Tomorrow is the big day of football. The start of the World Cup, the biggest global sporting event after the Olympics. Usually, we watch this as tourists. By joining our French, Italian, Spanish or Brazilian friends, depending on whether you like to drink wine, eat pasta, paella or dance the samba. It’s disorienting.
For us, the World Cup is like a festival, an opportunity to go out, to fraternize, to party. We don’t know much about it, but that’s okay. You don’t need to be a jazz fanatic to go to Jazz, you don’t need to be a football fanatic to go to Barouf. Next to all these emotional and nervous cultural communities, we are relaxed and cushy. If France wins, we are happy. If France loses, we don’t care. We’re going to celebrate sauerkraut with the Germans. All that matters is the party.
Not this year. Because this year, Canada is in it. For the second time in 92 years, we can encourage our country. Yes, our country. Even Paul St-Pierre Plamondon can pledge allegiance to this team, since three Quebecers are part of it. Go Canada Go!
It changes everything. Gone is our attitude of dandy above his business, who toasts with the winners to congratulate them and toasts with the losers to console them. Then call a taxi home. This time we are part of the show. We are involved. It’s a big responsibility. Two hundred and eleven countries are members of FIFA, only 32 can compete for top honors, it is necessary that the supporters concerned are up to the players who have achieved the feat of qualifying.
I know there are plenty of my compatriots who know their football as much as Ronaldo, but there are also quite a few who confuse Ronaldo with Ricardo.
Must say that we start from afar. How many of you, dear readers, when you read the word football at the beginning of this column thought it was about the Gray Cup? Be honest. There are only two places on Earth where the term football does not refer to the sport that is played with the feet, but a sport where the ball is held in the hand: the United States and us.
Tomorrow, from Toronto to Los Angeles, when someone is going to ask, “Did you watch the football game? “, we will answer him: “Yes, I watched the Argos or the Rams or the Blue Bombers or the Eagles …” But no one will answer that he watched the Equator. Because for North America, it’s the World Cup. Soccer, what name not report. Do you know why it’s called like that? Because when the English invented football, they founded the Football Association. And from the first letters ofAssociationassoc, came the diminutive soccer. Plate the same. It’s like calling hockey league.
So while the Italian football aficionados will sulk the absence of their representatives at the big meeting, Canadian neophytes will be able to encourage their national soccer team. Let’s take our chance. Sport, like life, takes on its full meaning when you are emotionally invested in it.
For the next few days, the Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Atiba Hutchinson, Jonathan Osorio, Samuel Piette, Ismaël Koné and company will be our beloved brothers. And their efforts will be our efforts. And their weaknesses will be our weaknesses. And their victories will be our victories. And their defeats will be our defeats.
Of course, if Canada loses all its first round matches, we will be disappointed. But better to be disappointed in the parade than to be amused outside the parade. As much as this experience will grow the young Canadian team, it will grow the fans that we are.
I know that CF Montreal is the main factor in the Quebec public’s commitment to soccer. But the incredible influence of the Mondial will convert many new fans to the cause of the round ball, the patriotic fiber reaching even the most indifferent. The team-that-we-can-still-from-time-to-time-call-the-Impact will benefit from its new fans.
It’s Wednesday that Canada will enter the scene, facing Belgium. It won’t be easy. Neither for our players nor for us. The fans Belgians are used to these major competitions. They will look alike, dressed in red, since their national team is nicknamed the Red Devils, drinking beer and eating fries. It will not be easy to differentiate yourself from this horde. We’ll be in red too, drinking beer and eating fries. Take them in poutine, it will already be that. And try to be the loudest.
This is our first stressed World Cup. At least we’re the underdogs.
We are far from the pressure that the French, Germans, Brazilians and all the great powers of football will suffer. For us, it’s just a good stress that will make it all even more alive! Even more fun.
Happy World!