The Day After the Victory

The Day After the Victory

11 October 2025

It’s the day after Curaçao’s national team defeated Jamaica — and we’re now leading our group. We’re not there yet; three matches remain between us and a spot in the World Cup.

I foresaw this moment in my piece on September 30 — that such a victory would unite us and offer a chance to reset, to finally make something of our fifteen years as an autonomous country. It gives hope and the psychological boost we badly need. But it must not become a façade.

Because the truth is, our local football is struggling. Only recently, after two or three years, play has resumed for the newly introduced Cup — and hopefully, a full season will finally be completed. It’s a familiar story: our economy, too, seems to be running at full speed, but only thanks to that one pillar — tourism.

Yet yesterday I read this from the Central Bank: half of Curaçaoan households are now in the danger zone due to inflation — barely keeping their heads above water.

So yes, football shows that we can achieve something, that we do have reason to be proud. But if we fail to turn that spirit into lasting change, this will be nothing more than bread and circuses to keep the hungry masses quiet.

If we can bring that same unity and sacrifice from the pitch to our daily lives, then Curaçao will have truly scored.

Miguel Goede