A reporter from the American “New York Times” recently complained about Germany as host of the European Football Championship: The renowned US newspaper gave the Federal Republic a rather poor report. “Forget everything you thought you knew,” he begins, and then takes aim at the poor rail network, the overwhelmed logistics of the stadiums and the Germans’ love of cash.
But things are not going well for the Copa America either – the counterpart to the European Championship on the American continent. This is very clear in several areas: absurdly high ticket prices, outrageously expensive snacks and parking fees for which you could book entire Airbnb accommodations elsewhere. And to top it all off, the Americans are also showing a lack of interest in their own national team.
In the $1.3 billion AT
It is the classic football nations that create a great atmosphere and full arenas in the USA: Argentina (70,564 spectators), Brazil (67,158), Colombia (67,059), Mexico (53,763) filled the stadiums on the first match day and thus all exceeded the number of spectators of the host USA.
And while the US newspaper is criticizing Deutsche Bahn – albeit with good reason – the guests of the Copa America also have to suffer in terms of mobility. Some of the US stadiums cannot be reached by train at all. The arenas, which are entirely geared towards car drivers, are aware of the plight of stadium visitors and charge a whopping $55 for a parking space near the stadium.
For that, you get an overnight stay in a decent Airbnb apartment in Rio de Janeiro or Bogota. You can only pay by credit card. Tourists in Germany are often irritated by the lack of card payment options in some places – but at least you usually have a choice here.
If you are not yet ruined after buying tickets and booking a parking space for the Copa America, you can make up for it with food. For example, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, a simple portion of nachos and Coke costs a mere $28. A family of four can easily spend $500 on a Copa game in the “Land of the Free,” for the cheapest seats of course. That’s a good double the minimum wage in Brazil or Colombia.
Because all of this is taking its toll on the soul, the organizers of the Copa America have also sent spiritual support. During the opening match between Canada and the reigning world champions Argentina, two evangelical preachers suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the microphone. Caleb Mooney from the USA and Emilio Agüero from Paraguay blared a prayer through the arena, which ended with a raised fist and a loud “Amen.” Argentina’s football icon Lionel Messi and the Canadian Bayern player Alphonso Davies applauded somewhat sheepishly, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was present, had probably never experienced anything like it. He had only previously seen German interior ministers with rainbow armbands.
What remains is the enthusiasm of the Latin American fans. Waving flags, chants and a short concert of honking were already on the Interstate 610 Houston, where Colombian fans formed a colorful motorcade on the way to the huge NRG Stadium, where their “Cafeteros” played against Paraguay on Monday afternoon. If the hot-blooded Colombians weren’t there, hardly anyone in Texas would notice that the Copa America was taking place. Of the approximately 67,000 spectators who filled the arena, 65,000 were wearing the Colombian jersey. In the end, they celebrated a 2-1 victory with their team.
People like them make the Copa America a unique event. Among the approximately 62 million people of Latin American descent living in the USA, there is now enough purchasing power – and enough love of football – to pay the prices. For these fans, contact with Messi, the Colombian star player Luis Diaz or Vinicius Jr. from Brazil is a unique opportunity to connect with “home”.
Accordingly, they belt out their national anthems throughout the arenas. In some stadiums, the US anthem is played just under an hour before the actual national anthems. The spectators, who are predominantly of Latin American descent, stand up, some have tears in their eyes and applaud. Inclusion in action, the migrants and their successors are proud of their (new) homeland. The German Interior Minister could also take a look at this.
