Catching World Cup Fever

It probably doesn’t quite capture the mood to simply say that England has World Cup fever. To be fair, if you are anywhere outside of Canada, it is safe to say you know what I’m talking about. And maybe that’s not fair either. Canada may not have qualified for South Africa but they do have a lot of fans. I remember spending a few nights in Little Italy down on College Street last time round and it would not be fair to say that there aren’t football (soccer) fans in Canada. I’ve seen Italy, Portugal, Greece and even England fans get rather rowdy in the streets of Toronto. But for some reason it feels very different over here.

The fever has been building for months and months with pubs proclaiming screening schedules, offices coordinating ways to manage World Cup-related absences (I work at Employee Benefits after all – it’s been big news here), and England flags popping up on every house, flat and storefront. I even purchased a Team England jersey so that I could fit in when heading out to watch the matches.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t actually like footie. Sure, there are some fine-looking men involved in the sport but, no matter how long I live in England, I will never follow football the way I follow hockey. Despite this promise, there is still something about the spirit of the World Cup that makes you want to be a part of it – even if that means just being the token Canadian ex-pat in her England t-shirt, drinking beer and asking stupid questions during the matches.

At the office we just kicked off a World Cup lottery. Editorial and sales staff alike paid £2 to choose a country out of an envelope – or two once we discovered there were leftovers. Even though most of us will be cheering for England, we have our lottery teams to support as well, just for a little extra competitive spirit. Whoever comes out on top wins the envelope of money – a whole £64.

My first pick is Germany and my back-up is Paraguay. Could be worse (I could have picked Slovenia and Honduras like my friend Tynan) or better (I could have picked one of the perennial favourites like Brazil, Portugal or Italy). And while I enjoy supporting the underdogs, I rather doubt the Paraguayans have much of a chance.

Germany, on the other hand, was singled out as a favourite early on. Unfortunately, injuries to the captain, goalkeeper, defender and two midfields could really hurt their chances. Even Franz Beckenbauer, who led his country to World Cup glory as captain in 1974 and then as coach in 1990, does not have a lot of optimism for Germany’s success. Maybe this is for the best though as I hardly want to be caught cheering for Germany in an English pub (If the reason for this is not completely obvious just consider this: 2 World Wars and 1 World Cup).

England, despite its own unfortunate last-minute injuries, also has a good chance. At least according to English bookies. Earlier this week England captain Rio Ferdinand saw his World Cup dreams crushed when he suffered ligament damage to his left knee during the team’s first training session in South Africa. But despite this setback, manager Fabio Capello is being called the reason that England can win the World Cup. And all you have to do is believe it.

So enjoy the kick-off weekend, starting with the Opening Ceremonies earlier today and the first couple of matches – which we were slyly screening on an old tv in one of the meeting rooms at the office this afternoon – and culminating in England first match against USA tomorrow evening. And if you’re interested in a little light reading, check out the news alert I sent out this afternoon at the following link: http://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/item/10814/23/5/3.