The Conversation (0)
Viral
X/@popbase
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a watch party for the Africa Cup of Nations final and it’s the most wholesome thing you’ll see all day.
As the African footballing tournament reached its conclusion, fans gathered in Manhattan’s Surrogate’s Court to watch finalists Senegal and Morocco go head to head for the trophy.
Ugandan-born Mamdani, NYC’s newly inaugurated mayor, was on hand to welcome and enjoy the match with his constituents as he hosted the watch party, where a big screen had been set up.
In footage shared online, Arsenal fan Mamdani could be seen serving hot drinks and chatting with fans who came together to view the game. Under his suit jacket, he wore an Arsenal training jersey.
Online, many praised his humble and community-focused style of leadership.
“This is how you foster community across multiple cultural backgrounds as a leader btw he so real for this,” someone wrote.
Someone else said: “This does actually make me want to visit NYC again after 2 decades. Impeccable vibes.”
Another argued: “Crazy how much of a difference it makes when you aren’t just in politics for money & power trips. The standard is being set rn, and once people figure out this type of productive empathetic leadership is possible for their communities, they won’t look back.”
“This guy does things reminiscent of what small town mayors usually do, but on a massive scale with warm energy. It's incredibly human and lovely to watch,” wrote someone else.
Someone who was there posted: “I went to the Zohran AFCON watch party at the historic NYC Records and Information Services building…and all I got was this blurry picture cuz his excited ass wouldn’t stop moving.”
Mamdani, a long-time Arsenal fan, explained to The Athletic last year: “My uncle is an Arsenal fan. He introduced me. Wenger was one of the first managers to really bring African players into the EPL.
“I grew up with Kolo Toure, Kanu, Alex Song, Lauren and Emmanuel Eboue. I had the Invincibles (the Arsenal team which won the 2003-04 Premier League title without losing any of the 38 matches) as magnets on my fridge. I loved David Seaman, Sylvain Wiltord, all these guys. I’ve gone to a few Arsenal games, many with my uncle. It really has been a big part of my life and my identity.”
The final itself ended in controversy, with Senegal walking off the pitch following a penalty being awarded in the second half of stoppage time. Morocco's Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty and chipped it straight into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, with the game therefore forced into extra time.
Pape Sarr then scored an emphatic winner for Senegal in the 94th minute.
Why not read…
- Zohran Mamdani makes surprise appearance with Ms Rachel
- Arsenal fan Mamdani gets starstruck by Sky News as he speaks to press
- JD Vance claims Mamdani wants to 'take property away from white people'
Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.