“The second row? Really?” I almost screamed inside.

 

Dawn was making its FIFA World Cup debut and I was incredibly honoured and nervous at the opportunity of being part of the little slice of history.

At the high-profile opening match of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, I walked towards the media tribune with the opening ceremony just minutes away at the Itaquerao in Sao Paulo. The crowd eagerly awaited the hosts to start off the tournament with a bang against Croatia.

A volunteer checked my accreditation card and helped me take my seat alongside the giants of football journalism. This is where the news agencies — Reuters, AP, AFP and many others — relay the action from.

Covering the FIFA World Cup had been my dream. I hope to cover many more but Brazil 2014 was my first and one I will cherish forever. At the start of my career, I had made a point to become a ‘true’ football reporter in Pakistan. Many had not been supportive.

“You’ll get nowhere being a football reporter … try your hand at cricket,” people used to tell me.

Five years later, on June 12, I was walking towards my seat for the opener — making my World Cup debut.