It's World Cup season right now, and that means it feels like everyone on the planet with a pulse and a working pair of eyes has got football fever ... or soccer mania for all you Americans out there. Yes, the kick-off in Moscow has got everyone placing bets and cheering on their teams, and suffice to say, here in the UK, the pubs and bars are positively packed with sports fans. I'd be surprised if my dad, a consummate football fan, has managed to unglue himself from the sofa and turn off the TV over the last fortnight.
But on the other side of the coin, for people like me who aren't into sports, and who are particularly apathetic about the beautiful game, World Cup season is an absolute nightmare. It's hard to understand the appeal of something people get so passionate about, when it feels like a party that you haven't been invited to - especially when your friends follow it avidly, and talk about little else but the last match, the upcoming fixtures, and their own personal take on player's performances. When it comes to talking about football, I'd have an easier time describing the process of nuclear fission in Mongolian than giving a mid-match commentary.
This week, the girlfriend of a major football fan was given that unwelcome job, and her clueless summary of the game was unintentionally hilarious. Alison Finlay, a student who hails from London, was forced to step up when her footie-mad partner had to miss the game between England and Tunisia on Monday, June 18. Alison told the Press Association that her boyfriend was travelling home on the London Underground, and thus needed her to fill him in. "He had to work late and hoped he’d make it back (for the game) but didn’t, so asked me to fill him in. I kindly obliged!" she stated.
On Twitter, Alison stated: "My boyfriend asked me to text him updates from the #ENGTUN game as he's on his way home. You can't say it's not accurate." She then offered such gems as "A Tunisian man is on the [floor]. Looks like he got hit in the hair. Referee is uninterested. The man with the injured hair is not pleased." She later added: "It was a good goal but England missed a few chances and will need to up their game if they want to go far in the tournament. They might also want to work on their hair, as they were shown up horribly by Tunisia in that regard."
Twitter users seemed to really appreciate Alison's unorthodox style of commentary, with one stating: "This is excellent commentary. Please continue. I see know issues". Another person added: "Please please please tweet for all the games! Your comments are a million times better than every announcer in the US!" Who knows? Maybe we could see Alison on ESPN one of these days? I'd certainly tune in to watch her.