"When I get older, I will be stronger, They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag, And then it goes back, and then it goes back, And then it goes back"!!!

On 11th June, The Beautiful Game began in all its magnificence in the beautiful stadium of Johannesburg in South Africa! The one month footballing extravaganza will yet again bring hundreds of nations, thousands of cities and millions of people to a standstill like only it can. It would not be wrong to say that Nothing unites people, brings them together, excites them to core and makes them passionate & emotional like the magnanimous event known as THE WORL CUP FOOTBALL!!

Talking about favourites, for the sheer amount of bench strength and the multiple number of specialists that they have for every particular position, Spain, the Euro champions, are undoubtedly the numero uno team to lift the cup. The time has come for the long-time underdogs to shed this tag & finally win the championship. Torres and Villa at the front, Xavi, Xabi and Fabregas in the midfield and Captain Cassilas at the goal-post, this is on paper as well as on form, the Spanish Armada destined to be 2010 winners.

Giving them a really tough run for the ball, however, would be the likes of Argentina, Brazil and England indeed! If there is only one man who is capable of changing the course of this whole tournament and bring back the cup glory for Argentina, Lionel Messi it is!!! The world footballer of the year has been compared to the likes of Maradona and Pele already and HE IS THE ONE who can make this world cup his very own. How all we wish that he does so!!! Five-times winner Brazil have always been a major contender for the title and in coach Dunga, they have the commander who can take them to the distance. But it would be interesting to see how they counter the threat posed by Ronaldo’s Portugal and Drogba’s Ivory Coast in their ‘Group of Death’!! And after an outstanding qualifying campaign, England will fancy their chances of going all the way with the help of some luck. With the likes of Rooney, Gerrad and Lampard at their disposal, English are a serious threat for sure!

Having said all that, history has time and again proved that a football world cup is incomplete without its share of surprises. And the three dark horses: the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany will all prove to be a tough nut to crack. As I write this, Germany has already made the most resounding start to its campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of Australia!! And it would be a huge mistake to undermine the skills of Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo viz.a.viz Messi!!

The defending champions Italy are always a contender for the title. And no matter how much I personally hate them for their defensive style of play-making, it is also the biggest strength of this Cannavaro led compact unit.

With only 18 goals in 11 matches thus far, the first half of the tournament has been rather dull in terms of goal-scoring. Nevertheless, two things have ensured that WC’10 remains in the thick of headlines: The Vuvuzela trumpet and the Jabulani balls!!

Not for one second in the complete 90 minutes of the match, can you stay away from the blaring sound of the vuvuzela trumpet, known to be really high on the decibel levels. What started as something which will add to the fun-factor of this African safari, is now increasingly becoming an irritation for one and all alike. And then we have the case of the Jabulani footballs which made David Green, the English goalkeeper, in-famous as the ‘Hand of the Clod’ in their matchup with the USA, what with the ball conveniently slipping past his hands inside the goal!! And its not only the goal-keepers who are complaining, even the strikers are finding it very hard to keep the ball down during set-pieces and while making that final blow inside the D on the goal. Hence, the embarrassment is shared by both!

Only time will tell that which country will hold the ‘Waving Flag’ on 11th of July. But rest assured, this one month will once again prove to be full of excitement, passion and enjoyment!!

The Red Fury – GO GO GO!! :)