FIFA World Cup 2014 - The Fan Jam

The World Cup is only as frequent as the leap year, and football is too exciting a sport to miss. Combine the two facts and you have throngs of fan crowding the stadiums for every single match of the World Cup.

The German fans have undoubtedly been the happiest this World Cup. Though the stadium during the finals did look to be awash in a sea of blue and white, fans back home in Germany thronged by the thousands to welcome the winning team back home. Bradenburg Gate’s footballing centre was flooded with fans by early morning, Berlin time and repays of the match were being broadcasted. The German were winning the World Cup after 24 whole years and went back to much-deserved doting and appreciation.

  The German fans were accompanied by the Brazilians who broke out into song-and-dance routines once the World Cup final ended. It was a great show of support for Germany, as the Brazilians seemed happy that their rival team Argentina hadn’t won the World Cup. This is a bit if strange irony considering how miserably the Brazilians were humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals.

Argentine fans on the other hand vented their disappointment by going to the extent of riots. There has always been taut tension between the Argentina and Brazilian fans, who have yelled insults at each other, boasted that Maradona is better than Pele or vice-versa and brought up each other’s worst moments.

  Argentine fans riot after their nation loses the world Cup to Germany.

Fans from other nations have trotted the globe to watch the World Cup. A nation as small as Iran and one of the only three Asian nations at the World Cup boasted a healthy fan following right from their first match against Nigeria. It was a proud moment for the Iranians when their nation was able to stave off the Nigerians during the entire match and result in the first draw of the World Cup.

  Iranian fans show some nationalistic pride in Brazil before the IRAvsNIG match.

The host nation displayed a crazy diversity of fans with a plethora of eye-catching costumes and décor. From chunky jewellery and sequined clothes to face-paint, the Brazilians went all-out and stood by their nation – till they got thrashed by Germany. Brazil’s loss to Netherlands saw the stadium boo horrendously for the host nation, with many a Brazilian choosing to suort the valiant Dutch side instead.

  One of the more creative Brazilian fans.

A Brazilian supporter weeps after Brazil loses 3-0 to Netherlands, third-place match.

American football (soccer?) fans have shown to have more than doubled in number from 2006 to 2014. Though the sport isn’t as important as basketball or baseball in the states, a fantastic show of football by the US team headed by Clint Dempsey have shown a phenomenal show of football that have made the Americans very happy. There have been fans watching the games by the million on the TV and plenty of enthusiastic ones with time and money on their hands watching the matches live in Brazil.

  American fans in Brazil cheer when the US wins against Portugal.

Mexico showed some amazing fan support. The nation does give a lot of importance to football and has one of the largest football leagues in the world. The fans were boisterous and cheered Mexico on valiantly till the knockout stages where they lost to Netherlands. It was disappointing for a nation that fought hard, but the fans stayed on as a wall for the team till the end.  And they often got very creative with their outfits, too!

These were the countries with some of the loudest and most prominent fan support, in addition to fans from Netherlands who created waves of orange in the audience and the British fans who supported their nation despite its dismal performance. There have been amazing costumes from fans all over the globe and a strong display of support from most. Fans from countries like Brazil and Spain who expected a fantastic show of football from their teams expressed their heartbreak when their teams ended up disappointing them, while the German fan-base emerged happiest of all. It has been a rollercoaster ride not just for the World Cup players, but for the fans as well.