Supporters of the national team massed at the perimeter of the Estadio Azteca on Thursday to experience the unparalleled thrill of watching corporate sponsors arrive in armored SUVs. The gathering marks the start of a tournament years in the making.
MEXICO CITY — The faint scent of roasted elote mixed evenly with the acrid sting of diesel exhaust as armored transport trucks idled in a perfect cordon outside the Estadio Azteca. Under a bruised afternoon sky, tens of thousands of passionate supporters of the national team massed against the steel barricades, proudly celebrating the opening of a tournament they will experience entirely through the medium of distant, muffled cheering.
Inside the heavily fortified perimeter, foreign dignitaries and global brand executives inaugurated the long-awaited global stage with chilled flutes of imported champagne. Outside, standing ankle-deep in the rainwater runoff from a newly constructed VIP access ramp, local fans strained their ears to catch the faint whistle of the referee, cheering in unison whenever a luxury helicopter passed overhead.
We wanted to ensure the people of Mexico City truly felt the spirit of the games, which is why we installed world-class acoustic dampening to prevent their chants from disturbing the hospitality suites.
The city has spent nearly a decade preparing for this precise moment of cosmopolitan exclusion. A multibillion-dollar infrastructure overhaul successfully routed all official tournament traffic over the heads of the working-class neighborhoods surrounding the arena, ensuring the global broadcast would remain untainted by the host nation's actual populace.
As the opening match kicked off, a sudden roar erupted from the luxury boxes within. The thousands gathered outside erupted in a sympathetic cheer, waving their flags proudly before a line of federal police politely, but firmly, nudged the crowd another fifty meters back into the exhaust fumes of an idling Coca-Cola delivery fleet.