A rendezvous with Nostradamus, far from Samba crowd

This poor soul is in the esteemed company of Nostradamus.
Patriotic Spanish journalists bent over backwards to interpret the 16th century author of prophecies.

And they came to the conclusion that Spain is going to win the cup of joy. Whether Nostradamus erred or not, Spain was chucked out of the world cup by an unfancied, struggling French side, which didn’t deserve to be in quarters.

Lesson No 1: Journalists should shun patriotism.

Now, the belly dancers start whipping up euphoria even after freak counter attack goals. And the legion of fans, made up of the a whole lot of ignorant football lovers as well as die hard Zamba loyalists, behave as if it is the party time after a World Cup win.

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Jesus Christ! Could some one please tell them that they were playing a poor African nation which has qualified for the first time for the soccer extravaganza. And my foot, if they knew how to finish, the Samba carnival would have been packed off.

Ifs and buts don’t count, only win matters. Why does everyone want Brazil to play good football, asks the Brazilian coach.

If Brazil were just to play for win, which they seem to be heading to, they wouldn’t have much fan following outside Rio De Janeiro.

Coming back to prophecies, mind games don’t work in football it seems. So let’s put logic over artistry, sense over sensation and brain over heart.

If that’s the case, Germany beats Argentina, and no matter who is in semis, advance to win the cup by beating the over-hyped Brazil, if at all they are there.

The samba nonsense will end at least then.

Messi sure is wonder kid, but world cup is for grown ups. Tavez has shown his class.

Thanks Juan Roman Riquelme, it was a privilege watching the midfield artistry – That was sheer class. And Kaisar who wed amid the cup frenzy. And Eusabio.

Sincere apologies to Diego Maradona, simply the best ever. The Best.

World Cup trajectory

Mano di Dios

Quarter 1: Arg vs Ger
Quarter 2: Eng vs Hol
Quarter 3: Italy vs France
Quarter : Brazil vs Spain
Semi: Ger/Arg vs Italy/France
Semi: Eng/Hol vs Brazil/Spain

Finals: Arg vs Brazil/Eng/Hol

And the result is not a guessing game.

The calculations were based on emotional quotient and do not necessarily subscribe to group standings or match fixture. No apologies.

Image: http://www.lionelmessi.org/

Lingering radio waves from the Caribbean

DNA

The God of all things soccer

So what is the big deal, if Germany swamped Costa Rica 4-2. The score line tells a different story, but the real story is that Germans lost the defence twice against minnows. To hell with it, because world cup for some people begins only today, June 10.

The world cup in its present form began for that mould of enthusiasts with the divine Diego Maradona. That was the first world cup in their scheme of things, when Mexico was dazzled by the artistry of the legendary left foot.

So Maradona departed from Mexico with the crown after stamping the greatest goal in football history and invoking the Almighty to give him a helping hand. Football has never been the same after that.

1990 was a disaster of a world cup. It can only be forgotten for its foul play. Argentina lost but the legend remains intact.

20 years after Mexico, World Cup comes back to its blue striped Argentine fans. We hear names which we have never seen – wonder kid Messi, Saviola, Riquelme. And we wait for the ever reliable Crespo. And Juan Pablo Sorin.

Whoever said Samba is football isn’t welcome at this part of the universe. Welcome to the land of all things soccer.

On cloud no 26/7

Rains, which were supposed to lash Maharashtra and throw Mumbai out of gear, did a vanishing act after an initial ahead-of-schedule appearance.

So raincoats are still unwet and rail lines are teeming with life. The average Mumbaikar wants a repeat of 26/7, albiet with a lesser degree of punishment. The simple reason is that they get a paid holiday as the city shuts down.

Only monsoon can do that, now that Shiv Sena is hardly able to manage its own inherent contradictions. Sainiks can barely throw a fit of rage at the drop of a hat.

So the BMC, whose budget is bigger than many Indian states, is ready to fight any deluge. And the communication towers are perfecting the art of making things work in un-manageable conditions -- as if 26/7 was a communication disorder alone.

Mumbai is a city going down the drains, choked with its plastic waste as well as the denizens it draws to its vast man pool.

Redemption is not in sight. Neither is Shanghai, but rains are.