The fun and excitement apart, there is more to be gained from this great game. As the only game in the world that is played in every country and by people of every race and religion, football is one of the few institutions that is as exceptional as the United Nations.

It's tough not to be a fan, as football fever grips the world with the FIFA World Cup 2006, currently underway in Germany. For millions of people, across the globe, football is not merely a game. It is a religion. And as many realize, now it also makes great economic sense. True, it not only fosters bonds between nations, rebrands nations but also boosts the economy of the host, the guests and even the nonparticipant nations.

This time, at least, half of the humanity will be watching the 32 nations playing. For one monthJune 9 to July 9statesmen, businessmen and journalists will be focusing on this truly global game, which involves three Ms: Mind, (e)Motion and Money and boosts the three Es: Economy, Ethnicity and Eccentricity.

And where masses are involved, it is but natural, business opportunities spring up. Obviously, the World Cup has brought in its wake a chance for national economies to boom, going by the game's history. The positive impact of socceronomics, since the beginning of the competition in Uruguay in 1930, has revived and strengthened the world economy, besides exhorting nations to emulate action in unison, which the spirit of the game injects in viewers.

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