Boston is my second home. I have visited my Italian-American family in Massachusetts 30-plus times. It is the most visitor-friendly and European of the great American cities. So, when the fixtures for this year’s World Cup were confirmed, and England were assigned a game at the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium against Ghana, we were excited to go – especially as another game was relatively nearby in New Jersey, close to New York City, where I lived for five years.
And then came the ticket and travel price fiasco – and the horrible realisation that Fifa boss Gianni Infantino was gaslighting the world in his craven attempt to appease Donald Trump and garner as much profit as possible for his brazen organisation. I was resigned to not going (and no one I know is going either) and relatively uninterested, especially as my beloved Italy has failed to qualify for the third World Cup tournament in a row.
And then came the opening match between South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. Watching the former Fulham player Raul Jimenez cry with joy after scoring in front of 80,000 of his home supporters in the storied Azteca Stadium in Mexico City – and knowing how he had come back from a near-death on-pitch experience and recently lost his father – reminded me that the World Cup isn’t about Fifa, Infantino or even Trump, however hard he tries. It belongs to the players and fans alike – and each one has an individual story, some of them truly quite remarkable. Suddenly, the FOMO was real.
An emotional Raul Jimenez celebrates at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City during the opening match between South Africa and co-hosts Mexico (Photo: MB Media/Getty)Let’s not be naive here. There are a lot of things to be upset or disappointed about. On top of the ticket prices, there’s the gouging on transport costs to stadia from cities like Boston and New York, the denial of a visa to leading African referee Omar Artan, largely because he is from Somalia, the visa issues surrounding certain teams’ backroom staff and the terribly inhospitable treatment of the Iranian team. And then there’s the nonsense surrounding everything from banning fans from taking reusable water bottles into stadiums (a decision which was then partially reversed) to accommodation costs, car dependency and over-commercialisation of just about everything, with corporate hospitality appearing to trump ordinary fans at every turn.
I could go on. Overriding all of this is the feeling that political considerations are overshadowing sporting matters.
But those Mexican fans at the Azteca, the Moroccans who saw their team hold mighty Brazil to a draw and those wonderful Scottish fans at their first World Cup in 28 years won’t give a fig. The Azteca atmosphere, the Canadians who turned Toronto a lurid red and the thousands of Scots singing “Flower of Scotland” with a fervour that made the Gillette in Boston feel like Glasgow have touched hearts around the world. The latter’s exuberant “no Scotland, no party” attitude has won over bemused Bostonians and TV viewers everywhere – as did Brazil fans in Manhattan.
And that’s the point. Football is the only sport that can do this. Arguably, only music can match it as a form of cultural expression that unites so many people in so many places of such different economic, social, religious and political backgrounds. Suddenly, we obsess about getting home to watch Switzerland play Qatar and argue over who has the best national anthem: France or Scotland? It’s impossible to forget entirely the moral and ethical questions which this and other World Cups have raised. But we can cherish the real, true, valuable feelings and connections they give us, and which cannot be converted into a line on a spreadsheet.
Of course, the crushingly familiar disappointment of supporting England lies ahead. But, for the moment, let’s sit back and enjoy it. Let’s be honest, it’s better to be there than to be Italy.
Hence then, the article about i was ready to hate this world cup but nothing can destroy its joy was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I was ready to hate this World Cup – but nothing can destroy its joy )
Also on site :