Don't you love the build up to a big tournament? The prospect of approaching excitement (or doom), the debate and the predictions…
Things that didn't seem to matter before now seem huge. Like the weather during a simple practice: nobody seems to care about the temperature at other people's jobs but in May 2010 it’s news. Is 10 degrees Celsius too cold? Is this temperature comparable with the highs and lows in this other country that I don't care about except for the next few months?
It's seems strange that 16 million people live, die, love, hate and pray with the performance of eleven countrymen running after a leather (or according to some reports, plastic) round object in a country far far away. But in June (and hopefully July) 2010 it's not strange, it's the law! Not following this law would cause banishment from the 'normal' community (well, for a month at least).
Most people in the Netherlands think of themselves as unpatriotic. But we gladly change this principal to mad-nationalistic with one little sniff of success from our Dutch national team. You can get an orange (no other colors allowed) vuvuzela (this is a South-African horn, which produces a horrible sound for those who don't know) with a purchase of stamps (which nobody uses anymore) for just 30 euros: Everybody wants that of course! Orange slippers, orange cake and orange underwear are normal and hardly worth mentioning. With the purchase of just one case of beer we get a 'roar hat' (a hat in lion form who of course is roaring...) and we wear it with great pride while looking stupid. Then there are little stuffed animals dressed in orange kits, and reportedly football shoes, you can get at the super market, which are naturally treated as collectors-items. This is all in support of our Orange Lions of course. And we will be happy to crap orange if this helps the team’s cause too.
And what of ‘our’ prospects at this year’s world cup? Many of the casual fans here feel that Oranje can and must win the cup, which sounds a lot like fans in other European footballing nations (cough...England...cough). Sensible football fans (I count myself to this group, forgive me if I sound snobby here) and most pundits are predicting an exit in the quarter-finals but with, of course, a slight hope for more. Just if everything (really everything) goes right (no suspensions, injuries and no opponents who actually can convert a goal scoring opportunity) then there may be a chance of a semi-final birth. All of us though, casual fans, pundits and sensible fans alike, realize there is a very realistic chance of playing better football (whatever that means) then our opponent (I am looking at you: Brazil) but still lose in the most painful way possible. This is the way history wants it, this is the way the world needs it: people in orange winning the sympathy prize but not the big one. So it is probably crash and burn in pain (with a little bit of pride) again.
But even with this very real prospect of feeling this excoriating pain I can't wait to feel it.
