Football passion high in the 'zone'

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

The Sportsmax Zone in New Kingston was the place to be yesterday for local football fans as the Netherlands tackled Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in South Africa.

With the Brazilian team the favourites for most Jamaicans, the popular venue was filled to capacity well before the scheduled 9 a.m. start.

The excitement reached fever pitch from very early. Six minutes into the game, the mostly Brazilian supporters erupted when they believed Robinho had given the five-time World Cup winners the lead, only for their jubilation to be punctured by the assistant referee's flag, as he was adjudged to be offside.

The predominantly yellow-clad spectators were not to be denied, however, and neither was Robinho as he scored in the 10th minute to give the supporters reason to celebrate. And celebrate they did; as there were dancing, screaming and hugs in abundance.

Constant, light chatter floated throughout the 'zone' and increased in decibels with each moment of excitement. During the half-time break, not many persons ventured from their seats as they transformed from mere spectators into expert analysts.

locked in debate

The pair of Jason and Nicky Hall were locked in debate during the break as they attempted to predict what would be the final score.

" … I am cheering for the Netherlands and I thought it would be good to have my husband come into an environment where he has fellow Brazilian supporters and he wouldn't feel too overwhelmed when we (Netherlands) win the match eventually," said Nicky Hall. "I think it is a great venue, especially the big screen; it is always good to watch football with a lot of people," Jason added.

When the second half got under way, the Dutch supporters, who were fairly subdued during the first half, found their voices in the 53rd minute when Felipe Melo's header found its way into his own goal to pull the Netherlands level. They then experienced pure ecstasy when Wesley Sneijder netted what turned out to be the winner in the 68th minute.

The pendulum did not only shift in the game but also in the zone as the Dutch supporters applauded every thwarted Brazilian attack and bellowed "ball them, Oranje" each time the orange-clad Netherlands team launched an attack of their own.

Many Brazilian fans were in disbelief after the game. Kevin Johnson sat glued to his seat.

"Words can't express how I feel right now because coming into the game, I was very confident that Brazil were going to go through," said Johnson. "Now Brazil are out; my World Cup is basically over. I will still watch it and it would be nice if a South American team can still carry home the cup," he added.

SportsMax's regional marketing manager, Tanya Lee, was there among the fans and she explained the reason for the creation of the zone.

"SportsMax is always keen on creating the ultimate sporting experience and we believe that watching the game is important and the way that you watch the game is important," said Lee. "We have had overwhelming response since we have been open, to the point where we have had to put a control mechanism in place and start charging for entry," she added.