Far Post: The Dream Time of the World Cup

Like other sports, football had been dubiously bequeathed to many countries in Europe's colonial endeavors, and yet sometimes it helped overturn the rules it

Like other sports, football had been dubiously bequeathed to many countries in Europe's colonial endeavors, and yet sometimes it helped overturn the rules it was supposed to enforce. Just before my grandfather was born, the Calcutta team Mohun Bagan won a historic footballing victory when they became the first brown team to defeat an English side in competition in 1911.

Former Italy dictator Benito Mussolini, center, poses with the 1934 World Cup-winning team :: AFP/Getty Images

North Korea players chase down the ball while playing against Ivory Coast in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa :: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Uruguay's Alcides Ghiggia scores the famous goal that dealt host Brazil a 2-1 defeat in the final of the 1950 World Cup at the Maracana :: Popperfoto/Getty Images

Supriya Nair is an editor with The Caravan magazine in Delhi. She can be followed on Twitter @supriyan.