Post-world cup hangover in Zimbabwe
The Wall Street Journal shares an article by Farai Mutsaka on life in Harare after the world cup:
Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” continues to rock this city’s nightclubs more than a month after the final match of the World Cup. But the tournament’s bouncy pop song is about the only sign of soccer fever still lingering in Zimbabwe.
The country’s officials had hoped that World Cup enthusiasm in host South Africa would spill across the borders and help revive a moribund domestic league—and perhaps boost an ailing economy and lift national spirits. It wasn’t meant to be.
Officials lobbied several foreign teams to practice and play in Zimbabwe, hoping their fans would follow (only Brazil accepted). They suspended local games to allow players and fans to watch World Cup matches (attendance at domestic games has since plummeted). Zimbabweans did emblazon vehicles with flags (only for a while).