I have a strange relationship with football in the way I have a strange relationship with many things (politics, religion, other people) There are just too many aspects of my life, personality and values that lead me to be snobbish about the game (I think there’s a lot of homophobia in football, for example, there’s a lot of bad behaviour, an obscene amount of money, the list goes on…)
In fact, I am one of those irritating spoilsport types who sees football stadiums in the middle of the Brazilian jungle and wonders if the money might not have been better spent on schools, hospitals, prisons, employment programmes? I guess I’m not the girl you want to be sitting next to when 11 young men with skinny chests and over-sized calves take to the field and give their all for King and country.
But it’s in the blood isn’t it? I’m English and England runs on two things, football and television. They are both inescapable. And I’m from a typically English football-watching family. Saturday afternoons were spent listening to the scores come in, Sunday dinners were organised around the Sunday kick off, Monday nights the same. Wednesday was European night, sometimes Thursday too. My mother even watches schoolboy football, which means when the schoolboys grow up and become England captains she says things like: “He tackled like that when he was 15 too.”
I don’t think my parents have been to a match since our local team went bankrupt and the ground was paved over to make way for a shopping mall (some things you never get over) but it probably made them worse. Steal someone’s football club from under their nose and all they will do is replace it with several other favoured teams, dividing their passion equally, because you can never really replace your first love.
So, like most English people, I grew up with football and I have been absorbed into this World Cup whether I like it or not and, of course, it’s strange because here I am in Colombia. Watching England. In Colombia. And it’s uncomfortable.
Do you know what the Colombians did? Before the World Cup? They got all their players in a stadium, got all together in their yellow shirts and gave them a standing ovation. They were basically dispatched to Brazil with a hug and a kiss, ten thousand times over. I wonder how the England team departed. Probably with the door slammed in their faces and a screech of: “If you don’t win, don’t bother coming back.”
Everyone in Colombia has found a way to support their team. The proliferation of yellow shirts is definitely helped by the number of cheap, fake shirts available but, even so, when even the dogs are wearing Colombia colours, you’ve got to think you are doing something right. That’s a hell of a lot of love.
When Colombia take to the pitch, the difference is obvious there too. Colombian commentators say things like: “Colombia. Our beloved national team. All of Colombia is with you. We love you. We loooooove you.” (Seriously. In the middle of the game. They say stuff like that and Colombians cheer)
Our commentators say things like: “England are definitely the second best side here,” and “Well, it could be that England are facing a long journey home,” even when there are still 15 minutes left to play and anything can happen. If it weren’t for the accent, you would think they supported the other side. I doubt we’ve ever told our national team we love them. Can you imagine a show of such collective affection? It would be unthinkable.
England fans and Colombia fans are like the stereotypical parents of old. Colombia is the mother who loves, loves and loves some more. She says: “Do your best whatever.” She celebrates every victory and plays down every failure. England, on the other hand, is the stern Victorian father. He demands success, he scolds and beats, he shows no affection. He nods when things are done well. He is silent when things are done badly.
I’m exaggerating, of course, but sometimes I do feel bad for “our boys”. I’ve seen how different it can be. When a Colombian defender makes a mistake, forcing a fellow defender – even the keeper – to produce a panicked save or clearance, Colombians clap and cheer the save or the clearance and congratulate themselves on a danger averted. England fans turn to each other and say: “Who was the idiot who gave that ball away?”
It’s really no wonder they lose. If I was Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney and I’d hauled my ass to the heart of the Brazilian jungle, following a gruelling professional season, leaving my wife and kids at home, I’d probably stick two fingers up at my home country. It’s bad enough they have 11 men to play against. They don’t need to take on another 53 million.
Yes, that’s simplistic. There are a million factors at play in football. But everything starts with the mind and it’s nice to know your nation is behind you (And your team-mates too, just look at the Colombian players choreographing that victory dance, subs included. Can you imagine Wayne wandering into Stevie’s hotel room and saying: “Alright mate, what steps are we planning for the team if we score? I mean, when we score?”)
My Colombian friends remember the darker side of Colombian football and remind me that it’s easy to get behind your side when they’re winning. And winning ain’t so great. Nine people died in Bogotá after the first Colombian victory and elated Colombians caused so much havoc, the Mayor of Bogotá has now made it illegal to sell alcohol on match day. That would never happen in England. We might not tell our boys we love ’em but we know how to lose graciously. And we would probably win graciously too. If we ever gave our lads a chance.
Like this? You’ll love Colombia a comedy of errors.
Banana Skin Flip Flops 
Also let’s not forget, it’s been 16 years since we last played a world cup!!! i mean the last time we were in a world cup i could bearly understand why adults shaved!!! 🙂
That said as a Colombian living in England is certainly quite a difference in the whole approach. As i was watching Englands game against Urugay at the pub the guys sitting next to us were just ranting about each single player half way through the second half… We on the other hand would never lose our faith and keep on cheering, just like moms do… LOL
Interesting and balanced, but ultimately I feel there’s more. Colombian enthusiasm and eagerness has been buffered by 16 years of waiting and a desire to present a positive image of their country once again on the world stage. Remember, this is the first year that “the joy” has been put back into Colombian football after the utterly heinous murder of Andres Escobar which, incidentally, has still yet to be solved. Then on the English side, we hold our players to a higher performance and greater responsibility. They are all household names, not just in England but also the world over as the Premiership is the most watched league. So, one slip up, reverberates and they receive comments such as: “he can’t replicate his club form for the national side,” and it’s true. There is a desire to see the underdog win in an international competition, and despite not having done anything too notable on the international stage for so long in football, England, due to the strength and depth and familiarity of her leagues the world over, will never be seen wholly as an underdog.
Yes, it’s true, when we lost a friend said: “The grandes are all being knocked out,” and I said, erm, we are not a “grande”…
I have also just been informed that Colombia was planning a welcome home public clapping thing if their boys got knocked out in the group stages… Que diferencia!
I’m traveling in Colombia right now and it’s been fascinating to experience the enthusiasm surrounding the World Cup. Since I’m from the US I know virtually nothing about football, but I must say it’s been really fun to watch the games and watch the Colombian fans’ reactions. This is a great article! I really enjoyed your comparison of fandom in Colombia versus England. I’m fascinated by the culture of sports…well done!
Hello..It’s a nice article, but I don’t agree with this quot: “in fact, I am one of those irritating spoilsport types who sees football stadiums in the middle of the Brazilian jungle and wonders if the money might not have been better spent on schools, hospitals, prisons, employment programmes?”. Firstly, we don’t have stadiums in the middle of the jungle. It’s not snobbish this quot, but its false and ignorant. You should come to Brazil and know our country. We have lots of jungles (preserved areas) but we have lots of cities too. 85% of our population lives in cities. Brazil have 200 million citzens, so you can mesure how much cities we have and how big they are.. Secondly, I agree that we have lots of problems to solve, but its not the 4 billion dollars (the price of all stadiums) that will fix all of our problems. To give you a clearer idea, during the satiums building Brazil has spent +- 400 billions in education and health and 370 billions in social programs. My work is focused in social problems, and we have seen in Brazil a lot of old and conservative people destroying the World Cup with this kind of false argument. Sorry my bad english.. abraços, from Brazil
Your English is fine!! What is Manaus like? I have never been but thought it was on the Amazon??? I have been to Rio though and loved it!
Ha! That’s exactly like football. My family are Liverpool supporters and about 90% of the commentary from them is them screaming at the TV with “What the hell was that???” or “Oh for God sake! I’ve had enough of this now!” or “What are you doing?!?!? Do this instead!!” It’s no wonder football hooliganism is so high.
Kind of glad Wales don’t take part in the World Cup and we just stick to the rugby leagues. Haha.
*I meant “exactly like Britain” 😛
I really have to love your sense of humour and the way your deep knowledge of both cultures makes it easy to see the painfully obvious to anyone but the people inside the culture. The comparison between the loud, outgoing, passionate, loud Colombian fans and the passionate, judgemental and exacting English fans is indeed a fine one. And, of course as with all things cultural, runs more than skin-deep and I think you spotted that spot on.