Article by Mario "PeRRuFO" Suclla


LIMA, Peru -- Soccer. Football. Fútbol. It doesn't matter what you call it, anyway you look at or name our beloved game the passion and appreciation remains the same.

In Latin America, soccer has the ability to move entire cities, states and countries. It bridges the gap between the old and the young, and it brings together people from all walks of life and social classes.

As the unofficial most beautiful game in the world, soccer has transcended sport -- in Latin America it’s a way of life. One only has to watch a couple minutes of a game on television or take in a couple seconds of the atmosphere at a stadium to gain an understanding of how passionate Latin Americans are.

Rio Sinistro General Manager Paulo Velloso knows this all too well.

“To Brazilians soccer is a kind of religion,” explains Velloso. “It’s the sport that everybody loves and follows. The first image that comes to my mind is Maracanã Stadium some years ago. You could see 200,000 people supporting their favorite team, waving flags, singing and screaming. It was something really impressive.”

With PC soccer game FIFA 07 serving as a Championship Gaming Series title, the league looks to capitalize on soccer’s world wide popularity, and gain a similar level of recognition for the virtual version.

Soccer fans in Latin America have already begun to show their support.

“FIFA 07 has a lot of the same qualities as traditional soccer, especially the pressure that we as players feel,” explains Mexico City Furia FIFA 07 player Ruben “Zerecero” Morales. “Every move we make in the game is crucial, and when we make a big stop or score a goal on improvisation the result is just as satisfying.”

Rio Sinistro FIFA 07 player David Ernesto “Davisso” Pineda Garcia shares a similar opinion, “Both games require a lot of skill and practice in order to the best, and both games generate the same amount of emotion and adrenaline.”

Considering how much the players celebrate and fans rejoice after every scored goal, Davisso might have a point.

Take for instance Peruvian FIFA 07 player Miguel “ScoreR” Sotelo, a fan so passionate that he has adopted many of soccer’s traditional antics into his virtual play.

ScoreR starts off every attack by loudly chanting “Aqui viene! Aqui viene!” (Here it comes! Here it comes!) and finishes off every goal with “Ese es ScoreR! Bienvenido al mundo de Scorer señores!” (That’s ScoreR! Welcome to the world of ScoreR!). He is also known to give the audience a play by play of his match in a manner similar to that of a sports caster.

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The growth in popularity of FIFA 07 has lead to an influx of players in the Latin American region. Although the players have an unmatched desire to excel at the game, their success has been largely limited due to the area’s general isolation from the gaming world and lack of organization.

Still, for gamers so driven that they endure three day bus rides just to compete at minor tournaments, no barrier is too difficult to overcome.

“From tournaments to well versed players, we lack a lot of the same assets as the European players for instance,” said Morales. “However the gamers of this region are determined that they’re capable of doing whatever it takes to succeed.

Garcia continued, “Our community boasts a ton of players, but for the most part we are unorganized. We’re hoping that CGS opens the doors for us and gives us the support we need to take FIFA 07 to the next level.”

With Latin America’s passion for soccer, CGS’s success in the region might not be that difficult to obtain, and with any luck we might on day be hearing about the Davisso’s and the Zerecero’s along side the Ronaldinho's and the Kaka’s.



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