by Chris Harvey
“Thank you for your time.”
Day 29 – 10/07/14
What happened in the World Cup
Rest Day
They Look Like Ants
Eighty quid each of these tickets, add to that the cost of a flight over here and a hotel for a few nights and you’re talking about a couple of thousand for the two of us. And what do I get for my money? A seat where my view is almost obscured by clouds. I feel like some God up here looking down on my people fighting a war with a foreign deity. They look like ants. It is nice to know that when they sell you the tickets they don’t tell you that you will need a pair of binoculars to see anything. I came to watch a football match not go on safari.
I can barely see which team is which; I have been caught out once cheering when those around me were in deadly silence. The looks I got, I am sure they think I support the opposition and am just wearing this kit to blend in. I now have to wait till other people cheer to join in. It is like when there are two TVs in the house with same channel on, quite often there is a lag between them and you can hear that there has been a goal from the other room a few seconds before you see it. I feel really fake but I have supported these guys for years, through thick and thin.
The people in front of me are asking about our striker, they are calling him Geering. I am sure he got substituted at half time and that guy up front doesn’t look like he has the same hair style, that is if that is our team. Well, the strikers on the other team don’t look like him from here either. Maybe it is not just me; everyone else is looking to the supporters below them for cues on how the game is going. If we score the cheer will ripple towards the top of the stadium like some stuttering Mexican Wave.
I still can’t believe it, eighty pounds a ticket, I wonder how much it was for down there. I would have had to sell my house to get one of those tickets. Oh, I think one of the ants has fallen over. There is booing so it must have been a bad tackle. I wish I could see the action, do you think it would be bad to watch it on my phone?
Day 30 – 11/07/14
What happened in the World Cup
Rest Day
After Extra Time
It feels like my heart has been ripped from my chest such is the emotion inside the stadium. My limbs ache and barely support my frame. One nil is a bad enough score line to lose by but losing in extra time makes it so much harder to bear. So close, yet so far, as the saying goes. We were not expected to win, we were not even expected to get this far but the monumental effort we put in had given us dreams beyond anyone’s expectations. One step from the biggest match of our lives, one step from the World Cup final.
It is as if we have lost some great battle, troops sitting on the floor through exhaustion, players and fans alike crying. It may have been easier to accept had we been thrashed. I shake hands with the opposition as I meander between our languid players. In truth I would rather be sick and it makes me feel worse that opposing players wave flags and clutch their sons and daughters from the crowd to celebrate with them. It is a strange atmosphere, like someone has got a great blade and cut it down the centre of the stadium. One half joyous delight, the other only half full of desolate individuals. How I wish our side was the joyous one.
Somehow I feel robbed in this situation even though we came up slightly short. I think it is being use to club football, in the league you get the draw after ninety minutes and gain a point and in the cup you at least have a chance to go again before experiencing extra time. The only consolation is that we did not make it to penalties as that, I can only imagine, would be ten times worse.
I look at my team again, most are young, twenty-two or younger, this is their first World Cup, the first time they have tasted such bitter defeat. It will hurt for some time but will also be a pivotal moment in their careers. If they can harness their feelings and use them to improve they will be great plays. If they allow this moment to torment their every thought then the game is over for them. Like some relative dying, they will need to mourn for a few days then put it all behind them. That is where people like myself come in, the old guard, the experienced head. I will see each player individually tonight, put an arm around him and tell him how amazingly he has played. I will let each know that this was not our time but it will come, even though this is a false promise it is the belief that will keep them going. If that does not work then the crowds back home who will welcome us should lift their spirits and renew their faith in football. For we must remember one thing, we have gotten to the semi-final of the World Cup, even if we lose the next game we are still one of the top four teams in the World and at the start of this World Cup that was unimaginable.
Day 31 – 12/07/14
What happened in the World Cup
3rd/4th Place Playoff
3rd/4th Place Playoff
What is the point of this? Another game so the powers that be can make a bit more money, it is completely meaningless. It is not as if this is the Olympics and there is a bronze medal at stake. Maybe a bit more prise money but neither me or the team will see any of that.
Pre-season starts today too and none of my players have had a holiday yet, it has been football, football, football for the last twelve months. Even people who are so passionate about the game need a break. Clubs will want players back soon and then everyone will complain when they don't play well because they are so tired.
I still can't believe they are making us play this game. I know there are people who think that a player should be honoured to play for their country but I do understand the club verses country row. Clubs are like businesses, they pay good money for their employees and expect them to play week in week out. I used to manage a club you know. All us managers want is our players protected, kept away from unnecessary injury or strain. We don't mind proper international games but waste of time friendlies just because there is an international fixture slot and meaningless games like this we could do without. As an international team manager I need friendlies before major tournament qualifications and finals so I can allow my team to play together and work out which players play well and with who. What I don't need is this match. We lost in the semis, it was an achievement to get that far, we should go home heroes after this World Cup but if we lose this then what are the public going to think? This game, this pointless match, could destroy this team.
Day 32 – 13/07/14
What happened in the World Cup
Final
Final Standings
The Final
It started at midnight, somehow when the clock ticked onto that elusive hour the atmosphere changed. Although many were in their beds, electricity seemed to spark from millions upon millions of people. This was it, today was the World Cup final.
As the sun rose so too did the people, that glow of excitement in their eyes, every pore of their bodies spilling forth hope. Today one set of fans would be joyous whilst the other would be crushed with despair.
As television sets across the lands were turned on, the build up to the greatest match on earth had started already. Every former footballer, ex and current manager, pundit, celebrity and average Joe plucked from the street were offered the opportunity to give their opinion. Who would win? What would the score be? Who would be the most important player on the pitch?
At such an early hour social media had gone into meltdown, #worldcupfinal trending worldwide. Yet another platform for those with and without knowledge of the teams and the beautiful game to tell the world their thoughts. Not even by midday had every permutation imaginable of result, who would score and who would be the star player been suggested. Some were accepted, many ridiculed.
Betting shops were awash with odds, fuelling the speculation of what would happen. Lunch was harder to force down than any other day as nerves got the better of players and fans alike. Some visibly shaking as they made their way across cities and through countryside to the place where they would watch the match.
The stadium, however, was silent. In complete contrast to how no
ise would shake its foundations when kick off came. The only people who could be seen, were the TV cameras already rolling, were the odd groundsman checking the pitch again and again to make sure it was not only playable but worthy of the match that would take place later in the day. Every fan that walked up the pathway to the stadium, past food vendors and people selling shirts, flags and scarves, stopped and looked up at the stadium. At that point both dread and hope filled their entire bodies, it did not matter which team they supported. This was not the only way all fans were one, both sides drank in the atmosphere, friends, at least, for the minutes and hours before the final started.
An hour or so before kick off the stadium started to fill. Like every league game up and down the country it appeared empty with a few minutes to go but blink and you would miss all the fans appear, the stadium suddenly awash with colour.
At last the fans were able to release all their pent up emotions as the national anthems were played. Tears welled up in many an eye as uncontrollable feelings spilled out. But all too soon the nervous tension was present again. And finally, after hours of waiting, the whistle signalled kick-off.
About the Author
Chris Harvey is a secondary ICT Teacher from Guernsey in the Channel Islands. He currently lives in Yorkshire with his Wife, young son and cat. He mainly writes stories for children and young adults and has been called an author by many, but he would not quite go that far.
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