The World Cup is all about excitement and passion, especially among the devoted fan bases of each country.
We saw a great example of that passion Monday at Bottled Blonde, a bar in Wynwood, where hundreds of ardent USA supporters gathered to watch the USA versus Wales match. It ended in a 1-1 draw, which seemed disappointing because the Americans led most of the game before giving up a penalty kick goal late in the match.
“The whole thing is a nightmare,’ said Greg Cote, veteran sports columnist for the Miami Herald.
But Cote wasn’t talking about today’s game, he’s referring to the tournament being held in Qatar in the first place. The country has a dismal human rights record. Amnesty International says thousands of migrant workers died building the stadiums, being gay or trans is a criminal offense in Qatar, and World Cup fans understand these issues with authoritarian countries often conflict with sports.
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“And we see it in so many instances," Cote said. "When Russia is involved with sports, when China hosts the Olympics, when Saudi Arabia is banking a rival golf tour, you know, there’s all sorts of conflicts. And the World Cup, where it is the latest one because it’s just absurd, this is a tiny little country with nothing but money and civil rights violations."
“The captains are not allowed to wear One Love anti-discrimination armbands, they’re being threatened with yellow cards," he said. "I didn’t know that being against discrimination was a political statement.”
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The fans know there’s more to the World Cup this year than what they see on the pitch.
“I think that’s the nature of sports, political and social things that happen, everybody wants to root for their country and hope for a good result, but I still think that should be in the forefront of the news,” said USA supporter Edgar Kelly.
Cote and I agreed that most fans are concerned by the human rights abuses, but at the same time, they are going to watch and we’re going to root for our teams.
“Sure, absolutely, and I do so with no guilt, you know, I’m an impartial journalist 99% of the time, but when the United States soccer team is playing I’m a fan,” Cote said, making the point that rooting for a team does not make one complicit in the human rights violations of the host nation.
