Oilei! My team, the Three Lions, lost. There’s a term in iTaukei for people who can’t make up their minds, tamata veilecayaki. That pretty much summed me up.
I started with team Germany. They crashed out in Round of 32, so I switched to France. Then England, the Three Lions, won me over when they held their ground against Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – Round 16.
From the sidelines, the coaches’ screams were drowned out by the roar of 87,500 home fans. There was so much talk even before game-time. Passionate crowds of Mexican supporters gathered outside the England team’s JW Marriott hotel in the early hours of the morning.
Armed with loudspeakers, horns, and fireworks, they attempted to disrupt the players’ sleep in a traditional Latin American “serenade”. But that wasn’t enough for Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
The Three Lions made the semi-finals but were swept off their feet by a more classy and spirited Spain side. It was the Spain’s prodigy Lamine Yamal who caught my attention more than Messi. The 19-year-old playing with so much rhythm, and so I joined the Spanish bandwagon.
Yep! I know, tamata veilecayaki.
Hey! There is no Tier 1 or Tier 2 category in World Cup soccer. Anybody could win. These were pro players sitting on multi-million-dollar salaries, so I prefer to keep my options open.
This year’s FIFA World Cup lasted 39 days, running from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Back in the days
The World Cup hype was introduced to me by my dad, an avid soccer fan from his days in old Flagstaff, Suva, in the early ’90s, just after Fiji began broadcasting free-to-air television nationwide for the very first time.
Our TV screen brought neighbours and friends to our home. My dad’s team was Germany. His friends had their own teams. They were drinking grog in the living room, watching the games, when I walked in to use the video deck to watch a movie.
“Sit down, boy, and watch the World Cup. You might learn something here,” dad said.
The living room was lively. Even my mum was there as well. Back then, I wouldn’t dare speak back to my parents. So I sat down to watch. There was so much commotion that evening. And boy, did that moment change my perspective about World Cup soccer. This was soccer of a different category.
Not the “kick the ball in front and everybody chases” technique. We see a lot of that locally. This was ball control, accurate passes, and skill. Whenever his team would gain possession of the ball, my dad’s favourite cheer was, “Taki! Taki!… taki!”, meaning to serve the grog immediately. And in 1994, Germany had a good team. Despite the protests against the fast taki, while watching the games, dad would respond, “Gunu yani!” (drink up).
Unbelievable stories of past World Cup events
“Maaaraaadooona!” was the name I heard spoken with such amusement.
“Hia hiah, the Hand of God,” one of dad’s friends said.
He said soccer fans all over the world know the story.
“Maradona was the guy who could dribble through the defence just to score, but only one thing… the fella took too much drugs.”
In the ’80s, Argentina football legend Diego Maradona was a superstar like the great Pelé of Brazil. A number of parents named their children after Diego Maradona following his historic performance in the 1986 World Cup.
A wizard with the ball, he scored against England in the quarter-final with his hand, and the referee missed it, allowing Argentina to win 2-1 over England in 1986. There was no VAR then, and this became one of the biggest controversies in soccer history.
His last World Cup was in 1994, where he played two games before being sent home and suspended for failing a drug test for ephedrine. Maradona struggled with drug addiction, primarily cocaine, which severely impacted his career and personal life.
Baggio
Another player known as “Italy’s saviour” for the four-time world champions was Roberto Baggio. A midfielder loaded with passion and skill, he almost carried Italy through the 1994 USA tournament.
Italy wouldn’t have made it without their maestro, Baggio, but what happened in the final turned their hero into a villain. Later, a movie was made depicting Baggio’s fast descent into depression, all because he missed a crucial penalty.
On July 17, Roberto Baggio, knowing that failure to score would consign Italy to defeat and confirm Brazil as champions, struck the ball well above the crossbar, sending his own team home.
Baggio experienced a deeply divided aftermath in Italy, transitioning from widespread sympathy and lingering reverence among true fans to extreme vitriol from harsh critics. The immediate reaction from some angry fans was severe, with graffiti famously appearing on walls declaring, “God will forgive everyone except Baggio.”
Also in 1994, Diana Ross’s opening ceremony performance featured a choreographed scene where she was to kick a goal to signify the opening of the FIFA World Cup. The legendary singer ran onto the field in a red pyjama suit while lip-syncing “I’m Coming Out”.
She jogged all the way to the penalty box and, instead of easily tapping the ball past the goalkeeper (who had notably stepped well off his line), she sliced the shot completely wide. The scene became the talk of the world. Some called it “Diana Ross’s awful penalty miss”.
2026 match controversies
This 2026 tournament also had its own controversies.
The first involved US striker Folarin Balogun receiving a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which carried an automatic one-match suspension. Following a direct phone call from US President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the ban.
Then Iran’s disallowed goal in their final group-stage match against Egypt. Iran had a stoppage-time goal ruled out by VAR for a millimetre offside. That decision denied Iran a place in the knockout stage. The coach and players lashed out at FIFA during a press conference.
On the field, the coach was shown a yellow card for his defiance after raising his arms to gesture a cross in the faces of officials, claiming they had stolen the game from Iran.
Egypt lost to Argentina after leading 2-0 before half-time. A third goal was disallowed for Egypt because of a suspicious foul on an Argentinian player, and they were also denied a penalty after star Mohamed Salah was fouled inside the penalty area.
Conclusion
As the final whistle blew on another World Cup, I realised it was never just about picking the winning team. It was about the stories, the heroes, the heartbreaks and the memories shared with family and friends. For a few weeks every four years, the world speaks one language, football.
And somewhere, I can still hear Dad shouting, “Taki! Taki!” every time Germany strung a few passes together. Maybe I am still a tamata veilecayaki when it comes to choosing a team, but one thing is certain, I’ll be back in front of the television for the next World Cup, ready to change teams all over again.
Or maybe… this time I’ll finally stick with one – Probably!
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