Why I don’t Support England (or Anyone Else) at World Cups

At least an attempted explanation

A little preface: In a completely separate discussion about business, a few freelancer friends and I came to the conclusion that if enough clients are asking a particular question, the answer would probably make decent FAQ material. That is the basis of this article.

It probably started a few months ago, and has intensified daily, coming to a sweeping crescendo around the same time as Luís Suárez’s eleventh-hour victory strike on the 19th of June.

“Hey, so do you think you guys will win this year?”
“What’s the best bar to go watch the England game?”
“I thought you deserved a point against the Italians.”

Every time, my response is always the same—I very awkwardly mutter the following:

“Erm, I actually don’t support England…”
“WHAAAAT? OF COURSE YOU DO… YOU MUST!”

Sure, speaking with a decidedly Thamesian lilt in a place like French Canada makes it easy for people to jump to such conclusions, and I don’t blame them.

I mention my Nigerian parents, which just prompts the assumption that I must support them instead. I don’t.

I slip in the fact that I grew up in six countries, majored in Spanish, am currently learning Italian, would like to live in Hong Kong or Tokyo in the next five years, but ultimately see myself as more of a Scandinavia type…at this point, I’ve completely lost them.

I’ve never really understood nationalism in sport. To me, it would be like nationalism in music, or in art. I like the artist whose style most resonates with me, and I do so on a piece-by-piece basis. I support my friends, or those I have a connection to. Wayne Rooney falls into neither category, so while I wish him the best, he is no more significant to me than Andrea Pirlo, who I actually prefer (playmakers being more my thing than goalscorers).

Confused, I turned to my most culturally nomadic friend, the one who would surely understand my predicament, and she duly delivered.

Nail on the head.

I don’t support anyone, because I don’t believe in supporting nations. Root for the underdog. Celebrate the team that plays the best football. Support Brazil because they are the hosts, and if they win, it’ll be a huge party. Three strategies I find more logical. You being born or raised in one place rather than another was nobody’s divine plan, least not your own (perhaps in some edge-case situations, it actually was).

Add to that the fact that I genuinely love football—I play 3 times a week, wake up at the crack of dawn most weekends to watch it, and am currently cranking out handful of World Cup themed portraits every day—and maybe you can understand why I see the World Cup as an opportunity to put the tribalism that plagues league football aside, and just enjoy what has been an unusually high quality competition as a neutral.

Having watched almost every game of what has been a far above average World Cup so far, I really do think having no real investment has only increased my enjoyment. I’m able to appreciate the beautiful football displayed on both sides of the pitch—often times simultaneously—and the result does not taint what precedes it.

As teams continue to be eliminated, I can’t say a clear personal favourite won’t emerge, but if one does, it will be on merit. Already, I sympathise with the Croatians, who were a joy to watch, and perhaps didn’t deserve to exit so early.

(In passing, I actually think it would be quite nice if Belgium won the World Cup, purely because they’ve got a squad of extremely talented young players, and I think it would make for a nice “narrative”.)