Anarchy Across the Universe

O país do futebol--Soccerland

If I were living in Brazil, even in the factory area of the ABC, Santo André, São Bernardo, and São Caetano, I would be drinking, chain-smoking and biting my nails. In a few hours we meet again, Brazil and La France, a major humiliation to Brazilian psyche, when France scored three goals, Brazil none, and France was champion of the World Cup.

For months on end, every Brazilian living in France --why inflict such pain on yourself in a country as racist and xenophobic as France?-- once identified by his accent would be taunted with, "One, deux, trois!" and gestures of three fingers pointing at the poor devil.

Not this time, honey! You wear red and blue. I wear a dental floss bikini!

I have heard all kinds of hypotheses about ths match. It hurt here at home, where my husband is of the kind of spectator who must ask, "Where is the ball?" and he laughed hard and I sobbed, comforted by my Porteña friend. How could anyone make sense of a National Team from a country with loads of experience not be able to stop another team whose experience was next to none?

Some blamed it on the Marseillaise, which is an argument similar to the one that says the Russians did nothing when fighting wars, it was all General Winter's work. Others say Ronaldo the Chunky was sick, was poisoned, had petit mal seizures, Brazilians love to chew the fat, and conspiracy theories have no national boundaries.

What I can't get is how two of the three goals France scored then were symmetrically identical and the Brazilian fullbacks did nothing to stop the ball coming from the right corner or from the left corner. That was a really primary misconception on their part.

This time let the French in the household worry

I've been anxious, I've been tearful, I've been scared. I know about losing championships. I am a Botafogo fan, we haven't had luck lately. Maybe the ghosts of good times past, the great critics/commentators of futebol will keep me company tomorrow. Nelson Rodrigues, and his characters immortalized in A Pátria de Chuteiras, his brother, Mario Filho, João Saldanha, a hot-tempered gaúcho, so many others I watched speak at the same time, in the days of Botafogo Realm.

Botafogo fanatic and superior teacher clairvoyant MDSC, predicts:

--Win or lose, Brazil is the best.

--Brazilians will do the samba.

Samba with gorgeous genius Chico Buarque de Hollanda

--Brazilians will go to the beach.

--Brazilians will have better looking faces(especially noses) and bodies.

--Brazilians have HOPE as their middle name.

--Finally, I asked MDSC not to dare this one, but he declared categoricallyBrasil campeão !
Thanks Becca and Izzy Nobre, blogger of Hoje é um Bom Dia, for the cake and support. Isn't Canada the Swiss country in the Americas?