Football is more than a game

Opinion piece

Evidence Mahlalela



soccer ball, bing.com/ images

Allow me when I say football is more than just a game. Football is more than just a game because a game is just about fun but then this is different. Football is fun, interest, love, understanding, talent, passion, hate, frustrations, controversy, unity, overwhelming and means of making a living.

I can still recall when I became a football fan. It was in my early primary school days. I didn’t even know the basis of soccer nor understood a thing about it. I was just one desperate little girl who needed a sports activity to participate on, honestly speaking I was not really interested, I always thought it was a man’s game but then “kungati kufana nekungaboni”, didn’t know I was wrong. Time travelled and I began to have fun, the more I participated I developed a strong feeling of interest. When the interest grew I realised I was falling in love with the game, I started watching soccer matches, asked questions about it, began to understand the basics of the game and even further. Oh believe me it was an awesome and overwhelming feeling. Football taught me how to love. You can’t just say you love when you haven’t even developed interest nor understand a person. Love arose from the deepest of the heart.

South African soccer fans during 2010 world cup, symboling
unity, love and support for Bafana Bafana. bing.com/ images

This game enables young stars to show case their talent and put them to places of their dreams. Football ties strongly with passion because when one is passionate about something then not even losing 5-2 to Amazulu FC or let me say consecutive lose like that of Maritzburg United can bring a man down. This is a game that involves so much hate because when you love something and become so emotionally attached you dislike anything in jeopardy of it. Fans sometimes even fight, not really sure about players because the frustrations during the game sometimes pushes them over the edge. Let me recall Zinedine Zidane’s 2006 FIFA world cup reaction when he head-butted Italy’s Marco Materazzi’s chest and how can I forgot the recent one of Equatorial Guinea fans in AFCON 2015 when they couldn’t stand the 3-0 heat against Ghana and decided to disturbed the game, these are the things that happen when frustration strikes.

Spain celebrates after winning the 2010 World Cup.
 bing.com/images

Football causes controversy as people get to disagree a lot especially when it’s about their teams, no one wants to back down and admit one was better than the other however this becomes an interesting debate that could last longer than the disputes in the SA parliament. Football is capable of bringing different nationalities, cultures, races and religion together all in the culture of football. Yes World Cup, CHAN and AFCON have proven that. In the name of football the world unites and strengthens the bond between nations. Everyone is born with talent so the bible says; soccer is a talent that can make you money as long as you on your game. If you doubt check out Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo they earn fortune just by getting on the field and delivering what is expected of them. I guess now the point is clear when I say football is more than just a game.