6 minute read
Football united
As supporters finally return to the terraces, photographer Jane Stockdale shares moments she’s captured from matches around the world, showing celebration, defeat, and the spirit that unites all fans: their love of the game
FANS IN FOCUS FOOTBALL UNITED
WORLD CUP 2014: ARGENTINA VS NETHERLANDS COPACABANA BEACH, BRAZIL “This is the moment Argentina made it through to the World Cup final on penalties. The beach erupted. Everywhere, people exploded with happiness.”
“In my hometown in Scotland, there’s a sign above a pub that reads: ‘There are no strangers here, only friends who’ve never met.’ That’s my philosophy in life. I’ve documented people who might not know each other – on band tours, behind the scenes at Wimbledon, and at multiple FIFA World Cups – capturing extreme moments of shared emotion. In 2014, I wanted to shoot a crowd project at the Commonwealth Games. I made three applications, but my idea was turned down every time, so I thought, ‘Where is the best place to document crowds?’ The result became my project Watching the World Cup, in which I saw the tournament in Brazil through the eyes of the fans [in different settings] – from a farm to the favelas, from the beach to an A&E department. My Brazilian flatmates Cass and Gabriel, together with loads of other Brazilian pals, helped make this happen.”
WORLD CUP 2014: BRAZIL VS GERMANY RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
“I’ll never forget this semi-final. We were at a friend’s house in [favela complex] Complexo de Alemão, along with four generations of their family. Sound systems had been set up around the favela for a massive baile funk [Rio hip-hop] party, with fireworks ready for when Brazil won. Then they lost. It was humiliating, devastating. At half-time, we moved to a bar filled with only Brazilians. There had been a [police] shoot-out the week before and two people had died, so things felt on edge. At 5-0 in the match, everyone was in disbelief. At 6-0, I felt so bad I bought a round of drinks for everyone. By 7-0, everyone was cheering on Germany. This local, Dona Zefa, sat outside her house watching on a tiny TV. She’d seen Brazil win the World Cup five times. Now, on home turf, they lost 7-1. The party that night was unforgettable. It rained for three days afterwards and felt like Brazil was crying.”
“I’ve never hugged so many crying Argentinians as I did the night when Argentina lost the final to Germany. It felt like the world had ended again. In one moment, so many hopes and dreams were crushed. I tried to console them by saying I was from Scotland and we haven’t made it to a World Cup for 20 years.”
REIGER BOYS SOCCER CLUB, NETHERLANDS, 2018 “In 2018, the Netherlands didn’t qualify for the World Cup. The Dutch fans bring such good vibes to the tournament, so I was asked by their sponsor ING to shoot a very humble and honest reportage that went ‘back to basics’ and captured genuine football moments across the Netherlands from north to south, big cities to small towns, back gardens to stadiums – all the people who make football what it is, from the players to the coaches and volunteers handing out lemonade. The photos were shot for a TV ad, a ‘pep talk’ to the nation with the line, ‘Come on, out you go. Never giving up. Just play football.’ More than a million people watched it.”
RONALDO, GORKY PARK, MOSCOW, 2018
“With the World Cup in Moscow looming, Nike commissioned me to document the launch of Nike Box MSK [a sports centre in Gorky Park]. Also there was Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who was in town to open the World Cup by walking the ball onto the pitch. I got to tell him just how much I love Brazil. He’s a super-lovely guy and it was a dream to be in Moscow for the World Cup.”
WORLD CUP 2018: ENGLAND VS CROATIA LUZHNIKI STADIUM, MOSCOW
“It was near impossible to get a ticket for this semi-final, but you only live once, so I spent an eye-watering amount buying one from a 60-year-old Chilean dentist. My bank wouldn’t let me take out such a huge sum of money, so he had to trust that I would meet him at the stadium with the cash. The seat was right at the back, with a rubbish view. After the first half, I knew I had to be with the England fans. The security was super-strict and I’m only small, so I bought two pints of beer and walked up, saying in Russian, “I’m from Scotland,” and they let me through. I ended up documenting the second half in front of the England band, next to [England goalkeeper] Jordan Pickford’s mates from his time playing with Sunderland FC as a teenager. He’d flown them all to Moscow for support.”
WORLD CUP 2018 FINAL: FRANCE VS CROATIA EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS “After France made it to the final, it was impossible to get a ticket in Moscow. The next best thing was to document the vibes either on the streets of Zagreb or in Paris. After that 2014 night in Rio when Argentina lost, I really wanted to capture the feeling of a team who’d won. I flipped a coin and Paris came up. I landed on the morning of the match. The energy was intense. More than a million people partied on the Champs-Élysées. On the way back to my hotel, I had to walk through a wall of tear gas and riot police. But it was worth it.”
“When I arrived for the final, the area was already packed and the police had shut it off, but after explaining to them – in French-Scottish – that I’d just landed from Moscow, they made an exception and let me in. I’d always wanted to be in a city when they won the World Cup, so it felt like a dream to be there.”
CELTIC PARK, GLASGOW
“On my return from the 2014 World Cup, I decided to make a website so people could relive the experience through the eyes of the fans. I edited it on the plane, my friends helped (thank you to Damo for writing the text, and Sofia and Matteo for designing and coding it at lightning speed) and we launched it the moment we landed. More than 200,000 people saw it and sent positive vibes from across the world, so we turned it into a book. I ended my project by saying, ‘Fingers crossed Scotland will qualify again one day.’ That day is here: Scotland are in the Euros.” watchingtheworldcup.com
