The Real Story of being a World Cup Fan Leader
It’s 1:30 AM. I’m awake and troubled by two recent events. First, I just saw the news that Sigfried “Sigi” Strizl died in a car accident. One of my favorite USMNT players I met while tracing the history of National Team goal scorers was 78.
The other item troubling me will take a bit more time to explain. I’ll start in the middle, and if it makes sense to you to do so, you can read the prequel at the end…
The decision to wear an eagle costume in Brazil eight years ago has led to some of my closest friendships and many positive fan interactions. It has also provided many opportunities to represent and advocate for fans. As the final whistle blew in Orlando, there were chants of “We are Going to Qatar.” It was true, for either the Intercontinental World Cup qualifier or as part of the 32-team World Cup field, the U.S. National Team was Going to Qatar…would we?
A nation’s particular beliefs, policies, and actions typically evolve in response to the various forces impacting its population. The actions of individual persons rarely produce national or international impact. However, the effect of individuals can be multiplied by the actions of lack-minded individuals. That is especially true when like-minded individuals approach change from multiple strategic positions. Many fans have decided to boycott the 2022 World Cup altogether, actively looking for ways to avoid content, advertising, etc. At the same time, other fans have found opportunities to address concerns through engagement. One of those opportunities for me has been the Fan Leader Network.
In March of 2022, I came across some articles from the previous summer announcing the launch of the Fan Leader Network. The program was viewed as a step toward opening the dialog between the fans and the organizing committee, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC). Press coverage was uniformly positive. Here is an excerpt from one of those articles:
“Fan Leaders will be granted access to information in order to answer questions posed about Qatar by their peers, and be provided regular updates about the tournament to ensure a quick, efficient and timely transfer of information from the host country directly to supporters and vice-versa. It is hoped the network will provide crucial insight to assist Qatar in shaping the fan experience in 2022.”
Given that the program had been in place for almost a year, I was surprised to receive a timely response when I completed the online contact form. A few points were evident after the vetting and onboarding process:
1. The role of Fan Leader was a volunteer position. NO compensation, financial or otherwise, would be provided for participating in the program.
2. There was also a brief exchange regarding the expected behavior of the Fan Leader centered around the standard agenda items. It was no different than what I experienced when associating with any company or organization in the United States.
Much has been made in the media of the Code of Conduct form. Here were my thoughts at the time.
1. Again, the document primarily covered expectations requested of me from organizations I’ve associated with in the United States and internationally in the past.
2. I viewed any “odd” items NOT as a chance I might "be controlled", but rather as an opportunity for me to find out if the organization would try to control any fan behaviors. At the time, I commented to my wife that the media would probably be interested if I reported any examples in which the Fan Leader Network tried to influence me.
In April, I traveled to Doha – organizing and paying for the trip by myself. I had committed to helping fans planning to travel to the World Cup, and it had been eight years since I was last in Doha. I wrote about my experiences on my blog, social media, and our U.S. fan Facebook page. I had no contact with any other Fan Leaders or the organizing committee. My reports were fair and informative, and I received very positive feedback from all fans.
Over the next six months, the Fan Engagement team of the SC held a series of online workshops and provided continuous access via email and phone. I, and other Fan Leaders, used the forum to address the questions and concerns of fans from our respective countries. I regularly polled hundreds of U.S. fans and forwarded their concerns. Items such as dress, use of alcohol, display of pride flags, etc., were discussed, and no topics were felt to be off-limits. The responses for the Fan Engagement were timely and transparent, and they frequently coordinated conversations between the Fan Leaders and the appropriate subject matter experts.
Here's my report to the fans from one particular workshop: Report on 100 Day Out Workshop
Another focus of recent media reports has been the use of social media by Fan Leaders. Specifically, the potential undue influence by the SC Admittedly, I am a social media novice, but at no time did the SC make any comment about my positive or negative posts: Arrival for Fan Delegation Al Bayt Stadium
In September, I was among the Fan Leader delegation to participate in what was essentially a site tour. The activity was arranged and funded similarly to any other program I’ve been involved with in business, medicine, and other organizations. It was by far the most productive period of time I spent advocating for the fans as a member of the Fan Leader Network. Here's my report to the fans from my first day in Doha: Fan Delegation Report
Overall the Fan Leader Network was a very effective vehicle for the fans and the organizing committee to communicate. I feel strongly that this type of program should be in place for every international competition, ESPECIALLY those in which the fans have particular concerns about the beliefs and practices of the host country.
In the past couple of weeks, the media has also reported on another program, FIFA’s Opening Ceremonies program. However, multiple errors in the reporting have blurred the lines between these different programs, implying some sort of nefarious activities by both the Fan Leaders and the guests of FIFA’s Opening Ceremonies. To clarify, the guests of FIFA’s Opening Ceremonies…
1. Were NOT presented with ANY code of conduct form or request.
2. Were ONLY requested to attend the FIFA Opening Ceremonies and nothing else.
3. Are expected to be on camera for approximately ten seconds performing a same chant they will do at all their national team games in the coming weeks.
4. Have had NO request for social media activity of any kind.
5. Were offered travel arrangements but were not required to utilize those arrangements to participate in FIFA’s Opening Ceremonies. (These travel arrangements were NOT offered for participation in the Fan Leader Network program.)
Personally, I have chosen to withdraw from the Fan Leader Network and also will not be attending the FIFA Opening Ceremonies for the following reasons:
1. The inaccurate media reports have created a distraction and situation in which continued participation in the Fan Leader Network will no longer be an asset in my attempts to advocate for my fellow fans.
2. The backlash to the erroneous reports in some countries threatened the safety of individual Fan Leaders.
I WILL be in the stadium supporting the USMNT and will seek opportunities to interact with people from Qatar and around the world to spark conversations in which we can share our thoughts and desires to promote a more open and humane community on this planet.
Prequel – The Unlikely Creation of “Eagleman”
My memories of soccer growing up in a small town in Montana in the late 1970s are more a broken list of individual thoughts than a true fluid story.
- Mornings eating KIX cereal while staring at the NASL logos on the box.
- Alone kicking the ball into a full-size goal that I built out of the farm’s scrap lumber, along with plastic netting from the woodchip trucks at the local pulp mill where my dad worked.
- Nights listening to the Seattle Sounders or San Francisco Fog, if the night was clear and the radio signal reached western Montana.
- Driving my 1969 Plymouth Satellite into Missoula to play in the local YMCA league for a few months out of the year.
- And I distinctly remember sitting in the living room with my dad in 1982, when Peter Jennings closed the ABC news broadcast by explaining to the American viewers that the Italian fans were dancing in the fountains of Rome because Italy had won the World Cup.
In June 1986, I left my childhood home. I was transferring from the University of Montana to Oregon State University to be a resident of a state with a medical school. Had I known then what I know now – I may not have spent the past 30 years as a physician. I likely would have traveled south rather than west. My first World Cup would have been Mexico '86, and who knows where my life would have taken me from there.
In June 1990, I only had to pass Pathology to complete my first year of medical school. The problem was I found it more interesting to see Spanish-language broadcasts of Italia '90 rather than cells on glass slides. In the end, I saw my first U.S. National Team World Cup matches and received my worst medical school grade…but I passed.
In June 1994, USA ’94 interest was slowly building, and I had two weeks off to end the first year of my Internal Medicine residency. My wife of two years promised that during the second week, we would go see a World Cup match. Unfortunately, she became ill during the first week. After scheduling an appointment with a "real doctor," her astute friend suggested the eventual diagnosis…pregnancy.
Since then, we attended every World Cup. In France ’98, my wife visited museums while the guys went to games. In 2002, we traveled alone after the logistics and cost proved too much for our friends and many other U.S. fans. In 2006, we braved the European terrorist attack warnings. In 2010, the crime risk in South Africa was highlighted by the razor wire surrounding each of our homestays. In 2014, Brazil’s own reputation for crime, political protests, and complicated travel logistics did not deter us. In 2018, we attended despite the absence of our national team and the host nation’s list of issues.
This brings us to the elephant in the room…Qatar 2022. On the day of the announcement in 2010, I was shocked. There were immediate concerns regarding a fair bidding process, human rights, and climate, among others. I remember telling my wife. “If the World Cup in Qatar actually happens…I’m getting arrested there!!”
From the summer of 1978 to June 2014, I was an anonymous soccer fan. I received some admiration from family and friends, impressed by my childhood autograph collection. Through written requests, I acquired letters and signed photos from the likes of Pele, Gerd Muller, Dennis Tuart, Jomo Sono, Rick Davis, and so on. My work colleagues were intrigued when I took leave every four years to travel the world and support the National Team. This all changed in the summer of 2014.
For Halloween 2013, my wife made a Wonder Woman costume, and I made the poor choice of going as Aquaman. Later that night, she stated, "I think I'm going to wear this to Brazil. You should start thinking about what costume you want to wear." I did NOT start thinking about this. Like the 2010 announcement that Qatar would host the World Cup 12 years later, her announcement that I would be wearing a superhero costume nine months later in Brazil was inconceivable.
As the U.S. vs. Portugal match in Manaus entered extra time 2-1, I grabbed my flag and began to jog a victory lap around the mezzanine. When the crowd erupted, my first thought was, "Another U.S. goal!" When I realized Portugal had scored the goal, it was the first time that the attention of wearing an eagle costume to a U.S. National Team match brought negative emotions – embarrassment, apprehension, fear, etc. Obviously, it was not to be the last.