British soldiers in Afghanistan cheer on World Cup
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-06-12 11:49
With much national pride and a bit of homesickness, about 300 soldiers in the
British-dominated headquarters of the NATO force in Afghanistan were glued to a
live feed of England's opening World Cup win against Paraguay.
Just minutes after joining in the national anthem, the uniformed group --
some with guns strapped to their thighs -- leapt to their feet and roared when
Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra headed David Beckham's free-kick into the net
thousands of kilometres away.
British soldiers from
the NATO-led international peacekeepers cheer as they watch the England
team score a goal against Paraguay during their World Cup 2006 soccer
match, screened on a projector, in Kabul June 10,
2006.[Reuters]
| The soldiers squeezed
into a flag-bedecked room inside the heavily secured compound and cheered, sang,
applauded -- and cursed the occasional blips in transmission or controversial
decisions by the referees.
Lance Corporal Glen Steerment said he was "pretty gutted" not to be in the
stands in Frankfurt.
"It is good that it's on here but it would be better if we were at home with
a few beers," he said.
"It is a national sport -- you have got to cheer on your home country," added
Private Jon Harmer just before kick-off, as soldiers from Canada, France and
Macedonia found places amid the Brits.
More than half of the 700 troops at the International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) headquarters in the Afghan capital are British.
But the bulk of the British deployment to the country -- around 3,300 troops
-- is in the southern desert province of Helmand, one of the areas worst hit by
a Taliban insurgency.
ISAF has put up extra cinema-style television screens at its compounds to
allow its soldiers -- drawn from nearly 40 countries -- to watch the World Cup
tournament when they can take a break from patrols and other duties.
It is a morale-booster for soldiers who spend around nine months away from
home, according to French Major Vincent Tassel.
"It is an occasion to de-stress," he said.
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