On Friday evening Colombia lost to Brazil in the World Cup quarter finals. It was far from a beautiful game, and for many watching it was marred by an extremely substandard refereeing performance. However, it was a tight game, and the Colombian team can be proud of their efforts. What was so surprising to myself, an Englishman, was the reactions on the streets of Bogota. Far from anger and bitterness, Colombian fans danced and chanted as if the game had been won. The pride and happiness was infectious, and a real reminder of why I fell in love with this country in the first place. It’s hard to imagine parties on the streets of London if England get knocked out of a major tournament…
For many, this will be remembered as Colombia’s World Cup; the moment when a group of players stood up and showed the world their talent, and the passion of their country. I am sure that Brazil 2014 will represent a watershed moment in the way that Colombia is perceived around the world. Naturally, the attention on Colombia has produced some ignorant responses, but the global reaction to Colombia has been overwhelmingly positive, with many major newspapers running stories on why their countrymen should be cheering for Colombia. James Rodriguez in particular has become a global sensation.
The reactions when the team arrived back in Bogota yesterday were incredible. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to follow their open-top bus, and to greet them as they took to the stage in Parque Simon Bolivar. The performance that the players gave to their fans on that stage aptly demonstrates why they are so loved here in Colombia:
On a personal note, I would simply like to say a huge thank you to this Colombian team and to their wonderful fans. I have loved football for as long as I can remember, and this World Cup, and in particular the Colombian team, has reminded me why. Watching them play and seeing their joy in taking part brought to mind my favourite words ever written about the beautiful game by the great Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano in his book Soccer in Sun and Shadow:
“In this fin-de-siècle world, professional soccer condemns all that is useless, and useless means not profitable. Nobody earns a thing from that crazy feeling that for a moment turns a man into a child playing with a balloon, like a cat with a ball of yarn; a ballet dancer who romps with a ball as light as a balloon or a ball of yarn, playing without even knowing he’s playing, with no purpose or clock or referee […] The technocracy of professional sport has managed to impose a soccer of lightning speed and brute strength, a soccer that negates joy, kills fantasy and outlaws daring. Luckily, on the field you can still see, even if only once in a long while, some insolent rascal who sets aside the script, and commits the blunder of dribbling past the entire opposing side, the referee, and the crowds in the stands, all for the carnal delight of embracing the forbidden adventure of freedom.”
So thank you to all the players and coaches for this wonderful World Cup adventure, and for giving people in Colombia so much to be proud of. I feel tremendously lucky to have been able to watch this historic achievement in my favourite country in the world.
Chris
