The Home of English Football’s Most Ardent Fans? Uganda

Surpassing action movies and McDonald's – and perhaps even democratic governance – soccer is one passion that unites far reaches of the globe. Watched by billions and played by millions, the sport's stars are global heroes, its teams global icons, and its history a global narrative. European clubs, whose primary fan base at one time hailed almost exclusively from their respective neighborhoods, are now backed by entire continents. Recent developments in digital and satellite telecommunications have provided fans in Asia and Africa televised coverage of English Premier League matches. In Uganda, the football frenzy is unavoidable. Fans cram Kampala's bars, living rooms, and movie halls in an almost religious devotion to teams based in London, Manchester, or Birmingham. Moreover, these new forms of social organization enable the spread of another kind of support in the impoverished nation. One of the Ugandan fan clubs for London-based Arsenal helped raise money to expand a hospital for orphans in Kampala and traveled to refugee camps in outlying districts. Amid poverty, disease, and civil unrest, they were amazed to find flourishing youth leagues comprised wholly of Arsenal supporters. "Despite the suffering," one fan club member observed, "there is something that makes them forget about the war." – YaleGlobal