The World Cup has produced many magical moments, and the Portugal-Croatia match in Toronto is one of them. The city’s huge Portuguese and Croatian communities have been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch their teams play.
Local Communities Come Together
Ontario is home to nearly 100,000 people of Croatian descent and more than 300,000 people of Portuguese descent. Many of them reside in the Greater Toronto Area, setting up a fitting backdrop for the match.
Carina Paradela, Director of Operations at the First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre of Toronto, said Portugal playing in the city was very special for the community. “But obviously everyone is super nervous because we want them to win!” Paradela said. “Since they’re all here next to us, we want to party!”
Soccer-Loving Cultures
Soccer is a massive part of Portuguese culture, helping families bond and diaspora community members feel a bit closer to home. “It’s just part of our culture so much that we always associate it with really nice moments,” Paradela said.
It is a similar story for Croatians, whose passion was on display last week when fans sporting red-and-white checkerboard jerseys took over the streets of Toronto ahead of their match against Panama.
Davor, owner of the Croatia Restaurant in Toronto, said of Thursday’s game, “We are expecting Croatians from all over the world to come to Toronto, so it is going to be like playing on home ground. We feel proud that we can host our national team here in Canada.”
Thursday brings a high-stakes battle between aging soccer greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, two former Real Madrid teammates and Ballon d’Or winners who have been the faces of their national teams for years.
One of them could play their last World Cup match on Thursday, but for many, the chance to experience a final salute to the fans is out of reach. Resale tickets crossed $3,000 after the match-up was confirmed.
Iva Grbesic, a Croatian Canadian who lives in Toronto, said, “This was a sport built on the backs of everyday working-class people and for them to be priced out is a travesty.”
While only one nation will be victorious on the pitch, both communities feel like they have already won with the opportunity to host their teams.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
