WEEK OF ELATION AS WALES HEAD TO WORLD CUP
WALES football fans were left on cloud nine this week as Rob Page’s squad ended their 64-year wait to play at a World Cup by beating Ukraine 1-0 last Sunday.
In the days that followed the historic victory, fans succeeded in their campaign to get Dafydd Iwan to number one.
About 33,000 fans inside Cardiff City Stadium sang along to his famous Welsh-language folk song Yma O Hyd as he performed it before and after the match.
Following the game, 78-year-old Dafydd was joined by Wales’ stars on the pitch as they celebrated the historic achievement.
After leading the Red Wall in song and helping Gareth Bale and co to one of Wales’ greatest ever sporting successes, fans launched a campaign to see Dafydd recognised in the UK singles charts and the song made it to the top of the iTunes chart on Wednesday.
Originally released in 1981, the song tells the story of how Welsh language and culture has survived more than 2,000 years against all the odds.
It has become something of an unofficial anthem for the Wales national team as they qualified for the nation’s first World Cup since 1958.
The campaign was started by Wales fan Andrew Dowling, who described the song as “iconic”.
He said: “Dafydd Iwan is a Welsh legend and the song is very powerful in the current climate of what is going on in the UK and most importantly in Wales right now, politically and in a sporting sense.
“The song has long been an iconic song and will be for future generations thanks to Wales qualifying for the World Cup and younger people listening to his music.
“The connection between Wales fans and the song is very strong. You can see the passion in Dafydd’s eyes when he sings it – he gets it, we get it and the future generation will get it.
“We are still here, fighting for our language and our right to be an independent nation.”
Speaking about Sunday’s match, Dafydd said: “It felt like everyone was singing. It felt like there was an effort to sing a Welsh-language song, even if some did not understand the words. I’m glad that the song has reached new levels and feels like it belongs to football fans even when they don’t speak Welsh.
“Of course, it was pouring with rain and I was soaked. But, if anything, it added to the atmosphere and the message behind the song: in spite of everything and anything, we are still here.”
The win has also inspired success for another musician. Dario Darnell, who goes by the name of Youngr, lives in Aberdaron in Pen Llyn.
Since moving to North Wales with his partner, the Manchester musician has fallen in love with the region, so much so that he has written and performed a song dedicated to the place.
Much to his surprise, the music video has become a hit on social media.
Inspired by his natural surroundings, the musician wrote Wild, Wild Wales and a video showing Dario performing the song at a studio has garnered more than 72,000 views on Facebook.
“I wasn’t expecting such a huge reaction,” he said. “I watched the Welsh football game and the whole of Wales had a buzz about it. And that’s when I decided, this was the right time to post it.
“I was actually quite nervous to post it. I’m not Welsh and I know the Welsh are very proud people, I didn’t want to come across as if I was pretending to be Welsh. But I’m really glad to see how it was received – a lot of people saying ‘croeso’ and ‘diolch’. It feels amazing, it feels like I have been welcomed where I am.”
One man is hoping Wales fans will be sporting his T-shirts when the team play in Qatar later this year.
Rhydian Cole, owner of Turf Clothing, has been inspired to create the shirts, including one reading “I’m Welsh not English” in Arabic.
The 41-year-old graphic designer, from Bridgend, said: “Obviously with the fact that they’ve won now, I thought I’m going to jump on it straight away.”
Other designs for the made to order shirts will include an “Yma O Hyd” one.
While some fans will be hoping to head out to Qatar to be part of the Red Wall, others have pledged to boycott the host country due to its human rights record and stance on gay rights.
Sexual acts between people of the same sex are illegal in Qatar, which also runs Sharia courts, where technically it is possible that Muslim men could face the death penalty for same-sex sexual activity.
There is censorship of LGBT material and trans people cannot change their gender, according to Stonewall’s briefing. The charity warns: “Any LGBT-related activities in the region should be approached with caution.”
Tracey Brown, of Wales’ official LGBTQ+ supporters’ group Rainbow Wall, said: “On one hand I’m stoked that we’ve got there, it’s been a long time coming. If it was anywhere else in the world I would be thinking ‘I want to be there supporting’. But I’m going to be sat at home watching us play because I don’t feel safe to go.”
James Brinning said it was a “dream come true” seeing his team make it to the World Cup but admitted Qatar being the host nation concerned him.
“I was so excited about us qualifying, it was a dream come true,” he said. “I didn’t really think ahead of worrying where the World Cup would be because of my sexuality. We’ve seen [footballer] Jack Daniels come out recently and there were tweets by Fifa about Pride Month recently and the whole football world came together.
“In the same year though they’ve given the World Cup to a country where you can face the death penalty for being gay. Obviously if [Jack Daniels] were to go and try and stay in a hotel room with his partner, he probably couldn’t be able to do that. It’s bonkers.
“And it’s not just the LGBT+ rights, there’s huge issues involving human rights. People have died constructing the stadiums. There’s just loads of concerns, really.”
Fatma Al-Nuaimi, communications executive of Qatar’s supreme committee for organising the tournament, told BBC Sport: “It’s a tournament for everyone, tournament of firsts, and a tournament where everyone will be welcome.”
However, Tracey said: “Just saying it’s safe while a competition is on doesn’t seem right. So Fifa said you’re safe to be yourself for a period of the World Cup, but when I leave there’s still an LGBTQ+ community who pretty much live in hiding. They’re not safe and I have to stand by my values. I want to go to a country where I feel safe and welcome all the time.”
FAW chief executive Noel Mooney has said Wales would be part of a working group along with other qualified European nations “to pool our concerns” to Qatari tournament organisers.
“There’s been many meetings, I’ve seen the notes and the meetings where they raise all the issues,” Mooney told BBC Radio Wales.
Earlier this week, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We are absolutely delighted that Wales will be represented at Qatar, but we should not look the other way from the reservations that we would have as a nation from some of those human rights issues that we see there.”
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