According to a representative from the Vatican, Argentinean native Pope and German born Pope Benedict will not be among the spectators for the World Cup final on Sunday. The representative further added that the reason for such was that both of the holy figures were not fans of the iconic sports tournament.

The representative, speaking in behalf of the Vatican, further added that it has come as a surprise people will speculate on the two popes watching the final round. Pope Francis, a former fan of the Saints of San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires, has made a promise he will not pray for a miracle from above to pave the way for an Argentinean victory.

Francis had this to say about football, as a sport in general, as released by the Catholic News Agency:

"a game and at the same time an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and reciprocal human enrichment".

"It is not only a form of entertainment, but also - and above all I would say - a tool to communicate values, promote the good of the human person and help build a more peaceful and fraternal society," he continued. "Sport is a school of peace. It teaches us to build peace."

"By playing sports, we can see a metaphor of our lives," he declared. "To play in a team, it is necessary to consider first the good of the group, not on one's self. In order to win, it is necessary to overcome individualism, selfishness and all forms of racism, intolerance and instrumentalisation of the human person.

"The secret of victory in the field, but also in life, is to learn to respect the colleagues of your team, but also your opponent."