Soccer “Match for Peace”

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Shops closed early or didn't open at all. Workers stayed home by the thousands. Children took a holiday from chores. And usually busy streets emptied -- all in the name of soccer.

This usually bustling capital city became a virtual ghost town Wednesday as Haitians took a break from stress and strife to watch a Brazilian team trounce a Haitian selection 6-0.

It was a match initially meant to encourage disarmament, offering tickets in exchange for guns. But that idea was rejected, and instead the game was portrayed as promoting peace in a nation that saw more than 80 killed and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ousted in a bloody revolt in February.

Nevertheless, the match conflicted millions of Haitians who strangely consider Brazil's soccer team their own. That internal conflict was reflected in the thousands of Haitians who waved Brazilian flags instead of their own national colors, and donned Brazil's national colors -- yellow and green -- instead of Haiti's familiar blue and red.

Those who wore both nations' colors, and said they cheered both teams, were even more of a puzzle.

In Haiti, Brazilian soccer is worshiped. A win by Brazil in World Cup Soccer -- or any match for that matter -- touches off wild celebrations that go on for days.

To millions of Haitians, this Brazil-Haiti match was the Big One, a match to dream of.

The match was conceived by the interim Haitian government and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who came to Haiti to witness the event, after Brazil agreed to lead a 6,500-member U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti.

GREETED WITH LOVE

When the Brazilian soldiers arrived they were showered with love from the Haitians, who wanted to meet them and talk soccer. The announcement that Brazil's star-studded team would come to Haiti quickly spread across the land.

But Haiti's interim government scrapped plans to use the match as a weapons-for-tickets program after Haitians complained that only armed thugs and criminals would fill the stadium, given the admission cost.

Tickets instead were put on sale for the stadium which can handle up to 13,000 people. However, hundreds of ticketholders were denied entry to the oversold event.

That led to stampedes, pushing, shoving and finally police in riot gear and Brazilian soldiers moving in to disperse crowds. Dozens of people complained they had tickets but were unable to get in, some of them close to tears, having waited for up to five hours in the sweltering sun.

Many who did not have tickets simply gathered around television sets and radios. Others were happy just being outside the venue.

Across the street from the newly spruced up stadium was Alcin Blanchard, a 31-year-old studio photographer, dancing to Haitian music and waving a Brazilian flag.

Haitian through and through, Blanchard said he hoped Haiti would do well, but he'd be cheering for Brazil, and especially his favorite Brazilian player, Ronaldo.

''Ronaldo is God,'' Blanchard said, adding that he so loves the soccer star that his friends have nicknamed him Ronaldo.

''I won't be disappointed if Haiti wins, because it's my country, but I also won't be disappointed if Brazil wins. I will celebrate no matter what,'' he said.

Alfonso Mintor, 22, also reflected the conflicted feelings of Haitian soccer fans. He had good reason to root for Haiti -- his brother Daniel is on the Haitian team -- but Alfonso Mintor had a Brazilian flag in hand.

''I think Haiti will win by two goals,'' said a clearly optimistic Mintor. ``But I like Brazil.''

A LONG WAIT

Mintor rode a bus for an hour from his home in Leogand to Port-Au-Prince to see the match. He and his brother's girlfriend, Taina Vernet, 28, stood in line for more than three hours.

Security was tight throughout the day as police and U.N. forces blocked off roads that led to the stadium. Only people with tickets were allowed to get near the stadium.

At least two hours before the match, the stadium had reached capacity, leading thousands left outside to surge forward. That's when police and peacekeepers moved in.

Many Haitians wore T-shirts with the slogan ''One Match, One Country,'' the message the government hopes will leave a lasting legacy of peace.