World Cup Final Qualifications

Swiss Football (soccer, for all you New World folks) is in the news. Tonight the Swiss National Team (the Nati) plays the return match against Turkey in Turkey. The Nati won the first match in Bern last Saturday night, 2-0. The combined score/winner goes to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

This is a big deal. All of Switzerland will be pulling for the Nati, except for those of us who have choir practise (practice, for all you NWF) because I’m going to sing a Christmas Mass in SPANISH with Son 2 and Christmas is coming real soon. Wife will miss the match because she’s going to the theatre (play, NWF). The kids will be velcro-ed to the tube.

Turkey is very much behind their team. ALL Nati luggage was lost when the Swiss team flight arrived. Players waited 3 hours to find it… R-17-rated banners are strung up all over the city insulting the Swiss team… Fans are outside the hotel 24/24 making noise to keep the players awake. Of the 3000 Swiss fans with tickets, only 600 are going because of threats.

Even if you aren’t watching TV here in Lausanne, you know who’s winning the match. The neighborhood erupts when a Swiss goal is scored. The walls of the city shake. And yes, groans escape when the enemy makes its mark.

My prediction? The Angels lose in four. Oops. Wrong prediction. Sorry… Turkey wins tonight, 3-1, but Switzerland qualifies having scored more goals away. Turkish fans whistle during the Swiss National Anthem (excuse: they don’t know the words… But hey, neither do the Swiss players). Players refuse to shake hands at the end of the match because of the avalanche of yellow cards, and the pitch (field, NWF) is pelted with junk from the crowd.

But I'm just making a guess.