The World Cup will soon see Mexico launch its campaign against Iran, Angola, and Portugal. And the forthcoming Mexican elections will see the candidates launch their campaigns. Except that the electorate could care less about the elections while the WC is on. Jared Borgetti’s performance is more important than what Felipe Calderon of the NAP or Manuel Obrador of the PRI have to say about their vision for Mexico.
But being politicians, they have climbed onto the soccer bandwagon and are trying to out do each other in their love for soccer, guessing rightly that the candidate who can best put up that impression will go favorably with the soocer mad electorate of Mexico and vote them in on July 2nd.
Some soccer campaign themes:
Felipe Calderon, the bespectacled lawyer and economist representing outgoing President Vicente Fox’s conservative National Action Party, has made the sport a campaign theme. Calderon has compared himself to Mexico’s world champion under-17 national team. His campaign has staged soccer games where he shows off his ball-handling skills for the media.
Roberto Madrazo, whose Institutional Revolutionary Party controlled Mexico’s presidency from 1929 until losing to Fox in 2000, plans to fill soccer stadiums with screaming supporters watching the national team play on big screens.
“We have taken it into consideration and circled the dates of the World Cup,” he told The Associated Press.
Mexico and soccer politics over here