Clash of the Titans

There is a special buzz in the air with the Champions’ League Final on tonight. The game hopefully will be as exciting as last years which was one of the greatest matches I have ever seen.

The final pits Arsenal who has perennially underachieved in Europe against Barcelona who will never quite get out of the shadow of Real Madrid. I think Barcelona are the superior team but that doesn’t mean they will win. Arsenal have been playing perfect cup football which has been based on a watertight defence. Ronaldinho, though, is not of this world and is the X-Factor.

When you are in a World Cup year, the Champions League serves as the appetizer. Most of the players on show tonight will be in Germany. What won’t be on show is the World Cup itself. Unlike most countries where the World Cup is not allowed to be on pay-TV, Israel somehow seemed not to have got the memo.

Some things are basic civil rights and you would think the world’s most popular event would qualify as that. People even if they aren’t sports fans love watching the World Cup so if you hold them over a barrel and force them to pay they will. But don’t think of it as good commerce, but rather as extortion.

Many of the natives are unhappy about this and so a petition has been created.

Guess I can’t leave without making a prediction so: Arsenal 1 – Barcelona 0.

Enjoy the game!