I had a dream a few days back: seated in front row seats, at this summer’s Olympics in Beijing, with the fattest smile painted across my face, watching U.S. face off vs. Spain in the Basketball World Championship finals. Calderon contributed a triple double and Chris Bosh produced a double double as the Spaniards lost by 1 in a very close affair. It certainly ranks up there in the greatest dreams I’ve ever dreamt category. It was one of those dreams where you would do anything just to re-enter it for a few more blissful moments. I always wondered why God teases us that way. Anyways, I spent the following days pondering the idea of actually making this dream in to a reality. Then I realized that it’s a bit too late for many reasons, but mainly because most of my dinero currently has more of a responsible purpose. Thus, I’ve decided to found another dream. A dream that never literally floated through my head while asleep, but one that will unquestionably be a powerful and climatic time in my life… How does a summer spent on a trip to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup sound?! It is quite early and that plays to my advantage, 2010 is a bit more realistic as I still have roughly two years to financially equip myself with the tools to ensure the overall experience will be an unforgettable one. Possibly, one month to go all out like never before. I can picture it now: lunching at South Africa’s finest restaurants, drinking, catching a game or two at mid day, drinking some more, and getting ready to party with some fine African hunnies along with the rest of the world by nghtfall. I never really thought about it before, or even dreamt about, until today. I mean how expensive can it be? To factor in everything.. we’re speculating enough loot to live sumptuously for a complete month with holding nothing back. Playing is pricey. Including: travel, motel expenses, whining & dining, drinking a whole lot, attending all the major games [each and every Brazil game, the quarter finals, semi finals, Finals, and also a combination of games involving football Giants that play attractive, charming football. (Argentina, Portugal, Spain,) and finally at the very least, one South Africa game.] Also, we couldn’t leave without copping an enormous Brazilian flag, a handful of gorgeous jerseys, and grasping a feel and taste of South African culture. Now seriously, who goes to these events? Clearly, millions upon millions live to support their countries at a World Cup, and surely there are the filthy rich that make it a ritual every 4 years. But I’ve never met an individual that has experienced one. How hard can it be to accomplish? All you need is about 15-20 geez to enjoy it with every element of passion in you…You know, going all out to make sure it’s an experience I will take with me to my grave. A world cup is by far, the most noteworthy sporting event in the history of civilization, and where else will one have the chance to witness a fat bunch of the world’s most talented and accomplished in their sport respectively; Puyols, Messi, Christiano, Deco, etc… If I’m ever going to absorb a world cup live, I feel this one would be utterly perfect. Ronaldinho will still relatively be in his prime at the age of 30 and where better to see the world-shattering magician perform his magic. Who wouldn’t adore the opportunity to tell their grandchildren that they witnessed, in my belief, one of the greatest footballers ever to grace a pitch? It’s as close as it gets to in fact being a part of history without having your name in some book for fighting a worthless war or inventing light bulbs. I speak for myself when addressing the fact that this experience is in all likelihood a once in a life time experience, so why not make the most of every instant. Of course the world cup is two years from now, but who can help daydreaming from time to time?

A narrow-minded person with the brain about as minuscule as the brain of a Brazilian squirrel, continually feel the need to question my attachment to a particular country and her National Team. Apparently some believe that if one isn’t from or lived in that same country, then one doesn’t have the right to follow and support that country’s team. My rebuttal is quite simple…anyone can rightfully choose to cheer for any team/country they wish to…colour, race, religion, origin, home town, culture, etc, has, nor should have, any influence whatsoever. Neither is it a matter of merely siding with the world’s notorious. I have decided to stay loyal to only one team for the rest of my life: and that lucky country is Brazil. There are many reasons why…But first, I shall explain the complexity of such a pronouncement.

Perhaps if Palestine wasn’t fighting for her existence and because of that, been in a social crisis for the last century it seems…and maybe if more Canadians would drop the skates and put on some soccer boots for a change.. then of course I would unquestionably support the two countries responsible for who I am today, but unfortunately, that day seems to be drifting farther and further away. When it comes to sports, a country can’t have the best of different sporting worlds. You don’t see Brazil winning National hockey championships. You don’t see Canada succeed in any other sport accept for hockey or ice-based competitions. That’s cool, if Canada never qualifies for another world cup ever again, it won’t leave a devastating blow to my Canadian pride. I will never be uncertain to tell every person I cross paths with that I grew up in arctic weathers, drank the finest beer, spent more or less years playing street hockey as a kid, watching hockey night in Canada Saturday nights, or that I still believe Canada is the greatest country in the world. The World Cup is much more then simply representing your country. There are hundreds of ways to stand for and represent your home land. World Cups aren’t about killing a fellow country man because he missed a world championship-winning penalty, or about initiating dangerous riots with other nations you hate, or about accumulating four years of bragging rights. Sure the thousands and thousands of compassionate fans play their role, but in actuality, representing a country on the global stage can only be done by a small sum of people, it’s the athletes themselves when they honorably dress in the colours that identify their mighty hearts. And that’s all I want to see, the mighty hearts shine… Ya digg?

Because of Palestine’s heartbreaking history, and the lack of Canada’s qualifying aptitude, it leaves me with no other alternative but to search deep within myself and seek out what precisely it is that I embody. Just because I don’t have Brazilian blood, that doesn’t eliminate the fact that I have brazilian feet or brazilian legs…or that when I play, people pronounce my name ending with an O. But it’s more than that. I worship the brazilian attacking style, because I myself am a relentless aggressor in both basketball and footy. I absolutely admire that if you go to a Brazilian beach, you’ll see there’s just as much balls bouncing off of people’s heads, feets, knees, shoulders, as there is people. When the World Cup arrives in Brazil, every last hopeful face is either glued to a Tv screen, or at the world cup itself, and I can relate. Y’all can compare and argue that football is the same everywhere. But it isn’t, Brazil is a country that wouldn’t survive without it, unlike other football superpowers. England has been a world power for centuries, as well as Spain, Italy, and Germany. By and large, a good number of European countries are ethically dominant and can carry on without football. In Brazil, life isn’t life at all without football, and because of that, I appreciate and value my life a little more. In Brazil, football brings together the white-collared and lower social class, which doesn’t happen everywhere else, you don’t notice Palestine, Lebanon, some African nations, and other underdeveloped nations coming together to watch a game, or having the freedom to even dream for a World Cup birth. But of course the fucking world recognizes Israel’s right to be a part of the 08 European Cup. And you still here people saying that politics has nothing to do with sport: complete rubbish. In 2010, you better fucking believe that my head will undeniably be rapped in the most gargantuan and vibrant of Palestinian flags! And every spec of my face and arms will be decorated with RED, BLACK, WHITE, and GREEN!!! Every country is different, but only one other nation comes close, in terms of actually breathing and sleeping football, and that’s Argentina; another tale for another day. Moreover, to another interesting tid bit that blew my mind. I recently found out that my great great granddad left Jerusalem in the early 20th century and fled to Brazil…He never returned. My family believes he most likely ended up marrying a Brazilian and because of this, the possibilities are endless. It’s exciting to question the uncertain, for all I know, I could have uncles, aunts, and cousins, which would indeed be related to me as half arabs-half Brazilians. By no means does this mean my blood to be South American, and nor do I wish it to be, but the fact is compellingly attention-grabbing, and I’ve learned to appreciate the history. In a nutshell, I truthfully believe I have relatives somewhere, out there, in the beautiful land of curvaceous butts and footy extremists.

I’ve provided numerous reasons why I’m a nut when it comes to Brazilian football, but I haven’t even mentioned the footballers themselves. Zidane is the one none-Brazilian that taught me a few things, in more than one sport. Now that he has retired respectively, no other country is a football factory the way Brazil is. I mean no other players bring joy to my soul when I watch them play. I’m a die heart devotee of Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos. Kaka and Robino are not too shabby either. The list goes on and on.. I can’t get over what Ronaldinho accomplished in Barcelona. I truly believe God sent him to amuse humankind like never before. I do hope many African nations along with Iraq qualify, above all, to distract the painful for one whole month. I will end this post by informing y’all that my 2010 World Cup savings is 100 dollars rich today and that y’all should get at me if you’re dreaming about 2010, because we will be there, and nothing will get in our way…