Soccer (or football, as everyone outside the United States calls it) is probably the most popular sport on the planet, and this Sunday the Confederations Cup final between Brazil and the United States is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the South Africans use this tourney to tune up for the 2010 World Cup, other soccer leagues continue to play on in almost every country around the world. Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is no exception. In a place where there are laws against gatherings of more than five people at one time, crowds at soccer matches would definitely be under watch in Burma (via Deadspin & the WSJ.)

Political situations like the ones in Burma are something to reflect upon when we’re able to make our own travel plans with such ease, whether it be to the World Cup in South Africa next summer, or just to a baseball game on July 4th.