‘Spanish style’ wins over New York’s die-hard World Cup fans ahead of final
La Roja’s World Cup success has built a new coalition of loyal and recently converted Spanish fans across New York City. New York City, United
La Roja’s World Cup success has built a new coalition of loyal and recently converted Spanish fans across New York City. New York City, United States – Robert Sanfiz has been fielding a slate of late “VIP” requests to attend a World Cup final watch party at the Spanish nonprofit he oversees in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan. He’s already booked to capacity, and is unsure if he can make additional space. It is a fitting final stretch to a mad-dash si week tournament that, like those before it, saw the Spanish Benevolent Society and its accompanying restaurant, known collectively as La Nacional, swell nightly with supporters of La Roja. The 57-year-old credits Spain’s 2010 victory, in part, with helping to revive the organisation, which launched 150 years ago initially to help newly arriving Spanish immigrants launch new lives in the city. While the neighbourhood’s one-time Spanish enclave has all but disappeared, “we still are there for Spaniards who miss home”, he said. Sanfiz recounted the tension ahead of the 2010 final against the Netherlands in South Africa, with fans gathering on the street to watch through the window as Spain took its first, and to date only, championship. The strong and steady performance of Spain’s squad this time around, led by 19-year-old striker Lamine Yamal and the team-first approach of manager Luis de la Fuente, has helped him stay calm.
Still, he plans to stay distracted during the final. “You know what I do during the game? I just sit out and direct traffic and make sure nobody gets hit,” Sanfiz told Al Jazeera. “I subconsciously do that because my greater stress is the game itself.” A day before the World Cup final, the Spanish red may not be quite as ubiquitous across New York City as Argentina’s white and blue, but local die-hard fans feel their passion is unmatched. On Saturday, many gathered at Midtown’s Mercado Little Spain, a collection of Spanish restaurants launched by Spanish chef Jose Andres, who could be seen among the sea of red. “I’ve been a lifelong Spain fan, so this is unreal,” said Javier Vriz, 38, who travelled from Chicago and will attend the final in person. “To be a fan of Spain for that long is to know pain,” he said. “There’s always this feeling that there’s no way it’s going to happen. But they just kept winning.” “They’ve been really consistent in their vision and in their approach and in their style,” he added, referring to the signature team strategy that favours positional dominance over relying on any one player’s prowess. “They never wavered from the Spanish style.” A coalition of new supporters In the final stretch of the tournament, Spain have also proven a welcoming home for New York City’s World Cup ‘orphans’ – neutral fans whose first or second choice squads had their dreams dashed in earlier knockout rounds.
The BriefWire