Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden

FRANKFURT:

Like drinking and driving, Politics and sport don’t mix, but it’s totally different when it comes to the World Cup. World leaders are trying to cash in politically on the feel-good factor fuelled by success on sports’ greatest event.

World leaders have been trying to bask in the media spotlight surrounding the World Cup. Most visible has been Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has suddenly emerged from out of nowhere as a big soccer fan and cheerleader-in-chief for the national team. Merkel, a former scientist, was seen at Germany’s all the previous four games, clapping and cheering as the team trounced Sweden to reach the quarter-finals. “I have organised my schedule in such a way that I could watch every match Germany plays, including the final,” she told Bild am Sonntag tabloid.

Her passion for the game was in evidence during the tense clash with Poland. Merkel cheered, and threw her arms in the air in despair as the Germans hit the crossbar twice. When Oliver Neuville scored the winner in stoppage time, she jumped out of her seat.

Other leaders around the world are also following Merkel. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, too, is not far behind and is flying the English cross of Saint George above 10 Downing Street on match days and has taken to wearing a white shirt and red tie.

He has even said that he would attempt to emulate lanky striker Peter Crouch’s jerky “robot dance” should the English go all the way to the final in Berlin on July 9, according to reports in British newspapers. US President George W Bush, while admitting he knew next to nothing about soccer, still found time to send his encouragements to the Stars and Stripes team when they were battling in the World Cup.

On the political front there seems to be trouble brewing for Merkel. Germany’s coalition government is in serious disarray, according to reports, and the only good thing about the ongoing reform bickering is that it has erupted just in time for the FIFA World Cup to divert media attention to sports.

Its sure Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden for Merkel. In English it translates to — a time to make friends - with the opposition.