Futbol y Libertad: Banksy, Inter Milan, and the Zapatistas

Today we celebrate Mexico’s triumph on the field by honoring its rebel side: the famed EZLN FC. In 2005, Subcomandante Marcos challenged world-class Italian club team Internazionale Milan to a friendly match, as a gesture of appreciation for the solidarity and support given to the Zapatistas by the club – especially from its captain, the famed Javier Zanetti.

Unfortunately, the match was never actually played – but EZLN’s futbol team did find a few moments of glory on the field. Banksy, the famed street artist, came to Chiapas in 1999 to paint murals commemorating the Zapatistas’ passion for the sport (including the mural pictured here). Banksy’s own team, the anarchist Easton Cowboys from Bristol, were the first European football team to traveled to Chiapas and play with the rebel club, raising money to initiate clean water projects for Zapatista communities.