FOOTBALL IS KING
IT WAS hours after the spellbinding England Colombia World Cup penalty shoot-out on July 2 that it dawned on me that Wimbledon had started. On Saturday, Paris had staged the best Diamond League meet of the season. Later that same evening, Chris Taylor equalled Yohan Blake’s national junior record of 10.11 seconds in the 100 metres.
Add the big money transfer of NBA star LeBron James from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers and you have a full list of sporting headlines that have been completely overshadowed by the FIFA World Cup. It’s all-consuming.
Most people had no idea that Fedrick Dacres, Shericka Jackson and Janieve Russell won in Paris in the discus, the 200 metres and the 400 metres hurdles, respectively. I’d wager a ticket to Russia that they were glued to their seats watching Uruguay beat Portugal 2-1.
To tell you the truth, I had to force myself to focus. I couldn’t even risk a glimpse at the game during the commercial breaks for fear I’d miss something special in Paris. It was an act of will.
This World Cup has everything. Stunning upsets have eliminated Germany and Spain, the last two World Cup champions. New stars like speedy Frenchman Kylian Mbappe have been unveiled and surprise quarter-finalists Russia has won over fans who probably disagree with that country’s international politics.
The early departure of the Germans is still staggering. Overall, they rained 72 shots against Mexico, Sweden and South Korea combined, with only 32 shots coming to 2014 Golden Glove winner Manuel Neuer. They put 21 on target compared to the 12 Neuer faced, and forced 21 corners to just nine from the opposition in Group F. Yet, the deposed champion Germans only scored twice and conceded five times.
From Ronaldo and his brilliant last-minute free kick equaliser against Spain to Tuesday’s surprise England win in a penalty shoot-out, the World Cup has dominated daily life since it began June 14. Thankfully, there are two weeks and eight matches to go.
‘This World Cup has everything. Stunning upsets have eliminated Germany and Spain, the last two World Cup champions.’