MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Whoever wins Mexico’s presidential election Sunday will have to vie for attention with a formidable rival, one that can either stoke the victory party or stamp it out: soccer in Russia.
Just hours after the winner of the presidential race is expected to be known, Mexico will face Brazil in the last 16 of the World Cup, giving the country yet another contest to watch on tenterhooks.
Both the election and the knockout match in the Russian city of Samara could mark a new chapter for the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country.
In Sunday’s vote, the heavy favorite is the fiery leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who looks poised to oust the two parties that have governed Mexico for nearly a century, and who promises a “radical” change in course.
In Monday’s match, the heavy favorites are the five-time champions Brazil, who are lead by the world’s most expensive player, Neymar.
But the Mexicans are daring to hope for the best, after upsetting Germany in their opening match and helping send the reigning champs packing in the group stage.
“The social mood is very positive right now thanks to Mexico’s performance at the World Cup,” said professor Aurelio Collado Torres of the Monterrey Institute of Technology.
Will soccer influence politics? Collado Torres said optimism over the national team “could translate into a larger vote for Lopez Obrador,” who has generated a groundswell of support from poor…
