FANgea

One thing about events like the World Cup, is that the event is just not about the sport, its about the multitide of fans from all over the world coming together. I know it sounds cliche, but it really does put people from all over together and last night's match at Ellis Park was no exception. Right near the media tribune, there were about 50 North Korean fans who had all members of the press intrigued. Most of us spent half the time watching the game and the other half trying to get as as much information out of them. They kept cheering their team using a wooden device, that resembles a wooden concrete float.



If you could imagine the computer scene in Zoolander where they were trying to get inside the computer, that is what it was like for many of us. We were all intrigued by their very presence and wanted to ask them all sorts of questions. They were very good sports about the attention they were receiving, but you could tell they were starting to get a bit frustrated. We were told by an official not to ask any sort of political questions. It was not until a South Korean reporter was able to break the ice and get some information out of them. Keep in mind that the South Korean reporter also had a difficult time communicating with them. According to the South Korean reporter, the North Korean government hand picked 300 citizens and flew them to South Africa. Apparently, none of them knew each other.

I did notice that there were many Chinese members of the press who were able to get close to them and interview them. They all exchanged laughs and hugs. It was said by some members of the press, that some of the North Korean fans were not actually North Korean, but Chinese fans disguised as North Koreans. Again, that is something that was flying around fromRumorville. I do not know how true that is, but it was interesting because when I heard that, I did try to speak Mandarin (the very little I knew) to one fan and I knew he understood.

Oh yeah, and remember that cheering device they were using, it appeared my good commie friend did have a little capitalism in him, he sold it to me for one dollar.

=]

Swiss Army v Bavarian Babes

I am sorry for not posting anything in a couple of days. For reasons that I have mentioned via my twitter, I have not been able to post as frequent as I would like. I don't want to touch on the organization of this event, until further later on throughout my trip.

The past couple of days, there has been an uproar in local media about the ambush marketing tactics by Dutch brewery, Bavaria. The uproar isnt aimed at Bavaria, but at FIFA's bullying approach. During the Netherlands match against Denmark, approximately 36 females, all thought to be Dutch, were taken and questioned after the match. Their only offense was recreating what appeared to be a Robert Palmer video, having all women dressed exactly the same. The 36 females were all dressed in an orange dresses, a nice outfit I might add.

We all know that FIFA, err, I mean the Swiss Army, can invade a country and do as they please. I am all for copyright and trademark protection, but not at the cost of certain freedoms. By no means am I applauding Bavaria Brewery, and I undestand coaches, players, federations can not make any sort of political, religious, or economical gestures, implied or direct, but the fans? Since when do I have to remain faithful to Budwieser? Or Coca Cola? Or Hyundai-Kia? Or VISA?

And this sort of protectionism doesn't just extend in and around the stadium, it is all over the country. Six Dutch fans happened to stay at the same guest house I am in. After they learned that I had media passes, I instantly became their best friend. The morning after the match, the Dutch fans waited impatiently for me to wake up. I became aware that the Dutch were going to have a training session at 11:30 am at some local university. They asked me if I could get them in. I made no promises, but told them I would try. Unfortunately, I was not able to get them in, but they had a great view of the team from above the parking lot of Wits Rugby Stadium. There must have been about 75 Dutch fans watching their team train, when an unidentified member, claiming to be with the Dutch federation, instructed all people to put their cameras away. This official insisted that the cameras would be confiscated and that the pictures would be erased.

At that time, I had my credentials hidden under my fleece, and started to give the official some lip. I asked who gave him the authority to confiscate personal belongings? He did not answer me. It make me sick to my stomach to see the bully tactics that these mafiosos use against againt the fans, fans who don't have the money to spend, but still do so just to see the team they love.

SHAME ON YOU FIFA!

1776 1812 1950 and yes 2010 too!

"Only losers celebrate draws!"

That is what one English fan told me the following day after the US match against England. The conversation occurred when a bystander asked who had won the match between the Yanks and the English. The English fan said it was a draw and I quickly intervened and said that it was a moral victory for the United States.

Perhaps the cockney accented Brit may have been right that only losers celebrate draws, but the real winners were fans of the beautiful game that reside in the United States. US fans, in particular, tend to use English football as a parameter as to how far they need to be from becoming a super power. Whether or not they are using the correct measuring stick, is for another debate, but there is no denying the level of respect that American soccer fans have towards English football and the attention US media give and it showed the night of the match. One could just sit back and breathe in the atmosphere and know that what they witnessed was something worth noting.

From a die hard Tri fan, congrats US, you out did yourself and made the confederation proud. If this got the casual American viewer to even tune in to watch even for one night, you guys won. Hopefully, we have more footie on ESPN, Fox, NBC, and other networks.

Lucky Way Home

Given the string of bad luck that been accompanying me since my arrival, it just seemed that last night was going like clockwork when the my designated media bus decided not to show up. I did not want to walk out of the stadium and take a random taxi, so i did the next sensible thing--I took another media bus to another destination and hoped to take a hotel taxi to my guest house.

After arriving at the hotel, I asked the receptionist to find me a taxi. I did not want to pay out the wazoo so I made the receptionist negotiate a flat rate and ultimately, the taxi service conceded and agreed to take me. As I was waiting, a black male came in and said he was the taxi driver. After seeing his appearance, it looked like he was some street corner thug, which had be a bit nervous. So, I went against my judgement and took the taxi.

The entire ride seemed a bit strange. The driver was speeding through all the red lights, which had me uneasy so after a couple minutes I asked the driver to slow it down and make the stops. I told him that I'd rather be late than be dead. The driver laughed and said that he was not stopping for my safety because carjackers do their work during red lights. If you can imagine the scene in the Last of the Mohicans where Cora confronted Nathaniel about not giving the settlers a proper burial, I kind of felt like that. Nathaniel did not want to bury the settlers to protect Cora and her sister from any guide looking for a possible trail. Although I appreciated the gesture, I still did not trust the guy because I did not recognize the route he was taking me on. It was after we stopped at a gas station that I realized he did not know the address, which had me very uneasy to say the least.

The only thing I could think of was contact my brother stateside and ask to guide me via google maps. After we were able to find a reference point, we were well on our way home, but it was the ride home that got me thinking a great deal about Africa. I must have had one of the most strangest conversations with the taxi driver. After minutes of silence, the driver asked me if there was a lot of work in the US. I told him that like in any country, there are sectors that are thriving and others are in decline. It was here when the driver said something I will never forget. He said that in a bizarre way, he misses apartheid. I couldn't believe my ears that a black man from South Africa would dare say such thing. He said that under the previous system, everyone had a job and that crime was near inexistent as it is today. He knew that the discrimination was wrong but that in a very twisted way, everyone was taken care of. If a servant had her younglings sick, all she had to do was ask the madam to arrange care. He mentioned the word "madam" a lot as if one of her duties was to see after them.

I went silent because I felt anything I said would have come out the wrong way. If I said he did not mean that, I would have patronized him, if I agreed with him, I would have appeared racist and accept that the common South African can not govern themselves. But he made a point that the whitey was leaving South Africa and taking their resources to other places like Europe, Australia, USA, which would ultimately leave the country with nothing.

After a while, I felt I had to say something which I hoped consoled him, even if it was for a moment when I said, "Africa is big enough for everyone." Around this time I was approaching my destination and gave him a hand shake and asked for his name. When he told me that his name was "Lucky" I couldn't do anything but smile, because I felt that after all the misfortunes that I was having, I met a very humble and genuine person that wanted nothing more than to live an honest life and help those around him. After telling me about employment being scarce, he did not want to accept the taxi fare because we took too long. I told him that it was a pleasure and insisted he accept the money for the time.

His honesty and sincerity really made me appreciate the goodwill of some of the people that I have met in South Africa. They have a burning desire to want to succeed, that even a statement like the one Lucky said to me, which I think was said out of desperation for a better South Africa, really encapsulates the general consensus of wanting Africa a place at the table.

I for one hope they do, because they deserve it.

I have heard similar circumstances where the oppress wish for the return of the tyrant. There was a time when many Indians wished for the return of the English to restore order. Mozambique, Guinea Equatorial,

T.I.A. THIS IS AFRICA

I would be lying if I were to say that my stay has been pleasant. I don't want to appear negative and the last thing I want to do is compare the organizational efforts of the South Africans to that of the Germans, when they hosted the 2006 World Cup. Without getting into a historical socio-political discussion, it is hard to escape it and not mention that the organizational efforts may be attributed to a group of people that have known equality for a very short period of time. Rome was not built in a day, it took centuries and it will take South Africa many more generations for its people to reach its potential.

Murphy's Law has been very consistent in my very short stay here. Since my arrival, nothing has gone as planned. I spent weeks researching public transportion websites, looking at googlemaps, emailing FIFA delegates, and I honestly felt that I was a bit more prepared than my trip to Germany in 2006. I was a complete noob in Germany, but it only took me one day to get my bearings straight and rolling. SO far that has not been the case.

The first thing I attemped to do was get my accreditation pass. After I arrived from the airport, i took a cab to Soccer City to get my accredidation. I knew that the office would close at 7 pm. I thouht I had sufficient time considering I got to Soccer City stadium at 5pm. None of the stadium officials, volunteers, or security could direct me in the right way. They must have sent me to at least 4 different places. It was not until I saw other Mexican reporters who showed me where to go.

When we arrived, the center was closed and I was fuming. I just could not believe how unorganized evertything and everyone were. So, after a few short minutes I asked the media center official about the media shuttle services to the airport and I went where I was told. Again, I was told the wrong information and I was upset. To my luck, I ran into the same reporters and they too could not believe how unorganized the event was. They asked if I knew how to get to my guest house and when I told them that I had no clue, they offered to take me to their hotel. Not knowing the city and which taxi services were legitimate, I accepted their offer.

The ride to their hotel was an adventure to say the least. We left Soccer City around 8 pm and got to their hotel around midnight. We spent 3 hours circling around trying to find the entrance to the Holiday Inn Express. The motorways in Johannesburg are not very well lit and the signs are not the best. The GPS machine was throwing us off and after an hour of trying to find an entrance the the hotel, we asked patrolmen, security officials and to no avail, we could not get to the hotel. It is hard to describe because for 3 hours, we could see the hotel from the motor way, but we just could not get to it. By the time we finally were able to decipher the roads, we got into the hotel expecting to get dinner. We were all starving. I offered to pay for their meals. Low and behold, the hotel had not food. It was just one of those days that eventually we just laughed it off. There was nothing else to do than laugh. Everything that went wrong, went wrong--murphy's law.

2010 Wêreldbeker

I am really excited about going to the World Cup.

The odd thing about it is that I did not feel the same even as far back as one year ago. After hearing some negative things from fellow journalist that attended the FIFA 2009 Confederation's Cup, there was a point where I told myself that I was not going to go. I heard the logistics were horrible, that security was an issue, and that many dangers lie outside the stadium confines.

My pal and fellow journo, Joel Aceves, must have talked about the this World Cup since our last World Cup adventure in Germany and we kept telling ourselves that going to the World Cup in South Africa would not be worth the trip, and perhaps some if it has to do with us being freelancers.

What struck me as odd is a comment that Joel made that he doesn't live in years, he lives in World Cup cycles. I don't remember how he said it, but the jist of it was that his life revolves around this tournament. That comment basically encapsulated my feelings and how I live my life and what the beautiful game means to me.

Throughout my undergraduate career, I use to schedule my classes around tournaments. When Mexican league teams were admitted into the Copa Libertadores, I would rarely take courses on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Before Fox Sports got the rights to the tournament in 2002/03, I use to go to this crappy Latin pool hall (Rita's) in Houston, and pay 20 to watch the matches on PSN. I know I could have finished my undergraduate career faster if I had taken summer courses throughout the entire summer, but unfortunately, France 98 and Japorea 02 were more important. At least I still think they were.

So, I am out in the real world, with no real desire to pursue a career that would compliment my degree. Oh no, I pursued a career that would allow me to take time off for special moments like Copa Libertadores, Champions League, Copa America, Gold Cup, and of course, the FIFA World Cup.

So, going back to December, I knew I just could not sit on the couch and watch the games on TV, not when I have an golden opportunity get tickets to virtually any game I want and sit pitch side and watch the game through my lenses. I just could not sit back, I live for these type of events.