Anilava Chatterjee, Kazan: It made me recollect, poet’s Wilfred Owen’s saying- “Show secretly, like wrong’s hashed up, they want. They were not ours.” They way the lie has been kept secretly, exactly in the same way they bid farewell. “They were not ours”. This is what actually made me realize, every time I saw Neymar and Co. checkout hotel after hotel, making their way to the team bus. Brazil are no longer part of this big football extravaganza. But despite of that they are still responsible in regulating the adrenaline rush of the entire world. Few fans did turn up, who believes in Brazil, believes in the beautiful game. They sang songs dedicated to Tite, Neymar and Marcelo. The team soon after waving towards the fans, made their way into the bus. Neymar got off the bus, with a golden backpack, wearing a white tracksuit. He had earphones on, with his eyes fixed down to the ground. The bus stood there for some time. A small Brazilian flag was attached to it, which read- “More than five stars, 2 hundred million hearts”.
The very bus took the players, straight to the airport. From Kazan to Madrid. From Madrid they’ll leave for Rio. Maybe this is how the dreams and aspirations lose their way among the lanes and pavements. The visiting fans have said, “No matter what, it’s our team, our country. Giving up on them was never an option.” Yes, this is how they live the dream with this team. That is why after yesterday’s match, I still saw the boy sitting alone near the footpath of the Kazan Arena. Suddenly the surroundings became somewhat dark. The Yellow-Green crowd which just now came out of the stadium, singing faint-hearted songs, was lost in the darkness. This sudden separation prompted the lovers to kiss each other, trying to get over it momentarily. This mere touch had no feelings whatsoever and the absence had far reaching effect. The houses surrounding the Arena seemed as if it was a setting of a horror film. As if a lively inhabitant was brutally murdered by a ruthless demon. A handful of hours ago, this very place was full of life. One by one the Brazilian fans made their way into the scene. The whole place was lifted by the music and dance. Preparations were made in the restaurants of Bauman Street. A street carnival took place where from Russians to Brazilians everyone got in to the groove to dance. Right in the evening, this very enthusiasm was wiped off the face of the Kazan Arena. Few Brazilian fans entered the stadium after taking off a green smoke for their beloved team.
I felt very sad when I saw them in the evening. As if someone has sucked off their blood from their worn out bodies. After the match, they gathered around in the gallery to sing. They even came out of the stadium singing, but at that very moment the song took to crying eventually. Few were still in the gallery, but everything was all but lost by that time. They were still dejected and broken with dried up tear marks still prominent in their cheeks. Some were still crying profusely from sheer pain, as their dream fell short, yet again.
The waiting now stretches from 16 to 20 years. The dream revives once again in Qatar 2022. This Yellow-Green colour can never be wiped off. Obviously we’ll get to see new footballers with most likely a new generation of supporters in the galleries. But Brazil will always be Brazil, only the hope for another triumph, awaits, as we wait for another long period of 4 years.