Introduction: With FIFA 2010 kicking off on June 11, 2010 in South Africa, there is a great sense of euphoria and excitement around the world for the games spanning planet earth through the media, news channels, newspapers and televisions. . We all love football and also in India there is great fervor among the population to watch the game, even though the Indian football team has never qualified for the biggest football event in the world. We all worship our heroes, the demigods like Pele, Maradona, Beckham, Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and many others. Looking closely at the game and how the players are positioned, their role in the football stadium, and the way the game plays out, one can’t help but find a great metaphor for life in it. That’s what this article is about. It is a humble dedication and salute to the greatest and most popular games in the world.
The field: The game of soccer is played on a field that is 90 to 120 meters long and 45 to 90 meters wide. On both sides we see the goal posts. His team, which includes 11 players, will aim to score a goal at the opposite goalpost. The opposing team would be trying to defend that and instead of counterattacking their goalpost to score a goal. In life you have to have goals. Your objective is to score goals. You can’t just sit back and watch as external circumstances strike back and score goal after goal by pushing off with your back foot. You have to be proactive. You have to defend sometimes but also attack. You have to know where you have to go, where you have to score a goal. Your goals are like the ship’s beacon that helps them steer on the right path. Remember that the Lord Almighty places us all on the soccer field. We are all players on the field, we have to play our role, and we have to be proactive and know our goals and do everything we can to achieve our goals. Then our life becomes exciting and then we find meaning in this life. So that’s the first metaphorical lesson we draw from the game of soccer. We are all players in the field of life and we have to score goals. We have to be proactive with our goals.
Positions: As soccer matches begin, the 11 players of a team are placed on the field according to the different roles they play. We can learn a lot from the different positions they take and the different roles they play on the soccer field.
Goalkeeper: Near the goalpost stands the goalkeeper, who plays one of the most important roles in a football match. He is there to defend the goals that the opposing team puts in the net. Usually he has developed the special skill, speed and alertness to prevent the opposing team from scoring a goal at the net. It is like the composite wall around our houses that prevents intruders. In life we have to play the role of a goalkeeper when it comes to protecting ourselves from being hit by negative thoughts. Our minds are like the goalpost. External circumstances, people, and events can try to fill our minds with negative thoughts. We must play the role of a gatekeeper in those moments and make sure that our minds are not invaded by thoughts that can sink and demoralize us. What happens to a team whose Goalkeeper is not capable of defending the goals that are getting into the net? The team is weakened and their focus from scoring goals shifts to defending goals. He is demoralized and is rapidly advancing towards defeat. That is exactly the image of a person who defends himself against negative thoughts. You will weaken and stray from your goals of pursuing excellence and succumb to defeat in life. That is why playing the role of goalkeeper in life is very important, we must know how to defend ourselves from negative thoughts.
Players with their backs turned: In football, the Goalkeeper is not the only one who defends the goals. There are some players positioned at the back such as the center-back, the left-right-back and the full-back who also help to defend, score and attack the Forward players of the opposing team. The roles that these players positioned in the rear play, is the role that reminds us that in life it is often important to be in the rear and whenever the tide is against us we must be able to remain calm. It should come as no surprise that many times there are people, circumstances, and events that will seem to pressure us and leave us behind. When you venture out to sea on a boat, you are likely to encounter storms. This is life! “The ships in the harbor are safe, but that is not what the ships are intended for.” says William Shedd. Ships are supposed to go out and venture into the depths of the sea and fight the storms that come against them. Many times we have to be players in the rear, defending ourselves, our principles, our values, our faith and our lives so that they do not leave us behind, so that we do not get stuck. Many times there are people or circumstances that can force us to stop smoking. Many students find failures, also many professionals and entrepreneurs at times when we are tempted to give up, but here comes the role of the players positioned in the back. We have to mark what worries us, go to the origin of the problem and defend ourselves. Many times we may have to defend ourselves from the wrong company that brings us down, the wrong habits that corrode our lives, and the wrong actions that reap the harvest of bad fruit. The Bible says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise a banner against him.” That standard is the players who play soccer positioned in the back.
Midfielders: Now there are also players positioned in the middle of the soccer field. Some of them are the Left and Right Midfielders, the Defensive Midfielders and the Central Midfielder. These players have a duty to create games. Sometimes they defend and play the game and then they pass it on to the players up front. In our life there is also a time when we have to sit down and devise a strategy so that it is convenient for us to reach and achieve our goals. In those moments we have to be the creators of the game, the Midfielders. There is a lot of room in our lives to sit down and plan and organize our lives. We have to turn to things like time management planning, goal setting, and writing the mission of our lives. Many times we have to prepare ourselves by learning different skills and techniques so that it is convenient for us to move forward to achieve our goals. In those moments, we are playing the role of the creators of the game, we are playing the role of the Midfielders. Midfielders play an important role on the field for their team, without them players who play forward and have to score goals against opponents would be helpless. They will have nothing at their disposal to go ahead and shoot or score.
Players positioned as Forwards: Finally, let’s look at the players who are positioned as Forwards on the soccer field. When the Goalkeeper defends the team’s goals, the players behind defend against the attackers and the midfielders play the game, the Forwards carry the ball into the opponent’s net. The players standing forward are Deep Lying Forward, Center Forward, and Winger. The main role of these players is to attack. They are always in attack mode. Once they have the ball in their possession, they seek to pass it through the opposing team’s Goalkeeper into the net. When we also defend our lives from negative attitudes and thoughts, when we defend ourselves from wrong practices, principles and people, when we prepare for the opportunities before us, there will come a time when our goals, our objectives will be the following. clear as the soccer goal post and we would be in a position to hit and score. So in life we would see opportunities awake before us that would help us achieve our goals. You may miss a lot of shots, you can hit and miss by a mile, but you have to keep hitting back until you put the ball through the goalie at the net. In life we encounter failures, many times we miss reading opportunities, many times we make mistakes but we have to get up, dust ourselves off and hit again. A Japanese proverb says: “Fall seven times; get up eight.” Scoring a goal on the net is achieved through immense practice and patience, and we must also instill these two qualities when we want to achieve our goals and objectives in life. That is why the role that the forwards position in the game is important, so that they give the finishing touch to the game.
Conclusion Friends, in the end I would like to encourage you all to go ahead and enjoy FIFA 2010. But I also encourage you to look at the philosophical side of the game, the metaphor that football presents. Let it thrill and excite you with courage, confidence, and the ability to enjoy, explore, and take your life to the next level. That you achieve and achieve your goals in life, that you come out winning and even when you feel that you have lost, remember that there is always a next time. The next FIFA in 2014 in Brazil.
The joy is all yours.
Sohan.