(Summer of 2006) I peek through my fingers and catch a glimpse of my parents jumping up and down in the living room, doing a demonstration of a boogie dance learned from the disco dancers that used to come up on ETV during Ye-MenGistu's regime. "Viva Italia! Viva Italia!" cries my father, and adds a few more words from the Romance language he picked up over the years. "dinQem ete...tey bakish, aleQesh ende??" asks Mother in a ridiculing tone. My heart breaks~France lost-Zidane!, poor Zizouuu, that was how he was going to retire, with a red card gloating over his face because of what a foul mouthed Italian player said?? With painful, precise combination of a teenage girl's stupidity, loyal love to her football star that border-lined crush and the sobbing clouds of 'kremt', for the next 11 days I would become depressed and swear that football will never be the same again.
{fast forward four years l>l> }
Indeed football isn't quite the same...but not for the worst as I predicted. oh by the way, I am referring to the world cup in general. 2010 South Africa I think we're in for a ride. With the two European football buffs eliminated already and the seven nil game between Portugal and N.Korea (I felt I was watching ye-sefer CHewata and heard that the goalie is now seeking asylum, as his mediocre performance may unleash Kim Jong-un's full wrath, no wonder those men looked depressed
)
this year we're definitely calling for an upheaval, loud and clear, like a vuvuzela blowing right next to your ears. However, at the end of the day the world cup is all about togetherness. Despite my parents gloating over me triumphantly four years ago , we're back again, discussing the game and making football the central theme for 30days of our life; groaning as our team misses a goal, or spitting an "ESsssEY!" as the opposing does the same, having a swear-fest as the referee rules unfairly, rising half way from our seats as a number 9or10 approaches the penalty area and hovering just like that for a few more moments until we feel a tightening in our hamstrings, and finally hugging each other as we realize that the Black Stars will advance to the next round while cracking up, in retrospect, at Howard, the American goal keeper, going all the way to the other side to score a goal during the last 3minutes ~ yes, this world cup is surely an interesting one.
Inviting all of you AU-ers to join in and rekindle our African passion for football....final match: Ghana vs. [Insert the losing team here]

Think you know better, pls free to discuss matches and teams here, or better yet the cultural aspect this world cup brings...