levon Lachikyan, our press secretary from Yerevan, has his own final thoughts on the spectacle surrounding the game of soccer / football:
Armenians love to watch and play football. Unfortunately we are not good at playing it. Well, we are good in other categories: weightlifting, boxing, even chess!
When I was a child I was very fond of the game. I was a goal-keeper in my team and my favorite footballer was Lev Yashin, a Soviet goal-keeper. I also loved watching Eusébio, Garrincha, and Pele.
I loved football as an art form. I am more interested in the game itself than the results. Nowadays, unfortunately, football more and more loses its appeal. Goals become more important than values and sportsmanship. The game becomes rational. The World Cup 2010 is a very good example for this. One can hardly see individual games developing. Everything is based on passes. The excitement of the game comes short and therefore the attitude and attention of the audience changes as well. It is not so much fun to watch anymore. And the vuvuzelas are very disturbing!
The most interesting games are perhaps still ahead.
See you in four years!
Photo Credit: Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup Good Views
via Creative Commons / Flickr