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male gaze
June 24, 2014

World Cup Players: Still Touching Each Other

By Kat Stoeffel

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Photo: Alex Livesey/FIFA/Getty Images

American sports fans are familiar with a limited vernacular of jock love: so-quick-you-might-miss-them butt-pats, high-fives that fold into back-slapping hugs, and occasional victory dog piles (reserved for championship games).

But, once every four years, the FIFA World Cup offers a glimpse into the wider world of totally-not-gay international man-on-man affection. The stakes are high, and the ratings are even higher, yielding a catalogue of physical expression. In the first week alone, we’ve seen faces passionately clasped between two hands, the most consoling of shoulder nuzzles, and a few running leaps into teammates’ arms to rival Rachel McAdams in The Notebook.

If you’re in it for the PDA, there are no losers.

UPDATE: The second week of the World Cup brought even more nuanced physical intimacy among players. Click through for coach hugs, three-way hugs, hugs for opponents, and one very avuncular Swiss smooch.

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1 / 61 Photos
Spain  Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images
The Netherlands and Chile  Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/Getty Images
U.S.A.  Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
U.S.A. and Portugal  Photo: Christopher Lee/Getty Images
Portugal  Photo: FRANCISCO LEONG/Getty Images
Algeria and Korea Republic  Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Belgium  Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina  Photo: Clive Mason - FIFA/Getty Images
Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina  Photo: Jeff Mitchell - FIFA/Getty Images
Argentina  Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Ghana and streaker  Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Germany  Photo: Lars Baron - FIFA/Getty Images
Ghana  Photo: Alex Livesey - FIFA/Getty Images
Ecuador  Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Honduras  Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/Getty Images
France  Photo: Christopher Lee/Getty Images
Switzerland  Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images
Costa Rica  Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Costa Rica  Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Italy  Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images
Greece and Japan  Photo: Alex Livesey - FIFA/Getty Images
Spain and Chile  Photo: Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images
Cameroon and Croatia  Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND/Getty Images
Croatia  Photo: Jeff Mitchell - FIFA/Getty Images
Chile  Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images
Australia  Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Netherlands and Australia  Photo: Alex Grimm - FIFA/Getty Images
Russia  Photo: Stuart Franklin - FIFA/Getty Images
Korea Republic  Photo: Dennis Grombkowski - FIFA/Getty Images
Mexico  Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Mexico and Brazil  Photo: Alex Livesey - FIFA/Getty Images
Belgium  Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Algeria  Photo: Alex Grimm - FIFA/Getty Images
U.S.A.  Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
U.S.A. and Ghana  Photo: JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images
Nigeria and Iran  Photo: JUAN BARRETO/Getty Images
Nigeria  Photo: LUIS ACOSTA/Getty Images
Germany and Portugal  Photo: Jeff Mitchell - FIFA/Getty Images
Germany  Photo: Jeff Mitchell - FIFA/Getty Images
Croatia  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Brazil  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Cameroon  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Mexico  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Spain  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Netherlands  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Australia  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Chile  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Greece 
Colombia  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Uruguay  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Costa Rica  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Ecuador 
Switzerland  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Italy  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
England  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Japan  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Ivory Coast 
Honduras  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
France  Photo: 2014 FIFA
Bosnia and Herzogovina  Photo: 2014 Getty Images
Argentina  Photo: 2014 Amin Mohammad Jamali
1 / 61

Tags:

  • world cup
  • male gaze
  • pda
  • affection
  • homoeroticism
  • fifa world cup
  • 2014 world cup
  • More

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