Bringing home the spirit of the WC : From 2014 to 2022
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 21, 2023 -

2014 to 2022. Years the FIFA World Cup was held and for the last three editions and as in the previous two editions of the biggest single sporting bonanza in the world, The Sangai Express has, in its own way, tried to bring the excitement to the 'hands' of the die hard fans.

Fans who have more than a fleeting interest in the game but have taken the trouble of studying the nuances of the game, studying the form of the teams and players alike and keeping a close tab on the performance of each team and the star players.

Add a dose of luck, via the lucky draw from amongst the correct entries received, and the winners of the draw will receive their prizes on January 22, Sunday.

The willingness of the sponsors for the different prizes is acknowledged without which the lucky draw would not have been possible.

Argentina are world champions, again, after 1986 and Lionel Messi is the darling of the football world, and while there may be fierce debate on who is the GOAT (Greatest of All Times), the ultimate champ is the game of football.

It is in acknowledgment of this spirit that The Sangai Express has been religiously organising the draw to make the World Cup all that more memorable for the fans.

The winners were chosen through the draw of lots, there is no denying this, but the contribution of all the participants is acknowledged for they showed their keen interest in the game and predicting which team would emerge champion,
who would receive the Golden Boot,
who would be named for the Golden Ball,
the fair play award etc
all demand a keen study of the game and it is this spirit,
the spirit to participate and
demonstrate one's understanding of the game and
the individual players that is remarkable.

For the records, The Sangai Express received a number of correct answers for each of the questions lined up, as expected, and the winners had to be picked by the draw of lots.

To keep it on record, it is not the winners alone who have made the draw of lots a grand success but all participants and to those many who missed out on the draw of lots, please visit us again, when the next World Cup comes and believe us, four years will just fly by.

It is with a reason why The Sangai Express has been reaching out to the sponsors, framing the questions and asking the readers to participate and be a part of the biggest sporting bonanza in the world.

For one it is to keep the spirit of the game, the beautiful game, as the late Pele once described it, alive and make the people be a part of the beautiful event.

This also fits in well with the description of Manipur as the sports powerhouse of the country.

In paying tributes to the spirit of the beautiful game, it is also an acknowledgment of the many who have etched the name of Manipur on the football maidans across the country.

An acknowledgment that hundreds of young footballers from the State are plying their trade with the biggest football clubs in the county and this is no mean feat for a State with just about 30 lakh population.

Juxtapose this with the more than hundred and thirty crore population of the country and this is something to be very, very proud about.

So even as Argentina and Messi held the football lovers and the people of Manipur in awe till December 18 last year, the people here also saw the heroics and fighting spirit of a Kylian Mbappe, the touch and doggedness of Luka Modric and the fantastic show put up by some African and Asian countries.

It is in this spirit that prizes will be handed over to the lucky winners on January 22.

Come and be a part of it.