A Look Back at Belize 1-1 Canada From September 9, 2015

As a Canadian soccer supporter and a follower of the North American region of football (better known by the acronym CONCACAF), I have watched my share of matches coming from interesting Central American and Caribbean locales. In these locations, there is an infusion of the local culture with the actual match, creating a unique atmosphere not seen anywhere else in the world.

One of the most memorable broadcasts I have ever seen for a CONCACAF game was when Canada traveled to Belize for a World Cup qualifying match on September 9, 2015 to play Belize's national football team. The match itself was not the highlight of the experience; in fact, the match was quite painful to watch. The match was a dull 1-1 draw on a bumpy and unkempt football pitch typical of Central American and Caribbean countries. The three things that made this match memorable to watch were the quality of the Belize TV broadcast, the local match commentators, and the incredibly catchy local advertising.

I was feverishly looking for a way to stream the Belize/Canada match on my tablet, as the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) were not able to provide a broadcast of the match themselves. I stumbled upon a broadcast from a Belize TV station. For the abundance of technology that I have access to where I am, that broadcast was like watching a beat-up VHS tape from the 1980s. The picture and audio quality were predictably bad, and the broadcast would regularly become distorted with loud buzzing. See below some video I took of the broadcast while I was watching the match.

In that same video with the questionable broadcast quality was the biggest highlight of my experience watching the match. That would be the hilarious and upbeat match commentary of two Belize locals nicknamed Mad Bull and Maestro. I was used to hearing the accents of Caribbean people, but to hear these accents in a match commentary in the style that they delivered it was an absolute treat. It was a fast-paced style filled with entertaining interactions, odd idioms, and general exuberance for the Belize national team. It was obvious to me that they were themselves and they enjoyed what they were doing, despite the obvious lack of experience in match commentating. Mad Bull and Maestro would constantly mispronounce the names of the Canadian soccer players (Example: calling Marcel De Jong "De John"), and would not miss a chance to lavish praise on the Belize soccer players (Example: calling Deon McCaulay a "deadly assassin striker"). Despite these faux pas, I enjoyed their commentary immensely because it felt so real. Mad Bull and Maestro are absolute treasures and I felt enlightened listening to them while watching the Belize/Canada match. It seemed like many other Canadian supporters felt the same way as well.

It was difficult for me to find good highlights of their commentary, but I did find a video that provided an example of how Mad Bull and Maestro commentated. I have also posted a Mad Bull and Maestro interview below that took place after the match. The interview highlights their newfound fame from their commentary.

During half time and after the Belize/Canada match, I witnessed on numerous occasions, quite possibly one of the most unforgettable commercials I have ever seen.

The commercial above was for Benny's, which serves as a home hardware and decor store in Belize. In spite of the cheesiness of this ad, I was honestly impressed with the creation of a full jingle with three verses and a chorus, and it managed to captivate the ears. I found the auto-tuned singing and the guy dancing to be two of the funniest things of this commercial, and to this day, I still catch myself saying "You got that right!" in my general vocabulary. This commercial was the icing on the cake that made the whole Belize/Canada experience an extraordinary one.