'Café dos Perdedores': café offers free drinks to console fans of teams eliminated from the World Cup

Cafeteria in Mexico City becomes a refuge for those who suffered during the World Cup
Reuters
While thousands of Mexicans celebrated the team's qualification for the round of 16 of the World Cup, a cafe in Mexico City went against the flow of the party. At the door, the Ecuador flag remained flying as a way of welcoming those who left the World Cup along the way.
The Losers Cafe ("Losers' Cafe", in free translation), in the Condesa neighborhood, was created to welcome fans of the eliminated teams. The proposal is simple: whoever shows up wearing the shirt of a defeated team gets a free drink and finds an environment designed to transform frustration into good humor.
Every day, small flags of the teams that said goodbye to the tournament are placed at the entrance to the cafeteria. Inside the establishment, even the napkins get in on the fun, with the message: "dry your tears".
It was there that photographer Monse Aguilar, 24 years old, a South Africa fan, found a little comfort after the 1-0 defeat to Canada, a result that eliminated her team from the World Cup.
"It's like a hug for the heart after losing", she said while drinking the drink offered by the house.
From a traditional café the 'Losers' Cafe'
Cafeteria in Mexico City becomes a refuge for those who suffered during the World Cup
Reuters
The initiative arose from a campaign by the Swedish dairy alternative brand Oatly, which invited Ian Infante, owner of the traditional Compay Café, to temporarily transform the establishment into the Losers Cafe during the World Cup.
A native of Venezuela, Infante said he immediately identified with the proposal.
As an immigrant, he said he understood the feeling left behind for a sporting defeat and saw the idea as a way of creating a welcoming space for fans who often stop being part of the party after their teams are eliminated.
Not everyone understood the proposal right away.
"People said: 'I'm not a loser'. But, when we explained the concept, they started to see the initiative with humor and felt more connected to each other", he said.
Mexican humor
Cafeteria in Mexico City becomes a refuge for those who suffered from the World Cup
Reuters
According to Rocio de la Cuadra Diaz, Oatly's market developer in Mexico, the campaign was launched in the Mexican capital - and not in cities in the United States or Canada, which also host World Cup matches - because of the brand's growth in Latin America and the Mexicans' sense of humor.
"The idea of creating a cafe for losers in Mexico made sense because we almost always lose," he said.
The joke, however, gained a new context. After achieving their first World Cup knockout victory in 40 years, Mexico once again dreamed big in the tournament.
Now, El Tri fans hope to repeat the feat against England in the round of 16. And, if elimination comes, they already know where to find a coffee - and a little comfort.
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Source: G1