They say in America it’s a bogey number. But for the past few days, it has been like a magnet, pulled the world together. Everyone who heard about it was caught glued to any kind of news outlet that could be sourced to follow developments. If it were a continuous story, it would have broken every viewing record that has ever existed. Forget about World Cup to which it was closely tied in the name of football some call soccer.
It has been the riveting story of 12 members plus a coach to make thirteen (13) of Moon Pa (Wild Boars) Soccer Team (WBST) based somewhere in North Thailand. The team after practice had gone on some small cave adventure, inside the ‘Tham Luang Nang Non cave.’ People had ventured in and out of it with hardly news of impending disaster. Stranded Moon Pa needed help to escape, having endured the hardship, anxiety, uncertainty and everything that children should not be taken through.
There is another football related positive number thirteen (13) wonder. World Cup 2018 best player midfielder maestro, N’Golo Kante of France, wears jersey number thirteen. To the point of the completed penultimate game, left with only the final to complete the Russia 2018 tournament, people are saying he is the best whether he wins the ‘golden ball’ or not. Of course, as a midfielder, he is not a contender for the goal scorers’ ‘golden boots.’
I won’t link super hero Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Gunan, with number 13. A link would be negative because he died diving to save the thirteen players plus coach. He ‘died in supreme sacrifice during the rescue operation on July 6;’ the only one in the whole episode of hundreds working to save boys and coach.
Even outside football, a tennis story headline goes: ‘Thirteen interesting facts about Serena Williams, her competition in Wimbledon semis.’ Wild Boars Soccer Team and their cave adventure is a drama that kept ‘the world on edge.’ All wondered whether things will tumble over the cliff or someone will whisk disaster off the edge of the cliff to safety. With humanity at its best, showing its best, it’s the latter that prevailed.
In it all, throughout the 10-day forced fasting, the one food that has earned mention is fried chicken, courtesy the youngest of them all, the 11-year old Wild Boar’s crave. I am sure one of these days, some commercial fried chicken people are going to advertise ‘Something, something fried chicken, preferred even by the cave stranded’ or ‘the favourite of even the cave stranded.’ Flesh eaters, here is recommended chicken, fried that is, the eleven year-old’s wish meal.
How it had to happen during the World Cup season is interesting. I am sure as team supporters cheered, they always had some time to wish the Wild Boars safe search and rescue evacuation. It has been a valuable lesson of international cooperation. Someone saw it as bigger in size and country than anything before it. World Cup matches fans watched but all fans also watched and prayed for the safe exit of members of the WBST from the cave they had accidentally been lost in.
Someone called them ‘the world’s kids,’ which they became and are/ many will follow their progress in life. Their story has been a recap of the Chile 33 miners rescue; searched for, found and rescued in comfort, inspiration and optimism. I combed ravenously everywhere – YahooNews, BBC, CNN, CBSNEWS, CBC, others for search and rescue progress. It’s been a lucky 13; the only bad luck is the hero diver who died so others could live.
Many have been the accolades: ‘one of the most heroic and inspiring episodes of our time,’ ‘after all the world is not such a bad place;’ and ‘what the human being can do.’ If I were preaching, I would ask every member of the congregation to ask the self, ‘As a human being, you, as an individual [call yourself by your name] how do you make the world healthier, safer and more habitable? Are you after your personal comfort only without conscience to ensure no one suffers from your actions in your quest for that comfort?
By this episode, Thai 13 is not American 13. What about me? I am the thirteenth chief of my stool and I have no doubt I have brought bad luck to my stool. I think it is relatively successful chiefship given that the community shows support to the stool. As for English people, they said footballing was going home to them. Wild Boars Team will by all means head home soon. A headline read: ‘They’re coming home: football world hails Thai cave ‘heroes.’’ Now that Croatia has kicked the Three Lions out, though, I wonder where football is heading.
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh