Sir, – Now that the World Cup is over, I would like to thank RTÉ for its unrivalled free-to-air coverage of all 104 matches.
Well done too to Dominic McHale and Shane Casey for the excellent Up All Night, which offered a lighthearted view of the tournament. – Yours, etc,
PETER GUNNING
Midleton,
READ MORE
Co Cork.
Sir, – After reading Ken Early’s article “Spain the winners but football the loser in worst World Cup final of all time” (July 20th), could one say that the referee was the person of the match? – Yours, etc,
KIERAN FLANAGAN
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – What, no football last night? In our house the journey from early June led us to very late nights and late-rising mornings. We saw the ugly, the bad and, occasionally, the good, all of which were fascinating. Cape Verde famously held Spain to a draw.
We have mastered the offside rule, we think, but the subtleties of 4-4-2, creative refereeing, the infamous sliding tackle and cancellation of red cards still escape us.
We vow to acquaint ourselves with these arcane matters as we chant, “Roll on Fifa 2030.” We can’t wait. – Yours, etc,
JOHN ROHAN
Killarney,
Co Kerry.
Sir, – The World Cup is over but the image that will stay with me is the photo of 20-year-old Lionel Messi giving a bath to a five-month-old Lamine Yamal.
The improbability is unfathomable: that Messi would be playing in Barcelona; that Yamal’s mother would sign up to a raffle to appear in a calendar; that she would win the raffle; that Messi would randomly be assigned to Yamal; that Yamal would grow to be a soccer star; that 39-year-old Messi would still be playing; and that their teams would advance to the World Cup final.
The odds are more than “one in a billion”, said Joan Monfort, the photographer who took the photo.
But that’s the point. Coincidences jolt us out of the ordinary, serving as a pathway to awaken wonder in our lives. Those moments when those invisible threads that connect us across generations become momentarily visible.
A reminder to maintain a sense of wonder amid the craziness and the chaos. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE CONLON
Ballintemple,
Cork.
