Monday, 12 July 2010 22:25
Soccer fan in Cuba
The Cuban capital, to my great happiness and delight, hasn’t escaped the magic of the World Cup. And this is despite the fact that soccer has not benefited from any official support, like baseball, for example. Perhaps because of our Spanish roots, or our African heritage, Cuba has been abuzz with soccer madness over the last few weeks, which comes as a bit of a surprise to those of us who have always loved this sport.
No one has escaped World Cup fever- men, women and small children are following every pass, every yellow card, with an interest that perhaps only the sociologists can explain. I think we Cubans have discovered, little by little, that it’s a collectivist sport, truly beautiful, that requires skill, imagination, discipline, commitment, and that is action-packed for 90 straight minutes. Maybe we like it simply because it is a sport that is not fully supported by the state; you may think that’s a bit excessive, but believe me when I say that this may be why we’ve embraced soccer with such fervor and devotion.
On every street corner, young and old have been kicking around soccer balls (any ball will do, much less anything resembling the controversial jabulami). There have been people wearing the pale blue of Argentina, or the blue and yellow of Brazil, whether on their t-shirts or with face paint, and they’ve been waving flags…
Many bars and nightspots have been open later than usual so people can follow the action (charging entry, of course); there have been more than a few Cubans who have been taking their vacation days over the last few weeks. Even the centrally located Yara movie theater (the old Radiocentro, Calle L on the corner of 23rd, in Vedado), which seats 1500, has been screening the games live. This is also what distinguishes soccer from other sports: while you can watch it from the comfort of your own home, what’s best is enjoying it with those around you, whether supporters of your team or the other. And since we can’t be in those South African stadiums, filled with fans from all over the world, we enjoy watching the games with 20 or 1500 of our closest friends. That is absolutely priceless.
Since there is of course no Cuban team in the tournament (although we’d love to be in a future World Cup), Cubans have been supporting teams like Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Spain (mostly), although there are also those who have supported Italy, Holland, Chile or Cameroon.
I won’t give my final prediction, nor my favorite team (although I confess it’s a Latin American team), but I will venture to say that the passion for soccer here in Cuba is now irreversible. I assure you that in the near future, we’ll be seeing little Cuban girls named "Vuvuzela" Rodríguez Fajardo or "Jabulami" de la Caridad Valdés Hidalgo, although you may think I’m exaggerating. You may also see a few little boys named Lionel, Oezil and Kaka, since there are already a few Ronaldos running around the city, who have been enjoying the soccer fever of the last few weeks.
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