occasional posts by risa aratyr
essays on World Cup 2010
Only out-and-out footy fanatics are keeping up with all the games at this point, by spending 6+ hours in front of the telly every bloody day. Mere semi-fanatics like myself are faced with tough choices. Which match gets a Nip & Tuck (miniscule fast-forwards whenever the ball’s out of play)? Which gets a Zip-Through (extended … Read more WC Fields — Nigeria v South Korea
Suarez with a header! But it all started with Diego “2-goals-in-3-games” Forlan, didn’t it? What a guy, what a team. We’ve seen nerves, swerves and under-achieving big time from some of the highly-touted European sides. Uruguay’s got the pace and passion, minus the f-ups, and they cleared their group without ceding a goal, fer gosh … Read more WC Fields — Mexico v Uruguay
It’s sad, no denying. Sad the host nation didn’t make to the next round. Sad that failing to advance to the knockouts garners South Africa the dubious distinction of being the first host nation to be eliminated at the Group Stage. Ah, Bufana Bufana! Hold your heads high! Sing and dance into the streets of … Read more WC Fields — France v South Africa
It was Portugal, I suppose, that restored order to the World Cup; “order” in the sense of teams fulfilling expectations, that is. Not that there’s any logical reason to form expectations in the first place. So what that FIFA ranks Spain a lofty #2 and Switzerland a lowly #24? What makes footy such an exciting … Read more WC Fields — España v Honduras
Both teams are to be congratulated. A fine match, played in a slightly altered universe, thanks to the referee’s unusually strict adherence to the letter of the rulebook. Many will say his calls were over the top. I’m not sure – the jury’s not in. Maybe dismissing Behrami was a bad call. Or maybe he … Read more WC Fields — Chile v Switzerland