World Cup - The beautiful game brings us together

GOVERNMENTS may fall and stock markets may fluctuate, but those events will be eclipsed by the global epidemic of football fever set to dominate the planet for the next month — following yesterday’s opening of the 18th World Cup in Germany.

More than half a billion television viewers around the globe watched the celebrations at the Olympic Park, in Munich, where 150 players who won the event, including Pele and Diego Maradona — accompanied by German supermodel Claudia Schiffer — were on display before the first game between hosts Germany and minnows Costa Rica.

From an Irish perspective, the sad aspect of the 2006 competition is that Ireland is not there. No doubt, the absence of the boys in green will dilute popular interest in the competition, which runs until July — when the champions will be crowned in Berlin.

While hundreds of Ireland’s intrepid army of fans are among the million people expected to visit Germany soccer-free zones will be much in demand at home.

Irish enthusiasts, however, can still have an interest by, for instance, adding their voices to Ireland’s 50,000-strong Polish community — in much the same way that the people of Gort, Co Galway, are expected to join in with local immigrants from Brazil, in cheering on the five-time winners and firm favourites for the 2006 title.

In this age of commercialism, global warfare, and widespread poverty, let’s hope the dream of Jules Rimet, father of the tournament, who believed the World Cup could bring nations together in unity, will be fulfilled.