Cape Town - It’s Stage 5 and Stage 6 brothers and sisters on this the most holiest of sports weekends in the Fifa World Cup.
HKGK (Hier Kom Groot K*K) this weekend, because Eskom - which has more stages than the Super Mario Bros game - can’t keep on the lights and football fans are in danger of being left in the dark on what is supposed an electrifying couple of days of quarter-final action in the air-conditioned stadiums of Qatar.
We are supposed to sit at the football table and eat heartily, but instead we’re likely to miss some or most of the action because Eskom’s diesel is done and what is left of the antiquated equipment is running on thoughts and prayers.
But never fear when IOL Sport is near, for we have come up with a guide that will help you regain the power and say Eskom se Push! and enjoy the football this weekend.
Check your schedule ...
Speaking of Eskom se Push ... that app is your friend comrades. It will give you the load shedding schedule so that you can plan around the power outages. We know the stages can change at a moments notice, but maybe check when your power is going off and then organise to watch the matches at friends and family who are in a different area.
Don’t arrive at people’s houses empty-handed ...
If you made plans to watch at a friend or family member’s house, please don’t arrive without drinks or snacks. The people are doing you a favour, so don’t go there and finish their Snack Time box and their Christmas beers. Take your own snacks and drinks, preferably in a cooler box with ice, so that everything is drinking temperature before kickoff.
Behave yourself ...
We know, football watching is an emotional business, but don’t now rub it into your hosts’ faces when the team you support score a goal against their team. A polite ‘yes man’ will do, instead of jumping up and dancing with your behind in their faces. Imagine Prince ... err ... King Charles watching live football ... channel that inner lifelessness/stiffness when cheering a goal. You don’t want people to leave at halftime because they are suddenly tired ...
Check that your DSTV Now App is working if watching at home ...
If you decided to watch at home on your app, make sure that nobody else has access to that account and you have enough battery life and data. After they decided to limit streaming to just one device at a time, people have had some shocks tuning into their favourite sports because someone beat them to the punch. My guy/girl, if you are paying for it, change your password and make sure you don’t have to sit in the dark with no action, while your brother/sister is enjoying the action somewhere else.