Bill Clinton actually witnessed the World Cup final live. Is that a trend in USA, the love of soccer?

Mr Clinton, have you been following the FIFA World Cup?
I’ve watched a lot of the games, on television of course - this is the first one live. I think it’s been an especially wonderful event for Germany. A German friend of mine was telling me yesterday that he and his wife had ordered all these flags, but that the German flag company that serviced them had run out of material. He said such a thing would have been unthinkable ten or 20 years ago. So, in that respect, I think it has been great for Germany and I think they have done a great job with it. I’m not one of those who believes the games have been uninteresting - I think the opposite, in fact. You have to play strategically when you are in an elimination situation; you can’t make it as exciting all the time. You have to play with discipline, and sometimes defence is more important than offense.

That said, yesterday Germany won a great game by playing offensively. So, yeah, I’m excited and I have had a wonderful time. And I am looking forward to doing this project in Africa with FIFA (‘Win in Africa - with Africa’) and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work towards the next World Cup to help the children of Africa.

Tell us about your association with the FIFA World Cup.
When the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, I had the opportunity to speak with the coach of the Brazilian Soccer Team (Carlos Alberto Parreira). He said an interesting thing: “When we all came here, we wondered about this World Cup because we knew soccer was not your game. And yet we’ve had wonderful attendances. We’ve had an open door to all of our people coming from other countries to see your games. The American people have made this the best World Cup ever.”

In a way, I think every new World Cup can be the “best World Cup ever” because the tournament has this potential to bring even more people together, with nations and cultures setting aside their differences in their shared appreciation of soccer.

Looking ahead now, I think you would have to say that the first-ever World Cup in Africa in 2010 provides a unique opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the potential of Africa and the challenges faced by the African people. I’m certainly thrilled that my foundation (The Clinton Foundation) will be joining in this effort to translate the global appeal of soccer into tangible programs that will benefit the children of Africa.

Source: WCoffsite