\n<\/p>\n
At first, I didn\u2019t really care much about the team itself. I wanted them to win because my husband\u2019s mood \u2013 and therefore, the energy of the household \u2013 depended on the final score.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Along the way, however, I began to get involved. My interest is piqued when I see headlines related to player transfers, and I can even keep up with banter between fans of rival clubs or countries \u2013 gleefully teasing them when we win, and pretending to hide if our team loses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Football\u2019s accessibility and people-centric elements make it so much fun to enjoy, even as someone who is fan-adjacent.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve watched my husband, an introvert who avoids talking to strangers at all costs, happily greet people he has never met simply because they are wearing an Arsenal jersey or a vintage Japan football shirt.<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to speak football fluently to be invited to celebrate, groan, or shout at the referee along with everyone else. Seeing people cry over a goal or a missed chance, while witnessing thousands of strangers experience the same emotion together, is moving.<\/span><\/p>\n I still wouldn\u2019t call myself a full-on football fan. Despite my husband explaining, for the umpteenth time, what the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system does and why a particular substitution says everything about the team manager\u2019s game plan, I still can\u2019t repeat the rules back to you.<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike sports such as fencing, baseball or golf \u2013 all of which I have tried watching but got completely lost \u2013 football asks very little of the viewer. The objective is wonderfully simple: Get the ball into the other team\u2019s net.<\/span><\/p>\n Because of that, I can usually tell when a team is dominating possession, helped by the fact that everyone is wearing matching jerseys. I can feel it when the entire stadium collectively holds its breath because the ball is inches from the goal. And I definitely know when someone scores.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because of my husband, I became familiar not only with some players, but also with the wider world surrounding the game.<\/span><\/p>\n I have learnt why underdog victories feel especially sweet, and picked up life lessons, one being that no matter how many goals a team can lead by at the start of the match, nothing is ever certain until the final whistle blows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH FOOTBALL\u00a0<\/h2>\n