By Khilen Mehta

Put a bunch of fireworks in front of a few mad Englishman and you have a riot on your hands, offer the Spaniards the same and you have Las Fallas 2008! We love Spain for its fiestas, its botellons, and its sangria soaked celebrations. However of everything I have experienced so far, none light up the place quite so literally as Las Fallas. I had all read about the Fallas, and in my head I had dreamed of what I would see but nothing could have prepared me for such a spectacle. The 4 hour coach journey down to Valencia gave me an opportunity to relax and gather my thoughts before what was guaranteed to be a frenetic night. As we passed through the mountains, my head was filled with thoughts of streets full of light, full of people, and full of noise. Boy, I wasn’t disappointed!! We descended the coach to the scenes of little children with their families throwing fire crackers around and I began to grow worried that the longer the night went on, the more alcohol consumed, that these scenes could grow dangerous. But as the night grew old, I was amazed by the respect that the Spaniards had for the festival. The immediate skyline was filled up with massive models or ninots in Spanish. These depicted satirical scenes, and current events with some lampooning current politicians and some even pretending to hang the entire Valencia football team!! The effort gone into these models was what impressed me the most. Many of the models loomed high over the buildings, and even though they would be burnt at the end of the night, the organizations had obviously vested time and interest into impressing those from out of town. We wandered around the centre of the town, and were hit with a parade to rival even the most extreme. Camels, fire eaters and belly dancers were just some of the exhibitions on show as crowds of people lined the streets to experience just what was causing this immense noise. These valencians certainly didn’t do things by half!! Around 10pm, the first fallas infantiles began to be lit. Although these models were a lot smaller, the explosions created were something that just had to be seen to be believed. The heat given off was felt by all around, and the light was blinding. This built up our expectations for the bigger models and as the clock approached midnight crowds of people headed towards the centre ready to witness La Crema, which is the climax of the whole event. The crowds began to chant, the streetlights were turned off, and all of the ninots were set on fire at exactly the stroke of midnight. Incredible…the only word I could use to describe what was seen. Spontaneous fireworks aroused the crowds excitement and when the huge firecrackers were lit, the ground literally shook for minutes as the fallas burned and the pyromaniacs celebrated.

Overall this was an opportunity that needs to be experienced. Words can only describe what I saw that night, but these scenes will live with me forever. Light, color, fire, gunpowder, noise…Las Fallas 2008!

By Khilen Mehta

A fiery encounter between fierce rivals Manchester United and Liverpool was shrouded in controversy as referee Steve Bennett sent off Javier Mascherano for dissent both to the fury of the player and his manager, Rafael Benitez. An incident midweek involving the referee and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole meant any incidents in this match were likely to be stamped down early and the referee had no hesitation in showing the player a second yellow card for apparent dissent following a booking for fellow team-mate Fernando Torres. Some may have thought that the referee bottled this decision and missed an opportunity to stamp his authority on the game, but others will also frown up Mascherano´s stupidity in running halfway across the pitch to argue with a referee who had already shown that he wasn’t willing to listen to the players rants. In footballing matters, United reigned supreme. The game started at a fast pace, and both teams had opportunities to take the lead early on. However it was Manchester United who seized the opportunity with a baked bean the surprise goal scorer, gifted by some poor defending by the Liverpool goalkeeper. In the second half, not aided by only having 10 men, Liverpool huffed and puffed but to no avail and in the 80^th minute, United eventually scored the goals that sealed the game, firstly through Ronaldo and then followed up with a great finish and celebration by substitute Nani.

The second game of the day was between Chelsea and Arsenal, with both sides knowing that they couldn’t afford to drop points following Manchester United’s victory earlier on in the day. The games was marred by the constant booing of Arsenal skipper William Gallas, who commented before the game that Chelsea fans were naïve about their lack of understanding about why he left the club to join Arsenal. The fight to stay in the title race was shown by the passion of the players resulting in reckless tackles, but also chances for both sides. The deadlock was broken in the second half, and Chelsea’s vulnerability from set pieces was once again exposed. Without the presence of Petr Cech in goal, no Chelsea player imposed themselves in the penalty box and Bacary Sagna stole in to head Arsenal into the lead. But Chelsea, unwilling to let their 77 game unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge be lost, rallied as a team and it was their main goalscorer Didier Drogba who rescued them with a couple of cool finishes.

So after another eventful Super Sunday it was Manchester United who came away the happiest. A five point lead at the top of the table, goals flowing from all sides of the pitch, and the meanest defence in the league it will take a brave man to bet against United retaining the title.