England has flattered to deceive more than Mata Hari

I have rarely been spot on with my World Cup predictions, because I have always supported England.

Supporting England when one is in India is different from supporting England when one is in Dubai – living, working and socialising with several actual English people. There is always the danger of coming across as a wannabe.

India never qualifies for the World Cup, so all 32 countries that do, in any edition, are up for grabs by the Indians.

But, sitting across the table from a Geordie, a Mancunian and a Londoner puts a different spin on why you would bother being so passionate about supporting a country you don’t belong to. Especially a country like England – that has flattered to deceive more times than Mata Hari.

And especially because you come from Pune (pronounced poo-nay). Which sits very much in the shadow of cricket-mad Mumbai – 120-km by road to be exact.

A garrison town during the Raj, called Poona then, this once-important seat of Maratha power, languidly made its way to city status at its own pace, preferring to let Bombay have the economic and cricket glory.

Pune indulged in institutes of learning, Marathi theatre and football.

Pune has produced only two national cricketers of note, and neither is worth noting here.

Pune, primarily, was a football city. For the most part, it still is. (Pune FC, competes more than gamely in India’s top professional league.) It is here that the spark of love for the beautiful game was lit and stoked. Football is a love, and a passionate one at that.

In the word ‘passion’ lies the secret to the magic of football and the quadrennial global climatic celebration of existence.

Everybody has their passions. And every passion has its moment. From June 11 to July 11, this year, it is time for my passion (and yours, I hope). It is time for the football World Cup.

For a football fan, watching from the sidelines, there is only this bottom line: The performance of the team you back and your prediction of who is going to win.

So, to kick-off this world cup campaign I am going to stick my neck out and predict the outcome of this year’s tournament in South Africa.

I predict four of these five - Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Spain and England will make the semis. I have two dark horses: Australia and Serbia.

Which means powerhouses like Germany, Italy and France are out of my reckoning, as are promising Portugal and upstarts like South Korea or the USA.

My head says Argentina or Spain will win it. My heart goes with England. My underdog to win is Holland.

And so what if I come from Pune?!

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