Mr. Annan starts his editorial with the words, "The fact is that the World Cup makes us green with envy, as the only game in the world that is played in every country and by the people of every race and religion, football is one of the few institutions that is as exceptional as the United Nations."

The General Secretary definitely made Asa and I go green with envy after reading his first words. We have said similar things often, but we have never phrased them in a paragraph so well. Mr. Annan continues pointing out that FIFA, the international football association, has 205 member countries comparing it with UN that has 191 countries, adding that "for months everybody on the planet will talk about the World Cup."

The General Secretary wished people would discuss development issues, health, education, AIDS and so many others topics as seriously as they will discuss about their team's performance and they could show the same knowledge in the most unbelievable details. "I wish countries would compete with each other on respecting human rights, that they would try to outdo each other on the survival rate of children or to shine in education," he said.

How odd that just a few days ago the American president suggested cuts in the UN's program for AIDS and everything the UN suggests has to go through a series of vetoes and changes.

Mr. Secretary points out something else by bringing the example of Angola and the Ivory Coast. Both countries have been suffering from misery and civil wars that have torn them apart for years now. Their national teams gave them something no UN or no other force has managed to give them till now: national unity and hope for a new start. What is more valuable than that?

"I wish we had other things that leveled the playing fields the way football does, where only talent and team spirit matter, such as freer and fairer trade," he added. Fairer trade? Sorry to be cynical, but this sounds like an oxymoron, how you can have trade and fair together? In any level, you just need to give a look at what's going on between USA and Iran nowadays.

Greece and Turkey have never been the loving neighbours, but the last few years there are a few Turks playing for Greek football teams; I think that says everything regarding the boundaries football has crossed.

Mr. Annan said it was "a special honor" for Ghana, his home country, to have qualified for the World Cup for the first time and that for each African nation taking part the tournament will have a special meaning.

I think taking part in this tournament has a special meaning for every single team, for every single national for the whole planet, even for the countries that don't have a representative in this tournament.