While some American politicians talk up their love for football in the spotlight of the World Cup, San Francisco’s Mayor is the real deal.
Daniel Lurie gets up early at weekends to watch live Premier League games and has now attended five World Cups, even lifting the trophy with former Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva during a promotional tour this year.
Since this year’s tournament started, Lurie has been on a whistle-stop tour of San Francisco’s packed fan zones and bars during live matches, sleeves rolled up and mingling with boozy fans in pubs festooned with flags.
“I’ve been a huge soccer fan my whole life,” Lurie told the Reuters news agency.
“A lot of people are excited about the World Cup. I kind of live and die soccer,” he said, stopping the conversation briefly to get an update on Tuesday’s Brazil v Japan game, eventually won 2-1 by Brazil.
