Sudbury faith: Plenty of expressions of faith at the World Cup

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Have you heard about the recent international pandemic? No, it’s not a new strain of COVID. It’s called “football fever” (or “soccer sickness” when translated into North American English).

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Incredibly, about 5 billion people worldwide viewed some (or all) of this summer’s World Cup tournament. That’s a healthy majority of the world’s current 8 billion-plus inhabitants. Truly, soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. One reason is that it can be played quite easily (and inexpensively), which is appealing in poor countries. All you really need is some sort of ball to kick and the rest you can make do with what’s available.

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So, were there expressions of faith at FIFA’s recent World Cup? Let’s find out …

Public prayer: Canada, the U.S. and Mexico hosted the mega-event from June 11 to July 19, bringing together a record 48 national teams for 104 games played in 16 stadiums (including Toronto and Vancouver). This was the first time the World Cup took place in multiple countries.

Many of the players were believers who expressed their faith publicly. After Team USA beat Paraguay 4-1 on June 12, American Mark McKenzie led the team in prayer on the field. They did the same after their 2-0 victory over Australia. Other teams like Scotland and Croatia also prayed on the field after their games.

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American winger Christian Pulisic leads a Bible study called “Bible Time” on his team. His teammate, goalkeeper Matt Freese, said, “Godʼs given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career. I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it.”

The island country of Curaçao (150,000 inhabitants) in the Caribbean set a record as the smallest country (by population) to qualify for the World Cup. Even after losing to Germany 7-1 on June 14, some of their players and coaches were visibly emotional and prayed on the field in gratitude for their achievement.

German players Jonathan Tah and Felix Nmecha joined them. The latter said: “During the game, we are opponents, but after the game we are all Christians and we are brothers … In our faith, we all believe that Jesus is glorified through the game and that’s why we came together and simply prayed together.”

Public gestures: In the same game against Curacao, Nmecha made a powerful expression of faith after scoring the first goal. He knelt down on one knee and made the gesture of taking off a crown from his head. He placed it on the ground and then pointed up to heaven. It symbolized his belief that every gift, every goal, every victory, and every moment of glory belongs to Christ. In a postgame interview, Nmecha said: “It was an incredible blessing to score my first goal for Germany and for it to be so fast. All the glory I give to God, because he is the one who has given me this talent and the opportunity to be here living this dream.”

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Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is well-known for pointing with both hands to heaven after he scores. This gesture symbolizes his faith in God and his gratitude to his deceased grandmother, who helped him so much as a child in Argentina. Messi set a World Cup record by scoring the first-ever hat trick (three goals) in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria on June 16. After the game, Messi said: “I can’t ask for more than what I received. As I’ve said many times, I thank God that he has given me so much and everything that comes now is a blessing.”

Paul’s perspective: The apostle Paul wrote to a young pastor in the first century, “… Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:7-8) Paul was contrasting the value of physical and spiritual training and activities.

Sports such as soccer are enjoyable to play and watch. But they are temporal in duration and importance. After all, we are talking about a game of kicking a ball into a net. The players mentioned above realize that soccer is a great sport but makes a terrible god. Their hope and trust are in something and someone far greater – a relationship with God that gives them abundant life on Earth and eternal life in heaven.

In Paul’s words, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor (and poor soccer player).

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