What’s more, HSBC World Cup Mastercard credit card holders may have a chance to win a trip to Japan in June to witness one of the most spectacular soccer games this season.
Expect many men to be pre-occupied with nothing else but being glued to TV as the most popular single sporting event in the world, the 2002 FIFA World Cup championship, begins in Seoul, Korea.
The World Cup, which happens once every four years, draws millions of TV viewers all over the world. Soccer fans and sports aficionados in Asia are not immune to this fever and are avidly looking forward to the regional television airing of the World Cup.
The World Cup celebrates two firsts this year. It will be the first time that this event will be hosted in Asia and two countries  South Korea and Japan  are hosting the event simultaneously.
The World Cup fever has reached our seas too, as organized soccer games are taking place in local sports clubs, school fields and even hotel gyms. One such group, which meets after work every Thursday in the middle of the Makati Business District is a band of expatriates who have the same passion and drive for the sport as they do with their profession.
Asked what they have learned from the sport that they have applied to their professional life, the men gamely replied.
"Never give up, never stop fighting for what you are passionate about and always remember to encourage and keep your teammates and colleagues focused on the task at hand. Take charge when required," says Ramus Kristiansen, sales manager, EAC Inc.
"The feeling of victory or defeat in a soccer game as in business is of equal footing in my book. I try to give my all in both endeavors," shares Dan Aoki, manager, Philscan.
"Success, be it on the soccer field or in my professional life, always comes with a prize. Working together with other people in achieving a common goal brings personal and team rewards which makes the price you pay much easier to shoulder," says Tur Nyman, manager of Scanasia.
"A team is only as strong as the weakest member. If you want to pull off something extraordinary and the acclaim of your peers, you have to overcome the impossible, risking making a complete fool of yourself," says Morten Skaaning, supervisor of Danfors.
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