THE biggest tournament in the world kicked off yesterday in the land of Samba –Brazil - and it was nothing short of spectacular as 22 players (plus the referees) chased around a small rubber ball and people dressed and painted their bodies in more colours than the rainbow. But to make it through the thirty one days of the World Cup and still be able to smile at the end of the day, there are things you should avoid.

Avoid betting

Well, betting is not a new trend in sports. Multitudes of people have been losing their hard earned money while some have been lucky and smiled all the way to the bank after winning millions in sports betting. 

With the World Cup excitement, many people might be tempted to try betting for the first time. But consider the odds before catching the betting bug.  Be warned that the consequences of gambling can be devastating. If you’re not careful you might easily lose your property and other valuable items like cars.

So to avoid being homeless and in heavy debts keep off gambling and just enjoy the games.

Avoid a run-in with the boss

Most games will start between 17hrs and 22hrs (Rwandan time), office workers will most likely show up in office late with red eyes as a result of lack of enough sleep and fatigue. Pending work will be given to interns and some things will change. Office meetings might be shorter than taking a pee. No one wants to miss the pundit’s analysis before the game. And then, office wear might be substituted for a jersey.  You can avoid all these to be in good books with your boss after the 31 days of the football bonanza.

Don’t start unnecessary fights

Police might have to deploy heavily around bars, pubs and people’s homes to prevent any injuries that will result from fights related to the games.  Expect to see eyes with bandages, limping fellows and scratched faces in the office. There will high demand since bar owners will need bouncers to control unruly patrons who get emotional over football.  Let’s keep peace and watch the games with civility, its just football don’t hit a colleague with a bottle just because your team has lost. 

Don’t over booze

As most people will be enjoying soccer and ordering for more beer, bar owners will be hard at work trying to meet the high demand of the frothy drinks. As a matter of fact, some places will hike beer prices because, after all, it is the World Cup season and everyone has to benefit in one way or another.  

Your relationship should not end because of World Cup

I feel sorry for women who will give birth between June and July, not that their husbands have been irresponsible but again it is the World Cup and it comes once in four years. As for the kids, they might see their father after one month. By the time the World Cup is over, some marriages will be heading for the exit door, relationships will be on the verge and there will be a lot of explaining to do. 

Advisory…try as much as possible to catch the games with your loved ones. You can even invite friends over to watch at your home; don’t put your relationship on the line because of the World Cup

Avoid organising concerts during World Cup

Word of advice to all events promoters; stay away from organising any shows unless you are sure of the faces you are bringing. It is soccer season which means that very few men will be available to attend and the women, who knows; if you are bringing Wyre, Nameless, 2Face, then you can count on them but stay away from Bobi Wine, Dr JiJi, Uncle Austin and Mavenge Sudi – no offense.

Try to stand by your soccer loving spouse during this period

If you can’t beat them, join them. So goes the saying. Most women (not all) are allergic to sports but I know quite a few who are willing to sit in a football class (bar) just to learn the basics. This will always make them look like they belong, especially girls who prefer hanging with guys. By the time the World Cup is over, you will have girls who are well versed with the rules such as yellow card, off-side as well as some football player’s names like Neymar, Olivier Giroud, David Villa, Gerard Pique and Christiano Ronaldo among others. But I highly suspect this will have more to do with their looks rather than their skills on the pitch. 

Try out the World Cup hair styles

After or during the World Cup, new hair styles usually come up and this time will be no different. If you go to Nyamirambo, Nyabugogo, Remera, you might find weird hair styles but don’t get spooked out, just remember this is what comes with the World Cup fever. Hair styles might include Christiano’s "swoop of destiny,” Michael Essien’s "patch of grass,” Mario Balotelli’s "happy trail” and Ghanian Vorsah Isaac’s "Sisqo.”

You can give them a try-no harm in that.

New baby names

And the icing on the cake of this World Cup will come with the advent of new baby names. We already have weird names such as Fairy, Kiwi, Panda and many more. With the World Cup, there’s already a rush for famous footballers names. We might be looking at names such as Rooney, Drogba, Essien or Pogba for kids who will be born within the next 31 days.