football world cup – The Metrognome

From a coach staggering backwards to the fastest goal in under a minute, Google tracks 8 moments fans loved this World Cup.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

After four weeks of anticipation, excitement, aggressive performances, tears of disappointment and some crazy instances, the FIFA World Cup has finally reached the finale stage. As fans await to see the strongest football teams play in the ‘Battle de finale’ and lift the FIFA Cup this year, Google Search recaps some of the crazy yet entertaining moments the fans cherished again and again during their journey to the finale.

#1) Highest score in a World Cup victory. An historical battle by all counts, with an exhilarating performance by the German squad that delivered a shocking record World Cup defeat for Brazil, German midfielder Toni Kroos, who scored two back to back goals in the first half’, epitomised Germany’s improved game. Germany searches for “highest score in a World Cup victory” spiked by 370x during the match.

#2) Klose to history. German striker Miroslav Klose became the World Cup’s all-time record scorer with his 16th goal during their semifinal against Brazil.

#3) Falling coaches. Another such moment emerged during the recent Argentina- Belgium match where Alejandro Sabella, the Argentina coach, quickly gained Internet fame after he became so engrossed in a chance for his side during their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium that he almost fell over.

#4) Cheers and tears. During the round of 16 battle, Argetinian commentator Pablo Giralt could not hold back his tears as he summed up the feelings of many Argentineans after Angel Di Maria’s 118th minute winner goal versus Switzerland, letting his emotions take over him in an epic live on air match commentary. After an enormous “ggggggoooooooooaaaaaaallllllll” came the tears!

#5) Full paisa vasool. Piojo Herrera is by far, the most entertaining coach to watch at the World Cup, managed to grab everyone’s attention with his celebration style. Fans searched for Mexican Coach “Piojo” online after his epic side-line celebrations during Mexico- Croatia match.

#6) Clean and clear. Japanese fans, armed with blue rubbish bags scoured the stadium for any mess and made sure the Football Arena was left in good condition as the Japanese team played their set of matches during FIFA. The positive gesture from Japanese fans was appreciated by Football fans across the globe.

#7) Quicker than Maggi noodles. The fastest of this World Cup and one of the quickest goals in the tournament’s history was up on show for fans as USA captain Clint Dempsey wasted no time against Ghana, scoring the 2014 World Cup tournament’s fastest goal a mere 32 seconds after kick-off.

#8) Torres wardrobe malfunction. And finally, from the fashion ramps to the Football Arena, Fernando Torres wardrobe malfunction during the first half of Spain versus Australia match did bring some unusual cheers among the crowd. Fans continued to search for the player and the incident online after the match.

(Text and graphics courtesy Google Inc.)

‘Feet For Foot’ initiative seeks citizens’ help in setting up artificial grass for young footballing talent to train on, at Borivli.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It sees several budding footballers train on its premises regularly, and is a popular sporting hangout for children and adults alike. But now, the Vintage Football Club ground at IC colony Link Road, is embarking on a very special mission – to install artificial grass on about 4,000 sq feet of the ground’s surface for young footballers to train on. This, believe its patrons, will go a long way in training young talent to play on an international stage.

The initiative, titled ‘Feet for Foot’, is asking for donations of Rs 999 per square foot of the proposed area to be developed, and is slated to be fully operational by December this year. Once operational, this will be Borivli’s only international-level football training space.

Says Conrad Pinto (50), one of the coaches at the ground and part of the initiative (in pic on left), “The ground currently has natural grass, which is not very good for playing on. What’s more, the grass dries up and withers away in the summer months, so the surface becomes very hard, especially with the gravel lying exposed. It is essential to train young talent on artificial grass, which will help prepare serious footballers for the international stage.”

What’s at stake

Children from the neighbouring Ganpat Patil Nagar slum play at the ground, as do others from adjoining areas. “The Club runs free training camps for children in the 6 to 9 years age group, with one coach catering to about 25 children per camp,” Conrad explains. “We are especially tuned in to children from underprivileged backgrounds – if the child is willing to play, we ensure we put a ball to his foot.”

The ground was initially in a shambles – it doubled up as a debris dumping ground and parking space for buses. “We got it cleared up in phases and then covered it with mud. We needed about 290 trucks of mud to layer the 8,155 sq metres of total area,” Conrad explains. “We formed the Vintage Football Club about 10 years ago. There are four trustees and currently 200-odd members, but over 1,000 parents are also active supporters. We impart training for free, and only charge corporates or professional teams wanting to train at the ground,” he adds.

Once ready, the ground will cater to the suburb’s urgent need for a world-class training space. “The costs of preparing such a facility are enormous,” says Wilfred Fernandes (44), also associated with the Club. “India needs training at the grassroots for football. See the current condition of football training in the country – it’s pathetic. Our children should be trained to represent India. Football instills confidence and team spirit, and we are always working towards reaching more and more children. Our activities here are driven by passion, not commerce – we never let the ground out for events or weddings or rallies. We are proud to say that since we have been associated with the ground, it has been used only for sporting activities,” he beams.

The costs involved

The cost of installing artificial grass is enormous, and they’ve worked out the total cost to about Rs 40 lakh for about 4,000 sq feet of area. “We cannot possibly cover the entire ground, because that would be too expensive,” Wilfred says. “Besides, we plan to develop the other portions of the ground for separate activities – a tennis court at the back, a walking track, a senior citizens’ space, a small play park for children. The football area will be at the centre, and will be cordoned off with nets,” he explains.

But why launch the initiative now? “We started the project on June 1,” he says. “Currently, there is a lot of hype around the upcoming football World Cup in Brazil, and interest in the sport is at an all-time peak. We will wind up the collection (of funds) process by July 15, when the World Cup will end,” he adds.

Already, donations have started coming in. “We’ve got donations from all over Mumbai, as well as from Delhi and even Muscat. Till date, we’ve managed over Rs 3.2 lakh from June 1, when we launched the initiative,” Conrad says. “Several more people have committed funds for the cause. One gentleman works in a company that manufactures lighting equipment, and he has pledged that the lighting for the ground would be done by his company. Even our trustees are donating money. Help is coming from everywhere,” he says.

The Club will shortlist a vendor by a tendering process in August this year, and the actual work of preparing the ground and laying the grass should be finished by November. “We hope to be fully operational by December 2014,” Wilfred signs off.

Do you want to donate for ‘Feet for Foot’? Log on to vintagefeet4foot.com or check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VintageFootballClubMumbai for details. Call 9022420053 for more information.