Spanish football fans have urged heartbroken Matildas fans to get behind La Roja in the Women’s World Cup grand final on Sunday to take revenge against England.
Some Spanish fans living in Australia say despite cultural ties to England, the transition from Matildas fan to La Roja fan for one night will be easy, thanks to similar fan colours, relatable cultural traits and Australia’s long-standing sporting rivalries.
But revenge is the best reason to back Spain, according to Spanish fan and University of New South Wales (UNSW) football coach Guillermo Rubio, as well as Spain’s more enjoyable playing style.
Rubio coaches the UNSW Women’s team and works at the Spanish consulate in Sydney.
“It’s really nice to watch possession-based game and so for real football fans, I think it’s more enjoyable,” Mr Rubio said.
“Losing to England … probably they want to take revenge on them and see them out.”
Sydney-based talent manager Juanfra Delgado also says the Spanish playing style is the best reason to back La Roja.
He names Alexia Putellas, the Spanish midfielder wearing number 11, as the main player to watch.
Putellas has won football’s most prestigious prize, the Ballon d’Or, twice in a row.
“They know how to play football and they have very good technique. They have very good feet,” Mr Delgado said.
“Trust me — if they [Matildas fans] go for Spain, they will watch good football, they’ll cheer for good football.”
Passionate fans and simple chants
Like “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”, Spanish chants are straightforward, according to the director of the Spanish cultural organisation Instituto Cervantes.
Coral Martinez Iscar says the main one is “yo soy español, español, español” which is repeated over and over and simply means “I am Spanish”.
There’s also “Oé, oé, oé”, which sounds like the “Olé, olé, olé” chant sung by many teams around the world, particularly those from Latin America.
While La Roja primarily wears red, the Spanish flag is red and yellow.
This makes the Matildas’ mostly yellow shirts a fitting supporter outfit if you add some red, Ms Iscar says.
“[It’s] pretty close. But you have to add some red to that,” she says.
“Put on some red and your best smile and have a good time — that is basically what all Spaniards will do.”
Relatable, laid-back cultures
Fans should consider that Spanish and Australian cultures are generally laid back too, says John Gallego, who runs cultural events with Instituto Cervantes.
“We try to enjoy life. I mean, it’s very important to work, but we don’t live to work,” Mr Gallego said.
Originally from Spain, Mr Gallego became an Australian citizen in 2020 and felt heartbreak watching the semi-final on Wednesday night.
He says this game and the well-established rivalry with England in cricket and rugby makes Spain an easy choice for Matildas fans.
“There is such a traditional rivalry on the sporting field between Australia and England, you probably won’t [have] a great deal of difficulty converting Australian fans into Spanish supporters,” he says.
“I understand that Australia comes from English background, but that doesn’t mean Australia has to support England.”
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