Colombia Qualifies for the 'Other' World Cup

Colombia's Women's Team: On their way to the Olympics and the World Cup, in case you didn't notice. (Photo: El Tiempo)

Even as Colombia continues to feel the glow from its run in the football World Cup, and the country's self-esteem seems to be pegged to James Rodriguez's performance for Real Madrid, Colombia's qualifying for the Women's World Cup, to be held next year in Canada, received scant attention.

The women qualified by finishing second, after Brazil, in the Copa America, played in Ecuador. At the same time, they also qualified for the Olympics and Panamerican Games.

This is the second time the Colombia women have qualified, and in at least one sense it's a greater achievement than the men's qualifying, since there are places for far fewer teams (but fewer nations field women's teams). Colombia may stand a better chance at winning the women's cup, since the field appears more open than on the men's side, where a few elite teams dominate. In women's international soccer Brazil and Germany also do well, but Norway, Japan and the United States have all won women's cups, and even China and Canada have placed high.

A big boost for Colombian and Latin American women's soccer would be the creation of professional leagues. Women's leagues do exist in Europe, and one is struggling to survive in the U.S., but they receive minimal attention.

While a few Colombian women athletes have become heroines, it's perhaps a sad commentary that the greatest attention women athletes have received recently was for the supposedly suggestive colors of the women's cycling team's uniform.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Bite of Luck for Colombia

Italian player Giorgio Chiellini shows his shoulder, bitten by Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.

When Uruguay's star striker Luis Suarez bit an Italian opponent, he did Colombia a big favor. When the teams play tomorrow in the World Cup's first elimination round, Uruguay will be missing the man who scored its two goals against England.

Suarez holds his teeth after attempting live cannibalism.

The loss is a boost for Colombia, but only evens things out, since Colombia's own star striker, Falcao, is off the team because of a knee injury.

Suarez, meanwhile, has been welcomed back home as a hero. Uruguay's coach called FIFA's nine-game, two-month suspension of Suarez an unfair persecution pushed by the 'English-speaking media.' Perhaps that English-speaking media has a special prejudice against cannibals. A bit ironically, Suarez plays for Liverpool, in England.

A muzzle for Suarez? (Image: The Independent)

Some have suggested that Suarez needs therapy to control his aggression. But that aggression and lack
of inhibition is probably fundamental to his soccer prowess.

So far, Colombia has done great - but had a pretty easy run. Assuming a victory tomorrow, Colombia will next run up against the winner of the Brazil-Chile match, in other words, Brazil.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Futbol in sthe Park

Bogotá has been transmitting the soccer World Cup on big screens in several public parks, including Parque de la Independencia, in these photos. And folks have been turning out to watch - even in the rain.

I also saw a presence of police - or, at least, city crowd minders. That might be a good thing for Colombia's next victory, assuming there is one. After all, during the celebrations over Colombia's 3-0 trampling of Greece on Saturday 10 people were killed.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Santos's Campaign Secret: La Selección?

Pres. Santos and supporters celebrate his reelection victory. (Photo: El Tiempo)

Pres. Santos, it seems to me, ran a remarkably ineffective reelection campaign, despite impressive achievements to run on: The economy is growing at an almost 5% annually, unemployment is dropping, inflation is low, Santos has killed several important guerrilla leaders and the government-FARC peace negotiations are progressing.

Colombia beat Greece 3-0 on Saturday.

Nevertheless, just ten days ago some polls had Santos trailing right-wing candidate Oscár Iván Zuluaga - who until recently was almost unknown to Colombians - by as much as 10% in voters' intentions.

And then, today, Santos won reelection with a comfortable 6% margin.

What changed things? It wasn't the debates, in which Santos seemed to flail and Zuluaga made his arguments with confidence.

Members of Colombia's selección celebrating yesterday.
Pres. Santos had good reason to celebrate, too.

Perhaps continued progress in the peace negotiations helped, as did vigorous support from left-wing political leaders.

But a significant factor may have been Colombia's previous day's victory in the World Cup.

Before you shake your head, read this 2010 study 'Irrelevant events affect voters' evaluations of government performance,' which found that in United States elections, a victory by the local college (American) football team gave an incumbent politician an average 1.61% vote increase. The connection isn't rational, of course. But when a voter feels that things are going well generally, he or she can subconsciously transfer that sentiment to the local incumbent.

'Polls predict a Zuluaga victory in Colombia.'

'Big poll: Zuluaga 49% Santos 41%.'

'Santos 38%, Zuluaga 37%. 'The competition is head-to-head.'

Take that 1.6% number, add in the facts that this was Colombia's first World Cup appearance since 1998 and that the national team seems to represent Colombian patriotism, and it seems to me Santos' World Cup boost might have been 2 or 3%. In addition, a more enthusiastic public would tend to turn out to vote in higher numbers, which generally favors the more leftist candidate.

Arguing against a large football influence is the match's closeness to election date - by the day before the vote, most people have already made up their minds.

Still, it's hard to imagine that Colombia's resounding victory over Greece didn't make a difference of at least a point or two. Such a shift of votes from Zuluaga to Santos would at least have changed the election results from a tiny Santos victory to the minor mandate which he received.

Santos voters? Workers in Paloquemao market celebrate Colombia's World Cup victory.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

What's a Victory Good For?

Workers go crazy in Paloquemao market as Colombia scores its second goal. I'm afraid I suffered permanent hearing loss.

A few scenes of celebration - and futbol paraphernalia - in central Bogotá today during and after the Colombia-Greece football game, which Colombia one overwhelmingly.

Today, they're celebrating. Tomorrow, they'll wake up to a country that still has a civil war, lots of poverty, hunger and other troubles. Hopefully, the presidential election will get as much attention as this match did.

Dancing away outside the Universidad Nacional.

Employees of Paloquemao Market.

They're not subtle.

Celebrators from a nearby 'Canadian' language academy cross an overpass above Carrera 45 near the Universidad Nacional.

The academy celebrators near the Universidad Nacional cheer Colombia's victory. However, the sign they're carrying is about emigration to Canada. 

The mural on the Universidad Nacional campus says 'Rebel Football, dignified and popular.'

The girls and the puppy are all dressed in the Colombian uniform.

Selling pirated jerseys on San Victorino Plaza.

Workers in Paloquemao Market watch the big screen. If not for that screen, would they have come to work?

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Colombia Returns to the World Cup in Heroic Fashion

Colombian futbol fans poured into Ave. Jimenez - and surely many other parts of the city - after Colombia qualified for the 2014 World Cup in heroic style by coming back from a 0-3 deficit in the first half to tie Chile. Colombia had expected to earn three points by winning this home game. But the comeback displayed a psychological and physical fortitude worth more than a victory.

Shortly before I started taking pictures a group of football fans had climbed atop a TransMilenio bus and danced on its roof, which brought out the riot police.

Next year's World Cup in Brazil will be Colombia's first since 1998.

Tragically, the post-classification celebrations caused five deaths. Colombian football has been notably deadly during recent weeks, with several murders committed in fights between fans of professional teams.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Fantasy Football Rankings?

Can coach Jose Pekerman, an Argentinian,
bring back Colombia's glory days?

Barring collapse, Colombia will soon qualify for a direct spot in next year's Football World Cup - for the first time since 1998.

Colombia might just possibly be entering into another period of football glory, similar but healthier than the cocaine cartel-financed 1990s, when Colombia was one of the sport's giants. As a populous, soccer-crazy nation, Colombia has every right to rival Italy, Spain and Argentina.

But is Colombia there already? I don't think so, despite the national team's number five place in the FIFA's world rankings.

Does anybody really believe that Colombia is better than soccer monster Brazil, which has won five

Can it really be? FIFA ranks
 Colombia above Brazil!

world cups? Or perennial contender Netherlands? What about the United States, which looks to qualify easily this year? And is Colombia really better than every single African national team? After all, this is a team which just a few weeks ago lost to laggard Venezuela.

Colombians should be proud of their team's imminent qualifying (but without forgetting that education, health care, peace, child nutrition and many other things are more important than sports), but without being overconfident. One day, perhaps, Colombia will return to world football royalty.

We'll know a bit more after tomorrow's match against Chile in Barranquilla.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

World Cup Scenes

A human-sized Cup mascot on Plaza Bolívar.

Bogotá's dressed up for the Under-20 FIFA World Cup, taking place now until August 20th.  The cup's also spawned lots of merchandising on the city's streets. Here are a few scenes:

Watching a game on the side of the Colpatria Tower. 

Buy my birds!

Buy my stuff!

Flags for sale on Seventh Ave. 

Let Direct TV bring you the cup.

The red light district has also gotten into the act, including the La Piscina brothel. 

Another brothel shows its support - or tries to attract international customers. 

A huge screen on the side of La Torre Colpatria broadcasts the games. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours