DOHA, Qatar – Halfway across the globe from North America, a little mariachi band starts playing.
It is the day before Mexico’s first game in the 2022 World Cup and hundreds of fans, possibly thousands, have gathered at the Katara Cultural Village. Surrounded by a luxury shopping mall, museums and art galleries, You don’t see Supporters have turned the once quiet arena into a wild party.
Costumes ranging from Calavera-inspired outfits to luchador masks populate the area filled with streamers, flags, and most importantly, music. Wandering through the crowd, the melodies quickly change from mariachi playing to a large section of the fans, to others chanting Silito Lindo, while another group sways emotionally and sings along with the speaker playing Vicente Fernandez.
“Mexico has one of the highest fan bases in Qatar. We compete with the Argentines and the Brazilians,” said Zarento Tinoco, a Mexican fan from Phoenix, Arizona who attended the event. “What sets us apart is that we are also admired by other nations because we provide color and life.”
There are 3 hours left until the Mexico vs Poland game, and there are already a lot of El Tree fans here at Stadium 974. #ElTriEng #ElTri pic.twitter.com/vRH60KMvon
– Cesar Hernandez (cesarhfutbol) November 22, 2022
The party continued into the late afternoon as a sea of green clusters began to spread and swell in the square.
It was unequivocally a tumultuous event – and it almost made up for the anonymity and lack of feedback from the national team they are all there to support.
At a minor World Cup tournament where most teams have set up base camps in or near Qatar’s capital, Doha, Mexico has made an effort to virtually distance itself.
approximately an hour’s drive north of downtown Doha, or approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes using public transportation, You don’t see They are significantly isolated with their training sessions in Al Khor City. Away from the bustling center of the tournament, and close to the World Cup stadium (Al Bayt Stadium) which is furthest from the rest, Mexico trained and prepared at Al Khor Stadium.
In Qatar, media availability was very limited. Not surprisingly for a team that has mostly remained behind closed doors, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa spent a good portion of his press conference criticizing the way the media covered the national team, going so far as to say “It’s turned into a show…we don’t talk anymore.” about sports anymore.”
In contrast, in the stands at Stadium 974, Mexico’s fans could not have been more outspoken. With 39,369 packed into the building, You don’t see The supporters easily outnumbered their Polish counterparts. Were it not for the ubiquitous World Cup branding, one could easily guess that Tuesday’s game against Poland was taking place at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca or Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, based on crowd composition alone.
A roaring sea of green backs Mexico tonight. #ElTriEng #ElTri pic.twitter.com/DZWFP7fiT7
– Cesar Hernandez (cesarhfutbol) November 22, 2022
“The opening game was next level,” said Tinoco, “the national anthem was one of, if not the loudest, I’ve ever heard in a match.” “I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”
Unfortunately, the game that ended in a scoreless draw was also one that would soon surround itself with controversy. FIFA announced on Wednesday that it had launched an investigation into potentially discriminatory chants from Mexican fans at the match.
It was not clear from the statement whether FIFA’s latest actions were due to the anti-gay chanting that had been vilified in the past. You don’t see matches, or other behavior of Mexico supporters. Some critics pointed out the irony of Fifa doing so amid threats to hand out yellow cards to captains wearing anti-discrimination “One Love” rainbow armbands.
No decision has yet been made from the investigation, but for better or worse, Mexico fans have once again shed light on themselves in the early days of the World Cup.
Facing Argentina on Saturday in one of the most anticipated matches in the group stage, that focus will only grow brighter when two of the tournament’s most passionate and expressive fan bases meet at Lusail Stadium.
As Mexico seeks its first win in the group stage, Argentina aims to bounce back from their shock 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
“Argentina, a big opponent,” Hirving “Chucky” Lozano said in a pre-match press conference on Friday. “Tough opposition, they have the best in the world [in Lionel Messi] And great players. We worked these days to get the best way for that match.”
In the midst of FIFA’s investigation, there will be a lot of eyes on not only what happens on the field, but also on the behavior of Mexico’s fans. It is a guarantee that just as they are in the Katara Cultural Village and in Stadium 974, they will no doubt be as close to the deaf and sure as they have been since their arrival in Qatar, but they will still be up in the air if they also run into trouble along the way.
No matter what, this sea of green would once again be very noisy.
