MOSCOW: The World Cup is unlike any other sporting event. The Olympics may lay claim to the greatest modern sporting theatre but the World Cup, thanks to its scale and prestige, is a touch greater.
Nobody remembers the Pommel Horse winner from the 1996 Olympics. Each and every goalscorer from the 1994 WC in USA, for example, will be in some documentary a century (if humans continue to co-exist for that long) down the line.
Throw in the sights and sounds of the World Cup. Millions of fans partying in one country for a month, irrespective of colour, creed and occupation. That really was the idea behind travelling to a World Cup. To see what made the beautiful game’s most storied event so magical. I got to witness one of the Cup’s great experiences soon after setting foot on Russian soil, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Spain.
At a restaurant in the international arrivals haul at Sheremetyevo airport, Ronaldo gave a night’s worth of happiness to fans from all continents. Iranians, Costa Ricans, Peruvians, Australians, Senegalese... they had never seen each other but they were clicking selfies even as they were huddled around the TV.
Heck, there were even a few Dutch fans who joined in the celebrations as the Real man stroked home the free-kick to seal a 3-3 draw. That’s what the Cup does.
It invites people who weren’t even on the guest list. While waiting to catch a connection to Kazan, a smile escapes my face. Australian fans were going to be on my flight to watch their match against France. Les Bleus start brightly but lose their shape soon after and only escape thanks to a lucky Paul Pogba goal. But it’s a different scene in the stands.
Australians, with a booze or two down, get the chants going. Tim Cahill doesn’t come on but they sing about how he is better than Pele and how he will lift the Cup on July 15. A few Indians, many South Indian students have made Kazan their home for studying medicine, try to engage the Aussies in some friendly ‘sandpaper’ banter but to no avail.
One of them, a volunteer — Jagadeesan, a student from TN, who has been in Kazan for five years — decides to help after seeing me trying (and failing) to understand Cyrillic. He offers a tip.
“The food scene here is terrible for vegetarians. You have come here to have fun. Do not go outside your comfort zone in the guise of experimenting.”
swaroop@newindianexpress.com