This line from the coca-cola advert in my country 11 years ago stays ever clear in my memory, it was the video advert that was played during 2007 under 17 world cup. It is a really funny video though and I will share it with you as much as I can remember.

The scene opens with a woman and a man in the bedroom (it was a one room apartment I think, if memory serves me well), in no time another man knocks the door and we could see the woman panicking, apparently he is her husband. She had to hide the other man in their wardrobe as she welcomes her husband. On getting inside, the husband switched on the TV set where a match was playing, the club he was rooting for scored the winning goal and he screamed goal!!!! There was also another shout of goal!!! from the man hiding in the wardrobe who couldn't contain his joy but rushed out to embrace the husband, the hug was so warm. Lol. `Can you imagine this happening in real life?` I really doubt it but the power of football made them forget their problems at that moment and glory in the win.

The 2007 under 17 world played in Korea (which Nigeria won) serves as my earliest memory of me having so much passion for football, my cousins and I even closed early from church that Sunday (yes I remember it was a Sunday) just so we could watch the finals. I remember screaming my lungs out even as I cheered on Chrisantus Macauley and his team (he was also the top scorer of that world cup and won the Adidas silver ball). 

In sports viewing centers across my country, everyone comes together irrespective of gender, wealth, tribe or religion. This is the one place where the wealthy and affluent can have a healthy conversation with a poor man in the community, at that point, no one speaks money, gender, tribe or even religion, we all speak football!