AT YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, CROWDS TURN OUT TO BOO

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 005343 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/NGA; NEA/ENA; NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/FO; CA; DS/IP/NEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ASEC KPAO TC SUBJECT: AT YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, CROWDS TURN OUT TO BOO U.S. TEAM ¶1. SUMMARY AND COMMENT: AFTER BATTLING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND OF THE FEDERATION DE INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION'S (FIFA) WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER 20),THE US TEAM LOST A HEARTBREAKER IN ABU DHABI TO REIGNING CHAMPION ARGENTINA, 2 TO 1 IN SUDDEN DEATH. THE STORY OF THE GAMES, HOWEVER, WAS NOT THE AMAZING PLAY OF THE US SIDE. WHILE SUPPORT FROM THE UAE GOVERNMENT AND FIFA ORGANIZING COMMITTEE WERE OUTSTANDING AS USUAL, CROWDS TURNED OUT TO JEER THE YOUNG AMERICAN TEAM DURING THEIR LAST GAME, INCLUDING BOOING THE US NATIONAL ANTHEM. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. ¶2. THE UAE GOVERNMENT AND THE UAE'S FIFA ORGANIZING COMMITTEE SUPPORTED THE US TEAM SUPERBLY THROUGHOUT THE GAMES. THIS SUPPORT INCLUDED LODGING THE US TEAM AT THE EXTRAVAGANT UAE OFFICERS CLUB, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SECURITY FOR ALL US TEAM EVENTS, AND FACILITATING A SEPARATE, POLICE-CORDONED SECTION FOR AMERICANS AT THE US GAMES. THE TEAM ALSO APPRECIATED THE TDY DS AGENT THAT DIPLOMATIC SECURITY PROVIDED TO ENSURE THE TEAM'S PERSONAL SECURITY AT ALL TIMES. MOST SPECIAL TO THE TEAM, HOWEVER, WAS THE PRIVATE BUT LAVISH TURKEY DINNER THE OFFICERS CLUB PROVIDED PLAYERS AND COACHES ON THANKSGIVING. ¶3. THE FIFA WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP GOT UNDERWAY IN THE UAE WITH A FESTIVE OPENING CEREMONY IN ABU DHABI ON NOVEMBER 27. THE UAE'S WEALTHY ELITE PURCHASED TICKETS FOR ALL GAMES AND GAVE THEM TO ALL WHO APPEARED, THUS ALLOWING ATTENDANCE BY LARGE NUMBERS OF EXPAT LABORERS, MANY OF WHOM COULD NOT AFFORD SIMILAR EVENTS. DESPITE A GROUP THAT INCLUDED GERMANY, PARAGUAY, AND SOUTH KOREA, THE US TEAM WON TWO OF ITS THREE FIRST-ROUND MATCHES IN ABU DHABI TO ADVANCE TO ROUND TWO. THESE FIRST-ROUND MATCHES WERE RELATIVELY QUIET, ATTENDED MOSTLY IN SMALL NUMBERS BY NATIONAL FANS OF THE COMPETING TEAMS. ¶4. HOWEVER, THIS CHANGED WHEN THE US TEAM PLAYED THE HEAVILY FAVORED ARGENTINE SQUAD IN ROUND TWO. IN THIS GAME, THE US TEAM PLAYED A DEFENSIVE MATCH HIGHLIGHTED BY A NUMBER OF ATTACKS TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FIELD. AHEAD BY A SINGLE GOAL, THE US DEFENSE HELD THE ARGENTINES SCORELESS NEARLY THE ENTIRE GAME. HOWEVER, THE US SURRENDERED A GOAL IN THE FINAL SECONDS OF STOPPAGE TIME TO SET UP OVERTIME. FOLLOWING A DISPUTED CALL TO SET UP A PENALTY KICK, ARGENTINA SQUEAKED THE WINNING GOAL OFF THE FINGERTIPS OF THE DIVING US GOALKEEPER. ¶5. COMMENT: APPROXIMATELY 20,000 SOCCER FANS, A MIXTURE OF SOUTH ASIANS, ARABS, AND EMIRATIS, BOOED THE AMERICANS AT EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY. AFTER DROWNING OUT THE U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH THEIR JEERS, THE FANS CHEERED EACH US MISFORTUNE ON THE FIELD. THIS OPEN PUBLIC REACTION DEMONSTRATES THAT TENSIONS AND ANTI-AMERICAN ATTITUDES STILL RUN HOT, EVEN IN THE RELATIVELY CALM UAE. ¶6. ONE BRIGHT SPOT IN THIS UNFRIENDLY CROWD WAS THE NUMBER OF IRAQIS WHO TURNED OUT FOR THE GAMES, SAT WITH AMERICANS, AND CHEERED THE US TEAM. SEVERAL IRAQIS BROUGHT ALONG US AND NEW IRAQI FLAGS TO THE US GAMES AGAINST ARGENTINA AND GERMANY. DURING THE GAME, THEY PROUDLY WAVED BOTH IN FRONT OF THE JEERING CROWDS. A PICTURE OF AN IRAQI FAMILY WAVING THEIR NEW FLAG NEXT TO AN AMERICAN ONE AT THE ARGENTINE GAME APPEARED IN THE UAE'S LOCAL ARABIC AND ENGLISH DAILIES ON DECEMBER 14. END COMMENT. WAHBA