World Cup Gloss Koalaola: When is there New Zealand booze? – Sports

Reserved politeness is one of the cardinal virtues of New Zealanders, but this young man shivering in the middle of Auckland waiting for the traffic light to turn green was shivering in the middle of Auckland waiting for the traffic light to turn green, the old gentleman should have asked him quite bluntly: “What are you doing here this time of year?”

Well, they’re reporting on the FIFA World Cup here – and that’s the Winter World Cup! In a gorgeous country that throws Antarctic winds, torrential rain and single-digit temperatures at you, which is why you dress as if a biathlon in Oberhof or a downhill on the Streif is about to happen. If they start putting up Christmas trees in Wellington tomorrow, you won’t be surprised, you’ll order wine.

Unless the Northern Hemisphere soccer world complained about last December’s World Cup tournament, which, in fact, wasn’t one at all. In Qatar you can walk barefoot across the desert sands while playing soccer nearby, in Argentina people celebrated Messi’s birthday in swimsuits and in Australia they went surfing at halftime.

Large parts of the world do not remember Qatar as the Winter World Cup, and this also applies to reporters who have been to Qatar. Large parts of the world will not remember the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as the Winter World Cup either, especially for those who stayed in Europe. But what if you did it the wrong way?

A small group of journalists from North America and Europe gathered at Auckland’s Eden Park a few days ago. No one had visited Qatar, but he stayed for the winter then, only to return to winter six months later. The self-help group atmosphere prevailed – everyone could participate except Sun, who was lost again.

After all, a conversation with the older gentleman at the traffic light brought back a recommendation that makes every winter World Cup bearable: Australia and New Zealand’s saving grace lies in the warm fleece of Merino sheep.