Pune: They stay miles apart from their province but their heart still beats for their countries. Pune being an educational hub for international students, the one thing that unites them is football.
The FIFA World Cup 2014 has begun and foreign students studying in the city have big plans to enjoy the carnival. As the clock strikes 9:30 in the night, students who have nestled in the city from across the globe, come together and support their respective teams.
Geremias Lujan, an exchange student with Rotary Club, is from the land of Maradona and Messi. Lujan is excited as he will be enjoying the game with his friends. “I am from Argentina. So, I would want Argentina to win. There will be a tough fight between Netherlands, Germany and Cameroon.
The football fanatic thinks that the get together is the time of his life. He will be watching the matches with friends from Latin America, who all are also from the football-crazy countries such as Mexico and Brazil.
“There will a lot of cheering and hooting. I have a group of friends here from Latin America. They are very passionate about the game. I will be watching the matches with them at someones house, eat good food and drink some beer,” said Lujan. Argentina will play their first game on Monday where they will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Youri Aphelly, who considers Didier Drogba as his idol, will be betting on Ivory Coast. He along with his friends will be watching the matches on the big screens in the city. “I’m from the country where Drogba was born. I want to see them lift the title. It will be difficult for them but nothing is impossible,” said Aphelly, who studies BCA in Talik Maharashtra University.
Burundi, born Brian Kavakure, is also a exchange student. He, however, is sad that his country won’t be featured in the World Cup. But coming from the land where football is considered to a religion, Kavakure will be flying Germany flag high.
Shedding light on his plans of enjoying the World Cup, he said, “We have formed a group and we will be watching the matches together.”
Iranian Hadi Delshad, another
exchange student, is of the opinion that football is best enjoyed with your close friends. “And if the gang supports different team, it is merrier,” said
Delshad. As the game is close to his heart, Delshad would love to watch
all the matches at his house for
comfort. “Football is better watched with friends. So if I’m not at home, I will be watching it with a group of friends, especially the matches that
involve the two teams I’m cheering
for. There isn’t much I can do from here but the craze is still very much there,” he said.
Being from Iran, Delshad will surely support his country first. However, he would also like to see the defending champions win the cup again.
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