in antalya, football.

On the topic of the fast arriving World Cup. I have attended several games around the world these past few years. The most memorable by far was in Kosovo. Just after independence; a game between Mitrovica and a Southern town. Old rivalries, all men, Peja beer, red and black. The fascination is more in the enthusiasm than the game. Standing at the front of the crowd on the banister between field and bleacher, young men whip up a frenzy. Olé, Olé Olé!; crass Albanian chants; human waves; massive flags. From an hour before to hours after, not a moment of silence. The streets are packed with fans streaming through bars and cafes.

Recently in Antalya, an Istanbul team versus a local team were battling for a spot in the upper-level league. The local team had notoriously wild fans. The policemen kindly ushered us away from the packed bleachers to an emptier section. Next door: cheerleaders moving the crowd who eventually threw water bottles at us while bellowing, “stand up! Cheer!” The opposing crowd with a wave across the stadium and floating half-bleacher sized flags across their colored red mass. Families and the reasonable slinking out a few minutes before the announced loss of the game to avoid any retaliation.

Games in Kenya and Uganda lack no enthusiasm either. A game in Nairobi saw white gates being thrown out of the bleachers into the field in protest of a referee’s decision. A game in the outskirts of the city complete only with khat and smuggled cans of beer.

In my final year of university studies, I took a class on “Middle Eastern Culture.” A terrifying broad title, we focused primarily on Iran, where our professor grew up. One of the articles we read detailed the role of sports in building relationships between countries (Iran and the US in this case). Despite the (often violent) rivalries existing between teams, there is a satisfying opportunity to temporarily settle surface differences in the football field.