What's the ethical football fan to do?

Posted By James Forsyth Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 10:25 AM Share

WorldCuplogo If you haven't been turned off the World Cup by the spanking the Czechs handed out to Team USA, you might want to check out this site from the World Development Movement. It tells you which team to root for in each game. Apparently, today you should be going for the Ukrainians against the Spanish, the Tunisians when they face the Saudis, and the Poles when they take on the hosts.

This site strikes me as slightly flawed—and I’m not just saying that because it calls England the 27th most supportable team in the tournament. I must admit that my loyalties are driven less by ethical considerations than by my gut.

But on the political issue of whether we should cheer for Iran, I come down on the "yes" side. I think whatever benefits the football-supporting Ahmadinejad may hope to derive from victory are far outweighed by the benefits of engagement, showing the Iranians that life doesn't have to be this way.

(I was quite surprised by how much I ended up wanting them to hold on against Mexico). It'd be irresponsible of me not to point out to those of you less well acquainted with the passions the beautiful game creates that it wouldn't be wise to suggest to anyone that they should be supporting their opponents based on these rankings. And on Thursday, the fact that Trinidad and Tobago are 15th and England 27th will mean precisely nothing to me for 90 minutes.

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