“He missed!”
The words echoed around the lobby of the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, off the walls, floors, and recently restored skylight ceiling of the yellow marble atrium. The normal day-to-day business at this civic landmark is largely concerned with history; the courts upstairs handle estate proceedings, and the basement houses part of the city’s municipal archives. But even with all those records of things that have taken place in New York City or that have been done by its denizens, none of them will tell of an event like Sunday’s: A watch party for the soccer championship of Africa, hosted by the city’s mayor who hails from that continent, held within a space that screams “civic business” enough to have been used in several Law & Order episodes.
“He missed!” Ibrahima Barry bellowed once again, letting out an exalted yell just afterward. The Senegal fans next to him looked on, confused. On the screens above, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz had only just arrived at the penalty spot, and was preparing to take a controversially awarded penalty to put Morocco up 1-0 after an astonishing 15-minute delay in which some Senegal players walked off the field in protest. It was sure to be the last kick of normal time, and potentially of this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations itself. The Moroccan fans were geared up to celebrate. The Senegal fans were dreading the inevitable.
Except Barry. Clutching his phone, dressed in a black sweatshirt and pants, he leapt from his viewing spot on a platform meant for TV cameras and ran to the nearest wall, sending a stanchion post flying in the process. Yelling all the while, arms flailing, he turned and ran back, eyes wide with disbelief. A group of Senegal fans turned to him, asking him what happened, as if he hadn’t been repeatedly yelling exactly what happened. Barry showed them the latest update on the livescore app on his phone, which he said he had enough time to download during the Senegalese protests. It said that Díaz, the Real Madrid star who had only in 2024 switched his Fifa affiliation from Spain to Morocco, had missed the penalty.
Not technically true (it was saved, not missed), but close enough.
“I was afraid about the penalty, and [the app] is more on time than the TV,” Barry said. “Everybody was waiting saying oh this guy is great. But it was a great moment. I’m not crazy!”
The pandemonium carried into extra time, as Pape Gueye’s rocket from outside the box put Senegal up 1-0. A sabar drumline materialized from the corner as if from thin air, lending a rhythm to the joy. The final may have been contentious, but in the halls of civic business the mood remained largely upbeat, bar a few tearful calls to relatives from Morocco fans.
Mamdani kicked off the event in true politician fashion, saying that as a native of Uganda, he was “rooting for Africa” in the final. But the mayor also continued to make clear that his love of soccer is genuine and his knowledge deep – he spoke of how the 2002 Senegal team kindled his love for the sport, name-dropping Papa Bouba Diop as a legend of that team that upset France in the opening match of that year’s World Cup.
“It was crazy to hear him say that,” said a fan named Mamadou, who grew up in Senegal and in New York City. “Senegal football was not well-known at that time.”
The event is just the first of what the event’s MCs and Mamdani administration officials said will be many more watch parties for major soccer events, including this summer’s World Cup. Administration officials said they also are investigating ways to make it easier for neighborhoods to put together their own gatherings. If they go as they did on Sunday, the goal will clearly not be to spread a political message or drum up support for a particular talking point. Rather, the equation feels quite simple: Mayor who enjoys soccer gives residents places to enjoy soccer (and in a change from Fifa’s fan fests in New Jersey and Queens, these places would be free).
“It’s a great thing,” said Barry of the event. “We have an opportunity to have a lot of people from Africa to come support their national team. In this country, you don’t have that chance as often. A lot of people are living by themselves, it’s hard for them to find your friends from the same country. In Africa, everyone is on the street, and we celebrate and are happy. In this country, it is rare. So we have this opportunity, thanks to God so many African people are here enjoying watching soccer together.”
