This is not an easy month for women, particularly those who do not like football. With many men stuck in front of the television or out in groups to watch the games from South Africa, and all talk revolving around off-sides, goals and penalties, the women who refuse to take an interest in the competition will not enjoy it.

There are women who follow football with a passion, but these are the exception, not the rule. Whether they should be on TV discussing tactics or interviewing people is another matter, as not all of them can rise above being merely decorative.

Then there are women who, on special occasions such as the World Cup, let down their guard, watch some of the matches and at least make an effort to feel part of it. And they don’t make it hard on their partners who want to watch three games in a day.

But, in their majority, women cannot understand what football means to men and why there is so much fuss for one month every four years.

These women have already started complaining that there is too much football on TV. They are already telling their colleagues in the office to shut up as soon as the conversation turns to the World Cup. They simply cannot grasp the fact that the world “stops” for the duration of the competition, and seem to take offence that each TV channel worth its salt is carrying features from South Africa on a

regular basis.

Well, they can always tune in to Living, Fashion TV or Animal Planet. Or else they can lump it.

Just as much as we men have no interest in what women do with their fingernails and what type of shoes are in fashion or passé, and just as much as we have to listen to them babbling on about whether the colour of that dress is peach or salmon (for us they are a fruit and a fish, anyway), they have to listen to us talking about Messrs Ronaldo, Kaka, Rooney and Buffon. If they don’t like it, they can go for a long walk or put on some music, remembering to use the headphones.

Another thing. No, we are not interested in what the players look like, their hairstyles and their tattoos. We are only interested in their performance. On the field of play, that is.

And they should not forget that, once the World Cup is over, we will start looking forward to the next Champions League, Premier League and Serie A, not to mention the

qualifying rounds of the European

championships to be held in 2012.

The football cycle never stops.

* * *

Some women dream of having a child all their life, and yet nature is cruel to them. The more they want to become mothers – there are some who are very specific in their wishes, for example wanting two boys – the harder it is for them to accept that they cannot conceive. Medicine and technology, in spite of the advances, may not be enough to help them.

Some other women are the complete opposite, and become pregnant very easily. In many instances, these pregnancies are unwanted, and some of the women end up aborting their child. There are then many mothers who do not take good care of their children, in some cases even neglecting them or, worse, abandoning them.

While some women would do anything and are prepared to give the proverbial arm and a leg to become mothers, others simply throw their children away or do not appreciate what they have.

Life is so unjust, isn’t it?

* * *

Women who are abused in the home by the man who is supposed to love them deserve all the support they can get. Many of them are living a nightmare. Physical, emotional and sexual violence are the order of the day, and most do not have the courage to speak out, fearing the worst. Many of these women suffer in silence also to protect their children.

Some of them manage to climb out of this dark hole and start a new life. And they should serve as an inspiration to the others who are still in the middle of a nightmare that has no end in sight.

What is unfortunate is that some of these abused women become abusers themselves. They might not do it physically or sexually, but they can certainly do it emotionally. They enjoy inflicting pain on others, probably in an attempt to take revenge. It’s as if they want others to go through a similar despicable experience. They do their best to hurt others, taking delight in seeing their victims suffer. They use people and then simply dump them when they are no longer needed.

Conversely, there are women who forget their previous painful situation and are able to build new relationships. They hold no grudges and do not seek retribution, in any form. They forge new friendships or renew others. And their bad experience is only a distant

memory.

* * *

It’s in women’s nature to bitch about each other.

They are able to do it in each other’s faces, often with a snide remark or even by passing a compliment with such sarcasm that their tongue could turn wine into vinegar instantly.

What is perhaps worse is that they are often all smiles when they are in each other’s company, but once backs are turned, the venom starts flowing.

This week, someone showed me a photo of two women at a recent wedding. One of the women was the bride. In the months before the wedding, the other woman in the picture never lost a chance to invent stories about the groom having several affairs behind the bride’s back.

After trying her best to break up the couple, she had the cheek to go to their wedding. And then upload the photo on Facebook.

It’s so much better to talk about goalkeepers and strikers – their saves and goals, not their antics in the bedroom.

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