FIFA World Cup 2014: The mega event creates Utopian world

Rio de Janeiro: Two fans wearing Brazilian jerseys with French and German flags painted on their cheeks were waiting to enter the Maracana on Friday. They weren’t Brazilians. Neither were they French or German, the two teams playing the quarterfinal on that day. “We are from Mexico. We love Brazil and that’s why we are wearing the jersey of the country. French and German flags indicate our neutrality in the quarterfinal,” Eduardo Ricardo, one of the fans, said.

 

The bonhomie the World Cup creates among fans of different nationalities is beyond the reach of cantankerous club football which always aggravates enmity between two sets of supporters. The happy scenes outside the stadiums here represent a Utopian world. Pre-match gatherings are marked by robust chanting from fans of competing nations that never crosses the limit.

 

Ricardo said he is a big fan of international football for its ability to forge friendships among fans. “The club variety is all about results and fighting. During the World Cup, however, fans don’t fight after a match. There is certainly a sense of national pride among supporters but it never takes an ugly turn,” he added.

 

Barring a few sporadic drunken brawls, no serious incidents involving rival fans have been reported at the World Cup, which has entered its final week. German fans had a ball at the expense of their French counterparts after Joachim Loew’s team secured a place in the semi-finals on Friday. When a TV crew were doing a post-mortem with Les Bleus fans, a group of German supporters in full body paint jumped in front of the camera shouting slogans. The French took the banter in the right spirit. Such a scene would be unimaginable after a close club football match.

 

Fans from countries that aren’t at the World Cup have also swarmed Brazil for Fifa’s showpiece. Two young Indians were flying the tri-colour from the top tier of the Maracana to show that the world’s second most populous country was also part of the show. Canadians, whose favourite game is ice hockey, were at the Maracana, too, shouting that their country would host the 2026 World Cup. A Panama fan said the World Cup unites people like no other sporting event. 

 

If you attend a World Cup match or at least take part in the celebrations outside the venue, you would feel there are no worries in the world. There is no need for the United Nations if people from different countries can live as peacefully as they do in the city that is hosting a World Cup match.