We can be the best! Latin American fans are nominated for the FIFA award
A Chilean and 40 thousand Peruvians will compete with fans from Japan and Senegal at FIFA The Best, category best fan
The world football would not be the same without the unconditional support of the fans, and that is something that FIFA recognizes through The Best awards. For this reason, there is the category Fan Awards, in which several legends such as Cafu and Christian Karembeu, among others, evaluate the best cases of exemplary fans in the world of football.
Leer en español: ¡Podemos ser los mejores! Hinchas latinoamericanos son nominados al premio FIFA
This year there are two Latin American fans in the final, which will try to win the prize over the fans of Japan and Senegal. These were selected as finalists for their order and respect to live healthy with rival hobbies and to clean the stadiums after the matches of their respective teams. In LatinAmerican Post we ask: What are the Latin American fans that are nominated to the FIFA Fan Award?
The finalists for the 2018 Hobby Award are …
Sebastián Carrera @DPMChile
Japan and Senegal fans @jfa_samuraiblue @FootballSenegal
Peru fans @SeleccionPeru #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/v1fqvFaEEb
– FIFA.com in Spanish (@fifacom_es) September 3, 2018
The lonely Chilean
Puerto Montt Sports Club, from the homonymous city, in Chile, has one of the best fans in the world: Sebastián Carrera. In October 2017, the Chilean decided to travel to see his team play a game valid for the second division of the southern country. The trip lasted almost two days and he had to do all alone.
According to The Best Fan Award, it was expected that no visiting fan would attend the match between Coquimbo Unido and Deportivo Puerto Montt of the First B of Chile since the latter had to cover a total of 3,000 km taking IGNORE INTO account the round trip. However, Sebastián Carrera was the only visiting fan who agreed to take that journey, so the local club had to open all a grandstand for him.
Sebastián Carrera witnessed the match in extreme loneliness in that stand, but it was worth it. Deportivo Montt won the game with a score of 1 to 2. "This win is for you, thank you for trusting us and follow us here no matter what, you left everything for your team," said Juan Palo Abarzúa, player who belonged at the time to Deportivo Montt, on his twitter, accompanying his words with a photo of Sebastian leaning alone in the stands.
Este triunfo es para ti ,gracias por confiar en nosotros y seguirnos hasta acá sin importar nada,dejaste todo por tu equipo @DPMChilepic.twitter.com/QmR26Ze3yg
— Juan Pablo Abarzúa (@juampa_abarzua) 23 de octubre de 2017
Sebastián is the clear example that love for a football team can be unconditional and that there is no excuse to go and support him anywhere. "It was two days of travel, important for me. But it's not the first time I've come, it's like the sixth one. It's a very long, tiring and exhausting trip, but that does not stop it from being important to come and see my team, which is the most important thing, to support it and shout at the end of the game," Sebastián said in an interview with the Primera B Chile portal. "Being here with my team is like being with my family because we carry inside the heart the "Albiverde"," added the Chilean amateur.
The exodus of 40 thousand Peruvians for fulfilling a dream
36 long years had to wait for Peru to return to a World Cup, so qualifying Russia 2018 meant the opportunity for almost 40 thousand Peruvians to fulfill the dream of attending a World Cup.
According to The Best Fan Award, the 3 matches played by the Redheaded in Russia were an exceptional celebration, because the clamor, enthusiasm, and sympathy of all Peruvians stole the hearts of the host country and all participating countries.
The color and emotion that Peru printed at the World Cup were impressive, so much that even the country that was the champion of the competition highlighted the power and tireless encouragement of Peruvian fans.
"Throughout the game, the Peruvian public supported their team without stopping, the voice broken and the fist held high, helped by some strident "klaxon" It was not the Central Stadium of Yekaterinburg, it was the National Stadium of Lima", said the French newspaper L'Équipe after the match between the Peruvian team and "Les Bleus." The song "Contigo Perú" also served enormously to highlight the Peruvian fans and take it to the final of this award.
We were #LaMejorHinchadaDelMundo in Russia and that's why FIFA chose us as finalists for the 2018 Hobby Award
Sign up and vote for all those who left their souls on and off the pitch https://t.co/W4WeBUF2MC #ArribaPeru pic.twitter.com/YCeG9nzNBC
– Peruvian Selection (@SeleccionPeru) September 3, 2018
Latin America has various nominations at this year's The Best awards thanks to these two great examples of fans, but also thanks to some players. Brazilian forward Marta is the finalist in the Best Player category, and Argentine striker Lionel Messi along with Uruguayan midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta are two of the ten finalists in the Puskás Prize for the best goal of the year. On September 24 in London, it will be known if these Latin Americans will raise such honorable prizes.
LatinAmerican Post | Javier Aldana
Translated from: '¡Podemos ser los mejores! Hinchas latinoamericanos son nominados al premio FIFA'