In Love with the Beautiful Game!

With the completion of the semi-finalists in the exciting and controversial World Cup, boasting a record of seven historic titles, the competition intensifies, and the 'adrenaline' levels rise among fans in the stands and in living rooms open to screens; living rooms that have become an integral part of the stadiums, ablaze with their clamor, emotions, and expressions of astonishment and amazement on the faces of followers driven by the passion of the game, and those exhausted by undeserved losses, just as happened to the Egyptian national team against the Tango dancers. As the competitions approach their final chapters, I made sure to follow them with my family, where quick services and generous logistical supplies are provided by my beloved wife; she who has no interest in football, but is keen to monitor the reactions of her husband and children, especially the beloved daughters who have caught the passion for following the game by contagion, and in this beautiful 'gathering' that adds an atmosphere of joy and applause for goals, especially if they are scored by Arab feet. This scene takes me back to the 1986 World Cup, when I wrote an article titled 'My Mother and the World Cup'; she – may God have mercy on her – knew the names of the stars of that era as she knew the names of her children: Maradona, Zico, Socrates, and Platini. I remember she cried bitterly then for the Moroccans' loss to the Germans in the round of 16, and she also felt pain for the injury of the Algerian goalkeeper Nassereddine Drid during the fierce confrontation with the Spaniards. My mother preceded VAR technology by decades; she would vehemently protest against players' hidden fouls that escaped the referees' eyes, but she rejoiced at 'Maradona's divine hand' that scored a goal against the English net in the quarter-finals of the tournament, and she liked the opinion of the philosophical Brazilian coach 'Santana' in his call to abolish penalty shootouts and replace them with replaying matches... (to be continued).