As I was making my way through the thick post-game crowds at Otrikiye Stadium, I noticed two peculiar jerseys in the back. Of course, throughout the course of the Poland-Senegal game, I had spotted an array of interesting kits, from one featuring Senegal’s backup defender Kara Mbodji, to one featuring Argentina’s 2nd choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero, to one USA kit with the word “COVFEFE” on the back, referring to President Trump’s misspelled 2017 tweet which has since ascended to Internet fame. But the ones that most caught my eye were the beautiful Nigeria kits, which featured Russian letters on the back. I stopped to chat with the two brothers, who had flown over 11 hours from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to witness the World Cup in person. The Bangladeshi pair had purchased Nigerian kits, often regarded as the most beautiful jersey from the 2018 World Cup, and then printed their names on the back, but with Russian letters. It’s just another example of the cultural fusion that has become a common theme of this World Cup. When I went to the Poland-Senegal game, most of the people wearing the Senegal kit were Caucasian, while most of those wearing the Moroccan kit were native Moroccans. And while most of the Polish fans were native speakers, most of the Portuguese fans were of Pan-Asian descent. It is a testament to football’s power to unite different people, different cultures, and different regions. It is a testament to why football is the most powerful unifier the world has.
