It is nothing less than a huge drama for the football-mad country that has been busy with nothing else in recent days than with their boys in Natio, as the Surinamese team is affectionately called in Suriname. The question for many was not: will we reach the World Cup, but how will we reach the World Cup? How many goals will we beat Guatemala by? And who will score?
No one took into account the doomsday scenario of a clear and justified defeat against Guatemala, which had already been eliminated. The mood on Independence Square, in the heart of Paramaribo, near the Suriname River, quickly changed during the second half. Large screens had been hung to which thousands of Surinamese people marched in unison. Their Suriname, their boys, so close to a World Cup, everyone wanted to be there.
And then that dream suddenly explodes in the face of the nation. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” says Sergio Pinas (26) immediately after the match soberly, but with clear disappointment in his eyes. He says he is a football nut and that he has been in a kind of daze over the past few days. Usually the discussions about football in Suriname are about Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and who is better: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, that Suriname could dream of a place in a global final tournament with their own Natio was already something incredible.
“We have still shown what Suriname is capable of. Okay, we are not going to the World Cup now, but we will get there one day. The boys have shown that everything is possible. We keep dreaming. I remain proud of them.”
Coolers full of djogos
The blow is also enormous for Chivano Paulus (23), he says. He had already driven to Independence Square with friends and coolers full of djogos in the afternoon. It is painful that they are now left empty-handed, he says. The country has already had enough misery in recent years, he explains. “But I hope we don’t stop now. Natio must continue on this path. History has been made anyway.”
Where did things go wrong according to Paul? “We should have scored immediately in the match. It’s that simple, but Guatemala was better. No doubt.” What played a huge role in the defeat, according to Paulus: Etienne Vaessen’s failure to play. “Where was he? Why didn’t he play? Boi, we missed him so much.” The government had promised a day off if Suriname had qualified. Paul therefore says to go home quickly.
Still proud
A little further away is 27-year-old Abdull Kun. He watched the match with three friends on Keizerstraat, a busy street in Paramaribo. “I am still proud. This, this World Cup qualification has done the country so much good. We have been allowed to dream. That is already something beautiful. Next week we celebrate 50 years of independence. Then we will make it a great party.”
He doesn’t blame Natio, he says. “We have been put on the map. Many people do not know Suriname. Now they do. And look around you: people have never stayed up so long for Natio. We still continue to party.”