The EZLN’s utopian soccer
When the Zapatistas emerge from the tunnel and step onto the pitch, the crowd breaks into a chant: “E-Zeta-Ele-Ene! E-Zeta-Ele-Ene!” Enthusiasm is overwhelming for a team of 11 diminutive men who arrive wearing their inevitable balaclavas and shorts and jerseys that are far too large for them. From the start the match is uneven. Soldiers of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) face a side of veteran Mexico footballers captained by Javier Aguirre, “El Vasco.” It is an unusual Monday, March 15, 1999. The event draws 6,000 people to the Jesús Martínez Palillo stadium in downtown Mexico City. Contemporary accounts say the Zapatistas were thin, dark-skinned and no taller than 1.65 meters, and they didn’t even warm up before the match. They were about to chase the ball in their military boots, but several fans sympathized and lent them pairs of sneakers.
