THIS football World Cup is barely a week old, but already Latin America has stolen the limelight. There have been memorable performances on the pitch: Mexico’s humbling of Germany, Peru outplaying Denmark but contriving to lose, flashes of magic from Brazil and three goals for Diego Costa, Spain’s Brazilian-born striker. There have been shocks, too, such as Argentina’s draw with Iceland and a battling ten-man Colombia losing to Japan. But more than the players, it is the fans who have caught the eye.

Multitudes of Latin Americans have packed the stadiums in deepest Russia as if they were attending home games. According to FIFA, the organisers, five of the seven countries that (after Russia itself) snapped up most tickets in advance were Latin American. They were Brazil (73,000), Colombia (65,000), Mexico (60,000), Argentina (54,000) and Peru (44,000). Many of the fans from the United States (89,000), too, are Latinos who may support their countries of origin, and to them should be added Latino…Continue reading
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