FIFA World Cup 2010 from Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
FIFA World Cup 2010
When we first arrived in Mexico to live it was June of 1994 and we were smack dab in the middle of World Cup fever. Being Canadians this was new to us. Although we, naturally, had heard about soccer, it was never the frenzy we found ourselves caught up in here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.
We now know that soccer is huge everywhere else in the world with the possible exceptions of Canada and the United States.
This year the World Cup is being hosted y South Africa and they are playing against Mexico as I write this blog. It is the 19th World Cup being played.
When I went to Yoly’s Unisex Hair Salon this morning there was a laptop on the reception counter with the game on. Also at Superlake there was a TV on top of the ATM machines and a semi circle of staff glued to the game.
You will find for the next month that everything is focused on the World Cup and anything you need to get done will take a backseat to this phenomena.
This morning on CNN they had some female soccer players demonstrating different types of plays and positions and highlighting three of the best looking and also star soccer players in this year’s competition. Lional Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two star players that seem to e garnering the most hoopla.
Our son, who is an excellent athlete, decided he did not want to play soccer when we arrived. He was 12 at the time and when asked why he was not interested in this sport his reply was: “Mom, I am very competitive and everyone here has been playing soccer since they were 2”.
This is, in fact, the case in most parts of the world. As soon as you can walk a soccer ball is put in front of you and your, hopefully, illustrious career begins.
Soccer players are extremely fit athletes and very passionate about their game. If invited to a game you must take precautions as to your safety as fans have sometimes had to be put behind chain link fencing for their own safety. Many riots have occurred at soccer games around the world as tempers run high and the heat of competition is unparalleled in any other sport.
Today South Africa plays Mexico and Uruguay plays France.
June 12th, South Korea plays Greece, England plays the US and Argentina plays Nigeria.
June 13th Algeria plays Slovenia, Serbia plays Ghana and Germany plays Australia. Go online for future scheduling information.
There is a lot more information also available on line about players, odds, schedules, advertisers, betting, history and many other subjects of interest for the World Cup being played from today to July 11th.
Just Google World Cup 2010 and you will find sites that have all of the graphs, charts, teams, and pertinent information. In fact, it will be almost impossible for you to miss hearing incessant progress reports over the next few weeks. I must admit it is kind of fun getting swept up in World Cup mania. (Well controlled, of course.)