As if there isn't already enough about this FIFA World Cup to talk about, more drama has been added which will make this competition one that will be talked about for years.

At the time of writing (after 44 matches), 126 goals have been scored and the first round is yet to be completed! This is with four matches to go, so by the time you read this, we could well see the number of goals reaching the 140 mark. At the current rate of 2.9 goals per match, this World Cup could yield close to 200 goals by the time the tournament is over. That would be more than the record 171 goals scored in France '98.

Aside from the glut of goals that have made this tournament so much fun to watch, the sidebar stories have spiced things up immensely. I mean, who could possibly believe the luck of the deposed champions Spain, who picked up a couple of shellacking from the Netherlands (5-1) and Chile (2-0) before rebounding to beat Australia 3-0 in a match of academic interest.

By then they were out of the World Cup and heading home with their tails between their legs and their pride wounded. They shouldn't feel too badly though, because they are in illustrious company of teams that have suffered similar fates. Four-time winners Italy in 1950 and 2010; Brazil in 1966; and France in 2002 have all shared similar experiences. Where Spain stands alone is in what happened next.

Football gods

It's almost as if the football gods were displeased at the way Spain's dynasty came to an end. The Spanish media had already dubbed their performance "the great disappointment" and the team became the butt of thousands of jokes on social media, especially Twitter, which blew up with tons of jokes, some really funny, the majority not so much.

Final say

The gods though, had to have the final say. So as Iberia flight 2907 approached the Adolfo Suárez Maridid-Barajas Airport on Tuesday, it was struck by lightning. I mean, how bad can your luck be? It's like the gods were saying, "Losers!"

Speaking of Suarez, the Uruguayan stole even that thunder from the Spanish lightning-strike incident when he found himself in the middle of another storm when he bit into Giogio Chiellini's shoulder as the South Americans sent the Italians home from the competition. This has now become the story of the World Cup.

This is the third biting incident that the lethal striker has been involved in since 2004 when he sunk his teeth into the shoulder of PSG's Ottman Bakkal. Back then, he was playing for Ajax. He was banned then, but returned to sink his teeth into Chelsea's Branislav Invanovic, and now Chiellini, whom he had tried unsuccessfully to chew on during last year's Confederations Cup semi-final between the two countries.

The incident has earned Suarez a four-month football ban and will cost him some money, £66,000 to be exact.

And speaking of money, what is it with the African teams and money? Prior to the start of the World Cup, Cameroon threatened not to play unless they got money and only relented when they were promised £7000 per player. As a consequence, the team plane arrived late for the World Cup and I am not sure the players turned up at all.

Then Ghana, after failing to show up against the United States in a match they lost 1-2, put in a better showing in drawing 2-2 against Germany, a match they should have won. Following that, they then threatened to forfeit their match against Portugal if they were not paid appearance fees amounting to about US$3 million.

Drama didn't end

The drama didn't end there, for as the plane sent by the Ghanaian government arrived in Brazil, word emerged that two of their players Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng have been suspended indefinitely for an unprovoked attack on an executive member and hurling vulgar verbal attacks on coach Kwesi Appiah.

There has been nothing but drama at this World Cup, from last-second goals to lightning strikes to off-field antics of players, but you know what, this is why we watch.

Send comments to levyl1@hotmail.com.