MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands football fans favour England
?It's so sad that some Argentine football players talk of “revenge for the 1982 defeat”, as opposed to wanting to win the game for sporting reasons'. The thoughts of Julie Clarke, proprietor of the popular Globe Tavern bar in Stanley, where around 300 football fans are expected to stand, shoulder to shoulder, at 7-30 on Friday morning to watch the eagerly awaited Argentine ? England clash.
For the first time ever, Justices of the Peace in the Falklands have allowed Ms Clarke a special licence, which will enable her to open the Globe at 7-00 in the morning to sell alcohol, along with tea and coffee and a traditional English-style breakfast of eggs, bacon and beans.
Julie Clarke, whose son Martyn had soccer trials with Boca Juniors several years ago, paid ?a considerable amount of money' to have her own satellite dish erected. ?I have 6 channels devoted totally to the World Cup, and more than 100 people turned up to watch England play Sweden at 5-30 in the morning', she said.
The local radio station will have a link directly to the Globe and will live regular reports as the match progresses. The BBC in London has sent a reporter 8,000 miles, in order to capture the atmosphere, and one Argentine newspaper has recruited a local photographer to transmit pictures of the action in the Globe Tavern.
According to Ms. Clarke the Globe is colorfully decked out in Union flags for three reasons ? ?The Queens Golden Jubilee, the 20th anniversary of Liberation celebrations and of course England against Argentina'.
For several weeks it seemed that the Globe would be the only place where football fans could watch the match ?live' on television. However a late reversal of policy by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, means that viewers to the Military channel will also see some games ?live' including Friday mornings match.
The fact that several Argentine players have brought the events of 1982 into the equation, has annoyed and angered many of the Islands 2,300 inhabitants. ?Argentina invaded the peaceful Falklands 20 years ago, and were rightfully evicted by the British, so I am sad and disappointed that these young Argentine players should now speak of revenge', said Owen Thompson, a former Falklands football player.
Jimmy Curtis, the current Falklands national soccer captain, is looking for an improved England performance on Friday. ?No way can they play as badly as they did against Sweden. Sven Goran Ericson will have learned much from that game and will hopefully make the right changes. I am optimistic that England will win'.
Some British Servicemen living at the Mount Pleasant Military base have been given time off from their duties to watch the game. Corporal Geordie Mac from Newcastle predicts, ?a 2-1 win for England with Michael Owen and David Beckham scoring for England and Batistuta for Argentina'.
In Stanley haulage worker Colin Ford admits being concerned about the result. ?I just hope that the English players show as much spirit on Friday as the Irish did against Germany on Wednesday'. Asked if the game should be linked to events of 20 years ago, Mr. Ford a devoted Manchester United fan, said, ?Juan Veron's remarks about "history being involved" are out of order. The World Cup, and England against Argentina has no relevance to the war whatsoever ? this is sport'.
However the Argentine team will have the support of one person living in the Islands. 24 year old Chilean chef Journal (Tavo) Hidalgo predicts a 3-0 win for Argentina. ?I think Argentina will win and I want Argentina to win, because I support all the Latin American teams', he insisted.
Patrick Watts ? Port Stanley
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