GOM World Cup Diary #34 – Following Your Team Isn’t Cheap…

Whatever Happened To Supporting From The Stands?

There wasn’t a World Cup match last night.

Which was probably just as well.

It gave thousands of supporters the chance to catch their breath, wash a few clothes and work out where on earth they were supposed to be travelling next.

Following your country in a World Cup used to mean booking a couple of weeks off work, packing a suitcase and hoping your team stayed in the tournament long enough to justify the expense.

This one feels rather different.

With matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, some supporters have travelled thousands of miles between games before they’ve even reached the stadium.

One day you’re in New York.

The next you’re looking for a flight to Dallas.

Then it’s off to Mexico City.

Before long, you’re beginning to wonder whether you’re following a football team or collecting air miles.

I honestly don’t know how some of these supporters manage it.

The logistics alone must require a degree in project management.

Flights.

Hotels.

Hire cars.

Match tickets.

Time off work.

Then do it all again a few days later.

By the time the tournament finishes, some fans will have spent enough money to put a deposit on a house back home.

Mind you, probably not in London.

Perhaps somewhere in the North East.

And who benefits most from all this?

Well, FIFA will no doubt tell us it’s all for the good of the global game.

Bringing football to more people.

Creating unforgettable experiences.

Celebrating the world’s greatest sport.

All perfectly admirable sentiments.

It just so happens they also coincide rather neatly with selling millions of tickets, filling hotels, keeping airlines busy and ensuring the cash registers continue ringing rather enthusiastically.

Funny how that works.

The real winners, though, aren’t sitting in executive boxes.

They’re the supporters.

The ones who’ve emptied savings accounts, used precious holiday allowance and travelled halfway around the world simply to stand shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers singing the same songs.

Football would be a very quiet game without them.

Whether your team wins or loses, they’re back again at the next match.

Flags packed.

Voices disappearing.

Hope somehow fully restored.

Perhaps that’s what supporting really is.

Not glory.

Not trophies.

Just turning up again and again because your team matters to you.

Tonight France meet Spain for a place in the World Cup Final.

Millions of us will watch from the comfort of our sofas.

Thousands more will somehow find themselves in another stadium hundreds of miles from where they were a few days ago.

I’m not sure whether that’s dedication or madness.

Then again…

Perhaps it’s both.

Anyway, what do I know?

I’m just a grumpy old man.