Soccer in Sun and Shadow

1. Soccer's Sad Voyage: From Joyful Play to Profitable Duty

The history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty.

Play becomes spectacle. Soccer began as pure joy, a spontaneous dance with the ball, free from purpose or clock. However, as it transformed into a massive industry, this inherent beauty, rooted in the pleasure of play, was systematically stripped away. The focus shifted from the act of playing to the act of watching, turning the game into a profitable business organized to impede the very joy it once embodied.

Technocracy negates joy. Professional soccer's modern form, driven by technocracy, prioritizes lightning speed, brute strength, and rigid discipline. This approach actively suppresses fantasy, kills creativity, and outlaws daring improvisation. The spontaneous, childlike delight of interacting with the ball is deemed useless because it is not directly profitable in the industrial model of the sport.

Yet, beauty persists. Despite the pressures of the industry, glimpses of the old magic still appear. Occasionally, an audacious player defies the script, dribbling past opponents, referees, and even the crowd, simply for the sheer, forbidden pleasure of freedom and the embrace of adventure. These rare moments serve as reminders of the beauty that once defined the game.

2. The Player's Fate: Dreamer Turned Prisoner

He started out playing for pleasure in the dirt streets of the slums, and now plays out of duty in stadiums where he has no choice but to win or to win.

From lottery winner to prisoner. The professional player is the envy of their neighborhood, having escaped the drudgery of factory or office work to get paid for what seems like fun. They won the lottery of fame and fortune. However, this success comes at a cost, turning them into prisoners of military-like discipline, grueling training, and constant pressure to perform without failure or fatigue.

Bought, sold, and discarded. Players are treated as commodities, bought, sold, and loaned by businessmen seeking profit. The more successful and wealthy they become, the more their freedom is curtailed. Their bodies are pushed to the limit, often masked by painkillers, and they face isolation before big matches, confined like inmates in a concentration camp.

Early decline and oblivion. Unlike other professions, a soccer player can be considered old at thirty, their muscles worn out. Injuries can end careers even sooner. When their golden foot turns lame, fame, that fickle lady, abandons them without a trace, leaving them with a body full of patches and the bitter realization that they bet their life on a single card that is now worthless.

3. The Goalkeeper's Solitude: Martyr of the Net

He is alone, condemned to watch the match from afar.

A solitary existence. The goalkeeper stands apart, a solitary figure confined to the goalmouth, his only companions the posts and crossbar. While the rest of the team engages in the flow of the game, he is a distant observer, awaiting the moments of intense pressure. His role is not to create joy by scoring, but to extinguish it by preventing goals, making him the antithesis of the striker.

The first to pay. Wearing the number one, the goalkeeper is often the first to be blamed when things go wrong. Even when a foul is committed elsewhere on the field, the resulting penalty kick leaves him isolated and vulnerable, facing the executioner alone in the vastness of the net. He expiates the sins of others under a barrage of shots.

Unforgiving fans. Unlike other players who can redeem mistakes with moments of brilliance, the goalkeeper is rarely forgiven for a slip-up. One error can ruin a match or lose a championship, erasing years of heroic saves from the fans' memory and condemning him to eternal disgrace. His job, it seems, is to make himself hated.

4. The Idol's Fleeting Glory: Kissed by Wind, Devoured by Crowds

One fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer idol is born.

Born with the ball. The idol emerges from humble beginnings, often in slums, clinging to a ball from the moment they can walk. Their early years are spent bringing joy to sandlots, honing their skills in back alleys. As they mature, their acrobatic artistry takes flight, drawing multitudes to stadiums, Sunday after Sunday, from victory to victory.

A voice for the voiceless. The ball seems to seek them out, responding to their touch. Through their masterful dribbles, passes, and goals, they give voice to the millions of mute fans, the nobodies who feel like somebodies for a moment through the idol's feats. When the idol plays, the team feels invincible, possessing more players than are on the field.

From light to black hole. However, the idol's reign is brief, a human eternity that is all too short. When the golden foot inevitably becomes a lame duck, the star completes a journey from a burst of light to a black hole. Their body, patched like a clown's costume, can no longer perform the miracles. Public adulation turns to rancor, and sometimes, when they break, the very people who adored them devour the pieces.

5. The Fan's Escape: From Solitude to Collective Ecstasy

Once a week, the fan flees his house for the stadium.

Temple of shared faith. The stadium is a sacred space, a temple for the only religion without atheists. Fans make pilgrimages there, preferring the live experience to television, to witness their divinities battle demons. Amidst banners, noise, and confetti, the city and its routine disappear, replaced by the collective fervor of the pagan mass.

We play today. In the stands, the fan transcends their individual solitude, becoming part of a collective "we." They share the certainty of their team's superiority, the crookedness of referees, and the cheating of adversaries. They scream, leap, and hug strangers in shared ecstasy or despair, knowing they are the "player number twelve" who propels the team.

Return to solitude. When the match ends, the collective identity dissolves. The fan, who hasn't moved from the stands, celebrates "our" victory or laments "our" defeat. As shadows fall over the emptying stadium, the crowd melts away, and the fan returns to their solitary "I," leaving Sunday as melancholy as Ash Wednesday after Carnival.

6. Soccer as Choreographed War: Reflecting Societal Battles

In soccer, ritual sublimation of war, eleven men in shorts are the sword of the neighborhood, the city, or the nation.

Battlefield and warriors. The soccer field is a rectangle of green grass, a stage for a choreographed war. It has towers and banners like a castle, a moat around the field, and goals to be bombed. Eleven players, warriors without weapons, embody the collective identity of their community, exorcising its demons and reaffirming its faith through combat against the opposing side.

Old hatreds in combat. Each match is a confrontation where old hatreds and loves, passed down through generations, enter the fray. The language of soccer is often the language of war, with terms like "attack," "defense," "danger zone," and "annihilated." The crowd's roars can be bloodthirsty, wishing death upon injured opponents.

Beyond the ritual. While soccer is a ritualized sublimation of conflict, it can sometimes spill over into real violence. Fanaticism, fueled by societal tensions and frustrations, can lead to brutal clashes in the stands, reflecting deeper divisions and hatreds within society. The stadium becomes a battleground where cowed individuals find collective power and seek vengeance for their obedient lives.

7. The Commercialization: Turning Passion into Product

I have come to sell a product named soccer.

From game to business. The transformation of soccer into a global industry is driven by its immense profitability. What began as a game played for pleasure has become a spectacle organized for profit, one of the world's most lucrative businesses. This commercial imperative dictates everything from playing styles to match schedules.

Advertising in motion. Players are no longer just athletes; they are walking advertisements. Their shirts, shoes, and even their bodies are covered in logos, promoting everything from sportswear to soft drinks, cars, and insurance. The visibility of a sponsor's logo on a player's chest can be more important than their number or national symbol.

Clubs as corporations. Many major soccer clubs are now owned by large corporations or wealthy businessmen who use them as marketing tools or platforms for political ambition. These entities prioritize profit and image over the traditional values of the sport, treating players as assets and fans as consumers in a global market.

8. The Owners of the Ball: Power, Money, and Impunity

FIFA, which holds court in Zurich... manage the World Cup and the Olympics.

Global power brokers. Organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, headquartered in Switzerland, wield immense power over world sport. They manage vast sums of money generated by international competitions, particularly through the sale of television rights and sponsorships. Their operations are often shrouded in secrecy, with little transparency regarding finances.

Alliances with corporations. This power is consolidated through alliances with gigantic multinational corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Adidas, who gain exclusive marketing rights in exchange for financial support. These partnerships prioritize commercial interests, ensuring that the most profitable products are promoted, regardless of their relevance or benefit to athletes or fans.

Operating above the law. Professional soccer often operates in a sacred territory seemingly beyond the reach of national laws. Clubs and governing bodies have faced numerous accusations of financial misconduct, tax evasion, and corruption. Despite scandals, impunity often prevails, as soccer's immense popularity makes it untouchable, with fans sometimes believing directors "steal for us."

9. Latin American Artistry vs. European Efficiency

The English squad had perfected the long pass and the high ball, but these disinherited children, begotten in far-off America, did not walk in their fathers’ footsteps.

Inventing a new game. While soccer originated in England with a focus on strength and direct play, Latin American players, particularly in the River Plate and Brazil, developed a distinct style. Born in slums and played with improvised balls, this "Creole soccer" emphasized close passes, dribbling, rhythm changes, and improvisation, treating the ball like a musical instrument or a dance partner.

Beauty over results. This tropicalized soccer, fertilized by the creative energies of the poor, prioritized fantasy, pleasure, and daring over rigid tactics and efficiency. Players like Friedenreich, Scarone, and Garrincha embodied this style, drawing arabesques on the grass and performing acrobatic feats that amazed the world, even if it sometimes meant forgetting to shoot.

The shift to efficiency. Over time, the global trend, influenced by European technocracy and the fear of losing, has pushed soccer towards speed, strength, and defensive systems. Even traditionally artistic teams like Brazil have adopted more efficient, less joyful styles, sacrificing creative spontaneity for results. The export of Latin American players to Europe further contributes to this homogenization.

10. Soccer as a Mirror: Reflecting Social Injustice and Politics

Soccer and fatherland are always connected, and politicians and dictators frequently exploit those links of identity.

Exploiting national identity. Soccer is deeply intertwined with national identity, a connection frequently exploited by politicians and dictators. Victories are claimed in the name of the fatherland and used for propaganda, while teams can become symbols of resistance or national affirmation, as seen with the Basque and Catalan clubs during Franco's dictatorship.

Social tensions on the field. The sport reflects societal divisions and tensions, sometimes tragically. The "Soccer War" between Honduras and El Salvador, fueled by mutual distrust and economic hardship, erupted after clashes in World Cup qualifiers. Fan violence, often linked to unemployment and lack of hope, can mirror deeper societal conflicts and prejudices, including racism.

A sport of evasion. While soccer can be a vehicle for expressing collective identity and even resistance, it is also used as a tool for social control and evasion. Leaders like Santiago Bernabéu saw it as a way to make people happy and distract them from "more dangerous things." It can also be used to hide financial misdeeds and evade accountability, operating in a realm of impunity.

11. The Enduring Magic: Unforeseeable Beauty Survives

The more the technocrats program it down to the smallest detail, the more the powerful manipulate it, soccer continues to be the art of the unforeseeable.

Stubborn capacity for surprise. Despite the industrialization, standardization, and manipulation, soccer retains a stubborn capacity for surprise. The unpredictable nature of the game means that the impossible can still occur, the underdog can defeat the giant, and moments of extraordinary beauty can emerge when least expected, defying tactical plans and commercial logic.

A feast for the senses. Soccer remains a feast for the eyes and a joy for the body that plays it. It is a great pagan mass, capable of speaking different languages and unleashing universal passion. For many, it is a source of happiness, a simple act of play that connects people and provides moments of transcendence in a world often defined by duty and boredom.

More than just a game. Soccer is more than just a sport or a business; it is a way of being, a reflection of collective identity and history. Its diverse styles express the unique personality of different peoples, a diversity worth preserving in an era of increasing uniformity. Despite its shadows, the light of its unpredictable magic continues to shine, making us believe that immortality exists in fleeting moments of beauty.

Last updated: May 16, 2025