Fourteen World Cup nations have temporarily set aside their differences and rivalries and joined forces for a common cause: defend their relevance in the FIFA competition after Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President, said that "a huge number of matches this World Cup are completely uninteresting" in a conference in Ljubljana on Monday last week, according to Slovenian outlets.
Those nations are Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Curacao, Haiti, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia, who shared on Sunday a joint statement, shared at the same time by their respective football associations.
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Because this World Cup has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, many nations have qualified for the group stage for the first or second time in history. This is the first World Cup ever for Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, and second for DR Congo and Haiti, both playing for the first time since 1974.
"For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match. Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality", said the statement. For many countries, participation in the FIFA World Cup is not only a sporting achievement. It is a moment that inspires a generation, accelerates football development and creates memories that last a lifetime."
"For nations such as Congo and Haiti, returning to football's biggest stage after a long absence carries a special meaning for millions of supporters who have waited years, and in some cases decades, for this moment".
"To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognize the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world", and end the statement asking that every nations that qualifies deserves respect, because every team has earned its place on merit. "Every supporter has the right to dream. Every match carries meaning for millions of people around the world."