Because the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, this year's edition is eight years in the making for fans and players alike.
in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded in 2010. While less than 1% of those — 38 deaths — have been attributed to stadium construction, nearly all infrastructure projects in the country are tied to the World Cup.
“The human rights violations, worker rights, the kafala system that was in place — those things really put a bad taste ,” Shirah said. Both, though, have found some solace in reported improvements brought by increased global attention. Most notably, the country decided in 2016 to abolish the kafala system, which required companies to sponsor migrant workers and control their exit visas. It's a practice human rights organizations have criticized as tantamount to enslavement. “That doesn't mean it's happening by the book, but just the fact that the government illegal, that's a step in the right direction,” Saah said. “It's not something that's gonna happen overnight so they are taking the step in the right direction. Does that mean, after the World Cup packs up and leaves, they're not gonna go back to where they were? I don't know. But that was where my morality came into play.” One fan who spoke with The Republic added, “I can only imagine how insanely more excited I would be if it wasn't Qatar. If FIFA wasn't corrupt and Qatar had the best bid and there wasn't all the migrant and human abuses and everything like that.” That fan asked to speak on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from the Qatari government. “That's the problem, the fact that we're afraid,” the fan said. “That's it. Why are we afraid to speak our minds? That's the trouble. That's it in a nutshell.” There are other challenges unique to this World Cup, too. For one, the November timing — as opposed to the typical slot in early summer — made getting time off work more difficult. Teachers and families with school-aged kids can’t go at all. And because fans of 32 teams will be crammed into a country smaller than Connecticut, accommodations had to be booked through the Qatari government, with the exception of exorbitantly priced luxury hotels. “Either we're gonna be on top of each other and it's gonna be exciting to hang out and party with other fans from across the globe or it's gonna be the Fyre Fest,” Shirah said.For each American superfan, the team means something a little different. For Phillabaum, it’s a post-college community. For Shirah, it’s the pageantry of banging drums and singing with other fans, scratching his itch for “positive patriotism.” For Saah, it’s even more than that. After he moved to the U.S. from Liberia as a 12-year-old, it became a way of connecting with his new home. In this tournament, that bond is elevated thanks to Tim Weah, one of the brightest young American stars. Weah grew up in New York, but he’s the son of Liberian president George Weah, widely regarded the best African player of all time. As a kid in Liberia, Saah grew up idolizing the elder Weah.“It's America's team but we all have a different cultural identity,” Saah said. “And we all still identify with this team.” As the host of last week’s roster reveal show went through the squad, she announced each player’s hometown, echoing through the Walter Station speakers. Many, of course, grew up in the U.S. But illustrating Saah’s point, others were born in England or the Netherlands. Even more are second-generation immigrants, eligible to represent countries like Colombia and Ghana. Come next week, they will all be wearing the red, white and blue. And in their corner will be the most dedicated of supporters, living out the dream they lost five years ago. Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Luka Doncic vs. The World: Slovenia qualifies for 2023 FIBA World Cup next summerLuka Doncic is in line for a busy summer — again. The Slovenian national team qualified for the 2023 FIBA World Cup by beating Germany on Monday and Israel...
Read more »
Active agents down 34% in Phoenix in October - Phoenix Business JournalA Florida tech company that publishes a sales profile for real estate agents is seeing a considerable decline in the number of residential real estate agents in Phoenix.
Read more »
Phoenix ranks on Resonance Consultancy's World's Best Cities 2023 list - Phoenix Business JournalThe report’s authors highlighted the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic that dramatically increased the possibility of remote work and in the process brought more secondary cities to the kind of prominence once reserved for just a handful of “superstar” metros. Here's where Phoenix fits in.
Read more »
Phoenix ranks on Resonance Consultancy's World's Best Cities 2023 list - Phoenix Business JournalThe report’s authors highlighted the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic that dramatically increased the possibility of remote work and in the process brought more secondary cities to the kind of prominence once reserved for just a handful of “superstar” metros. Here's where Phoenix fits in.
Read more »
Active agents down 34% in Phoenix in October - Phoenix Business JournalA Florida tech company that publishes a sales profile for real estate agents is seeing a considerable decline in the number of residential real estate agents in Phoenix.
Read more »
Phoenix woman Celestine Strong faces federal prison in PPP loan fraud case - Phoenix Business JournalCourt documents show that the woman had conspired to submit loan applications with falsified employee and wage information and fake bank statements in an attempt to secure millions of dollars in PPP loans.
Read more »