"Football." (One Ball, One Goal)

Football is a simple game involving a ball and a goal. But once every four years this simple game rises to a new level. It closes the schools, empties the shops, turns cities into parties, and even stop wars. It fuels the passion and pride of nations and gives people everywhere something to hope for. It generates respect in countries where respect is in short supply. It accomplices more than any Politician could. But football can also be an ambassador of peace, a spark that ignites war, and an icon that unites a nation. This month on a South African stage, the world for many will change.

In Africa, football has the potential to heal old scars. The following African nations have earned the right to play in South Africa: Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. All of these nations have serious internal problems. Algeria, for example, has been battered by violence over the past half-century. More than a million Algerians were killed in the fight for independence from France in 1962, and the country has recently emerged from a brutal internal conflict that followed scrapped elections in 1992. Once hailed as a model of stability, Ivory Coast has slipped into internal strife. An armed rebellion in 2002 split the nation in two. Since then, peace deals have alternated with renewed violence as the country has failed to reach a political resolution. After surviving one military coup after another and this year's passing of a sitting president, Nigeria now faces the growing challenge of preventing divisions along ethnic lines.

What could these disparate nations possibly have in common? Football. In every remote corner of each of these countries, children are playing football. When they don't have a ball, they play with a bundle of bound rags, a plastic bag filled with dried grass, anything that can be kicked can be employed by these athletic and imaginative youngsters. Underfed, malnourished, barefoot, it doesn't matter; their enthusiasm has not dimmed. Nor have their hopes. War and strife may have killed family members, friends, and futures, but it is harder to kill a dream. Their dream is that their national team will emerge as champions in South Africa.

Of course there is the violent side of football - the side that causes fanatical followers to riot, and attack rival fans, or take part in a brutal hooliganism. Even winning can be dangerous. In many countries fans celebrate a win by thronging to the streets firing guns into the air. Each dramatic win in Turkey results in several serious injuries and deaths caused by the inevitable return of a spent bullet to the earth. Even wars can result. In the case of Croatia, football became a catalyst for both war and peace. Many feel that a 1990 game between a Zagreb team and a Belgrade team marked the beginning of Croatia's war for independence. The violence began before the game started, as rival fans clashed in the stands. Serbian police responded by joining the Belgrade fans in the fight against the Zagreb supporters. On the field. a Zagreb player witnessed a policeman beating a Croatian fan and came to the rescue kicking the policeman in the head. The player, Zvonimir Boban, became an instant symbol for Croatia's movement for independence. Two brutal and violent years later, Croatia was independent. The scars of war may never heal, but in 1998 Croatians were united in their elation as their national team beat Germany and advanced to the quarterfinals. The entire country became one gigantic living room as large screens were set up in every city square to broadcast the match. When Croatia scored against the Netherlands for third place, the entire country erupted in a spontaneous roar. Grown men cried as they embraced each other. Streets were flooded in celebration when the final gun sounded-Croatia had won. It was a uniting and memorable moment in a country's young history. One they still savor.

This month, 32 teams will represent their respective countries at the World Cup in South Africa. It will impact more than the fans alone and more countries than just South Africa. Unusual traffic patterns, strange shopping or school hours, shifting rush hours, and unexpected celebrations or protests will be seen.

May the best Football Team wins and may love and peace reigns during the World Cup. Before mousing off, I will answer a question thrown at me by a Very Dear Friend whom I respect and love. "Which country am I going to cheer for?" I just got back from a trip to a province about 500 miles from my location. During this trip, I befriended and worked side by side with the top notched and most humble and respected men and women from Australia, whom I will trust with my life. So that's my answer and I'm sticking to it for the World Cup. Again, sorry my American Friends because it's not NFL Football but the real game of Football, with one round ball and one goal. Peace and God Bless......