UN diplomats trade cables for footballs as Argentina take on England in World Cup

NEW YORK CITY: For one afternoon, the corridors of the UN traded the vocabulary of resolutions and official statements for the international language of football.

The World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England was showing on two large screens in the delegates lounge on Wednesday, distracting diplomats, aides and other staff, if only for a few minutes at a time, from sessions at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the parallel business of the Security Council.

Laptops sat open on side tables next to coffee cups, their owners glancing up from them every time the crowd around the big screens stirred. In the front row, a Syrian ambassador worked his way through messages on his phone, half watching the football, half working in what has become a familiar posture during precious moments of collective relaxation at the UN.

It is rare, diplomats and long-time UN watchers said, to see the building’s usual formality loosen up, even briefly. And even when the conversation turns to football, it rarely stays free of history and politics for long.

Ask any diplomat who they are rooting for, and the answer often comes wrapped in old loyalties, colonial memories or simple professional caution.

The Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Yildiz, offered a classic diplomatic dodge when asked who he was supporting, telling Arab News: “I am with whoever wins.”

This particular match ended with a late, 2-1, come-from-behind victory for Argentina that set up a showdown with Spain on Sunday in a final that will cap a World Cup diplomats and UN regulars alike described as unusually rich in upsets.

Agnieszka, a Polish diplomat who is in New York for the political forum, said she was only able to catch parts of games