Joga Bonito

Never, if possible, cover any road a second time -Ibn Battuta

As the World Cup enters the knock-out phase, here are some sideline stories in this edition of the journey of the game for you.

Touchline: Balls2You

In…Out..In…Out….was the ball in or out. The referee went to the VAR screen and watched the replays, over and over again, for the fortunes of two nations were in question. He, finally, discussed the issue with the VAR backend team and did his usual screen signal to the players and crowd and, finally, put his hands together and pointed it to the centre of the field. You did not have to be a champion dumb charades player to understand that the final verdict was that the goal scored by Japan off a pass, in which it appeared as if the ball had crossed the line, was confirmed to be in play and had not gone out for a goal kick. Four different reactions were seen. Japanese players and fans went into an ecstasy, the Spanish players kept questioning the verdict and fans and German players, in another stadium, went into a state of complete depression and , to top it all, the spectators worldwide glued to the television sets went into a frenzied state of tweeting…In..Out…In…Out…Right…Wrong.

Later in the day, did a check of the International Football Association Book rulebook which said that a ball is defined as being out when “it has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air.” So while VAR showed on one side that the ball had indeed crossed the touchline on the ground, the bulge of the ball was still within the touchline in the air. So the referee was, indeed, right in awarding the goal to Japan which relegated Spain to second position in the qualifying group and knocked four times champions Germany out of the World Cup in the first round itself.

This brings me to the next question…what was Al Rihla doing when all this was happening? Al Rihla is the official football made by Adidas for the World Cup 22. In Arabic it means ‘The Journey’. The name is said to be a reference to a travelogue written in the 14^th century by Ibn Battuta who travelled extensively in Asia, Africa and Europe. Al Rihla has sensors that send ball data to the video operation room 500 times per second. There are 12 dedicated tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of the stadium which tracks the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position. So I am sure the VAR would have proven to the referee the exact position and the decision which we can question seeing it with our naked eyes but technology proves it otherwise. Maybe, we will see robots playing in some future world cup matches or they may play Digital World Cup…. India stands a chance there for sure.

On a lighter note, if you’re wondering why Al Rihla, the traveller, sided with Japan, the only answer I could find was in a children’s poem where the two had a connect of old.

इब्न बतूता पहन के जूता

निकल पड़े तूफान में

थोड़ी हवा नाक में घुस गई

घुस गई थोड़ी कान में।

कभी नाक को कभी कान को

मलते इब्न बतूता

इसी बीच में निकल पड़ा

उनके पैरों का जूता।

उड़ते उड़ते जूता उनका

जा पहुंचा जापान में

इब्न बतूता खड़े रह गये

मोची की दुकान में

Exit Line: Please Don’t Go!

On 27^th June, 2016, Leo Messi declared to the world that he had decided to hang up his boots and end his days for the Argentine football team. His disappointment stemmed from having lost the World Cup in 2014 to Germany, losing to Chile both in 2015 Copa America Final and again in 2015 at the Copa America Centenario. Messi had by then won almost every major club tournament with Barcelona and had multiple Ballon d’ Or trophies in his cabinet but success at the national level eluded him. On that fateful night, when he himself missed a penalty, the emotions came through. “I tried my hardest. It has been four finals. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen. I think it is best for everyone, firstly for me and for a lot of people that wish this. The tea, has ended for me, a decision made.”

“Don’t go Messi!” There was huge outpouring from every Argentinian asking Messi to stay. Among the people who were shattered was a teenager, Enzo Fernandez, who wrote an emotional letter to Messi which read like this:

How are we going to convince you? How are we going to convince you? We never had 1% of the pressure that you have on your shoulders. You wake up in the morning, you look in the mirror and you know that a crowd of over 40 million people wants you to do the perfect thing and it has been ridiculously imposed that they can demand it.

How are we going to convince you? If we fail to understand that you are a human being, a person with incomparable talent, the best player on the planet, but a person after all.

How are we going to convince you? If we don’t stop for a moment to realise that you are not responsible for the anger that losing causes us, which often has more to do with our own frustrations that are reflected there. Let’s look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we demand from ourselves 1% of what we demand from this guy we don’t even know.

Do what you want, Lionel, but please think about staying. Stay and have fun….in a world of ridiculous pressures, they manage to get the most noble out of the game, the fun. Seeing you play with the light blue and white is the greatest pride in the world. Play for fun, because when you’re having fun, you have no idea how much fun we have. Thank you and forgive us.

After a week, Messi relented and reported that the Argentine no. 10 shirt and armband would still be worn by him. The game was saved and Messi has been playing for fun since then, enthralling his billions of fans globally.

Fast forward 2022, Qatar World Cup. Argentina had surprisingly lost their first match to Saudi Arabia and hence winning the remaining two matches was extremely critical. Argentina was playing an energetic and strong Mexico and were leading 1-0 through a wonderful strike by Messi in the 64^th minute. In the 87^th minute, Leo Messi deftly passed the ball to a 21-year-old player who curled the ball into the far corner of the goal, beyond the reach of the Mexican goalkeeper.  The youngster was none other than Enzo Fernandez who because the youngest player to score a World Cup goal for Argentina since Messi in 2006. The celebrations that followed were for all to see… Enzo was seen kissing his badge and was mobbed by none other than Messi in front of screaming Argentines. The master and the pupil together in one frame…a shot that will remain etched in everyone’s mid forever.

Life Line: Being Human

World Cup football is about heroes scoring fantastic goals, saving penalties and winning the trophy. But in all this humdrum of the glorious game, lies some moments of human character and spirit.

In 26^th of November 22, in a Group C match between Poland and Saudi Arabia in the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Piotr Zielinski scored the opening goal for Poland. Poitr plays for Napoli at Italy and is extremely talented as a player whom almost all clubs, like Manchester United and Liverpool, want on their teams. But there is more to him than just playing top class football.

Piotr’s parents used to help children from difficult backgrounds. They ran a foster home since 2015 but have been helping children from difficult backgrounds since 2022. For nearly 13 years, they looked after children in their home at Zabkowice Slaskie which was some 40 miles from Warsaw.  In the first months of his parents’ new work, Piotr could not accept it. He was eight and so jealous that he hated the fact that he had to share his room with strangers. He used to write his name on the toys so that people knew they were his. He would put tags on furniture like ‘my wardrobe’ and ‘my desk’.

Slowly, the young Piotr became friendly to his ‘temporary siblings’ and began opening up. He invited them to play football together. He often played in the yard with a boy who had a leg contracture. The true footballer gave his heart to children in his own way; quietly, without the attention of the media. Today, this 28-year-old Polish footballer has bought two buildings with his own money, renovated them and turned them into children’s homes run by “Peter Pan” foundation. Piotr is Peter in Polish.

The proud father of Poitr says that whenever his son returns to Poland, he visits the kids, plays football with them. He also gives away electronic equipment that he does not use: a laptop, a game console or a tablet. At a holy communion of one of the charges, no one from the family appeared. Poitr came from Italy to please the boy. “This is what he is”.

Last Line: Tail Piece

If anyone in India is mad about football, it is the insane people in the states of Kerala and West Bengal. The choice of teams these madmen support is clearly divided between Brasil and Argentina. A walk down the streets in even remote corners of these states will bring out the intense rivalry of the fans of these two Latin American countries. Arnab Ray, a columnist for TOI wrote about them as, “Begani shaadi mein Abdulla deewana.” He goes on the say this first love happens to be Argentina from the time he saw Maradona, “ giving the old colonial masters, the British, a hand and then a foot, the greatest goal ever to be seen….”So he promises to back the Argentines till the time they get eliminated and, thereafter, he will support Brazil. For me it has always been Brazil first. It started with the reverence for the name Pele, the first team to win the Jules Rimet Trophy thrice and make it their own and then of course it was the World Cup squad of 1982 led by Socrates which, to me, was the greatest team ever even though a lot from an earlier generation would claim the 1970 Brazillian team to be the greatest. Since then I have always backed them first and last. Surprisingly, the three jerseys at school, college and club teams I donned in my playing career, all had  the green and gold colours that are also part of the colours Brazil wears. Football to me will always be Joga Bonito, the Beautiful Game,  that the Boys from Brazil display every time they take to the field.

SS

Pictures: Courtesy Internet