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For The Love of The Sport

Art may mirror life, but football mirrors the stuff of dreams

Football is said to bring the world together, uniting players and fans in their love for the sport.

by Magdalena Kalata

It surpasses social and ethnic boundaries, brings about surges of national pride and showcases talented individuals from around the globe in major tournaments. The FIFA World Cup in South Africa presented precisely these sorts of hopes for the host nation, hopes that were cut devastatingly short despite a draw with well-ranked Mexico in the first game and a win against France's Les Bleus. Failing to advance past the group matches has brought South Africa into a historical position, though certainly not one which supporters are enthused about. It has officially become the only nation to host the international spectacle without advancing past the group stages. Among the disappointment and tears, however, a group of Bafana Bafana fans have managed to shift the focus toward something brighter – the possibility of using the millions of eyes watching the World Cup with a religious fervour to showcase their country and culture.

In the way that they cope with the unsatisfying results of their national team, the South Africans demonstrate that football does have the possibility to go past the divisive or hooligan fanaticism that is often associated with the sport. Of course everyone has a team that they root for, a team that will bring them to their feet with every goal and to their knees with every upset, but that's not all being a football fan is about. When the Netherlands play, it's safe to expect that not only the stadium, but the pubs, cafes and streets will be filled with Oranje supporters, appropriately wearing orange. The British will likely sing football chants, while the Mexicans may very well drape themselves with their national flag. Whatever colours they bleed, what all fans have in common is the adrenaline rush that comes with cheering for your team. All of the ritual that is associated with watching or going to a game is done in the hope, no matter what the odds, that your team will win. It is the universally uniting factor of football and if the atmosphere after matches is any indicator, it is one that doesn't disappear when the final whistle blows.

Bosnian director Haris Pasovic has explored this uniting aspect of football and transformed it into a theatre spectacle currently on stage in Bosnia and South Africa. Combining dance moves and footwork reminiscent of the playing field, "Football, Football," attempts to showcase the force with which the sport can blur the lines separating groups in a society.

"Football is probably the most democratic human activity. It belongs to everyone…to poor and rich, illiterate and educated, to all races, cultures and nations," says Pasovic.

Football is a ticket in for the few exceptional young players, while for everyone else it still manages to be an escape from reality. For the 90-minute match, all of the oppressions of reality can be expelled, at least temporarily. In focusing on an immigrant neighbourhood, the play manages to bring up the issues that are contemporarily plaguing most major cities. The slums that have managed to give to the world some of the best footballers, including former Argentinan player Diego Maradona or France's Zinedine Zidane, are also continually swept under the rug. They are messy and filled with problems that may not bring a politician as many votes as he would like.  For so many people, however, they are a reality from which the only escape is stardom, a stardom that may be as fleeting as an afternoon of kicking a ball around between cars on a city street or watching a national team rise to victory. Football unites, but football also fuels dreams, even when these are unrealistic.