The tradition of holding a farewell ceremony for sides leaving for major tournaments is not new, but in the social media age it seems countries are coming up with ever more extravagant ways of making their mark — often making a cultural point in the process.
Baptising a whole airliner, a 100-vehicle convoy and a team-bonding meal in an empty stadium… World Cup teams have been enjoying some memorable send-offs in the past week.
Panama
The Panama national team’s plane received a traditional aviation “baptism”—a water salute from fire trucks forming an arc on the tarmac—before departing from Tocumen International Airport for the United States for the World Cup.
The special send-off included a specifically decorated Copa Airlines aircraft, showcasing team colors and a custom design from winners of a national contest. This ceremonial “baptism” is meant to wish the team a safe journey, good luck, and success in the tournament
Brazil
Perhaps no surprise, then, that the aircraft taking the squad to New Jersey was given a traditional ‘baptism’ before take-off at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeao airport.
The process involves two fire trucks either side of the plane creating a water arch, which the jet passes under on the runway. It was duly repeated when it landed at Newark International Airport on Tuesday.
The symbolic blessing is an aviation tradition, which sometimes takes place before important trips or maiden flights.
Turkey
Not to be outdone, Turkey is another football-obsessed nation which ensured the national team got a special farewell. The players’ coach journey to the airport in Istanbul was followed by a convoy of more than 100 vehicles decorated in the red of the national flag, horns blaring as they crossed the Bosphorus.
The spectacular motorcade of cars, jeeps and motorbikes — provided by team sponsor and smart car manufacturer Togg — accompanied the players on roads which had been closed, across Istanbul’s Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, before arriving at the airport where football federation president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu gave them all an individual good luck message as they boarded their flight.
Senegal
In Dakar, the meal organised for Senegal’s players and staff in the capital’s Abdoulaye Wade stadium made its own point.
The 50,000-capacity ground was empty as the team sat on long tables in the middle of the pitch, dining on traditional Senegalese dishes as a musician played songs on a Kora, a 21-string harp-like instrument.
Argentina
In Argentina, the pale-blue-and-white plane taking the team and its iconic star Lionel Messi to Kansas City featured a decorative nod to the Inter Miami star. Its tail was emblazoned with his famous No 10, and three gold stars laid out on the undercarriage represented the team’s hat-trick of World Cup final victories. Even the jet’s 1978 flight number was deliberate: a tribute to the 1978 World Cup that Argentina won as the host nation.
Cape Verde
First-time qualifiers Cape Verde were also in high spirits. The team nicknamed the ‘Blue Sharks’ seemed intent on enjoying every moment of their first trip to a World Cup. After coach stops around the small Atlantic archipelago to see fans in the streets, the team were later filmed dancing to music on their Boston-bound plane before take off.
Paraguay
In Paraguay, the squad’s farewell also attracted the country’s leader. President Santiago Pena, who declared a national public holiday when the team secured qualification last September, saw the players off after the official opening of their new national high-performance centre in Ypane.
Iran
Yet perhaps the most poignant farewell actually came last month in Tehran last month. Thousands of fans attended a departure rally for Iran’s squad in Enqelab Square, shouting “death to America”, with the team flying to a training camp in Turkey before travelling on to North America.
Iran, still locked in a military conflict with the U.S. and Israel, are waiting for confirmation of their American visas.
Source: nytimes.com
