Lokacin da tawagar ƙasar Algeria ta sauka a Lawrence, Kansas, don kafa sansanin benci na FIFA World Cup 2026, ba su yi tsammanin karbuwar ban mamaki da ta jira su ba. Kusan mutane 400 sun taru don tarbar da tawagar da zarar sun isa — wani nuni na gaske na ƙauna wanda ya bayyana yana shafar wasu 'yan wasa.

Babban kocin Vladimir Petković bai ɓoye motsinsa ba. "An taba mini zuciya ƙwarai da gaske da karbuwar da muka samu a Lawrence. Kusan na zuba hawaye," in ji manajan Bosnia. "Ina fatan za mu sami hanyar wucewa daga rukunin don mu rarraba wannan kwarewa da mafi yawan magoya baya."

Rock Chalk, Algeria

Alaƙar tsakanin Desert Foxes da birnin da suka karɓa a matsayin nasu ta ƙarfafa a wani horon al'umma da FIFA ta shirya a Rock Chalk Park — filin wasan Jami'ar Kansas da ke zama sansanin horon Algeria. Mutane 2,500 sun halarci taron, suna riƙe da scarves: ma'aikatan Jami'ar Kansas, tare da haɗin gwiwar FIFA, sun raba scarves 2,000 da launukan Algeria kafin zaman.

Jami'ar, wadda tana da ɗalibai kusan 27,000 daga ko'ina cikin duniya, ta karɓi tawagar a matsayin nata. Alamomin hukuma Big Jay da Baby Jay sun fito a filin tare da yara 'yan mata 'yan wasan, kuma ƙungiyar kiɗan jami'ar ta yi waƙar tarayyar ƙasar Algeria kafin horon ya fara.

Wani lokaci ya nuna ruhin rana cikin kamala. Magoya bayan gida sun canza taken shahararren Jami'ar Kansas — "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" — zuwa "Rock Chalk, Algeria," wani ƙaramin amma mai ƙarfi alamu wanda ya ɗaga taro. Yara ɗaruruwa sun cika mazauna suna bugun tuta ta Algeria da rera "One two three, Viva L'Algérie!"

"Ni ne daga Lawrence, Kansas, kuma na zo nan don tallafar Algeria," in ji Matthew Cosgrove, yana sanya rigar Algeria. "Sun zama wani ɓangare na al'ummarmu, kuma muna nan don su. Muna cikin farin ciki da sun zo nan — muna son hakan!"

Riyad Mahrez, ɗaya daga cikin shahararrun 'yan wasan Algeria, ya amsa wannan halin ta hanyar sako gajere a kafofin watsa labarai na zamani: "Girmamawa. Na gode don karbuwar da take cike da zafi."

Al'umma da ke yin ƙoƙari fiye da sauran

Birnin Lawrence bai bar komai ga dama ba. Jami'an gwamnatin gida sun shirya jerin tarurrukan da ake kira "Football 101", wanda aka tsara don koyar da mazauna dokokin wasan da kuma ba su damar ganin al'adun ƙwallon ƙafa na Algeria. Kusan mutane 600 kuma sun halarci bayyana wani babban aikin fasaha na ɗan zane na gida Stan Herd, wanda ya ƙirƙira babban tutar Algeria a filin jami'ar ta hanyar amfani da dabarun shimfida.

Alaƙar ta fi haka zurfi. Wata babbar al'ummar Algeria tana zaune a kewayen Kansas City, kimanin kilomita 60 daga Lawrence, kuma kafofin watsa labarai na zamani sun taimaka wajen yaɗa kasancewar Algeria da ke ƙaruwa a yankin fiye da iyakokin garin.

Lawrence tana da mazauna kusan 100,000 — bambanci mai yawa daga mutane miliyan 44 da suke kiran Algeria gida. Duk da haka, FIFA World Cup 2026 ta wuce kilomita 8,000 na teku da hamada don ƙirƙira alaƙa wacce ba ta da alama ta zama ta ɗan lokaci. Ƙwallon ƙafa, yana a sau da yawa, ya yi abin da ƙarfi kaɗan a duniya zai iya cimma: haɗa duniya biyu maban gaba ɗaya.