Thoughts on the Cape Town Fan Zone

I just got back from an exciting safari, where I saw most of the fantastic animals that South Africa has to offer (unfortunately no giraffes): hippos, water buffalo, springboxes, zebras, crocodiles, warthogs, ostriches, lions and cheetahs (a huge moment for my older sister Anna, who has wanted to see cheetahs in Africa since doing a report on them in first grade). It is 3 PM now in Cape Town, and the Slovakia vs. Paraguay game is on. I realize that I didn’t even remotely mention what I did on the first day here in Cape Town, which was going to the official fan zone. The fan zone is a giant square in the middle of the city (the one in Cape Town happens to be where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after being in jail) where there are huge televisions, tons of fans from all over the world, vendors and food. Fantastic atmosphere, simply one for an individual who loves the game. The games I saw were Argentina vs. South Korea and Nigeria vs. Greece.

The first game was the Argentina vs. South Korea game. I found myself rooting for South Korea, despite having Argentina in the finals of my predictions. This was partially because of how much fun it would be to have an Asian team do well at this tournament, but also because there was a huge contingent of South Korean fans there. Mostly college kids, this group of roughly 40 people spent the entire game chanting in Korean, no matter what was happening in the game. It is good they were so positive because their team was promptly played off the park by Argentina. They even smiled when young Italian fans no older than 12, still bitter over getting eliminated by the Koreans in 2002, ran over and flipped them off every time Argentina scored. Still, this did not deter their spirit. The best part of the game was when Lee Chung-Yong pounced on a mistake by Argentine defender Martin Demichellis, and calmly slid the ball into the back of the net right before halftime. After Chung-Yong buried his shot, the Koreans exploded and began running around the square, waving their flag with huge smiles on their face. A couple began high fiving random people around them, which I returned enthusiastically with a big smile on my face, trying to let them know that I was firmly on their side. It wasn’t meant to be though, as a second half brace by Gonzalo Higuain (who had a hat trick on the day) sealed the Koreans fate. After the game though, the disappointed Koreans sang their hearts out, letting the rest of the square know that their World Cup hopes were anything but over.

Now after that game I thought the Koreans were dedicated and crazy, but they paled in comparison to the Nigerians. About ten minutes before the game, my dad and I began to hear loud drums and chanting. It was coming from a distant corner of the square. We headed over to find not one or two, but three large groups of Nigerians, all dressed in vibrant green, making as much noise as possible. Why there were three factions was confusing to us, but we realized that the different groups could easily be individuals with different political beliefs. A country rife will political unrest, this could easily be the answer. It didn’t really matter to us what they believed in though, since all three groups were attempting to make the most noise. There also appeared to be some form of tribal praying as well, as one group huddled around a giant sack-like object that one of their members were wearing and began dancing in unison. Not quite sure what was happening there, but as a spectacle it was great. Eventually, the three groups got together in front of the massive screen where the game was being shown, and all three joined in singing songs and supporting their team. Soccer unites everyone, and I felt I was witnessing something important.

The game was not a great one for the Nigerians though. When they scored, the place erupted, as most people there were rooting for Nigeria over Greece (most African teams are receiving the support of the South Africans since Bafana Bafana appears to be heading out of the competition). But after the red card, it was a depressing affair as it became apparent that Greece were much better than anticipated. The Greeks eventually beat the Nigerians, despite heroics from the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, 2-1, effectively eliminating Nigeria from the competition. It will take a miracle to see them through, so it was not fun to be around the hundreds of Nigerian fans who had much higher hopes than what had just transpired on the pitch.

The fan zone is one of many fantastic experiences I’ve had since being in South Africa. This place is fantastic, I’m truly in heaven here. Ok well, the New Zealand vs. Italy game is about to come on: come on you All Whites!