FIFA World Cup, from the eyes of Nepal

MAY THE BEST ONE WIN!

Ashok Silwal, Nepal
PHOTO BY GITIKA TALUKDAR, QATAR

From November 20th to December 18th
FIFA World Cup-Qatar 2022
32 national teams
64 matches
Hundreds of thousands of spectators,
Millions of TV viewers
Glued like magnets
To their televisions and smartphones screens.
Yes….. because, in these times, we all become fans
Or of the national team,
Or that of the heart
Able to excite us and make us vibrate.

Perhaps this World Cup is first
A beautiful sight for the eyes.
Incredibly new stadiums
With futuristic architectures and materials
In full desert!
Perfect green lawns!
Bright colors of shirts and socks.
Crazy racing and “dancing”…
With close-up footwork and head play
Shot by super technical cameras.
The sheer spectacle is beautiful
Even for those who don’t understand
Anything about the game.

And then the national anthems,
The fans with painted faces,
The waving flag,
The songs, the cheers…
The enthusiasms and the disappointments…

And, as with all medals, there is a flip side:
Very high costs,
Great energy dispersion for air conditioners,
Disrespect for human rights,
Unusual use of water,
Many workers died in the building sites…

So football becomes a pretext
And assumes a geopolitical role
Thanks to its great visibility.

And there is also a certain hypocrisy
In condemning a country
That has been working on this organization
For more than ten years
Without anyone saying anything….
And from which many countries now
Will ask for liquefied natural gas
In this war period.

It’s not about being the devil’s advocate
But hoping for the return in terms of human rights
And other “mistakes”…
Making mistakes is part of learning process.

Let’s not let football be just
This kind of “people’s opium”
Used by others for religion….
Let’s enjoy the show in the hope
That it can convey
A constructive and positive message
For human beings and nature.

AND MAY THE BEST ONE WIN!