crowd and cheered, and felt happy about the victory.”
Indeed, the public mobilization of the crowds and the
collective fervor may actually tend to conspire against
autocratic governments. Tamburrini said that before the
World Cup, most Argentines had been afraid to congregate in the military-controlled plazas. But he adds that
in the months after the 1978 victory, the people “regained
the streets.” And the sight of large, organized crowds worries any dictatorship.
Consider the struggle of Iran’s political opposition over
the last 15 years or so. Many of the biggest clashes between
protestors and security forces have followed public cel-
ebrations after the national team has won a big match.
Soccer is a slippery tool for regimes; they try to use it, but
it can also be used against them.
FÚTBOL CON CORAZÓN
:
In the slums of Barran- quilla along Colom- bia’s Caribbean coast,
five-hour school days make
it easy for youth to get involved in gangs or drugs.
Samuel Azout, a Barranquilla native and currently
the president’s senior advisor for social development,
wanted to give kids something else to do. And what
better activity than soccer, Colombia’s most popular sport?
In 2007, Azout founded
Fútbol con Corazón (
Soccer with Heart—FCC). The
after-school soccer and
life skills development program has reached over
2,000 of Barranquilla’s underprivileged youth ( 5 to
16 years old), 40 percent
of whom are girls. The pro-
gram is immensely popu-
lar, according to executive
director Estefania Mon-
toya: “You invite 10 chil-
dren to play, 100 show up.”
But this is not a tradi-
tional soccer camp. In the
program’s co-ed version
of soccer, a girl must score
the first goal, and there
are no referees. Before the
game begins, players write
down a set of rules; after-
ward, each team evalu-
ates how closely they and
their opponents followed
them. A good evaluation by
the opposing team could
mean the difference be-
tween a tie and a win. “The
games are meant to set up
conflict, and together the
children must find a reso-
lution,” explains Montoya.
On-site nutritionists,
social workers and psy-
chologists developed a
curriculum covering every-
thing from sexual health
to nutrition. FCC has also
partnered with the govern-
ment and local universities
to register the kids for pub-
lic health insurance.
Parental involvement is
crucial. One of the most
popular events among par-
ents is Goles de Afecto
(Goals of Affection), where
they play soccer using the
same rules as their chil-
dren. FCC also hosts adult
workshops on drug abuse
and domestic violence.
A three-year, $2 million
World Bank grant will ex-
pand FCC’s activities to
2,000 more youth, but lo-
cal companies and foreign
organizations like Jacob’s
Foundation and Empower
also provide financial sup-
port. FCC has demon-
strated real, quantitative
effects: 95 percent of par-
ticipants attend school and
52 percent have improved
their eating habits.
The best evidence,
though, may be anecdotal.
Claudia Romero says her
son Oscar, 14, “was once a
rebel and rude,” but is now
more respectful. And it’s
not just Oscar who is doing
better. According to teach-
ers, many participants
have improved their grades
and their behavior.
