Soccer fans support home countries for opening day of World Cup, celebrate global community

World Cup fans come out for opening game in NYC

NEW YORK — A piece of Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood was, for a day, Johannesburg.

The South African team’s supporters gathered Friday at Madiba Restaurant to celebrate the opening game of the World Cup.

Almost an hour after the match was over, fans were still celebrating in the streets.

They blew vuvuzelas, the horn-like instrument used in South Africa, sang and cheered their team’s 1-1 draw with Mexico. The restaurant, one of the few South African eateries in the city, drew immigrants and Americans rooting for the team.

Johannesburg native and Brooklyn resident Kim Doyle said she has passed Madiba before and wanted to be there to watch the World Cup kickoff.

“We knew other South Africans would be here,” she said.

A sandwich sign outside the restaurant said, “Let’s Go Bafana Bafana. World Cup Kickoff Today S. Africa.” Another sign a few yards away warned patrons: “please respect our neighbors and keep the noise to a minimum.”

The second sign was, obviously, not obeyed.

Family friend Neil Solomon came with Doyle to watch the match. Solomon said that if he couldn’t be home, at least he found a replacement.

“This is the best alternative,” Solomon said.

Sisters Eugenia and Estela Arias, dressed in Mexico jerseys, hoped to avoid the bars, but still wanted to watch the game in public.

“More sports, less drink,” Estela said.

They came to Puma City, a soccer complex set up in South Street Seaport, to watch Uruguay vs. France.

While some fans competed in foosball, others shopped for more World Cup gear. A handful of people stood in line to get T-shirts personalized with their names.

“It seems they have more games, and it’s more interactive than just sitting at a bar and drinking,” Eugenia said.

A group of young men played a pickup three-on-three game on the mini-field. Tables at a nearby restaurant were packed while other fans stood around.

French fans gathered at a more upscale location, the Opia Restaurant and Lounge in midtown Manhattan, for the 2:30 game.

The restaurant was set up for corporate lunch clients and avid soccer fans. Flags from participating countries draped both the outside balconies and inside walls. TV screens and projectors were broadcasting the game, while people filled up the tables.

Jean Michel, a disc jockey in the city who didn’t want to give his last name, wore his own personalized jersey and brought a French flag and about 10 friends with him. He secured a table near a TV where they could support Les Bleus in what would be a 0-0 draw with Uruguay.

“I like to show that I’m proud of my country,” he said.

His friends were also decked in French jerseys, and their faces were painted with the national flag. They stood and discussed the game while men in suits ate salmon entrees and chocolate desserts.

Half of the restaurant looked like a bistro in Paris, just as Madiba could have been in Johannesburg.

Doyle said even though most of the people in the restaurant were strangers, they felt like friends.

“You can feel at home in a slice of New York,” Doyle said.