This is a pivotal question here in Ethiopia. European soccer is enormously popular here, and the Premiership League is of particular interest. You’ll see an occasional Liverpool, Chelsea or even Bolton fan, but the other 90% of fans support either Arsenal or Man U. The windows of minibuses are plastered in headshots of favorite players. The faces of Fabregas, Rooney and Ronaldo are all over town. The team names are airbrushed on the sides of buses and the radio waves are filled with updates. One of the schools where our volunteers work even uses donated, knock-off “Alsonel” jerseys as uniforms.
It doesn’t take long before you’re forced to take a side. I’ve gone all over the place, first I was Chelsea (just to be different), then Arsenal (because I think Ronaldo is a cry baby), and then to Manchester (…I don’t really know why). I’m still ignorant when talking soccer around my Ethiopian friends, but I’ve learned more about European soccer in 7 months in Ethiopia than 24 years in the United States. Go figure.
2 Comments
March 18, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I think you should say Boca is your favorite team.
March 22, 2008 at 12:25 am
Amon, great blog. We wish we could be with you. Love, Gus, Debby, Ashley