06 Days 18 Hours 54 Minutes to go – Countdown
The 2010 World Cup in less than a week away. In South Africa the cast is assembling for the greatest show on earth. For football supporters here in Australia it means a month of late nights early mornings and self inflicted fatigue.
I have lived in Australia for just over fourteen years. The first timezone tournament was Euro 96. Gazza’s goal against Scotland was a particularly memorable middle of the night mental!! One benefit is that there are fewer distractions in the middle of the night. Less chance of a phone call or a knock at the door. My family and I were visiting the UK during Euro 2008 and it felt odd to be watching an international tournament while it was light outside. Most football supporters here have adapted to the nocturnal aspect of our passion BUT it is still strange to leave the house at 2am to go to the pub and watch a match! Being English, and therefore an England supporter, the subject of how to celebrate a World Cup win when the final finishes at 7am isn’t a problem unfortunately. A more relevant poser is how to get through the day when we’ve just endured our usual penalty shootout pain. But we’ll keep hoping and dreaming. And hoping and dreaming…..
One of the many marvellous aspects of our game is the global unity it generates. So next Friday when South Africa play Mexico think of us watching at midnight. And we’ll think of those watching over breakfast in San Salvador!!!