Being on social media is one of the best ways to experience World Cup 2014, write Nicholas King and Izwan Ismail
IT is time for the world to unite for the biggest event in sporting history — Fifa World Cup. Never before has the event, to be held in Brazil from Thursday to July 13, been played at the cusp of a technological shift in social media.
Ever since the first Fifa World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, the latest innovation had always been employed to allow greater viewership around the world.
Fast forward to World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan, when the Internet was a vital tool for promoting and keeping up with the event. Today social media has opened the floodgates of mobile interactivity.
For hardcore soccer fan and footballer Faisal Jamil, the latest World Cup will be the most exciting yet in the history of football.
“It will be the epitome of Internet technology. TV is just one of the mediums for watching the game, but discussions, pictures, clips, feedback and more will be on the Internet,” he says.
Faisal has not missed a single World Cup since primary school.
“Back in the 1980s and 1990s, we only had TV, radio and newspapers to read about World Cup action. It was a one-way media where the public only consumed what was being aired or reported,” says the father of two.
“However, as the Internet matures and social media, websites and apps become the order of the day, sports events like the World Cup have gone beyond TV.”
Besides TV, Faisal will be referring to specific football websites such as Fifa’s website, soccernet, espn.com and BBC sports sites, and the radio.
This time, Faisal is rooting for Germany to win the cup.
“These sites will give me updates in terms of scores and results, inclusive of standing, points and goals,” he says.
“Besides that, game statistics — who played, who scored, dates and times of the games, updates on the teams, who is going to be fielded, and injuries, will all be available on the sites.”
Faisal has also downloaded apps like the Fifa apps on his Android phone for live updates.
“I’ll also be following teams’ Twitter for comments from team managers and photos, and participate in commentary with other fans,” he says.
“I foresee that social media will be big during this period where fans will share information and join in discussions while the games are being played. Platforms live Whatsapp, WeChat, will be busy with soccer discussions for the next one month,” says Faisal.
The majority of the games will be played early in the morning and many will rely on social media for news.
“It will be an exciting World Cup,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Chelsea FC’s founder, Whajuddi Wakiman says he will read online news and use social media to get the news.
“Besides the TV, the teams’ official website, Facebook, Twitter and newspapers will be my main source of information for this World Cup,” he says.
Whajuddi says fans today like to participate in discussions and comments on Facebook and Twitter, and he foresees that team FB and Twitter will be the cyber mamak stall for fans.
Rooting for Spain and Holland this time, Whajuddi says 85 per cent of his World Cup feed will come from online and social media.
“It’s just the current best platform to get info on the possible first 11, injuries list, statistic related, scorers, possible future transfer, comments from football pundits, managers/coach quotes, teams tactical and formations and pictures,” he says.
He also expects the Malaysian Chelsea FC Facebook (malaysianchelseafc) page to be busy with local fans talking about their favourite Chelsea players in the World Cup.
“No doubt, the social media will take centre stage during the World Cup,” he adds.
For Arsenal fan Jonathan Lim, social media is where most of the action is, allowing him to engage family, friends and fans no matter where they are.
“It is now part of my football experience and I tend to rant a lot and discuss things pertaining to Arsenal or football in general with my friends online. This, coupled with YouTube, also puts my hand on the pulse with Arsenal fans not just in Asia but in the UK as well,” he says.
Catching live matches on Astro Beyond HD at least twice or thrice a week depending on the frequency of Arsenal or top team matches, Jonathan (who fancies Germany to win this year’s World Cup) updates from his computer, smartphone or tablet.
“I usually frequent arsenal.com,
espnfc.com, skysports.com, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for updates,” he says.
“I like to catch matches in the privacy of my own home on TV because only my long-suffering wife will put up with my yelling, screaming and ranting. Furthermore, the screen is bigger and there is better audio plus my own personal space and snacks; but if I am out of town my smartphone will do.
“Social media (Facebook, YouTube and Twitter) is the best place to catch updates without a doubt,” says motoring journalist Gokul Kandiah, a Liverpool and Italy fan (who favours home team Brazil to lift the cup for the team’s long-standing football World Cup champion reputation and home ground advantage).
“Websites ESPN Soccernet and Footylight for mobile users have updates that are very precise, timely and interactive. Twitter and Facebook alone though are also much faster than the official sites and pages, more often than not,” he says.
The social media experience resonates with our love for the sport and the camaraderie in particular which makes it the perfect platform for fans all around the world to feel closer to one another.
For Argentina and England fan Josephine Sin, social media will enhance the game’s entertainment value over visiting a website to check for scores and updates.
“I always prefer to watch it with a group of friends, especially when two big teams are playing against each other. The excitement and intensity is just crazy as we argue to show how much smarter we are compared to the managers and coaches. Football to me is serious business,” she says.
“As for the social media experience, I find it quite entertaining to read what people have to say about their favourite teams and when they trash talk one another. Other than livescore.com, social media also serves as my live news feed when I don’t get to watch the game, especially on Twitter and Facebook.”
Bookmark these sites
FOR the next month, soccer fans will not only be glued to the TV for the World Cup in Brazil, but also the social media and Internet. If you’re not sure where to go in cyberspace, here are some suggestions.
1. Fifa.com: The official website of the Federation Internationale de Football Association. You can get all match information from the opening game on June 12 to the final on July 13.
Fifa is now big on social media. Get updates from their Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — all with a click of the button.
2. Fifa App: Get live-score updates from Brazil and other football leagues’ results, headlines, photos and videos. Available at AppStore and Google Play.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo Twitter: The Real Madrid star is the champion on Twitter with 26.4 million followers. Follow this Portuguese star, read his personal experience during the tournament and view his pictures and selfies. //twitter.com/Cristiano.
4. Yahoo! Sports: Due to the time difference between Malaysia and Brazil, Malaysians will get awkward live telecast time. If you’re not sure what time the matches start local time, Yahoo! has done the homework for you at my.sports.yahoo.com/football/world-cup/schedule/ Be prepared to stay awake from midnight to 8am.
5. Hottest Wags: With all the world’s multi-millionaire players gather in Brazil for the World Cup, their wives and girlfriends (or Wags) will be there too. Time to zoom in to the VIP seats. MTV has given a list of 20 hottest World Cup WAGs to look for like Irina Shayk (girlfriend of Cristiano Ronaldo), Coleen Rooney (wife of Wayne Rooney), Sara Carbonero (girlfriend of Iker Casillas or even pop star Shakira (girlfriend of Gerard Pique). At www.mtv.co.uk/style/blog/20-hottest-wags-of-the-2014-fifa-world-cup.
6. ESPNFC: This leading sports channel also has its web coverage on the World Cup with interesting articles, commentaries, videos. www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/4/index
7. World Cup History: This interesting website is like the almanac of the World Cup. It covers history from the first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay till present. Also search for past World Cup players, their statistics, team statistics and much more. At www.worldcup-history.com.
8. BBC: This official British broadcaster website has lots to offer — live coverage by the minute, articles, pictures, group schedules and top scorers. At www.bbc.com/sport/football/world-cup/2014.
