"What, Football? Nah, not today" - Confession of a football addict

Terrible week, I must say. A Saturday without football and Chelsea is a week wasted in my opinion. So decided it was time, to spend a get away from the world of internet and football and enjoy life as we know it. Started out and the first thing I noticed a group of boys with the usual Arab wannabe Ronaldo and Messi shirts kicking around a ball. Little tykes were making the most of the time they got under a shade as temperatures were hitting about 45 degree Celsius. Qatar is not really a football safe place when it comes to temperatures but we always find our way.

I kept walking as the mall was pretty close by. My friends had just called me and said they were going to book the tickets. I met the boys that I usually play football with and they were still going on and on about Chelsea’s win. As I came in I met my friends delightfully licking on a Cornetto but apparently the first thing I noticed was a Rio Ferdinand key chain, dangling from his keys which I presume where the entrance to his house or his car’s. Trying best to resist from asking him what color his car was , we went on to the Adidas store. Pretty disappointing in my opinion, no jersey’s on display and only a abysmal note of “coming soon” did not lighten our hearts.

With football still looming large on my head, we enter to the dismal theater with a logo on top of it “Just Do It”. If I had woken up today to stop thinking about football then all my dreams were definitely tarnished. Had high hopes on The Amazing Spider man and it did not disappoint me. Classy story line and creates a perfect atmosphere. But once again the adverts before the movie proved to be neck wrenching as the Qatar team’s aspirations for the country were showcased as I clutched on my popcorn. Made the neck behind my hair stand up, goosebumps all the way. But with half my popcorn over I could see that my friends were busy on their blackberries, proudly telling others that they are teenagers by their acts, as I once again ended up being the awkward guy who actually pays attention to the adverts before the movie.

As the movie ended, the man with the torch who directs people to his seats and is usually welcoming to paranoid watchers having problem finding their seats provided me no relief. An AC Milan shirt just compels you to be reminded of a young Seedorf orchestrating the play in the middle and making darting runs down the flank. The freak incidents related to football kept on occuring and the shirt proved to be the last straw.I mean where is your uniform for petes sake and for all the clothes you can put on, an AC Milan Jersey? And that too a vintage one? As I started heading back home, I saw another young boy who knows me call out ” Ana play football, you come, yes?” in all the broken English he could possibly mix together and say. Politely nodding my head and refusing , I ran home. The outside world atleast in Qatar is not safe for someone trying to get away from football. A soccer mad nation you can call it because everytime you turn your head there is someone or the other keepy upping or doing that cheeky little nutmeg.