TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- For a few minutes on Friday night, Honduran interim president Roberto Micheletti sounded happy to be talking with a reporter about something other than the political crisis which has engulfed his country.
Micheletti is a soccer fan, and tonight in San Pedro Sula, the Honduran national team plays its most important game in 27 years, a World Cup qualifier against the United States. If Honduras wins, it will almost certainly clinch a World Cup berth for the first time since 1982. And Micheletti, for his part, thinks his Catrachos will do more than just win.
"Honduras 4, United States 0!" Micheletti told me in Spanish. "The heart of the Hondurans is bigger than ever!"
Micheletti has a lot on his plate these days. With mediation from the Organization of American States, his aides met this week with representatives of Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed as president on June 28. Zelaya snuck back into Honduras on Sept. 21 and has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy here ever since. No other countries, including the U.S., have recognized Micheletti's regime.
Even though no resolution to the standoff has been reached, Honduras will put aside politics for 90 minutes tonight to support their national team. "Soccer unites all Hondurans," Micheletti explained during our 10-minute conversation, "without distinction among classes, political parties, religion or race. Soccer brings everyone together."
"We still remember our national team from 1982, and we Hondurans all live with the dream of returning to the World Cup. Let's hope that God gives us the opportunity to achieve this goal, which we'd do by beating the Gringos and the Salvadorans [on Wednesday]."
A fan of two Honduran clubs (Real España and Motagua) who says he still plays soccer once or twice a year, Micheletti won't be at the stadium tonight, but he did say that he would be watching the game in his living room at home. "I have to watch at home because I scream a lot at the TV," he said.
The de facto president is no dummy: He knows that a Honduras win tonight will be good from him politically. But he also seemed to be a genuine fan, naming off several of his favorite Honduran players, including Carlos Pavón, Carlos Costly, David Suazo and Ramón Núñez, and he seemed more than a little bullish about tonight's game.
"We have players from international clubs on our team, and therefore we have a lot of confidence, hope and faith that we will achieve this victory," he told me. "But I want to wish both teams luck, that they play a clean game and that for a moment we can forget any sadness [in the country] and enjoy a great soccer game."
And if Honduras qualifies for the World Cup? "I'll call a national holiday," said Micheletti. "We are going to celebrate!"
***
Friday was an odd day for me. One moment I was speaking with the man who runs Honduras, and another moment I was being robbed at gunpoint in Tegucigalpa.
My idea had been to drive from San Pedro Sula about 150 miles southeast to the capital, stopping to interview people along the way about the significance of the Honduran soccer team's success during a time of deep divisions within the country.
And that's exactly what I did. I spoke to businessmen in San Pedro Sula, gas-station workers in Comayagua and even a clown that I encountered on the side of the road in a dusty town outside Tegucigalpa. (The man, whose nom de clown is Chiquitón, said he'd be watching the game. He also said that he clowns at birthday parties, Christmas celebrations and even funerals.)
Along the way I discovered that Honduras is a beautiful country, with forest-green mountains, gorgeous lakes and friendly people.
Except, perhaps, for one. On Friday afternoon, I ventured to the embassy district of Tegucigalpa, where hundreds of gun-toting police have surrounded the Brazilian embassy (and its occupant Zelaya). The police chief gave me the clearance to interview some soccer-loving police officers, whose scowls melted into smiles as they talked of getting a few hours off from work to watch USA-Honduras.
After we finished, I started walking back to my car, which I had parked a few blocks away in what appeared to be a safe part of town a stone's throw from the U.S. embassy. And then, in broad daylight, with hundreds of police officers only a couple hundred yards away, a 20-something male ran up behind me, pulled out a gun, and threatened to kill me if I didn't give him my things.
I've had experience working in some hairy situations -- from a week in Nigeria to a drive across Mexico, from a story near the Israeli-Lebanese border to a road-trip with hardcore soccer fans in Argentina -- but I had never been threatened with a gun before.
I gave him my wallet and iPhone, and thankfully he disappeared down the aptly named Avenida de Paz (Peace).
But I did survive, chastened and a bit embarrassed. Interim president Micheletti apologized for the robbery and said that it no doubt was a Zelaya supporter.
Check back before and during tonight's game to Grant Wahl's live commentary from San Pedro Sula on Twitter.
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Comments (24) Add A Comment
Nice last paragraph, brother. Now please: take care of yourself.
stevie in GP
Washington , DC
Total Comments (3)
Glad you're ok, hope this means you'll still be twittering from the match for us TV deprived American fans here in the USA.
CSwan
Total Comments (3)
"Micheletti won't be at the stadium tonight, but he did say that he would be watching the game in his living room at home."
Wow, that must be nice.
thegoche
Nashville , TN
Total Comments (1)
I hope our country (US) will soon recognize President Micheletti as the rightful leader of Honduras. They had every legal right to remove Zelaya after his illegal/unconstitutional actions. If we don't want Honduras to become the next Venezuela, then we need to support Micheletti. Zalaya tried to limit the power of the rest of government and was taking steps towards becoming a dictator.
JayDoc
Total Comments (4)
Well said.
FulhamFTW
Total Comments (79)
Did you really have to throw in that Micheletti said that the robber was probably a Zelaya supporter? I know it's tough to get robbed, but I doubt his intent to rob you had anything to do with politics.
As for Micheletti, what better way to appease the masses than using the veil of nationalism. Sure he can be a fan, but man Honduras needs more than a soccer fan president. If he didn't want to deal with the Zelaya incident maybe he shouldn't have ousted the president then.
At least in light of the match, a win would be good for a country that needs a boost.
NYAztec
Queens, NY
Total Comments (12)
Hey Grant- I always enjoy your US Soccer columns. Glad you weren't harmed- I hope it doesn't affect your desire to cover our National Team.
Ebbet
Brooklyn , NY
Total Comments (4)
Grant - always a fan. I should note, though, that as a Nigerian-American, I find it insensitive to the point of stereotype to suggest that working a week in Nigeria alone constitutes a "hairy situation". Surely, many of the 150 million folks spread around that country go by week after week, with nary a hairy situation. As with any where else, some parts are safer than others - and many, many parts are absolutely, positively peaceful and safe. The absurdly cheerful lot that Nigerians are, I bet you met a lot of kind and smiling faces.
It is not fair to dismissively drop in this sort of a reference without any context as it only serves to perpetuate stereotypes. I will take the liberty to say the same holds true for a "drive across Mexico". Its 2009 and "yes we can" do better. One Nigerian fan's 2 cents.
yeahdawg
Elmhurst , NY
Total Comments (20)
Grant - always a fan. I should note, though, that as a Nigerian-American, I find it insensitive to the point of stereotype to suggest that working a week in Nigeria alone constitutes a "hairy situation". Surely, many of the 150 million folks spread around that country go by week after week, with nary a hairy situation. As with any where else, some parts are safer than others - and many, many parts are absolutely, positively peaceful and safe. The absurdly cheerful lot that Nigerians are, I bet you met a lot of kind and smiling faces.
It is not fair to dismissively drop in this sort of a reference without any context as it only serves to perpetuate stereotypes. I will take the liberty to say the same holds true for a "drive across Mexico". Its 2009 and "yes we can" do better. One Nigerian fan's 2 cents.
yeahdawg
Elmhurst , NY
Total Comments (20)
Unless you met Zelaya, you didn't meet the Honduran president.
Tshalla
Total Comments (54)
Hey man, I saw District 9.
danielkevin
Austin , TX
Total Comments (59)
@DanielKevin -
Yeah, Distict 9 was chock full of the same nonsense as well. Its bad enuf the country gets flak for the scams (somewhat deservedly, even though its silly to generalize across a country of 150 million folks) but when stuff is just thrown around callously, its a bit too much. A bunch of our soccer team (Gooch, edu) are from the place so it can't be that bad right?
yeahdawg
Elmhurst , NY
Total Comments (20)
wow, Grant. Glad for you AND your wife you are safe. Blessings to you for the rest of your time there.
BlueWhiteLion
Total Comments (451)
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Big Phil: B.o.B.
Atlanta, GA
Total Comments (2360)
You must be an Obamaniac. Completely unaware of international affairs. Zelaya was removed as per the country's constitution.
Sleeper
Total Comments (112)
Great column. When I was in Honduras, I thought it was the most beautiful country I've ever walked on. I like how your columns maintain to be apolitical. Its a great feature.
Big Chaco
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (1562)
lmao.
serotonin
Total Comments (715)
Here's a thought:
Maybe you should wonder why Gooch and Maurice's parents *left*?
Nigeria, like most of Africa's countries, suffers from intermittent to-the-point-of-routine turmoil. Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant social irregularities and violence.
Sure, there are parts of the country which are no doubt reliably peaceful, and the country isn't continually war-torn or suffering from genocidal tribal conflicts (unlike some of its neighbors). But Nigeria has had a rough enough recent history, relatively speaking, that Wahl's off-hand comment is not unjustified.
Besides, #8 doesn't even have any idea where Wahl went in Nigeria, or when. As I said, strife in Nigeria has been recently common enough that Wahl could have easily been there during a troubled period, thus justifying the wary tone of his recollection of the event.
#8 accuses Wahl of being insensitive, but I would accuse #8 of being oversensitive.
serotonin
Total Comments (715)
This guy also probably thinks Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize he was nominated for only 11 days into his term.
serotonin
Total Comments (715)
Gee, you think?
(get a sense of humor, dude)
serotonin
Total Comments (715)
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