Jimmy Burns's Blog, page 13

Can Messi banish the ghost of Dallas ?

 

Twenty years ago, Maradona’s international ended suddenly and dramatically in the World Cup USA when he tested positive to a drugs test in an early  group match played by Argentina against Nigeria.

Later today Messi will lead out Argentina to play against the same country, a player determined to prove in this World Cup in the great rival Brazil that he is not the only best, but better than Maradona. Brazil has been invaded by Argentine fans dreaming of a World Cup held up by Messi.

It was Pep Guardiola than soon after taking over as manager of FC Barcelona read the riot act to  a younger and immature Messi  who  had gone dangerously wayward, hitting the nightlife with Deco and Ronaldino. If he  wanted to be as great if  not better than Diego, Guardiola told   Messi, it was time get back to a decent diet, stable sleeping patterns and disciplined  training. Without it, Messi’s international career would prove short lived.

Messi wised up, bounced back, gave Guardiola his best years as a manager,  and in the process earned himself the reputation as the greatest playing footballer in the world, until  FC Barcelona fans resented his apparent lack of commitment and poor play at club level, claiming that he was reserving himself for this  World Cup.

So now it’s Messi’s moment of truth.  Win or lose, Argentina are through to the next round. A draw later today will be enough for Nigeria to go through with them- a tempting formula for a fix? I hope not. Messi needs to emerge  from this match unblemished before going on and winning the World Cup. Anything less will not be enough to dethrone Diego from his legendary throne.

And now lest we forget him La Mano de Dios, a bit of pertinent history:

“In the context of Maradona’s life…both goals against England in Mexico in 1986, belonged very much to the same man. The first showed Maradona the urchin child who had grown to be a star, still so unsure of his true self as to feel the need to cheat. The second showed Maradona the hugely gifted player of exceptional skill whose combination of acceleration, control, strength and accuracy translated into unrivalled greatness on the field.

Maradona emerged from the Mexico World Cup with his status as one of the great footballer of all time strengthened, even though his image as a person was tarnished by dissension. Argentina’s victory over (West) Germany in the final proved something of an anti-climax after the controversy and brilliance of the match against England. But Maradona scored a personal  triumph in  in his gladiatorial contest with West Germany’s midfielder Lothar Mathaus, the sheer skill and self-discipline of the Argentine ultimately overcoming the tough and relentless marking of the German. And in the end it was Maradona who tipped the match in his team’s favour: with a deft pass to Burruchaga, he set up Argentina’s winning goal.

It was a fitting end to a competition which had confirmed the extent to which Maradona had matured as a player since transferring to European club football in 1982. He had arrived in Mexico with his personal life in tatters, his team in disarray, yet conscious that his reputation as one of the best, if not the best, was to be put to the test in the most widely viewed World Cup ever. Such pressures would have cracked a weaker personality. Yet in Mexico, Maradona seemed to channel his inner tensions into a positive combativeness….

If the Mexican wave was born in the Azteca stadium, bringing back joy in the aftermath of the earthquake, it was Maradona who had ridden on the crest of it, thanks to his magic on the field….

In the World Cup USA in 1994,  Maradona led Argentina to a convincing 4-0 win over Greece, and a hard earned 2-1 victory over Nigeria. After the Nigeria match, Maradona…was one of two Argentine players picked for a dope test…

“What’s wrong, Fernando?” Maradona asked his personal trainer Signorini.”They’ve killed us, “Signorini replied, “The test was positive and they’ve decided to suspend you. “

Maradona felt he had fallen into a black hole. In silence, he staggered from his bed and made for the bathroom. “I killed myself training, I killed myself training, and now they do this to me!” he screamed before breaking out in sobs.

Signorini was rarely surprised by anything that Maradona did, but the scene he witnessed that day-an international star reduced in an instant to a human wreck- was not one he easily forgot. He later recalled: “It seemed as if Diego’s whole world had come apart. He was crying from the deepest depth of his soul, completely out of control.”

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La Roja en Brasil: Una historia anunciada?

Nada quizá resumió con más intensidad  la tragedia de la salida de España de los Mundiales en Brasil que la instantánea de David Villa y Xavi Hernández, juzgados por Del Bosque  excedentes  a sus  requisitos , en el banco de suplentes.

Villa ha marcado más goles en la Selección de España que cualquier otro jugador en la historia, mientras que Xavi Hernández ha sido la columna vertebral  de y de hecho ha definido  un estilo de fluido juego de ataque basado en la posesión y pases rápidos que pocos equipos han logrado emular con tal éxito, ya sea del club o a nivel nacional.

Entre ellos Villa y Xavi vez  marcaron la  España de La Roja en su mejor momento, eficaz, así como creativo-y, sin embargo tal a diminuido juego en tiempos mas recientes d que Del Bosque optó, en cierto riesgo, no usarlos en el partido, a vida o muerte, contra Chile.

En lugar de ellos, Del Bosque apostó por un solitario delantero Diego Costa, un jugador que no sólo ha tenido nada que ver en los días de la Roja de gloria, pero no encaja en su sistema  juego, y cuyo debut  en esta Copa del Mundo contra Holanda, después de una temporada empañado por la lesión, fue claramente floja. Ese otro emblema de pasadas glorias de la Roja, Torres, fue incorporado  al partido con Chile  , cuando la derrota de su equipo ya estaba sellada.

Contra Chile, y frente a Holanda, España carecía de la creatividad, la pasión y la capacidad para anotar goles: no mostro  sentido de su propio valor, jugo sin espíritu de equipo, con su vulnerabilidad cada vez más expuesta a medida que el juego avanzaba.

No es el primer equipo nacional en la historia que se  estrella  al suelo desde sus alturas celestiales. Campeones de fútbol terminan  con una explosión, o un gemido y el fin de la defensa de su Copa del Mundo de España era, en función de las diferentes perspectivas y lealtades, tanto anti-climático como  dramático.

Otros países como Holanda y Brasil pueden afirmar que han creado algunos de los mejores momentos del fútbol de la era posterior a la guerra, pero los dos, cuando eran camepones, tuveron problemas para mantener el impulso (estas selecciones nacionales que juegan en esta Copa del Mundo de Brazil son  una pálida sombra del  Brilliant Orange y el Jogo Bonito).

Los fines  de las eras de fútbol, ​​y soy cauteloso sobre el uso de esta frase en el caso de España, ya sea en la cuota nacional o a nivel de clubes , tienes algunos temas en común. .El equipo perdió su hambre después de demasiado éxito. Algunos jugadores  sufren la edad o pireden forma más rápido que otros. Las transiciones de una generación a la siguiente pueden son  mal administrados. ‘Misters’ de inspiración y los jugadores encuentran que su legado disminuye con el paso del tiempo.

Del Bosque me dijo en el período previo a la Copa del Mundo que el principal desafío que enfrentaba  era la  de motivar a sus jugadores al tiempo que añadió  que él todavía crei en el fútbol jugado  con estilo y la nobleza , y no la conquista aplastante del otro, no como un simple medio para un fin. Tengo la sensación de que después de haber llegado a la cima  Del Bosque  instinctivamente sabia lo difícil que seria para  La Roja  encontrar un nuevo horizonte , y no comparta las expectativas de nuevas conquistas, porque su fe había disminuido, sobre todo porque las cosas habían sucedido a nivel de clubes que conspiraba  contra un buen desempeño.

Su elección de Costa desafía toda lógica , y Del Bosque nunca me lo explicó. Sospecho que que las autoridades futbolísticas españolas sentían que merecían dar el jugador estrella del Atlético de Madrid un papel clave en la selección nacional después de la gran alboroto generado por esta brasileño al comvertirse en ciudadano español con el fin de jugar para España.

Costa entre ellos, el principal cultivo de la selección fue  extraído de tres clubes-Real Madrid FC Barcelona y el Atlético de Madrid que habían pasado por una temporada físicamente a y emocionalmente exigente a nivel tanto nacional como internacional. Costa acababa de recuperarse de una lesión. Ademas La Roja se enfrentaba un problema real con su propio sentido de identidad colectiva post-el Guardiola del Barça, y la bajo auto-estima de Casillas provocado por Mourinho.

No obstante Del Bosque eligió un equipo que podría tener la determinación mental, así como física, al menos para  progresar a  las fase finales en Brasil. Calificó Brasil, Argentina, Holanda, Croacia y Alemania como los principales equipos a batir.

Con la excepcion de Iniesta, los veteranos jugadores estrellas internacionales – encabezados por el capitán Casillas-pero incluyendo  Ramos, Jordi Alba, Alonso y Busquets, jugaron mal, y nuevas entrantes e-como Costa y Azpilicueta simplemente se sumaron  a la miseria. Incluso Pedro, incluido al comienzo del juego Chile para reactivar el equipo, falló. No sólo el equipo se sostuvo entre sí cualquier cohesión eficaz de sistema-tambien fue muy deficiente en la capacidad goleadora.

Que España no pudo con Holanda y no reaccionó , como campeón, en el partido con  Chile, se debe en parte a los jugadores. Pero Del Bosque  fue el que los selecciono ,  y al final no fue capaz de levantarles, por lo que debe asumir una gran parte de la responsabilidad por el fracaso colectivo de España en este Mundial.

Es un fracaso que no me llena de rabia, pero si con una profunda tristeza por Del Bosque, un ‘Mister’  muy humano, , de una conducta política ejemplar, y que siempre ha sentido un gran l amor y el respeto por lo mejor del futbol . No se se merecía tal humillación en el Maracaná, donde su equipo jugó casi todo el partido  abucheado por la mayoría de los fans de Chile y Brasil.

Chile jugo con  un equipo de jóvenes, duros, guerreros valientes con un ‘Mister’ que aplaudió y les dio instrucciones en cada paso del camino. Los chilenos tenían el espíritu de sus antepasados, los araucanos, (la tribu india heroica que resistió ferozmente a los conquistadores españoles complacientes), aunque su brillante portero es descendiente de españoles y juega para un club español (el traslado de la Real Sociedad para el FC Barcelona ,).

Como una manada, los jóvenes chilenos jugaron un fútbol directo, ,eficaz,   marcando  goles, presionando, defendiendo murallas, presionando como zorros , sosteniendo  la defensa,  sofocando a todo lo que les venia en medioa, todo lo contrario del disfuncional y desanimado   juego de España, sus  héroes caducados  y arribistas fallidos, y el mas trágico de todos,el mismo  Del Bosque, que parecía y actuaba como si se hubiera quedado sin ideas y fe.

Hoy siento un profundo pésame por el final de una época que me trajo  el fútbol en su forma más creativa y humanamente atractivo y que me dio muchas horas de alegría desde que La Roja comenzó a mostrar su verdadero esplendor en el período previo a la Eurocopa 2008. Espero que si  Del Bosque dimite lo haga   con honor y honrado o que permanezca en su puesto durante un período de transición. Le debemos   un enorme voto de gracias , la poesía de estilo, y la nobleza en el éxito que ha hecho  tan especial la Roja de Del Bosque .

Lamento de corazón el final de una época que ha producido el fútbol en su forma más creativa y humanamente atractiva y que me dio muchas horas de alegría desde que  La Roja comenzó a mostrar su verdadero esplendor en el período previo a la Eurocopa 2008. Espero que Del Bosque , si tiene que renunciar- y creo que renunciara-,   lo haga  con honor y honrado o que permanezca  durante un período de transición mientras  encuentra un reemplazo que valga . España y el mundo del fútbol  le debe a Del Bosque un enorme voto de agradecimiento. El suyo será una era  muy difícil de seguir.

Espero y confío en que no pasará mucho tiempo antes de que España reencuentre lo mejor de su futbol  ,  con un nuevo mando,si es que Del Boque esta sin animo para seguir,    y con las nuevas generaciones emergentes de jugadores de gran talento, capaces de recrear la solidaridad de  equipo, la poesía de estilo, y la nobleza de manera de ser tanto  en el éxito, como la derrota,  que ha  hecho La Roja de Del Bosque tan especial.

Creo que mi viaje a través del fútbol español está lejos de terminar. El equipo nacional se desarrollará en forma y estilo. El éxito de los equipos juveniles de España, la fuerza en profundidad de sus clubes más importantes, y la valiosa experiencia de una gran cantidad de jugadores españoles con talento que juegan en las ligas nacionales más competitivas del mundo, sugiere que el futuro vale la pena mirar con esperanza.

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La Roja in Brazil: A story foretold ?

 

Nothing perhaps summed up more acutely the tragedy of Spain’s exit  from the World  Cup  in Brazil than the  snapshot  of  David Villa  and Xavi Hernandez , judged by their manager surplus to requirements,   on the substitutes bench.

Villa has scored more goals for Spain’s  national team than any other in history, while Xavi Hernandez has been the backbone and indeed defined a style of  fluid attacking play based on possession and quick passing which few teams have managed to emulate with such success, either club or national level.

Between them Villa and Xavi once personified Spain’s  La Roja at  its best, effective as well as creative- and yet such was their diminished form that Del Bosque chose, at some risk,  not to use them in the critical game against Chile.

Instead Del Bosque gambled on a lone striker- Diego Costa, a player that has not only played no part in La Roja’s days of glory but disrupts  its trademark system of play, and whose debut performance,  in this World Cup against Holland, after a season marred by injury, was distinctly uninspirational. That other emblem of past La Roja’s glories, Torres,  was brought on belatedly, when it was all effectively over.

Against Chile, as against Holland, Spain lacked creativity, passion, and capacity to score goals: no sense of self-worth, no team ethos, with its vulnerability increasingly exposed as they game progressed.

It is not the first national team in history to crash to the ground from its celestial heights. Football champions  end with a bang as well as whimper and the end of Spain’s defence of its World Cup was, depending on different perspectives and loyalties, both anti-climactic and dramatic.

Other countries like Holland and Brazil can claim to  have created some of the best football of the post-war era but struggled to keep up the momentum (these national  teams playing in this World Cup may not be losing games,  but they are so far a  pale shadow of Brilliant Orange and the Jogo Bonito).

End of football eras, and I am cautious about using this phrase in Spain’s case, whether at national or club level share some common themes. Team lose their hunger after too much success. Some players age or lose form quicker than others.  Transitions from one generation to the next can be mismanaged. Inspirational managers and players find their legacy diminished with the passage of time.

Del Bosque told me in the run up to the World Cup that the main challenge he faced was in motivating his players while adding that he still believed in football being played with style and grace not as a  simply means to an end. I got a  sense that having got to the top La Roja  might fight it  difficult to find a new horizon, that Del Bosque was playing down expectations of new conquests because his faith had diminished, not least because things had happened at club level that conspired against a good performance.

His choice of Costa defies all La Roja logic, and Del Bosque  never explained it to me . I suspect that that part of the reason was that the  Spanish football authorities felt they deserved to give Atletico de Madrid’s star player a key role in the national team after the huge fuss generated over this Brazilian becoming a Spanish citizen in order to play for Spain.

Alomng with Costa, the  main crop of Spanish players were drawn from three clubs- Real Madrid FC Barcelona, and Atletico de Madrid that had gone through a physically and emotionally  challenging season at both national and international level.  Costa had only just recovered from an injury.There was a real problem with Barca’s own sense of collective identity post-Guardiola, and Casillas’s self-esteem still carried the scars  from the Mourinho era, when he was dropped at Real Madrid.

Nevertheless Del Bosque picked the side he thought had the mental as well as physical resolve  to at least progress to the final stages of the World Cup in Brazil. He rated Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Croatia, and Germany as the main teams to beat.  But for Iniesta, proven star Spanish international players – led by captain Casillas-but including the likes of Ramos, Jordi Alba, Alonso, and Busquets,  played badly, and new in-takes like Costa and Azpilicueta simply added to the misery. Even Pedro, brought in at the start of the Chile game  to revive the team,   failed.  Not only did the team not hold together in any effective cohesive system- but it was hugely deficient in goal scoring ability.

That Spain failed to come out against Holland and play like champions and then, when then they were  up against it, failed to react against Chile , is partly down to the players.  But Del Bosque picked them, and in the end was unable to lift them, so he must assume a large measure of responsibility for Spain’s collective failure in this World Cup.

It is a failure that fills me not with anger, but with profound sadness for Del Bosque, a manager of such proven human decency, exemplary political conduct, and love and respect for the best in the game that he did not deserve such humiliation in the Maracana, where his team played most of the match being booed by a majority of Chilean and Brazilian fans.

La Roja’s ultimate humiliators, Chile, were made up of a team of young, tough, courageous warriors with a manager that cheered and instructed them every step of the way. The Chileans had the spirit of their ancestors, the Araucanians, (the heroic Indian tribe that fiercely resisted the complacent Spanish conquistadores), even if their brilliant goalkeeper is descended from Spaniards and plays for a Spanish club (on transfer from Real Sociedad to FC Barcelona,).

As a pack, the Chileans  played uncompromising , youthful and effective football, at full throttle with a manager accompanying them all along the way, to score goals, to hold the defence, to pressure and mark -quite the opposite of Spain’s dysfunctional, dispirited game of past heroes and failed arrivistes, and poor Del Bosque who looked and acted as if he had run out of ideas and faith.

I mourn the end of an era that produced  football at its most creative and humanly appealing and which gave me many hours of joy since La Roja began to show its true brilliance in the run up to Euro 2008. I expect Del Bosque to quit honourably and honoured or stay on for a transition period while a decent replacement is found.  Spain and world football owes him a huge vote of thanks. He will be a very tough act to follow.

I hope and trust that it won’t be long before Spain finds its compass again, under a new manager and with new emerging generations of highly talented players capable of recreating the solidarity as a team, the poetry of style, and nobility in success that made Del Bosque’s La Roja so very special.

I believe that my journey through Spanish football is far from over. The national team will evolve in shape and style. The success of Spain’s youth teams, the strength in depth of its major clubs, and the valuable experience of a plethora of gifted Spanish players playing in the most competitive national leagues in the world , suggests that the future is worth looking forward to.

 

 

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Spain’s La Roja needs to get back in touch with its best

 

Watching Brazil’s last two games, helped me focus in thinking what a tragedy it would be were Vicente del Bosque’s team  to be knocked out in the early stages of this World Cup.

For all the media hype surrounding the host nation in the run up to the tournament, this Brazil team has yet to convince me that they are worthy pretenders to the crown.  My scepticism is provoked  in large measure by Neymar, whose reputation has been fuelled less by any enduring evidence of his exceptionality than by a questionable transfer deal involving FC Barcelona.

Neymar can have moments of brilliance but so  can other less promoted players like Oscar and captain Thiago Silva. Stardom nevertheless is in a minority in the host nation’s team, and Brazil seems to lack a team ethos.

Clearly there is a huge weight of expectation on Neymar’s shoulders- his face publicises a plethora of products across Brazil and he is  competing with Messi to emerge as the player of this tournament on Latin America soil, surpassing Pele and Maradona – but this risks turning the Brazilian team into a one-player dependant team that fails when he cannot deliver as happened in the game with Mexico.

By contrast, since breaking the myth of being football’s ‘great underachievers’ in Euro2008, Spain has given football fans around the world many hours of simply brilliant football played by a collection of players whose solidarity and creativity has been moulded and encouraged by Vicente del Bosque, a coach that has taken success for granted nor to lose sight of the fact that football, like life, is in the end just a game, and we are all merely players.

The Spain that was crushed by Holland in its opening game was not a mediocre team, still less a bad team, but simply a team whose players had temporarily forgotten their proven ability to excel and their well-earned reputation as World Champions. In other words Spain had temporarily lost a sense of its own worth.

Psychology will play a huge part in Spain’s match against Chile later today. Spain  needs to remind itself from where it has  come from and who they   still are-the team that came to this World Cup with the most exciting  and successful squad of players of any in the tournament and with a proven collective ability to produce poetry in motion  and to deliver magical victories.  It also needs to score goals and not concede. Spain needs to play and win like a true champion of the world. This tournament need the best of the Spanish La Roja.

 

 

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La Roja- Its not over yet

Just days after Rafa Nadal lifted the Roland Garros trophy in Paris, declaring Prefiero morir siendo valiente( ‘ I would rather die being brave’) , Spain’s national football team –the defending World  Champions- capitulated  without passion or glory to a Dutch team that played with fury and style.

Nothing perhaps summed up the sheer humiliation of Friday’s game  than the utterly dejected, almost haunted face of Iker Casillas after letting through the fifth Dutch goal in the most crushing defeat suffered by La Roja since breaking with decades of underachievement and winning the European championship in 2008.

Del Bosque told me not so long ago that he believes in players more than systems. And yet  La Roja’s  Word Cup opener  developed into a game where the Spaniards  neither  as a team nor individually showed themselves able to react to the Dutch avalanche that rolled over them in the second half . Even before then,  it was evident than  in Diego Costa there was a problem of players and system. Spain played like a team split into two parts, its disfunctionality underlined by the way its creative passing and movement in mid field seemed to break down with  an  apparent anxiety to feed balls to the very mediocre lone striker. As for Costa, he showed little ability to combine with his colleagues in any effective way.

Costa’s poor performance   did La Roja no favours, just when it needed to maintain the advantage produced by the lucky penalty against him. His very presence seemed to play havoc with the team’s sense of identity and self-worth, drawing regular jeers from the Brazilians in the crowd not just for his perceived patriotic disloyalty but also because he is clearly  no Neymar.

By contrast Silva, despite missing a goal opportunity that might have changed things, worked heroically for much of the match, as did Iniesta. The same cannot be said for Pique and Ramos who seemed to play as if this was a minor league game, leaving Spain’s defence pitifully exposed to the Dutch onslaught led by Von Persie.

Del Bosque has shown  in the past that if anyone is capable of lifting La Roja from its doldrums it is he. Remember Spain winning the World Cup after losing its first match to Switzerland?  Remember  Spain thrashing Italy in the finals of Euro 2012 after commentators had speculated that the Spanish ‘era of football’ was over?

Del Bosque’s instinct I think will be to start against Chile with most of the players that lost against the Dutch, including Casillas,  but probably not Costa, trusting in the motivation there will  be collectively  in wanting to recover a sense of self-worth . But he may alternatively draw on his resources  bringing in the likes of Mata and Cazorla  and Javi Martinez , Pedro and Villa- all of whom can score the goals which Spain desperately will need.

If Spain manages to get through   the group stage,  it has  the strength in depth to win against poorer opposition than the Dutch were last night. That may not be enough to retain the World Cup but I am not writing off Spain’s chances of making history  in Brazil- not yet.

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El Casteller aun por construir

 

Pocos actos colectivos de actividad humana son tan impresionantes y de hecho tan conmovedores como la realizada por los Castellers catalanes (constructores del castillo).

La actuación consiste en un gran grupo de hombres fuertes que construyen una torre humana. La base, que se  puede aumentar con aliados si es necesario, se forma en una llamada Piña, una relativamente gran anillo que lleva el peso de las capas por encima y por tanto estabiliza la carga y actúa como una red de seguridad. Capas-conocido como el tronc (Catalán de tronco de árbol) adicionales varían en número y de acuerdo a cuántos están involucrados, pero la cima tiene un joven chico,  la anxenta-realizando un acto extraordinario de equilibrio que a su vez depende de la fuerza y ​​coordinación de  ésos debajo de él. El desmontaje del castillo humano implica tanta  habilidad, paciencia y trabajo en equipo motivado como el montarlo-pero es la construcción de la misma, en el cual  el verdadero logro reside.

Los castells tienen origen en una danza popular tradicional que se remonta al siglo 18, cuando la primera torre humana fue construido por los habitantes de Valls, a unos 40 kms al oeste de Barcelona y pronto se convirtió en un evento deportivo competitivo.

Este pasado fin de semana, grupos de castellers actuaron  en varias capitales europeas incluyendo  Londres, como parte de una campaña organizada por el nacionalismo catalán para llamar la atención sobre los planes propuestos para celebrar un referéndum el 9 de noviembre para votar sí o no a la independencia.

Nos dieron una imagen llamativa de la identidad cultural catalán basado no solo en la solidaridad humana, sino también en  una fuerte base política como era evidente por las banderas Catalunya independientes flaneadas en el entorno..

Estos actos sirven como un recordatorio de que el empuje de un referéndum sobre la independencia en Catalunya- o el derecho de decidir com dice el Sr Mas- es uno de los principales desafíos que enfrenta el príncipe español cuando asume la corina del país como rey Felipe V1 el 19 de junio.

Hasta ahora los gobiernos de Madrid y Barcelona han sido participes de un dialago de sordos-  la narrativa de dos trenes  que van al choque enfrentado,   con el gobierno de centro derecha del PP y el principal partido de la oposición socialista, con el apoyo del poder judicial,declarando que  la celebración de un referéndum tal como esta planeado  por los Catalanes de |Mas y sus aliados de Esquerra seria inconstitucional e ilegal.

Las consecuencias del referéndum de seguir adelante y los pasos sucesivos que podian llevar  hacia una declaración de independencia podría dejar a;  gobierno central con ninguna otra opción que imponer una forma de gobierno directo, lo que amenazaría una  gran agitación política y social.

El nuevo rey, sin embargo podría aprovechar la oportunidad del inicio de un nuevo reinado como jefe de Estado para forjar un consenso en torno a una necesaria reforma de la Constitución, dando Catalunya más control sobre sus finanzas, y dando reconocimiento de su identidad cultural y política singular dentro de una España federalizada . Este  es un castillo humano necesario y urgente que necesita ser construido, y tiene que abarcar a todos los españoles-catalanes incluidos. Sin ella un número creciente de catalanes votarán con sus pies-rompiendo con el resto del pais , convencidos de que se puede construir un país mejor que se llamaría La Republica de Catalunya.

 

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The human castle yet to be built in Spain

 

 

Few acts of human endeavour are as impressive and indeed moving as that performed by Catalan Castellers (Castle builders).

The performance involves a large group of able-bodied men building a human tower. The base, which can draw on helpers if needed, is formed in a so-called Pinya, a relatively large ring which carries the weight of layers above and both stabilises the load and acts as a security net.  Additional layers-known as the tronc (Catalan for tree trunk) vary in numbers and according to how many are involved, but the pinnacle has a young boy-the anxenta- performing an extraordinary balancing act which in turn depends on the strength and coordination of those beneath him. Dismantling the human castle involves as much skill, patience, and motivated team work as mounting it- but it is the building of it, that the true achievement lies.

The castells have origins in a traditional folk dance dating back to the 18th century when the first human tower was built by the inhabitants of Valls, about 40 kms west of Barcelona and soon developed into a competitive sporting event.

This past weekend groups of castellers performed in various European capitals including London as part of a campaign organised by the Catalan nationalist to draw attention to the proposed plans to hold a referendum on November 9th to vote yes or no to independence.

They provided a striking image of Catalan cultural identity based on human solidarity but also with a strong political underpinning as was evident from the independent  Catalunya flags waved in their vicinity.

Such acts serve as a reminder that the push for a referendum on independence in Catalunya  is one of the main challenges facing the Spanish prince when he succeeds his father as King Felipe V1 on June 19th.

Until now Madrid and Barcelona has seemed hurtling towards collision, with the centre right PP government and the main opposition socialist party, with the support of the judiciary, both declaring the holding of a referendum as unconstitutional and illegal.

The consequences of the referendum going ahead  and further move towards a declaration of independence could well leave the central government with no option but to impose a form of direct rule, which would risk huge political and social unrest.

The new King however could use the opportunity of the beginning of a new reign as head of state to forge a consensus around a necessary reform of the constitution, giving Catalunya more control over its finances while recognising its singular cultural and political identity within a federalised Spain. This an urgent and necessary human castle that needs to be built, and it needs to embrace all Spaniards- Catalans included.  Without it an increasing number of Catalans will vote with their feet-and to break with Spain, convinced that they can build a better country of their own.

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Catalonia: A story foretold

 

Catalonia increasingly is taking on the aspect of a story foretold.

The huge turn out last summer- a peaceful human protest chain stretching across the region- on Catalonia’s national day, and this week the emergence of the pro-independence republican party Esquerra as the most voted Catalan party in the European elections , were predictable developments given the Madrid PP government’s utter inability to address the Catalan nationalist question with any sense of statesmanship.

Now three days of rioting in Barcelona, while seemingly motivated by neighborhood concerns, represents the kind of political violence which can be provoked by a toxic mix of poor governance and anarchic lack of faith in the established political system’s ability to negotiate, still less absorb fundamental change.

Fast forward to this coming autumn- another Catalan national day, this time marking its totemic three hundredth anniversary, coinciding with the Scots voting to decide whether or not they stay in the UK (current polls show a majority of Scots could still vote for independence) followed by plans to hold a referendum in Catalonia in defiance of the Spanish constitution.

Madrid insists that a referendum on Catalan independence is illegal. Catalan president Arturo Mas says it is a legitimate right while hinting that he remains open to dialogue over how it should be organised. I suspect Mas is dusting off his plans for early Catalan elections to try and reenforce his position while conscious of the danger of being outflanked by Esquerra.

There is still time for this phoney war ending round the negotiating table. The alternative is the enduring stalemate disintegrating into protest and repression on a much larger scale than has occurred so far this on the streets of Barcelona.

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El buen fútbol , el Papa Francisco y Dios

 

El autor Vargas Llosa hace algunos años escribió que un partido de fútbol carecía de las cualidades estéticas de una pieza clásica de la música , sobre todo en lo que afecta a la inteligencia , la imaginación , el corazón y el alma.

Como amante de la buena música y el buen fútbol se me ocurren  sinfonías y canciones cuyo eco en mi subconsciente me traen lágrimas de alegría o tristeza , y algo mas inexplicable,  así como partidos memorables,  no porque mi equipo ganó , pero porque vi el fútbol jugado con nobleza y imaginación creativa  , o sea otra forma de arte – poesía en movimiento – y porque  la solidaridad implicó equipo, manager, y los aficionados . Cuento entre mis mejores amigos gente que le gusta el futbol.

Como fan de futbol comprometido y ilusionador , tomo como punto de referencia dos comentarios que entre ellos no dejan estre deporte en extremos diametralmente percibidas de la percepción: “la gente cree que  el fútbol es un asunto de vida o muerte, yo soy muy decepcionado con esa actitud. Les puedo asegurar que es mucho , mucho más importante que eso ” dijo una vez Bill Shankley. Mientras  que  Gary Lineker  en 1990 opino asi:  ” El fútbol es un juego sencillo  ; 22 hombres persiguen un balón durante 90 minutos y al final , los alemanes ganan ” .

El mantra de Shankly es el del obsesivo . Se trata de la bandera detrás de la cual generaciones de fanáticos, de un club  otro, han excusado la intolerancia , la confrontación y el abuso cuyo derrame de más allá del estadio ha alimentado la violencia en la calle y en el frente domestico  . Ningún deporte es digno de nada de esto.

Por otra parte , los últimos juegos del Champions League  han servido como un recordatorio de que el fútbol no se trata simplemente de perseguir una pelota , se trata de lo que haces con  ella ; tampoco es verdad que los Alemanes  son invincibles.  Es una cuestión de psicología humana ; de  estilo, y de  táctica y  de jugadores y sí, alguna que otra vez, de suerte. La  existencia humana tal como fue definido por el filósofo español Ortega y Gasset, ” Yo y mis circumstancias . ” Incluso Mourinho, admitió después de la derrota del Chelsea por el Atletico de Madrid  que  su propio ego merecía un contrapunto.

Mi amor por el fútbol significa que puedo lamentar que mi club, el FC Barcelona,  parece haber perdido temporalmente la creatividad y la motivación que le ganó tanta admiración universal en la época buena de Cruyff y Guardiola. Lo siento por  Guardiola que tan poco tiempo tuvo para asumir  la muerte de su amigo Tito Vilanova. Al mismo tiempo el Bayern de Guardiola mostró los peligros de estar fijado en una táctica de juego y la de forzárla sobre  los jugadores , en lugar de adaptar las tácticas a los jugadores disponibles, como  Del Bosque ha sabido hacer con La Roja.

Sé que otros aficionados del Barça me acusaran de deslealtad ,  pero me siento tranquilo con ser un  amante del buen fútbol que esta  deseando que llegue el final de la Champions League y que sea un partido fantástico entre dos equipos que merecen  estar allí.

Real Madrid por primera vez desde  la época de Del Bosque  tiene un Mister  serio y con suficiente humildad que está comprometido con sus jugadores , y que les  puede motivar en un buen equipo además de  permitir un  gran un brillo individual . En cuanto al Atlético de Madrid  de Diego Simeone, este ha logrado alcanzar lo que parece haber perdido el Barça , forjando un ejemplar sentido de unidad y propósito que implica entrenador, equipo, y los aficionados  en un hazaña quixotesca – la de  jugar mejor con menos dinero por el medio. Lo de Simeone es el fútbol en su máxima expresión : no como un acto de celebridades , pero una gran aventura  humana – empeño apasionado, respetuoso de los opositores , y digno de respeto.

Es el tipo de fútbol que el Papa Francisco , hincha de lo que fue el gran San Lorenzo de Almagro de  la posguerra, es  feliz de bendecir . Una de las frases que ha utilizado para explicar el encuentro transformador de su vocación es el argot lunfardo  “nos primerea ” . Es un término frecuentemente utilizado por los Porteños  para hablar de una buena jugada de fútbol que termina en gol – un movimiento  que anticipa el encuentro  con el otro, y que consigue superarlo.

Ha habido algunos grandes creaciones y buenos goles en las semifinales de la Liga de Campeones , dignos de ser celebrados universalmente. En su mejor expresión el  fútbol , como la música , nos permite ponernos en contacto con lo mejor de  nuestra humanidad, y al hacerlo , tocar el dedo de D

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On Football, Pope Francis & God

 

The author Vargas Llosa some years back wrote that a football match lacked the enduring uplifting, aesthetic qualities of a classical piece of music, not least in what affects intellect, imagination, heart and soul.

As a music lover and football fan I can think of symphonies and songs whose echo in my subconscious bring me to tears of joy or sadness, as well as matches memorable not because my team won, but because I saw football played nobly and creatively, turned into art form-poetry in motion- and because of the solidarity that involved team, manager, and fans.

As a fan of the Glory and Beautiful game, I take as my point of reference two comments which between them seem to pitch the game at diametrically perceived extremes of perception:  Bill Shankly’s “people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” And Gary Lineker’s (circa 1990) “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.”

Shankly’s mantra is that of the obsessive.  It is the banner behind which generations of fanatics, of one club or the other, have excused  bigotry, confrontation, and abuse whose spill over beyond the stadium has fuelled violence in the street and on the domestic front. No sport is worth any of this.

On the other hand, recent Champions League games have served as a reminder that football is not simply about chasing a ball, it is about what you do with; it is also about human psychology; it is about style, and tactics and yes, luck. It shows human existence as it was defined by the Spanish philosopher, Ortega y Gasset, “Myself and my circumstances.” Even Mourinho, post Chelsea’s semi-finals exit had to admit that even his own ego deserved a counterpoint.

My love for football means that I can grieve that my club FC Barcelona seems to have temporarily lost the creativity and motivation that won it such universal admiration. I can recognise and empathise with Pep Guardiola struggling to keep a focus so soon after his friend Tito Vilanova’s death. At the same time Guardiola’s Bayern showed the dangers of being fixed in a tactic of play and forcing it on players, rather than tailoring the tactics to the players.

I know that other Barca fans will accuse me of disloyalty, but as a lover of good football I am looking forward to the Champions League final. Real Madrid for the first time  since Vicente Del Bosque it has a manager that is in engaged with his players, and can motivate a team ethos as well an individual brilliance.  As for Diego Simeone’s Atletico de Madrid – it has managed to achieve what Barca seems to have lost, forging an exemplary sense of unity and purpose involving manager, team, and fans-while successfully outplaying great clubs on a much smaller budget. This is football at its best: not as a celebrity act, but shared human endeavour-passionate, respectful of opponents, and worthy of respect.

 

It’s the kind of football that Pope Francis, a fan himself, would I think be happy to bless. One of the phrases he has used to explain a transformative encounter that led to  vocation as a priest is the Buenos Aires slang expression “nos primerea”.  It’s a term often used by Argentines to talk of a good football move that ends in a goal- a move “that anticipates you”, “beats you to it.”

There have been   some great moves, and good goals  in the semi-finals of the Champions League worthy of being celebrated regardless of one’s club loyalties. At its best , football, like music, allows us to get in touch with our humanity, and in doing so, touch God’s finger.

 

 

 

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