The World Cup begins

Once every four years but I didn’t get to see the start of the World Cup (live as it happened). Like most people I was working but that didn’t stop me trying to find it online. I was able to watch a patchy version of the opening game S. Africa Vs Mexico using the ITV player (I’m presuming the quality and performance was so bad due to the amount of people watching it online too).

It was a little disappointing Nelson Mandela wasn’t able to attend, I’m sure he would have had something very inspirational and interesting to say, to motivate the players and everyone watching and creating a great buzz. The stadium (from what I could see) was awash with yellow jerseys (with a flicker of green). Considering I have no allegiances to either team, I was quite happy for S. Africa to score the opening goal and it would have made an excellent start to the tournament if they managed to win the 1st match!

I have found my iphone is the best tool to use when tracking the World Cup while out and about. The ITV W.C app shows you the highlights, the results and keeps you abreast of the latest news! I was commuting to Ascot on Sat while Korea/Greece and with a combination of radio and apps I was able to follow the match almost flawlessly (unfortunately it doesn’t have the same appeal as watching it on TV). After lunch I managed to watch the Argentina game with my girlfriend and her brother (both half Argentinean) which was quite a good match. As an Argentinean supporter I was quite happy with the result and with 2 natives in the house with me, the atmosphere was brilliant!

Of course it was the England game everyone was excited about seeing and I was curious to see if they could live up to their reputation. The England squad has been cited as one of the favourites by the British press but this isn’t what I saw on Sat... The match was fairly boring with one of two exceptions; I did feel very sorry for England keeper (Robert Green?) when he fumbled the ball, losing their lead over the USA (he will never live that down, especially if it affects England’s chances to progress). I was at Gordon Ramsays 'The Warrington Arms' when this happened, surrounded by both Americans and English. The English cursed while the US cheered, I was waiting for one smart comment to start a row and live up to footballs gorier reputation.
So far during this W.C I have spent a little more time out in the pubs with my friends watching the games or in the flat with the HD tuned in. No one phones, texts or emails each other when there is a good game on, if they aren’t watching it with you, they don’t exist! My flat mate (who is a massive football fan) barely says a thing that isn’t related to the game during a match which can become a bit boring for someone who’s not such a fanatic lol. There is also quite a bit of advertising going on promoting companies links to football or England etc. Sky is the big one for me, they seem to be everywhere!!! This makes sense though considering their links to the game and with TV sales going through the roof; they seem to be trying to convert everyone to their service.
This week I’m planning on watching Brazil vs. Korea DPR, Argen Vs. Korea, England Algeria and Brazil Vs. Côte d'Ivoire. This should be a good week with us getting a good idea whose going through to the next round and who isn’t!