Soccer SuperFans

By: Laura Noel Garcia, Toronto
 
Who knew this World Cup would see La Celeste at the centre of such a heated controversy?
 
What surprised me more than the events on the day we eliminated Ghana was the scope of the negative response. I knew Suarez would be criticized as a player, a man, even a human being. I realized he was in the wrong, but could rationalize what I was sure was a semi-conscious attempt to save a country's hopes. I accepted that he would become the villain and pay a high but fair price.
 
Never did I imagine that Uruguay itself would become the target of such ignorant backlash. Sure, it's a small place with a name that rhymes with that of another South American country. Maybe that makes it insignificant to some. Maybe a lot of people don't know anything about Uruguay and aren't interested in learning.
 
I watched the broad blank drawn in response to our country's name eagerly filled with the hatred I naively expected Suarez to bear alone.
 
For weeks I had followed the work of a particular sports columnist. He wrote very little about the team's play and instead ranted about Uruguay in general. His arguments were weak, filled with irrelevant examples, but still I worried about those he'd convince. To such a small and relatively unknown country, the mentality of the angry crowd could be damaging. It was obvious he held a grudge, but to use so public a forum to try and justify his disdain for a whole nation under the guise of sports commentary outraged me and other Uruguayan Canadians I know.
 
He eagerly pounced on Suarez' controversial save. The team he loved to hate was in the spotlight. He joined us, weapon in hand.
 
I wanted Canadians to travel to Uruguay and see our flag flying prominently at the embassy in downtown Montevideo. I was certain they would get lost in its diverse beauty and be warmed by the welcome every Canadian would receive. I knew they would love the culture, the beaches and the people's spirit. I feared a few vocal ignorant people would keep Uruguay a secret from Canada.
 
Everywhere I turned, I found myself defending the country and our people. My fellow blogger's very timely post seemed to be addressing the criticism head on with admirable facts.
 
At last, I started to see some balanced and even positive articles about the country. Journalists who had spent time there and clearly had a personal affinity for Uruguay came to our defence. Finally, someone worked to remind the outraged crowd that comparable violations and bad calls had put teams through and stopped rightful winners in this World Cup and many before.
 
Highlighting a history of leadership in civic rights, progressive culture and excellence on the pitch, Uruguay's Canadian defenders replaced footballers as my heroes for the day.