Arab Commentator over the Brazil-German Disaster

During yesterday's 7-1 game Germany versus Brazil, the Arab commentator got quite upset.

It's haram, Germany, it's haram! You are spoiling the game for all of us!

Then every time Germany went for the attack: ya Settar! (Oh God!) Ustur! (Save us!)

Or when Germany went on the attack: have mercy!!!

Then, that Arab sports channel spent the rest of the night talking about the game. When we woke up to eat before dawn, they were still talking. When we woke up again to go to work, they were still talking. And when I got back from work they were still talking, and when we broke our fast they were still talking! Then even when the Netherlands-Argentina game was getting ready to start, they were still talking.

Although during the soccer matches themselves there's only ever male commentators and analysts, I saw two women sports analysts during this day-long marathon, and I was told that they appear daily. One of them was a hijabi lady wearing glasses who was on the air around 3 am, and who actually was very severe looking. I'm tired of all the glossy-colored women you usually see on sports channels. This lady was a nice change.

Favorite Arabic World Cup Commentator

Yesterday, I watched the USA-Belgium soccer game. I CANNOT BELIEVE WE LOST.

You should know that the Arabic commentator was really very unbiased. He didn't sit around and say, "I hope the USA loses and gets pay-back" and blah blah blah. No, he was excited about good plays Belgium made, and excited about good plays the US made, and he was really excited when the US made a goal at the end, and kept saying, "now the US is searching for the equalizing goal!!!" and he practically made a saint of the US goalkeeper!

I didn't watch the Argentina-Switzerland match earlier, because I was at the apartment of a Swedish girl here in Amman !!!!! You can imagine that made me happy. But the referee at the Argentina-Switzerland match was also Swedish, so I wish I could have seen it. As I took the taxi to the Swedish girl's apartment, I heard the match on the radio. I was only in the taxi for about 10 minutes, and I heard the commentator mention the Swedish referee at least 3 times! He seemed to really like his name! He kept on saying Jooooooooohan Erikson. It was great.

My cousin and I are agreed that the Argetina-Switzerland commentator is the most fun of all the many Arabic commentators we have heard. He always commentates for the big matches, and when he gets really excited he starts spewing poetry cobbled together from the players' names. Yesterday, he kept informating the Arabic audience that Argentina and Switzerland were playing in a stadium named after a chapter in the Gospels, and that the city, Sao Paolo, is very religious.

Then he said, "Switzerland! the land of peace!" I wish I could hear what he'd say if Sweden was playing!

Then, towards the end of the match, when they were in overtime, he said: Switzerland looks tired. Switzerland is famous for its cheese and chocolate. I suspect that the cheese and chocolate is all going to melt in this hot sun.

World Cup in Jordan

There are Arab sports satellite channels that carry all the World Cup Soccer games. Yesterday, a moderator with a very vigorous voice commented on the Holland-Spain match.

He was so excited that he didn't pause for breath once. Here are his best proclamations:
- Holland yes, Holland si!
- Holland had vanquished the Matador
- Oscarrrrrrrrrrrrrr
- RRRRRRRobin, Robinhood!
- Allaaaah!! Allaaah, Allaaah, Allaaaaaah!!

Then he told a story. Something like:

Back in the Middle Ages, the Spanish were under attack by some fierce warrior, and the mothers would tell all their unruly children at night who refused to sleep that the fierce warrior would come and get them.

Then, the moderator finishes with a flourish: today, Holland has become that fierce warrior frightening the Spanish!

I did not know this, but apparently when Barcelona and Real Madrid soccer teams play against each other, it is a big game for Jordanians, too! Most everyone has pledged allegiance to one team or the other. But the state of awareness is so high that even people who don't really watch soccer will still ask the next day, "so who won?"

And there's some neighborhoods here in Jordan which, during the European games, will get so excited that you in your kitchen know someone has scored a goal by the noises that erupt from other people's living rooms.

Right now in Amman, there are more Brazilian, German, French, Argentinian, Spanish, and Dutch flags than the national flag.