Let me ask you this: All the teams that participated in the 2022 football World Cup worked hard, didn’t they? Some will say few teams are lucky, but luck can only take you so far. Ronaldo is on the same footing as Messi, and Portugal, too, had a good team, but they failed. All teams at this level have worked hard equally, have a passion for winning and have given it everything on the field. Heartbreak and glory are part of any sport. Beyond all this, there is something called destiny.
There have been greats who haven’t won trophies that they so badly wanted to. Djokovic at the Olympics (the way he reacted after losing in Tokyo is testimony), Lara in the cricket World Cup and Ronaldo in the football World Cup, to name a few. Specific tournaments are just not meant for them. Are they not the greats of their era? Absolutely yes. These are men who have given us immense sporting moments. But destiny is reserved only for a few. Apart from destiny, there is also another crucial factor that sets them apart from the rest.
The World will remember the likes of Pele, Maradona, Steffi Graf, Phelps, Jordan, Schumacher, Messi, and Sachin not just for their trophies and epic wins but because of how they played the sport. Something about their game wants you to sit in front of the screen or go to the stadium and watch them play. They have an innate quality to capture the imagination of a nation and, in some cases, an audience’s imagination that is beyond national borders. They are so big that the age-old phrase, no one is bigger than the game, is forgotten. Sachin and Messi are classic examples. People want the teams they represent to win, regardless of the club or nation they represent, only for the sake of these players.
1990 football World Cup finals remain etched in my memory, one that I would like to forget or erase from my memory. Sometimes, specific incidents in one’s childhood end up causing a hurt that one would carry on for a lifetime: Argentina’s heart-breaking loss and Maradona’s tears. I vividly remember how desperately I wanted Argentina’s victory. I couldn’t watch the game towards the closing moments and was in the puja room in my house, praying to the Gods, lighting a lamp and begging for a goal. God doesn’t work that way, does he? I cried and cried all night.
Fast-forward 32 years to 2022, and Argentina lifts the coveted trophy. I am not overjoyed or thrilled as I thought I would be. I am relieved that this saga of three decades is finally over. I am very happy for the Argentinian football fans, especially Messi, whom I consider another version of Maradona. I had followed every World Cup since 1990, hoping Argentina would lift the trophy and delight me, but I was disappointed. Worse, 2014 was another heartbreak. I didn’t cry, though.
As Saudi Arabia shocked the football world with their victory over Argentina, I, too, was in disbelief. Argentina was all set to break the World record for the most consecutive wins, and they ended up losing to a low-ranked team. However, as much as this World Cup belonged to Messi, it also belonged to me.
Every morning, I would wake up and, with dreaded hands, check my phone and search the internet for the results of the other matches that followed. I would then watch the highlights. As a sense of relief washed over me with every game, looking at how the team played, I started to believe that Argentina was indeed on its way to being crowned champions. It was destiny.
How else would you describe the quarterfinal and final wins against Netherlands and France? Argentina was well placed in both these games and had dominated most of the game. Towards the end, both these teams came back strongly and that too, one individual from each team, Weghorst and Mbappe, dictating and changing the course of the game. Yet, Argentina managed to hold one and then won on penalties.
Between 1990 and 2022, I had grown up from being a child to a teenager to a young man and now a fully grown man. The wound created on that fateful night in 1990 had left an indestructible scar somewhere inside of me. Every time I watch a game or any sports event, I would end up being biased or hateful. For no reason, I would hate a team. There are no guesses here; I have hated the German football team since 1990. There was also this Australian cricket team, which I always wanted to lose. Then, add to the list some top clubs like Manchester United, Chicago Bulls, Chennai Super Kings, Nadal, Djokovic, or the current England cricket team.
What’s common among the teams or individuals I have disliked or sometimes hated? These are teams that win consistently and continuously. I had never figured out why I desperately wanted teams that had the quality, practiced hard and deserved champions to lose. Sometimes, I convince myself that that was because the teams that play against these top-notch teams are mostly the underdogs, and so I wanted them to win. This World loves it when underdogs end up beating top teams. Croatia and Morocco in World Cups and Greece in Euro football. Sri Lanka in Asia Cup cricket. But that’s not true in my case. It’s not that I wanted the underdogs to win. It was not even about the sport or who deserved to win. It was about me.
I should be a die-hard fan if I desperately wanted Argentina to win and Messi to lift the trophy. Which I admit I am. But a die-hard fan must also be watching and following all their games, not only during the World Cup, right? This is what got me thinking.
I follow the Argentina team only during the World Cup and the Copa America. I also watch the matches only if the timing suits me. I did watch the Copa America finals as it was in the morning, and that was on a Sunday. I watched Argentina’s first match, quarterfinals and finals, even this World Up. The rest of the timings were post-midnight, so I gave it a pass and watched the highlights as soon as I woke up. I did watch a few other matches involving other countries when time permitted. I haven’t watched a full game of Messi when he played for any of his clubs. I am happy watching the 5-minute highlights.
I am far from the die-hard fans who would, come rain or shine, end up watching their hero’s or favourite team’s matches. I have tried to watch almost every game of Sachin, which is understandable because he was my hero, and I also played cricket a lot.
Before I go further, I am not the “I hate consistent winners and love the underdogs” type either. I was a die-hard Sachin Tendulkar fan. I grew up supporting Steffi Graph and Boris Becker in Tennis and Michael Schumacher (see here, all German citizens). I loved watching Roger Federer. I enjoyed supporting Mumbai Indians in the IPL, primarily because of Sachin. After his retirement, I have hardly watched cricket, let alone support a team. P.V. Sindhu is my favourite badminton star. Argentina is my all-time favourite football time. I also like Brazil’s, England’s, France’s, and Belgium’s football teams.
You can see the list above. It’s got some of the best names in their respective field. But still, the kind of hatred I harbored with specific teams and how I desperately wanted certain teams to lose was unexplainable.
As the 2022 Football World Cup count began, I wondered why I wanted Argentina to win this so badly. Why did I want Messi to lift the trophy? I even went to the extent of checking astrological predictions to see if Argentina had a chance. I am not saying only Argentina citizens or people from Barcelona or PSG must support Argentina and Messi. I know die-hard fans of the Argentina football team in India. My best friend doesn’t miss a single Manchester United game. Borders cannot confine sports, music, movies, and books.
How many children, youngsters get sucked into the emotional turmoil of the sporting World. Despite not having any control whatsoever over the outcome of the game and not having any say in the training, strategy and fitness routine of their favorite teams or players, we tend to get overwhelmed when the teams win or lose. A colleague of mine couldn’t recover from India’s cricket World Cup loss to Australia for almost two weeks. The shock and disbelief were too much for him to handle, and worse, he was so confident of India lifting the trophy. I am sure this is the story among millions of Indian fans, especially with IPL being the darling of the masses.
We brush this aspect aside, especially in children and let it grow within.
Parents need to stop showing extreme emotions when watching a sport. Hatred, abuse and dislike for individuals start here. Children don’t know the difference. Unlike adults, they don’t understand how to classify their thoughts and actions. They will apply it to every other area in their life. Sports is a billion-dollar industry and a significant distraction tactfully used by political parties and governments worldwide to keep citizens from thinking about critical issues. They will need the commoner to show emotions and keep thinking about the sport or their star’s performance. The sports industry needs people to be glued to the television screens, throng the stadiums, and buy the sports’ associated products. It’s all business and money.
In saying that, it’s okay to go to stadiums, watch the games on television and spend on products. The physical effort is worth it. Being a sports fan is good; it helps us get a respite from our mundane life and enjoy a few hours of quality competition. I strongly advocate that an individual should learn and practice a particular sport at a young age and continue playing for as long as their health permits. It would be fantastic if that sport becomes a profession for the individual.
What I am not okay with is the emotional nonsense we must endure. The hurt, abuse, trauma, thoughts of agony and not doing the day-to-day work, ignoring family commitments, sidestepping work at a job, going through days as though someone in the family died. The absurdity of the situation beats me. I have been through this, and I hope many can take a cue and guide and help children and youngsters not to get caught in the web. Sport is a delight to watch and even great when you play a sport consistently. I do this regularly, and I love my sports routine. Let’s not get caught in it as if it’s life or death unless you are part of the team or it earns you your daily bread. Watch the game and appreciate the winner, but leave the emotion behind and get on with life. There are more critical things to do than sit like a duck and cry for something that’s not even remotely in your control.
Jagdish Joghee 