While everyone else gets involved in the World Cup fever, how do you, as a non-fan of the sport, stay relevant? Sometimes it is good to put on a show of your enthusiasm – football fans may treat you better, bosses may be more forgiving. After all, FIFA World Cup happens once every 4 years. For now, here is our 5 steps “fake it till you win it” guide to survive this season as a clueless person.
1) Act like you’ve never slept the night before
Many of the matches are in the night or the wee hours of the morning. A brilliant way to pretend that you’re a huge fan of the World Cup is definitely to pretend that you’ve had a rough night waking up early. Look tired and dazed at work – excuse being “It’s the football season, I didn’t sleep well.” This may just save your life from running errands or getting picked on. Good excuse to doze off in office!
2) Wear jerseys/team colors on dress-down days
Pretend that you are a huge fan of certain team/player by sporting their jerseys or team color. Try to remember at least one or 2 iconic players in the team and strike a conversation with others on it.
3) Strike the generic conversations & throw in some trivia
If you have nothing better to say, do it the repetitive way. Fake the enthusiasm by finding smart ways to tweak your conversations with others regarding the FIFA World Cup. Throw in some trivia to be more convincing. It’s easy, I can show you how:
“That was so close!” “Yeah! It was, oh my god he could have scored a goal, like what Spain* did in 2010!!!”
*Spain was the World Cup champion in 2010, they definitely scored.
4) Know your country flags & best players
Don’t embarrass or give yourself away with the wrong country flag! Do some research. Some flags that are easily recognizable are Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Japan. Maybe you should pick them as your favourite countries.
5) Be dramatic (!!!!)
Shout “Goal!!!!!!!!!” with the others. Yell “REFEREE KAYU!!!!” Kneel down on your knees and flip your shirt over your head whenever a team scores.
Writer: Leong Chee Sheng