Two Half-Times in Hell... The flowers are in full bloom and on nature’s wings,the breathtaking splendor of a German spring arrives in 1944.Onodi, the renowned Hungarian footballer in captivity is asked to organize a football match between the Hungarian prisoners of war and the Germans to mark off celebrations of Hitler’s birthday. Onodi demands no work until the match is over, good food and provisions at par with Germans and a football for training and instinctively his requests are granted. He is allowed to pick his team and on learning about this, the prisoners draw close; prisoners who were living in most inhuman and deplorable conditions, wretched, impoverished and malnourished, in gut-wrenching pain and agony. They were a bunch of living dead, a wealth of breathing misery… Excited by the prospect of at least getting square meals a day during the interim period leading to the match, Onodi was implored and entreated by fellow prisoners, even their mothers and sisters to include their loved ones in his team. Only 8 out of the total 98 could play football. An elderly mother walked into the barrack of Onodi, her face emaciated and jittery, pale and drawn, in intense anguish and pain dropped on her knees and cried “Please for the love of God, have mercy to include my son in your team. Do not forsake this plea my son. I know for sure my son hasn’t touched a football. He was a strong lad. Now he is weak, it’s been ages since he had a good meal and at the sight of him, all my hopes are shattered plunging me into indescribable pain. Will you for the sake of this ailing mother and her broken heart and endless tears include him also…?” Onodi replied calmly, “I can feel your pain and the love for your son. But I’m sorry mother, I can’t take him…because…because football is sacred…”
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 10:41:55 +0000
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