Before the Matildas faced off against England in the World Cup semi-final, there was camaraderie in the air.
Now, as Australia reels from the Wednesday night defeat, there’s a sense of angst and trepidation – and a lingering question: who do we support now?
To help you decide which team to back when the Lionesses face Spain in Sunday’s final, we’ve asked the Guardian Australia office what they think. Peruse, ponder and then let us know which team you will be supporting in the comments.
The case for England
Who could possibly support England after seeing all their cynical game management/time wasting last night? Me.
– Graham Russell
I’m backing England because this is about women’s sport and [England’s coach] Sarina Wiegman is a gun. (And the only female coach in the last eight. I’ll make a wager that by the next Women’s World Cup, there’ll be at least three.)
– Gabrielle Jackson
While food is a totally reasonable divining rod to determine which team to back, I have an alternative proposal. Back the team whose uniform you personally feel you would look cuter in. While Spain’s blood red and marigold look is certainly dramatic, it’s just not as appealing to me as the Lionesses’ sleek sky and navy away game uniform. Thus, to my deep distaste, I must root for the English.
– Alyx Gorman
The case for Spain
I’m backing Spain because my Scotch/Irish ancestors would haunt me if I backed England in any way.
– Andrew Messenger
I’m swayed by the way England played in the semi-final against Australia, which on the one hand was impressively clinical, but also featured next-level tactical fouling and time-wasting that went all but unpunished. And even more so by patronising English reactions that implied the Sydney crowd booing those tactics showed their naivety as newbie fans who didn’t understand how tournaments were won. So definitely hoping for Spain to outdo the Lionesses in a cynical display of gameswomanship and come through with a dubious late penalty.
– Mike Ticher
I usually revert to supporting countries that weren’t colonial powers, but both were. So I’m going to have to go for Spain purely because their anthem is better.
– Josh Nicholas
As a member of the “done wrong by England” club, my Aboriginal and Scottish ancestors would flog me from beyond the grave if any inkling of English support entered my mind. It’s olé olé for me this weekend!
– Phoebe McIlwraith
Our family has an informal system for determining whom to back in World Cup matches that don’t involve Australia (also works for Olympics, Euros etc). In order of priority:
Which country has the best food.
Which country is the least problematic, geopolitically.
Which country’s players seem the nicest.
Luckily, the clear superiority of Spanish food spares us from having to rank colonialist atrocities (and reckon with the Spanish Inquisition).
– Nick Miller
I’m Chilean-Australia so my relationship with Spain is ~complicated~ but I will very much be backing La Roja over England after last night’s display (not bitter at all)! Sucks about their coach, but I hope they win on pure spite.
– Sarah Basford Canales
The case for not backing either team
After Spain’s revolt over their coach and my total inability to support England as an Australian, I feel as if I am in a nightmare from which there is no escape. I am abstaining from barracking.
– Caitlin Cassidy
Sunday night will be a historic match for women’s football, with both teams making the final for the first time. At face value, there are reasons to support the Lionesses: it’s a chance for English redemption after semi-final losses in 2015 and 2019. And their manager, Sarina Wiegman, is the first person to lead two different nations to a World Cup final, men or women’s. But after the heartbreak of Wednesday night, no self-respecting Australian could possibly be expected to suffer the ignominy of backing their colonial overlords.
That leaves Spain. Was I moved when Salma Paralluelo came off the bench against the Netherlands to become their youngest-ever goal scorer, and then again to secure their win against Sweden? Yes. Do reports about how the Spanish team have been treated by their coach, Jorge Vilda, and football federation sound like a living nightmare undeserving of the vindication of winning? Also yes. It makes for an intractable dilemma; the only winner here is dour fence-sitting.
– Donna Lu
We should go for England because if our colonial overlords win, then we have only been knocked out by the champions – and there is pride in that (BTW – pride anyway! Matildas are the best!). However, on the flipside, England are England so we should go for Spain.
– Celina Ribeiro
