The World Cup is upon us and as an Irish fan it is hard to find a team to support. The last time the World Cup was held in the United States was 1994. Ireland was in it and one of the great days of my life was being in Giants Stadium and watching as thirty-two-year-old Scottish-born Ray Houghton scored against Italy, allowing the Irish to prevail, a massive upset that sparked joyous Irish celebrations around the planet.
Sadly, the Irish are not in this year’s World Cup. I watched the painful spectacle of the Czech Republic eliminating Ireland on penalty kicks. Northern Ireland was also eliminated from the FIFA World Cup by losing 2-0 to Italy in the European Qualifiers Path A play-off semi-final. The Irish say woe comes in threes and to prove a point Poland, my wife’s country, was eliminated in another devastating playoff loss to Sweden.
So, who is left to cheer for? Some might say England, whose team includes Declan Rice with roots in Cork, who represented the Republic of Ireland at both youth and senior levels, but I just cannot bring myself to support England and I do not think I am alone in this sentiment.
Irish people have a natural inclination to support underdogs, and I am pulling for one of the biggest underdogs in the tournament, Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 islands off the west coast of Africa with a population of only about half a million people.
Cape Verde has many similarities to our own Island. It was a Portuguese colony for five centuries before gaining independence in 1975 following the overthrow of Portugal’s right-wing dictatorship the previous year. A multiparty democracy has flourished since 1999. It has proven to be a model of political stability featuring the peaceful transfer of power between two main parties ever since.
You are not satisfied and demand an Irish connection? Very well — one of the team's best players is Irish-born, Roberto “Pico” Lopes, the Shamrock Rovers centre back and is expected to line out for Cape Verde when the country makes its World Cup debut against heavily favored Spain at noon (ET) today. Born and raised in Crumlin, Lopes has spent his entire life in Ireland but is eligible because his father is from Cape Verde.
Tourism comprises a quarter of Cape Verde’s economy, but like Ireland in the past, unemployment and poverty are enduring legacies of colonial rule. Persistent poverty and limited job opportunities continue to force young people to emigrate like generations before them. Ireland has a massive diaspora and similarly, there are more Cape Verdeans living abroad than inside the country. Emigrants’ remittances remain an important economic stimulus, equivalent to about a fifth of GDP. The country’s history of emigration has been the inspiration for the Morna style of music, a melancholic, bluesy genre expressing longing for Cape Verde, which has gained a global following amongst world music fans. Soraia Ramos’s “Nha Terra (My Land)”, a musical tribute to Cape Verde has become the country’s World Cup anthem.
Cape Verde face long odds in getting out of group play. Its group includes Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, but Cape Verdeans regardless of the outcome will celebrate their first ever appearance in the tournament and at least one Irishman will be pulling for them.
