I'll let that sink in for a minute or two.
Month-long debate has been ongoing regarding which side our humble/neutral troupe would support when foot came to ball. It's true that nuclear proliferation is no laughing matter, but we couldn't suppress giggles at the idea of meltdown sideline sirens, Kim Jong Il style football-viewing shades, and airbrushed "Nuke 'em" t shirts. We're all talk though--none of these plans came to pass-- but as we were walking up the streets to the Qatar Sports Complex, the Iranian support swag proved a little too tempting to resist.
And a good thing too, for though we bought tickets for seats close to the field, we were immediately informed that admission was open and to sit down fast, wherever we could, which happened to be right in the middle of the Iranian fanzone. It wasn't long before we became the willing subjects of many video and camera lenses, most likely those dedicated to supporting the notion of sportsmanship and global brotherhood and American willingness to wear hats that say any old thing, even in Arabic, by selling footage to the AP wire. It was great! Hi, Mom! Qatar 2022!Iran won, 1-0; cheering was enthusiastic and organized, with a dozen or so cheerleadermen directing us to do the Wave, say things we didn't understand in Farsi and shake our hips to drumbeats. There was confetti in red, white and green and everyone was eating sunflower seeds. There was A TON of hair gel/fauxhawks/glitter. Downfield, there was the North Korean fanbase, raising their starry flags up and down in unison, with military precision. The spidercam flew overhead with the greatest of ease, and kids with faces painted like the Joker, shouted "Iran Iran Iran!'
Observe:
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