World Cup Village in Malta
By The Hunger
World Cup Village
The FIFA World Cup schedule is a flagger’s menu. What better way to meet someone from Cote d’Ivoire, Mexico, Australia, or any other country you fancy than heading down to the local World Cup Village and checking out the international soupe du jour.
As Atlas Al already pointed out in Ready. Aim. Flag!, there are flagging advantages to the World Cup; fans from around the world dressed in national colours act as “Flagging Bull’s Eyes”. Each morning on my way to work I pass the World Cup Village here in Malta and its massive billboard displaying the match schedules. The targeting potential of this dawned on me.
There has never been a better time to strike up a conversation with someone from a foreign land. World Cup excitement is pandemic and runs through every football fan’s veins. At a time like this, you’ll have a 100% chance to meet someone from one of the teams playing – Flagging a la carte!
Numerous times I’ve heard people mention they’re definitely going to the local because France, Italy, Denmark, Brazil or Spain are playing. And in all fairness no one can really say the French or Italian teams’ performance on the pitch was the main event. I think they were going for the spectator sports.
Some teams have already been eliminated from the competition, so genuine flagging bull’s eyes won’t be as easy to spot. People have begun to play World Cup musical chairs with their support.
The country from where you’re watching The Cup will also influence the a la carte factor. Take Malta (where I am at the moment) – every Italy or England game feels as though the entire country’s population is in attendance. As Malta is very close to Sicily, many support or oppose Italy (geo-proximity factor), and England is linked to Malta through its history; it was ruled by the British Empire for 150 years. When England made the quarterfinals the other day, people were partying in the streets as though it was the Grand Final 1966 again. hen England made the quarterfinals the other day, people were partying in the streets as though it was Grand Final 1966 again.
Every four years, the world tunes in to the biggest sporting event on the planet. For expats wanting to meet locals or fellow expats, this is Christmas for adults; it doesn’t get much more universal than this.
