It is finally here. After months of anticipation, the World Cup will kick off tomorrow in South Africa.

Of course, Malta did not make it to the World Cup and it is a more than likely bet that we never will. But we are still a football-mad nation and look forward to the World Cup like any other country in the world.

Because Malta can never qualify, we have our adopted teams. The most popular is Italy, and England is a close second. But there are others – Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Argentina.

But this year, there is an added twist. The biggest boom sector in the economy has to be the online gaming sector. A few thousand employees in different companies have been drafted in and these include Swedes, Serbs, French, Danes and many more. You can bet that they will be out supporting their teams with gusto – adding to the flavour and the mix that we normally experience in Malta.

The favourites for the tournament include some Maltese favourites – Spain, Brazil, England, Argentina and the Netherlands, so hopefully there will be some very healthy competition which will add to the sporting mix.

The World Cup transcends everything. People who do not normally watch football get into it – wives and girlfriends included. Everyone is just happy to enjoy the party atmosphere that surrounds the games along with the triumphs and heartbreaks that ensue.

Sport is truly an amazing thing and it is fitting that South Africa is hosting this tournament. Not many years ago, Nelson Mandela inherited a fractured and wounded state where whites and blacks loathed each other. It took Mr Mandela’s insight to unite the nation through rugby. Before the famous “Invictus”, World Cup blacks cheered anyone but the Sprinboks, but by the end each and every ‘Saffie’ was cheering the side. They were rated as non-hopers but Francois Pienar managed to drag the side into the final and win it for Mandela and South Africa. A nation was reborn.

We will not see the same scenes this time around, but perhaps we can draw a lesson from it. Although in the past years we saw some softening and more political acceptance, the divide has engulfed us again. Much of it is down to snide and downright nastiness on the internet, but a lot of it is also down to our Maltese psyche.

Let us hope that the World Cup will allow some respite – and it certainly will. While it is not normal to see blue and red supporters mix and socialise, we are sure that all that will matter throughout June will be the flag of St George, the flag of el Mundo and the Italian Tricolore.

Of course, it will not last. But a festival it will be and it will also be an opportunity for this quirky island nation of ours to stop obsessing about politics on a daily basis. We are not talking matters of national importance here – power station debates, EUPA funding and many other issues should not be shelved. But petty and stupid bickering over ties, etiquette, sexual orientation, and so many, many more trivial banalities will hopefully be shelved… at least for a month. So, enough with control through division and let us enjoy the World Cup. May the best team win, and above all else, may Malta and the rest of the world enjoy the spectacle.