Dear Editor,
I plead for this space amidst your more serious daily letter-writers just to express my joy and tribute regarding Sunday’s FIFA World Cup football final in Doha, Qatar. What a final match befitting the world’s most famous, most-played outdoor sport!
First a brief personal context: sixty-five/seventy years ago I was growing up between Albertown/Bourda in Georgetown. Between home and school we boys had to like football, cricket, horse-racing and boxing. I attended football matches at the GFC ground three/four times every week! And I’ve been watching the zenith world cup tournaments since around 1962! So imagine my joy over the past month. (Sadly, my partner/spar Lennox was not present on Earth to argue this year since we began watching and arguing in 1986.)
Incidentally, Monsieur Macron , the President of France himself was there. So patriotic are the French for their football.
After lovely ups and downs involving England, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Mexico, Croatia etc, etc., it was down to Argentina/France for Sunday’s football battle – South America versus Europe, each wanting a cup victory for the third time. Memories of Maradona and Zidane!
The final did not disappoint although Messi and Argentina dominated like premature 2022 champs for the first eighty (80) minutes.
Then of the two M’s (Messi/Mbappé), Mbappé scored thrice to allow about another sixty (60) minutes of thrilling football drama to unfold. The beautiful game couldn’t be good for the weak-minded and frail fans with heart conditions! The swings and skilful drama that only top-flight football tactics and star players – from forwards to defence and goal-keepers – could produce could have induced cardiac-arrests!
Personally I submerged two issues to enjoy, Sunday’s thrills: what I learnt about Argentina’s footballing history and the fact that I dislike two poor goalies having to face ten strikers after their teammates failed. For two hours! However, congrats to Mr Messi. Regrets for Mbappé.
It ended for the hysterical fans, who probably paid millions to witness it in person – and for me as a sporting spectacle well worth the status of the beautiful game. And for a month the soccer sporting world was united. Will our Guyana be a participant in the expanded format in 2026? Ho-ho-ho.
Yours faithfully,
Allan Arthur Fenty
