From Salsa to Dirges, World Cup needs music

The most powerful songs are those performed by enthusiastic fans who have travelled from around the world.

By Musa Okwonga (Winning Post)

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Published: Thu 5 Jul 2018, 9:19 PM

Last updated: Thu 5 Jul 2018, 11:23 PM

The tournament continues to build toward its exciting and unpredictable climax. Lionel Messi and his Argentine teammates have gone home after being beaten stylishly by France. Messi's rival for the title of the world's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, was eliminated the same day by Uruguay. In the greatest upset so far, Russia, the host country and the lowest-ranked team still in the World Cup, defeated Spain.
When anything could happen and a country's fate is in the balance, there's often nothing better than a tune. I've seen this firsthand: It was the 1994 World Cup and I was there with my uncle, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, watching the quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands.
The South Americans in the crowd had just been stunned into silence: The Netherlands had scored for the second time in 12 minutes, bringing the score to 2-2. Then a Brazilian woman raised a trumpet to her lips and began to play a mocking funeral march. The crowd in our section burst into laughter, the tension evaporated, and they cheered their team on to a 3-2 victory.
The role of music at the World Cup often goes unsung. Of course, it's ultimately a sporting competition, but it's also, as I've written before, about so much more - politics, economics, history and identity. And culture.
In addition to being a football fan and a writer, I'm a musician, so this is a subject close to my heart. But I also firmly believe that music is one of the crucial ways that we show who we are and what we care about, and so it's worth paying attention to the role it plays in this tournament.
The tournament always has its official song (this year's is Live It Up). And individual teams often pick their own anthem, too. But the most powerful songs are those performed by enthusiastic fans who have traveled from around the world.
Argentina can always call on a choir of tens of thousands of supporters at the World Cup, who deliver choice lyrics about their rivals (though it doesn't seem to have worked this year). In 2010, South African fans relied on the vuvuzela, a horn so raucous it was almost banned from stadiums, while Peru supporters have tried to inspire their heroes with the triumphant sound of drums.
Several other countries have used music for motivation this year. Some have gone for sounds that perfectly complement their on-field performances. The Colombian team likes to play the racy, rousing rhythms of salsa; Uruguay's fans are blasting melodic yet swaggering rock music. It's not always good, either: After Croatia defeated Argentina in the first round, the Croatian defender Dejan Lovren posted footage of himself singing a song with fascist connotations.
My favourite song that has found a prominent place in this year's tournament is Seka Seka by DJ Mareshal. It's the soundtrack to a viral video of French players dancing in their plane after their 4-2 victory over Argentina. Mareshal was born in the Ivory Coast, a country that, despite a proud footballing pedigree, did not qualify for Russia. Thanks to him, though, its music may yet play a small but crucial role in deciding where this year's trophy ends up.
-NYT Syndicate


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