BRASILIA // Contrary to popular opinion, there is a time and a place for Mexican waves.
If a football match is dull, by all means wave away. If the game has not yet started or has stopped for a water break: no problem.
However, if a match is underway, fast-paced and brimming with flamboyance, a wave should never be necessary.
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At least that was my opinion in Estadio Mane Garrincha during the opening exchanges of Colombia’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
As the first of two or three circulations approached, the spectators’ obvious desire to create a wave grated. The game was proving engrossing and enjoyable; if vocal support was required, fans merely had to focus on the pitch.
Yet it soon became apparent that a Colombian wave is a different species to its Mexican neighbour up the road.
As the swell neared, the South American fans stamped their feet and banged their seats with their fists to create an increasingly violent tremor.
By the time the wave arrived at the press box, laptops were shaking, TV monitors were vibrating and at least two media members were swept up in the sea of yellow.
If the atmosphere proved intimidating for the fans, it is difficult to fathom how it must have felt for the players.
Pre-match, the Ivory Coast manager had said his team were expecting to face 90 per cent Colombians. He underestimated.
Yellow shirts were everywhere and a few bushy blonde Carlos Valderrama-style wigs were evident too. A man dressed as a blue-and-red bird and swinging precariously from the front of one of the stands brought back fantastic memories of watching similar on TV at the 1990 tournament.
It all inspired the Colombians, who drove forward almost as intensely as the wave that spurred them on.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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