World Cup

So let me just start by saying I don't generally enjoy sports. And soccer is not exactly the most action-packed game. But there's something about being here in Cayenne and getting the soccer bug (which is vastly preferable to dengue fever and malaria). While you can get the results online, I'll share a couple experiences that won't be captured on news sites.

The first is that France's games were broadcast on a special large screen that the government and a few private sponsors put on the town square, the Place des Palmistes, where the band in the clip from yesterday played.



I watched France's final match, against South Africa there. Having made it to last Cup's finals, they failed to even make it past the first round this year, losing 2-1 to the host nation. While the spectators were obviously happy when France scored its goal, in retrospect I would have expected more elation as the player who scored was from French Guiana. The funniest parts of the aftermath were the commentators who seriously blamed the loss on President Sarkozy (and to be fair he didn't score a single goal in the tournament) and the mockery of the motivational speech given the night before the game by the French Minister of Health and Sports.



I also watched as the U.S. defeated Algeria in extra time, not only making it into the next round, but at the head of their class, embarassing not only England (who placed second behind them) but France and Italy, powerhouses that failed to move on. Unfortunately it meant that tiny Serbia would not move on (sorry Ivan!).

I've also noticed a very split allegiance here between France and Brazil, including one newspaper headline "We are all Brazilians". It is unsurprising that they would want to root for a local powerhouse (like people in Connecticut rooting for the Yankees and the Patriots), but still, rooting for Brazil instead of your own country? Harsh.

In any event, I will be following the World Cup closely to figure out who to root for once the U.S. gets eliminated.