For football fans all over the world, time has stood still since last Friday with the opening ceremony and match of the World Cup final round in Germany. Everyone waits impatiently for 5 p.m. to watch their favourite team play. From the youngest to the oldest, no one wants to miss a single action. The fever has contaminated not only males but also females…

It is 4 p.m on Saturday and the streets in Rose-Hill are almost deserted. The last few people remaining are rushing home. The atmosphere is strange. All those taking the bus, the car or other means of transport seem to be heading home in a hurry. The reason is nothing other than the football match between England and Paraguay. A young shopkeeper, who usually closes at 5.30 p.m, has decided to close at five as there are very few customers. “Today, I had only half the customers I usually have!”

On the other hand, the World Cup is a godsend for some businesses, especially those linked to sports. Zaid, the owner of a shop selling football equipment, describes the world cup as a windfall. Since the beginning, his customers have increased by 80%. “I just bought an England shirt for the match. Hope it gives luck to my team. Now, I have to go home to prepare everything to enjoy the match with my family!” explains Niven, a customer. Most of them have bought shirts, and even some women are buying such things, for their husbands, sons or themselves. Why not?

On Sunday morning, there were still very few cars on the roads. It was as if a cyclone had just passed. No wonder, spectators were tired after having watched the match on the previous night. Yesterday, conversations in schools were on matches played over the week-end. Surprisingly, even girls are discussing those matches. Two students, Tasha and Dishina, both 17, said: “Until today, we never talked about football, because we did not know anything about it. But since the World Cup started, we have watched almost every match! We all support the same team, Brazil!”

Lunchtime, an opportnuity for bets</B>