World Cup passion kills in Haiti

By Emmanuel — July 8, 2010 | 1 comment

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Every World Cup year, the Haitian people become divided into two big, antagonistic groups of football fans: Brazilians and Argentineans. Other countries’ teams have fans as well, but not even a fraction of the two football powerhouses, our continental neighbours.

As soon as the location of this year’s World Cup was officially announced, the effects of the event began to be felt in Haiti. From street paintings to stores, it seemed like every advertisement was about football. Many generator-powered TV stands have been built across the city, just in case the electricity drops or cuts out during a match.

Next, the two teams started distinguishing their street blocks by flags and paintings. But here is something to keep in mind: next to any Argentinean or Brazilian flag there is a Haitian one.  The fans’ love for those teams would be swept aside if Haiti made a return to the World Cup – but that hasn’t happened since 1974.

This year in Port-au-Prince, the heated Brazil-Argentina rivalry has already killed one Haitian. Last Friday Romain Acelas, a 35 year-old Argentina fan, dropped dead of a heart attack on the street while celebrating the elimination of Brazil at the hands of Holland.

He died around 10h after the football game. My first photo of the scene was taken at 12: 25, and it took until after 4pm for the ambulance to come and get him out of his suffering after death. The family managed to flag down two ambulances, but they insisted they didn’t have the right to move him. Since he died on the streets, his body is a state responsibility.

The crowds gathered, the media arrived, and for more than six hours this young man stayed there, covered with a cloth under hot sun, waiting for an ambulance to come and pick his corpse up.

The next morning, the Argentina-Brazil rivalry exploded after Argentina was also eliminated, by Germany 4-0. The Brazilian fans ran the streets as if in a demonstration, waving leaves, flags and T-shirts.

Now that both teams have been eliminated, the interest in the rest of the World Cup has begun to wane. Both of the big groups have declared the World Cup “over”, and the stands are empty even during matches. There’s no more cheering in the streets for the goals.

For Haiti, the wait for the next World Cup has already begun.

Port-au-Prince student, fixer and researcher Emmanuel Midi blogs weekly for Inside Disaster from Haiti. You can learn more about him in these blog posts, connect with him on Facebook or through his business, Haiti Fixers.

Emmanuel volunteers with the youth organization Fonds D’Actions pour le Développement (FAD), profiled by Nicolas Jolliet last month.

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