Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Guadeloupe under World Cup spell

Friday, July 7, 2006

by: Danik Ibrahim Zandwonis
Caribbean Net News Guadeloupe Correspondent
Email: danik@caribbeannetnews.com

POINTE À PITRE, Guadeloupe: Early on Wednesday afternoon, the main streets of Pointe à Pitre, (the economic capital of the French island) were deserted. The match between the French national soccer team and Portugal stopped all economic and social life in the city.

However, when the referee whistled the end of the encounter, suddenly, life came back to town. Hundreds of cars with people displaying the red, white and blue French flag started driving around town expressing their joy.

This is a totally new phenomenon in this country. Guadeloupeans used to support Brazil, or some African teams, like Senegal, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast but times have changed now. Late in the evening people were still expressing their enthusiasm.

On Thursday morning, most French newspapers celebrated Lilian Thuram, the Guadeloupean born French defender, also named “Man of the Match” by FIFA’s technical team.

On Sunday, France will face Italy in the final but thousands of miles away from Munich Stadium, thousands of Guadeloupeans’ hearts will be beating. And everyone here will remember Thuram’s words: “If we fail this final, I couldn’t come back to Guadeloupe.”

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