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The World Cup in a nutshell

Abdul Latheef Naha

MALAPPURAM: Tired of seeing drab match schedules and score sheets, an electronics engineer from Areekode has brought out a World Cup schedule that combines data of the matches with the aesthetic beauty of football. FIFA, the world football body, has recognised the match schedule, prepared by P. Abdul Rahman, for its beauty and uniqueness. A letter from FIFA appreciated his work in encapsulating the complete data of World Cup 2006 in a single sheet of paper.

The ball-model-schedule serves as a dictionary of all the 64 matches to be played from June 9 to July 9. The match data are creatively inscribed on two soccer balls, representing the zeroes of 2006.

The schedule lists all teams group-wise, with spaces provided to enter the standings. It pictures all the 12 venues, and gives photographs of football legends as well as thrilling football events of the past.

The model presents white storks, Germany's national bird, actually and symbolically as messengers from Leipzig delivering the message of the World Cup Live Draw of December 9, 2005.

The match calendar gives a date-wise reference to all the 64 matches to be read out on the ball-piece windows of the two soccer balls. The central piece of the ball carries the matches of the semifinal and the finals. The outermost pieces carry the Round of 16 and the quarterfinal matches in order. The hexagonal pieces of the ball, marked A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, carry the respective group matches. They can be read out from team to team, one line for each match, on any group piece-window.

For example, to read the opening match on June 9, one can go to group A and read the line between Germany and Costa Rica (GER-CRC), which gives the scheduled match number, date, stadium and the local time of the match.

The six matches of any group are shown circularly and diagonally on a ball piece, which can be read out from team to team.

At a single glance, one can get the schedule of all the matches, from the opener to the final, and all related data.

It is an all-in-one schedule and score sheet, a "creative rarity", and a historical data recorder.

"It is not just an inscription on the balls; it is the graphical representation of the mathematical combinations," said Mr. Rahman.

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