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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Senegal: Senegal v Nigeria

I've never been into football, much to my annoyance. It's a real pain being English and not being a football fan, because every Saturday, between 5 and 6 o'clock, I end up being left out while most of the country sits goggle-eyed as the results roll into the television. More importantly perhaps, football is the global language (along with the music of Bob Marley) and being fluent in football goes a long way to breaking down even the highest cultural barriers. Of course, there are exceptions – India is obsessed with cricket, and in the USA soccer is regarded as a children's game – but in most countries football is a religion, and sometimes I wish I believed in the Beautiful Game.