Mundial de Fútbol, More Than Just a Game

By Dr. Henry Flroes, NewsTaco

The World Cup is known throughout the Americas as “el Mundial,” the worldwide championship.  It concluded yesterday with a newly crowned champion who will have achieved everlasting soccer glory by being part of this one moment in history.  I didn’t like the result because Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in a hard fought match.  Nevertheless, the game was well played, both teams had several chances to score and both teams played their hearts out.  Neuer, the German goal keeper, won the Golden Glove award as the best goal keeper in the tournament and Leonel Messi, the greatest of all Argentine players, won the Golden Ball award as the best overall player.

Meaning of Game 

El Mundial is more than just a tournament played over a two year period ending with a month long tournament of the 32 teams who qualified.  This is the ultimate game, the ultimate expression of national enthusiasm, the ultimate moment when players, fans and countries can make a statement that will forever be an expression of national unity and greatness.

The World Cup is hard to understand for Americans because we have so many other sports and sporting events that grab our attention, but they are only games internal to our country.  The World Cup is played by 203 countries sanctioned by an international body.  There are other countries that have teams but they have not been approved by FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport’s governing body.  The World Cup is only about soccer dominance on one level.

The Symbolism of Futbol 

            Futbol has been dubbed the beautiful game because of the intricate movements the various ball players use to move the ball around the “pitch” or cancha.  What a lot of people don’t realize is that one of the main reasons it is so difficult to score a goal is because of all the tactics that are employed to deceive players of the other team to free up the attackers.  This takes a great deal of probing, feinting, and “off-ball” running that make up the beauty of the game.

Futbol, though, is much more than just a game.  In el mundial, futbol  is an expression of national identity, culture and character.  The teams represent the hopes and expectations of an entire nation.  When Argentina played Germany, although many of the players are teammates on other European teams, the players were representing their homelands.  Each ball player carried the hopes and expectations of every one of their countrymen in their hearts and souls.  When they played it was the country, history, culture, the very hearts and souls of Argentina versus those of Germany.  It was Latin America versus Europe and all that it connotes through centuries of interaction.  It was the soul of a “new” immigrant nation versus that of an “old world” country.

The Game 

Last Sunday’s game was a game where both sides left everything on the field.  Players from both teams fought hard; there were concussions, contusions, maybe even some broken jaws and bones.  Every bit of energy, strength, everything the players could give was left on the field at La Macarana.  The most important thing that these two teams needed to achieve was the respect of each other.  The final outcome was important but most importantly was that both teams came away with a great deal of respect for each other and this they achieved.  The people of both nations can be proud of how these players comported themselves.  They played with heart and soul, they played hard and tough, they played as if there was no tomorrow.  In the end one team held up the coveted trophy but the other won the applause of the victors because they played an extraordinary game and tournament.  In the end there was no best team that won; in the end both teams were the best.

My other team, the USA, made a statement and gained the respect of many.  They only lost by one goal to the eventual tournament winner but they also, for the first time in our history, carried the hopes of our nation.  They reflected a good cross section of our nation’s people and give us hope for the future but they showed they belonged on the same field with Argentina, Germany, Belgium, Chile, the Netherlands, and Ecuador.

Henry Flores, PhD, is a Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University.

[Photo by bartek.langer/Flickr]

Subscribe today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Must Read