The vuvuzelas would be silent now. And so would be all the fuss concerning soothsayers (specially Mr Paul). As the FIFA World Cup bids adieu to fans for the next four years, football enthusiasts in the capital are finding it hard to get over the event’s charisma. While some have joined street football clubs to retain its flavour in their lives, others are gearing up for the upcoming league season hoping to spot their heroes once again in action.
“The excitement is too addictive for me to get over so easily. The World Cup finals were a perfect motivation for me to come home after a hard day’s work and sit in front of the TV. There is a definite void and it will take time to get filled,” opines Avinash Kaushik, a graphic designer and ardent football fan.
For 26-year-old Snehil Mishra, creating a street football club is the only viable option he saw to retain the magic of football in his life. To bring football out of TV and into their lives, the IT professional along with a few friends and colleagues have opened a street football club called JFK (Just For Kicks) and is determined to play every weekend. “We will divide the teams with six players on a side and play for 20 minutes in each half. I wasn’t a football fan until this World Cup, it motivated me to play the game. We are also planning to open forums on social networking sites to attract more players and fans. Now I know why it is the world’s favourite game,” he says. “It’s such a beautiful game that even if you don’t know anything about it you can enjoy it. There is no doubt that my evenings will be dull, but I guess that’s the way it is going to be. And it proves how huge a spell football can cast on people. Now the only thing, I am looking forward too is the English Premier League,” opines 23–year-old Brazilian football fan Prakaram Hazarika.
But there are people for whom the end of the World Cup meant an end of a month-long drought of entertainment. Though a growing number of women also follow the sport, football is still widely considered a man’s sport and numerous wives and girlfriends are happy that it finally got over. “It was my birthday on July 6, but it was overshadowed by Netherland’s showdown against Uruguay. And we didn’t celebrate after the match either as my boyfriend was supporting Uruguay and they lost,” avers 27-year-old Sneha Bhuyan.