The soccer tournament brings people together, at least for one fan
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup set to kick off this June in Brazil fans around the world are gearing up to cheer for their respective countries.
As Canada will not partake in this year’s triumph to win the world title, we asked soccer fans at Concordia who they were rooting for, their thoughts on the grand tournament, and memories that came along with it.
For Concordia student Jason Ghetler and some of his friends, what soccer means to them is “get ready and
drop everything.” Ghetler always looks forward to the return of the World Cup every four years.
“We love to watch the World Cup together, it’s a newly found[ed] tradition dating back to the last World Cup in 2010,” said Ghetler.
Ghetler, who has been a longtime soccer fan, is a little more enthusiastic than his buddies in regards to getting the opportunity to catch a match.
“We were in Las Vegas during the last World Cup and I’ll never forget that following a night of sheer adventures, I was able to sneak in a few hours of sleep before I went to the lobby by myself to watch the Netherlands take on Brazil in the quarter-finals.”
Ghetler remembers being alone upon arrival in the lobby and being greeted to endless televisions, mounted on a big wall, and airing all kinds of events and games. He sat himself down barely keeping his eyes open, drank a Red Bull, and was suddenly joined by approximately 20 soccer fans who were all interested in watching the same game.
“None of them were my friends,” Ghetler said. “But we were all friends as the match continued. Regardless of who we were even cheering for, it was a great game and I have never been part of an experience like that in my entire life. I hope that I’ll never forget it.”
This time around, the three friends are prepared and hopeful to watch all the matches they can together.
For another set of friends and Concordia students, Andrew Khawam and Roger Girgis, enjoying a soccer match may cause just a little bit of friction.
“My mother roots for Italy and my father roots for France, so when the whole family is together to watch a game, there’s a lot of complications, but we all know it’s in good fun,” said Khawam.
Meanwhile, Girgis cannot tolerate that his friend cheers for Italy and not France.
“He’s got both sides in his roots, but he chooses to side with Italy. I guess in the end it just adds some more excitement when we watch matches together.”
Both Khawam and Girgis are avid soccer fans and cannot express their excitement enough for the tournament to begin.
It is the 20th FIFA World Cup tournament in history, which will see 32 countries compete for soccer’s ultimate prize. The World Cup is scheduled to take place between June 12 and July 13.
