Apparently there’s a football game going on this weekend. Apparently, it is supposed to matter. Apparently not going is some sort of heinous crime.
Prince William and the Princess of Wales have been shown up by Spain’s Queen Letizia, who has confirmed she will be attending the Lioness’s World Cup final clash, according to one commentator.
The beloved Spanish monarch will head out on a day-long, 9,400-mile trip to Sydney, Australia later this week so she and her daughter, Infanta Sofia, can cheer on the Spanish women’s team while the Wales family keeps their feet planted firmly on UK ground.
So what? If they don’t want to go, or cannot for some reason, it doesn’t matter. It’s just as well I’m not royalty, I’d have been booted out by now, because nothing would get me watching people chase around after a ball. Nothing. You couldn’t pay me to watch and I certainly wouldn’t be expected to go just because of my job title. Really, it’s just a silly game. Get over it. Watch it if you must, but don’t moan because others don’t.
So flying à few thousand miles just to watch footie is OK, but flying to the WEF in a private jet isn’t.
Don’t look for logic, you won’t find any…
Is Billy Bremner playing? No? Well then they can fuck off. Women’s football, what a waste of money and resources, and also boring.
The reason Prince William has chosen not to fly out is because it is a long flight for a quick visit. He is head of the football here but also getting involved in the environment forum. You can’t win, welcome to the modern world. Apparently they will be cheering on from Kensington Palace.
We’ll be cheering on from Devon. Go on Lionesses bring the cup home!!!
Perfectly valid reason. I won’t be watching. Nothing would persuade me to watch ninety minutes of utter tedium. I’ve hated football since I was a child. Nothing has changed in the interim.
I always knew you had your head screwed on properly, LR. 🙂
There are probably good reasons. They could maybe not be on same flight. Too many dodgy countries to fly around because of threat of diverted US of A missiles in terrorist hands. Or false flag attacks.
Aus thinks that “football” is played on an out of season cricket pitch, big oval, with rugby goal posts.
Soccer – yawn.
Shiela’s soccer – wake me up when it’s over.
Did someone say “over”?
Far better to greet the winners / plucky runners-up when they return.
Is Harry n Me again going?
As a Royal person I presume that there are certain events that it is part of your job description to attend. Presumably the women’s football world cup final isn’t on that list. Oddly I like watching cricket which is basically a hugely complicated game of fetch. Apart from that anomaly I’m pretty much with you regarding ball games although it’s more indifference than hatred.
I was forced against my will for ten years out onto the football pitch. If they had left me alone, then I would be merely indifferent. Instead, they instilled a lifelong visceral loathing and hatred that has never diminished.
I had the same experience at school, it’s funny how the effects of such experiences last a lifetime. In my case the effect manifested itself in my push back against forced fun activities at work. Back at school I wasn’t in a position to resist, I didn’t have the self confidence and didn’t want to get a slippering. As an adult I was in a position to tell my antagonists to fuck off and did so in pretty unambiguous terms.
I did resist in my own way. I couldn’t stop them from forcing me onto the pitch, but they couldn’t force me to participate in any way. If the ball came in my direction, I just stepped aside and let it roll past. On that note – I was told at the age of eight, that I couldn’t sing. This stayed with me until my fifties when I decided to see a singing tutor and find out. Seems that I can. Likewise, I was told that I couldn’t write. Five novels (the sixth is currently undergoing editing) and three short story collections later…
Yes, turned out that I’m quite a sporty person once you get me away from anything involving a ball.
Even at school age, I was involved with archery and judo, but the simpletons in charge of PE couldn’t think beyond kicking a ball about. Consequently those of us not interested were bullied mercilessly, not so much by the other kids, but by the staff who tried to fit a square peg into a round hole. I despise them for that and always will.
If they aren’t going, perhaps they could give their tickets to a homeless asylum-seeker?
Problem solved!
That’s a silly comment, do you realise how long it would take to get to Australia in a rubber boat?
William should go. He’s the President of the FA, and every job has duties that are not appealing. Having said that, I will not be watching the game because I am not interested in football and it’s not part of my job to pretend.
I don’t care if England win or lose, but I do hope that it will increases girls’ participation in sport. That doesn’t have to be soccer. The netball women got to their world cup final recently.
Why would the Prince of Wales be expected to support an England team? 😉
He’s not really a prince of Wales, though, is he?
FrankH,
Could it be that Wales didn’t get this far?
Apparently, it’s to do with his Dad’s plans to visit Australia in the future, to try and boost the Commonwealth, may be affected by William going there before him, although for a different reason. No matter who goes out there first, the Aussies, not known for being magnanimous in defeat, will whinge. I can imagine every Aussie watching the game will be wearing Spanish football shirts. I won’t be watching, but I wish congratulations on whichever team wins.
“…every Aussie watching the game will be wearing Spanish football shirts…”
I was in Scotland in June 2006. I hadn’t realised until then how many Scots supported Trinidad and Tobago. 😀
Oh dear. Apparently we lost……..
Let me get the world’s smallest violin out
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
We? What do you mean, we? It’s “we” when we win, it’s “they” when they lose. Any fool knows that. 😉