The World Cup is Underway

Plates and clatter emerge from a busy bar at 9:00 am on a Sunday; arid Florida skies in their blue splendor, glistening palm trees and sandy streets. A mass of people gather around television sets, by a corner I could spot the Germans wearing white jerseys drinking a pint of Guinness, by the bar stands a group of Brits sang drunken chants, “Your teeth are offside, your teeth are offside, Luis Suarez, your teeth are offside,”.

The kitchen is overwhelmed, they’ve never seen this many people this early before. An ominous heartbeat arises from an empty street: the march of a drum, the wailing of plastic vuvuzelas, and the yapping of whistles - all intertwined by multicolored shades of laughter and chatter.

I manage to get myself a spot by the bar. All sorts of languages and dialects surround me, all sorts of smiles; strangers making friends of strangers, two corners of the world that would have never otherwise met enjoy a drink in each other’s company - a celebration in our collective sense of unity and tribe. I order myself a beer and then another, someone spills their pint on my shirt but I bear no mind; all eyes glued on the television set, a countdown ensues: the World Cup is underway.

Rumors circulate of Qatari officials offering the Ecuadorean soccer league a sum of 7.4 million dollars to lose the opening game - on screen, Qatar appears a gracious host with an abundance of wealth - utopian skyscrapers towering over the the Rub’al-Khali desert. Shirtless desert nomads beat drums to an ancient chant, the people of Qatar raise their Scimitar and sing; they welcome the world to a spectacle twelve years in the making.

Halfway across the world, I could smell the Florida ocean breeze from the comfort of my barstool - IPA in hand, making bets with a Frenchman whod been traveling the world selling watercolors of Marylin Monroe.

Controversy ensues as Ecuador scores the first phantom goal of the World Cup. The crowd hushed as the ball went astray in Qatari territory. Felix Eduardo Torres Caicedo puts on an exhibit of artistry in the sport as he pummels the ball across the goal with a razor sharp bicycle kick; Enner Valencia placing the ball in the net with an elegant header. Moments after celebration, an announcement was made claiming Valencia was offsides - visible confusion from the crowd, murmurs of bribery. The Qatari soccer league is visibly shaken by this initial attack, loosing all form in their defense and struggling to keep possession of the ball.

Qatar grew aggressive in their playing style, racking a series of yellow cards early on in the game in an attempt to stop the Ecuadorean soccer league who’d grown lose and comfortable in sight of their opponents anxious demeanor.

Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb added to a growing list of fouls as he awarded Valencia a penalty - Valencia making a fool out of Al Sheeb and scoring with ease. The excited faces of Qatari children turned to stone as Enner Valencia scored yet another goal right before the end of the first half. In light of Qatar having banned the commercialization of alcohol within stadium grounds (announced only a week before the start of the World Cup) Ecuadorean soccer fans began to chant, “Queremos cerveza! Queremos cerveza!” (We want beer! We want beer!).

Qatari fans began to leave their own inaugural match wearing sour sullen faces; Ecuadorean fanatics witnessed their country make history. This match marks the first time in history where the host of the World Cup has lost the opening game, an uncomfortable truth that the Qatari soccer league must now accept.

The Frenchman handed me my fifty dollars and we exchanged a warm farewell, rounds of beer were ordered all throughout the bar. I tipped the bartender and wandered out onto the street, sticky shoes on a beer stained floor, it wasn’t even noon and the Brits were brawling on the sidewalk. I heard whistles honking and distant chants - a mad circus of fanatics takes possession of the street. The World Cup has now begun.