Edison Cavani and racism

Edison Cavani is being investigated for racism. The Manchester United striker thanked a friend on Twitter with the expression "Gracias Negrito".

Now, in most places in Latin America, including Cavani´s Uruguay, Negro is not an insult, but an endearing term. I have friends and family members that we call "El Negro", and that cultural context is a thing that is grossly missing in this accusation against Mr. Cavani, who can and should not be accused for racism for this.

All this is not to say that racism does not exist in Latin America: it certainly does, and too little is done to fight it. However, an expression as that used by Mr. Cavani is not racist (ask the friend he said it to), and must be understood in the cultural context in which he used the expression, which remains very common. The risk here is that the justified fight against racism is reduced to correcting petty cultural misunderstandings that have little or nothing to do with the real fight against the scourge of racism.

I hope that the FA will see this and not punish Edison Cavani.

Last-16 of Champions League 2020-21

 The groups stages of this season's Champions League has been weird, without spectators much of the atmosphere has been absent, and it probably has had some influence on teams that have also had cases of Corona-virus inside the club. There have nevertheless been interesting, good and surprising matches, and after the end of the group stages, these are the last-16 clashes:

• Borussia Monchenglandbach-Manchester City: The advance of the German side is a small surprise, as they left behind Shakhtar Donetsk and a poor Inter Milan side, and were close to taking the first spot from mighty Real Madrid. They will have to play their best as they face a Manchester City side that was never in doubt when winning its group with 5 victories and one tie.
• Lazio-Bayern Munich: The defending champions of Bayern Munich have been awesome with five victories and a tie, and an impressive score of 18-5. In my view, the German side are the strongest contenders to take the title. Lazio got through in an exciting final 2-2 match against Club Brugge, who was only centimeters from making it through. The Italians have not lost any matches, but gone through with two victories and four ties.
• Atletico Madrid-Chelsea: Probably two teams that did not want to face one another. Despite some difficulties in losing to Red Star Salzburg, Atletico Madrid made it through behind Bayern Munich, and remain one of the most difficult sides to face in the competition. Chelsea made it through ahead of Sevilla in a group where the only competition was about which of those two sides would win the group: Chelsea made sure it was them by an impressive 0-4 victory in Seville.
• RB Leipzig-Liverpool: Liverpool won its group ahead of Atalanta, and are looking strong despite some signs of weakness in some matches (they did not look good in any of the matches against the minnows of FC Midtjylland). But Liverpool normally rises to the occasion and will have to do it against a Leipzig side that made it through in a complicated group, behind Paris Saint Germain on goal difference, and ahead of a poor Manchester United side. RB Leipzig made it to the semifinal last season and is looking for a surprise repeat.
• FC Porto-Juventus: Although going through behind Manchester City, FC Porto also went through with style, winning all their matches except against the English side. It may be argued that it was an easy group, so their real test will come against Juventus. The Italians won their group ahead of FC Barcelona, where a 0-3 away victory was particularly impressive, with two goals by the COVID-recovering Ronaldo. The Italian side seems increasingly to depend on the skills of the Portuguese Maestro, but probably will be expecting to get ahead of Porto.
• FC Barcelona-Paris St. Germain: This is probably the most expected match. Despite five victories in the group stages (including an away win at Juventus) FC Barcelona is in crisis as Lionel Messi does not seem to be comfortable in the team any longer. This is a pity for any football fan, but also represents an opportunity for Paris St. Germain, where Neymar and Mbappe have been important in a team that otherwise struggled a bit to win their group ahead of Leipzig. This match will be hugely important for both clubs.
• Sevilla-Borussia Dortmund: Two very exciting teams face one another. Borussia Dortmund won their group ahead of Lazio, and their young Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland has continued pouring in goals. Sevilla made it through behind Chelsea in a group where Krasnodar and Rennes did not represent the strongest opposition, and did lose 0-4 at home to Chelsea, so they will have to prove they are better against the Germans.
• Atalanta-Real Madrid: Real Madrid won their group despite struggling; they lost twice to Shakhtar Donetsk (who did not make it through) and only a last minute 2-2 tie against Borussia Monchengladbach put them in first place. But Real Madrid are Real Madrid and probably still favourites against Atalanta. The Italian side made it through behind Liverpool and against Mayern Munich, and their continued attacking but open style makes them vulnerable to better attacking sides, as their 0-5 home defeat to Liverpool is proof of.

 The last sixteen are are dominated by the big European leagues: four German teams, four Spanish, three Italian, three English, and one each for France and Portugal. The most noteworthy eliminations were probably that of an insecure and disorganized Manchester United side, and a poor Inter Milan side where Antonio Conte has not managed to get the best out of some marvelous players.

RIP Paolo Rossi

Another footballing legend has passed away in this horrible year. Paolo Rossi, one of the most prolific Italian strikers and the most scoring player of the 1982 Italian World Cup winners has passed away. He played for Vicenza, Perugia, Juventus, AC Milan and Hellas Verona, and 48 times for the Italian national team. He is remembered internationally for the 1982 World Cup, and most notably his three goals against one of the best Brazil sides that saw Italy take their biggest step towards the World Cup triumph.

RIP.

A racism incident in the Champions League

 I was enjoying the Leipzig-Manchester United match when I heard that the Champions League match between Paris St. Germain and Istambul Basaksehir was suspended due to an incident where the 4th referee, Romanian Sebastian Colestcu, had racially abused a player. Due to this, both teams had walked off the pitch. It was indeed a curious incident that I don't think has ever happened in top flight football.

Firstly, it is admirable that both teams, together, decide to stand up against the scourge of racism that still haunts football, and society at large for that matter. However, at the same time one has to be careful about not seeing the ghost of racism in every instance, and specially in those situations where language and culture enter the equation. A case in point for me is the incident where Luis Suarez was sentenced for being a racist in the Premier League: Luis Suarez may be a lot of negative things, but I still do not think he is a racist; the whole thing was a language dispute blown out of proportions. That said, Luis Suarez should have been wiser (but is that to be expected...?), and giving him the benefit of the doubt, I would say the same about Mr. Coltescu: he acted without thinking in an incident where he used a Romanian expression that can easily be misinterpreted. I therefore tend to agree with Mr. John Barnes about the Romanian's intentions, but at the same time I think that Mr. Coltescu should be banned from ever officiating international matches as he will always be tarnished, and that is something that must not happen in football.

Not enough is done to fight racism, xenophobia and misogyny in football. That is certain. 

However, we must also be careful that we do not denigrate this important fight by accusing someone of racism when it may be a possible misunderstanding or simply ignorance. Better  instead to engage in a dialogue: "you know that what you said can be hurtful?"; "No I did not; it is common usage in my language", etc.

Cruzazulada!

The Mexican Guardianes Apertura tournament is entering its final phase. In the two-legged semifinals the favourites for Cruz Azul were to face the Pumas of UNAM; I watched the first match, which Cruz Azul comfortably won 4-0, and thus had one leg in the final and nearer the title that they have been craving for 23 years.

But I then heard that in the second leg Cruz Azul had messed it up and lost 4-0, which due to the league positions, put Pumas in the final!  This is a truly astonishing result, and the jokes about Cruz Azul never seem to end. This seems to go beyond the curse that some say Cruz Azul suffers, and in Mexico people are talking about a "cruzazulada", as an adjective to describe being close to victory, but then messing it up horribly.

The Pumas will face Leon in the two-legged final!

RIP Papa Diop

The sadness of 2020 continues, also in the football world. At only 46 the Senegalese legend Papa Bouba Diop has just passed away. He is remembered for scoring Senegal's winning goal in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, when the African debutantes sensationally defeated the French world champions, and leading Senegal to the World Cup quarterfinals. In Europe he had a long career that took him to Greece, Switzerland, France, and the English Premier League.

RIP

Live is Life

 I just love this video of the great Diego Maradona:

Diego Armando Maradona

I was at a meeting when I received a message of the passing away of Diego Armando Maradona, and it frankly blew me away. I grew up with Maradona; he was one of the main reasons for me becoming a football fan; he embodied the magic of football like no other, and has, and will always be, a reference point for any footballer today and tomorrow.

God needed Maradona for his team of Angels.

Maradona rose from deep poverty to the heights of fame and money through the apparently trivial talent of kicking a ball. With this talent he brought about admiration and happiness to millions of fans across the world (among which I count myself); but despite fame and money Maradona was always his own man, for good and for bad, an imperfect man, like all of us.

As the football fans mourn, we must also have gratitude to have lived as a contemporary of Diego Armando Maradona.

Gracias Diego!

The beginning of the end for Low

 Joachim Low has been manager of the German national team (and prior to that he was Assistant Manager for two years), and led a drastic turnaround in style and temperament that led to one of the most memorable World Cup triumphs in Brazil in 2014. But since that victory, the German national team has had difficulty reaching the same levels; in 2018 the defending World Champions finished bottom in a group behind Mexico, Sweden and South Corea, and have slipped outside the top 10 of the FIFA World rankings. Then, this week, Germany suffered their worst defeat since 1931, when they lost 6-0 to a Spanish national team in the Nations League. Germany were absolutely overrun, and after 14 years, confidence in Joachim Low seems to be at an all-time low.

There is no doubt Low has done a fantastic job as manager, but it is often harder to stay at the top that to get there. While Low has, since the 2016 triumph, tried to renew his side, it has seemed premature to sideline some of the legendary players from that triumph such as Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, and Thomas Muller. These players, with their experience (and they are not too old, as Boateng's and Muller's career in Bayern Munich are showing), could have proved valuable in such a match as that against Spain, where the Germans seemed disillusioned and unmotivated throughout the match.

It is probably time for renewal in the German national team, which undoubtedly has too much history and talent to not be among the ten best in the world!

The curious case of Anders Dreyer

I  have not watched the FC Midtjylland side that became Danish champions before (as I don't live in Denmark), and have therefore been curious to watch this ambitious club make its debut amidst the best in the world in the Champions League. I have thus watched all three matches of the Danish champions, and I have not been impressed: they opened with a rather naive 0-4 home loss to Atalanta. They then played a decent match in Liverpool, although losing 2-0, and last night they lost 1-2 at home to Ajax Amsterdam.

The Danes have been not only been incredibly naive about what they were to face in the Champions League, but also lacked 90-minutes concentration and physical skills in facing teams that one feels did not play their best (but it was enough to win rather easy victories). I had heard about some of FC Midtjylland's players, notably the young Anders Dreyer, who is touted as one of the great talents of Danish football, and whom many are calling for to join the Danish national team.

At least based on these three matches, I cannot see what the fuzz is about.

Granted; he scored a nice goal (FC Midtjylland's only in the CL) against a very passive Ajax defense. However, he has also missed some huge chances, in all three matches, that you simply cannot afford to miss at the highest level. But more than missed chances, I feel that he in all three matches has not had much impact in the build-up and has too many poor passes in the attack. Of course, I have also been largely unimpressed by other FC Midtjylland players, but Anders Dreyer to me seems to be the most overrated; he may be good enough for the Danish Superliga, but to me does not seem good enough for the Champions League nor for the Danish National team.

I hope I am wrong and wish him and FC Midtjylland the best of luck for their last three matches in the CL. They will need it.  

Denmark (almost) qualified for Euro 2021

 In the women's Euro qualifiers Denmark have been strong. Before their away match against Italy, Denmark had a score of 45-0 and eight out of eight wins. A 1-3 victory in Italy (Italy's first home defeat in five years) yesterday have made it all but certain that Denmark will make it to England next year; only an Italian victory in Denmark by a three-goal margin will prevent it, and that seems unlikely as Denmark has looked very strong indeed, and could perhaps be considered a contender for the title next year. The team is led by the world's most expensive female player, Pernille Harder, and in all positions combines the experience of seasoned professionals, such as Nadia Nadim and Sanne Troelsgård, and youthful talents such as Signe Bruun and Emma Snerle. 

I am pretty sure that they will be great in England, and hope that this Corona shit has retreated sufficiently so that many Roligans can be there to support them!

Corona versus Humanity

If Humanity's fight against the Corona virus were a football match, Humanity would be 0-45 down at half time (only because you cannot score millions of goals in football) with no possibility of a comeback. This is because Humanity fielded a team of useless players, all of us, hardly knowing the rules of the game.

If one is down 0-45 at halftime, there is little doubt about who will win. It doesn't matter if you put in the best footballers of all time to play for their lives: you will lose. And lost is what humanity has against Corona. All there is to do now is just to lie down and wait for the defeat not to be too painful.

Don't ever expect to go to watch football again. Much less travel to an away game.

Midtjylland-Atalanta

Last night I watched the ambitious Danish champions of FC Midtjylland get their debut in the Champions League against Atalanta. The side from central Jutland has invested heavily to make it among the best, and expectations to their opening match were high as they hosted last season's quarterfinalists from Atalanta.

FC Midtjylland had started with an offensive lineup and careful optimism, but this now appears somewhat naive as they faced a far superior Italian side that trounced the home team 0-4 in what was perhaps a wake-up call for the Danes; they will also face mighty Liverpool and legendary Ajax Amsterdam.

Atalanta must be given a lot of credit though; they continue attacking, play well for another, and could certainly make it at least as far as last season in the Champions League. 

In the meantime, FC Midtjylland must analyse and learn from this debacle as they prepare to continue their quest for European glory.

Another view on VAR

 I recently watched Everton-Liverpool in the Premier League. In the dying seconds of the match, with the score 2-2, Liverpool scored a goal that would give them the victory in a well-played match. After celebrations and comments, the referee cancelled the goal, based on a VAR decision that Sadio Mane (who made the pass for the goal by Jordan Henderson) was in an off-side position.

In the reviews they showed on TV it was incredibly difficult to see that Sadio Mane was anything but in line with the defenders, and it appears impossible to refute or agree that one part of his body was a few millimeters ahead any of the defenders. In real life it will have been impossible for a referee or linesman to see, and I doubt any Everton players would have complained for a goal given; nobody would have reviewed the goal!

Maybe it was off side. But that is in my view not the point of the VAR. It is to review when the referee "has made a clear and obvious error". When the VAR referees sit in their little room and want to review errors that are not "clear and obvious", they are not adding value to the quality or justice of the game, but rather contributing just another layer to controversial decisions. 

I am not against VAR. But it should be used with a caution that the people who make decisions do not seem to understand. The point is not to make football error-proof, because it never will be, but rather to reduce the worst and most controversial decisions: a clear off-side goal; a clear hand-goal; doubt on crossing the line. 

Besides this, there is a problem in who decides: the entire decision process of the VAR should be entirely in the hands of the referee that is no the pitch. He or she should alone decide whether to ask for a VAR review and should be alone making a decision based on VAR for those situation that he or she considers difficult, and an off-side situation it should happen in consultation with the linesman. The VAR referees should not be able to decide after the fact.

I know this will return pressure on the referee; the same pressure that there was before the the advent of VAR. But VAR should be a tool for the referee; just like his or her cards, the whistle or the linesmen, but if it is not a tool, it becomes just another layer of football bureaucracy to the detriment of what is best for the game.

England-Denmark 0-1

To defeat England at Wembley will always be special, so of course Denmark's 0-1 victory for Kasper Hjulmand's team must be qualified as a great result. That said, it was lucky. When England was putting the most pressure on the Danes two events changed the match: Harry Maguire was shown his second yellow card after only 31 minutes, and Christian Eriksen's penalty goal after 35 minutes. While both yellow cards for Maguire were correct after dangerous late tackles, the penalty call by the Spanish referee remains more controversial; a duel between Kyle Walker and Thomas Delaney did not appear as much more than a soft scuffle, and was in my view not a penalty at all.

These two situations changed the gameplan, and the English side never really recovered despite the fact that they created some good chances in the second half (worth mentioning is a spectacular save by Kasper Schmeichel) and the Danes seemed under too much pressure by the ten England players. But in the end the Danes carried through their victory; a lucky victory, but a victory nevertheless.

The lack of VAR controversy

 When Denmark defeated Iceland in last night's Nations League match, there was no VAR. Denmark's first goal would have needed it: After a corner kick goalkeeper Hannes Halldorson saved a header into Runar Mar Sigurjonsson, rebounding the ball into the net as Halldorson desperately pushed it out. But the referee decided that the ball had crossed the line and Denmark was in the lead.

In the TV pictures it is not easy to get a final answer, and this is one of the situations that will pass on to the pantheon of controversial decisions in the absence of VAR. Although I an unashamedly biased towards Denmark, I have serious doubts that the ball crossed the line in its totality, why the otherwise deserved Danish victory is slightly tarnished by the lack of VAR!

Danish renewal

Last night I watched Denmark defeat Iceland 0-3 in Iceland in the UEFA Nations League. This is the first competitive match victory since taking over as Danish manager in July 2020 in replacement of Åge Hareide. Hjulmand's opening match was a National League match against Belgium, losing 0-2 at home, in what was Denmark's first defeat for two years. This did not matter much though, as Belgium is by far the better side. Denmark then tied England 0-0, before last night's victory.

The victory puts Denmark firmly in third place behind England and Belgium, while Iceland appears set for relegation. But Hjulmand, who is an manager who gives chances to young and interesting players, will still be tested in two competitive matches against England and Belgium respectively, and which will be the real tests for the Danish team.

The Luis Suarez circus

Luis Suarez has always, no matter what you think about him, been a great footballer. And he has also been prone to scandals. As FC Barcelona is renewing under Ronald Koeman, the Uruguayan striker was not to be found in the plans, so in first instance it was reported that Suarez was signing for Juventus, which was surely to be an interesting pairing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. But in what was a truly bizarre turn of events, Luis Suarez did not sign for the Italian side: as he needed a European nationality he applied for Italian citizenship, and in what appears a truly odd turn of events, Suarez has been accused of cheating in order to speed up the paperwork application. If it is true, Suarez would really appear as an entitled rich footballer who can bypass what so many others struggle to achieve, although one has to wonder about Juventus (who appeared to backtrack on the signing) and University of Peruggia, where the exam was administered.

So after this entire circus, Luis Suarez has joined a new circus: namely Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid side, a team where Suarez experience, skills and passion will fit in well. In his debut against Granada, Suarez came on for Diego Costa 20 minutes before the end, and scored twice, showing that it might be another interest season ahead for the traveling entertainment that is Luis Suarez.

A good, not a god

I actually feel sorry for Lionel Messi, despite my criticism of his attitude in football. Following the 2-8 humiliation to Bayern Munich he had officially announced his wish to leave FC Barcelona (but appears to be a result not only of that match). 

I have no doubt that Messi loves Barcelona, but at one point in life one has the need to try new things to be happy: Messi does not appear to be happy in a club that he has given everything, but where they seem to treat him as a good (rather than a "god"), with an immense economic value, yes, but not valued as a human with desires and needs. I heard in an interview today that he preferred to stay in Barcelona rather than to take the club to court; I understand that, and that shows him as a man with loyalty; a loyalty that is obviously not returned if the club-leadership, who appears who have acted in really bad faith, insinuates that his leaving can only result in a court case! 

As a football fan Messi will remain one of the best ever, and as he closes down on the end of his career, he certainly deserves a worthy exit, and I feel sorry that he can not get that in Barcelona, including the fascination it would have been to see him play in a different league!

The Covid-19 infected

I heard that Neymar and Angel DiMaria have been diagnosed with Corona virus. I wish them a speedy recovery following the disppointment of losing the Champions League final. This just confirms that everyone can get this virus. It is increasingly frustrating that it does not seem to retreat as the world tries to reopen and we eagerly look forward to moving around freely, and for the privileged few like myself (as well as Neymar and DiMaria), to travel to Europe. That said, don't forget that many people do not have that freedom with or without a virus.

The English Game

I have just finished watching a six-part series on Netflix, "The English Game" about the early days of football in England, around 1880s. The series are very good as it includes a strong historical component beyond football on the industrialization of Britain and the enormous changes that English society underwent in the second half of the 19th century.
This was also the period when football started becoming the modern game that was to conquer the world, and this is exactly where the story-line is set: the FA Cup had always been won by aristocratic clubs, where Old Etonians dominate, including in the English Football Association (FA), setting the rules of the game. On the other side are the upcoming teams organised around industrial workers in Lancashire. Despite professionalism being illegal, a factory owner "hires" two Scottish players for his team in Darwen. Jimmy Love and Fergie Suter make Darwen a competitive side, but when Suter receives a better offer from their rivals Blackburn it leads to drama and even to some of the first football violence.
With Suter as captain, Blackburn nevertheless make it to the FA Cup final as the first workers' team ever. They successfully fight against the FA's attempt to throw Blackburn out of the competition due to professionalism, and with the inspired help of Sir Arthur Kinnaird, Old Etonian's open-minded captain, Blackburn go on to win the first FA Cup final for a workers' club; 2-1 after extra time.

Of course, as a history and football fanatic I have looked up how far the history in the series is correct.

Lord Arthur Kinnaird was in fact the founder of Old Etonians, and still today has the record of being the man who has played most FA Cup finals: nine, of which he won five (three with another team, Wanderers, and two with Old Etonians). He was a prominent banker who also went on to become President of the FA for 33 years and was part of the 1882 Old Etonians team that won the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers, which stands as the last time an amateur team won the FA Cup. 

Fergie Suter was indeed playing for Blackburn Rovers in that same match in 1882, but neither did he win nor score the winning goal as depicted in the TV show. It was however the first time a workers' team had made it to the FA Cup final. But they did not win.
In 1883 Old Etonians, captained by Kinnard, made it to yet another the FA Cup Final, this time to face Blackburn Olympic. Blackburn Olympic won 2-1 and became the first workers' club to win the FA Cup. As in the series, they won 2-1 after extra time, which Kinnard had accepted to play instead of a rematch (as he indeed does in the series). But contrary to the TV show, Suter did not play that match since he was playing for Olympic's rivals of Blackburn Rovers!

Blackburn Rovers won the next four FA Cups in 1884, 1885, 1886 and 1887, with Fergie Suter on the team, but never against Old Etonians.

In the first part of the series Old Etonians and Darwen play an FA Cup quarterfinal that ends in a 5-5 draw, and later Old Etonians win a third rematch as they refuse to go into extra time, because Darwen must then travel from Lancashire twice for replays (2-2 and 6-2). This indeed happened in 1879, with Kinnaird and Suter also playing for their respective teams. Old Etonians went on to win the 1879 FA Cup (defeating Clapham Rovers 1-0 in the final), but the title remains tainted by the otherwise legendary clash against Darwen.

While the issue of professionalism in the English game, as depicted in the series, was real, it was far from limited to Suter or Blackburn; many teams in industrial towns in the Midlands and northern England were at the time paying players (in particular Scots), and it had indeed become a contentious issue in the 1880s, although throwing out the FA finalists of Blackburn did not happen as described in the series. That said, in 1884 Preston North End (winners of the 1889 FA Cup and first winners of the Double) were indeed accused of professionalism by the London club Upton Park, who asked the FA to void the result. But Preston North End were a powerful club that threatened to withdraw from the FA alongside many other strong clubs that were more or less openly paying their players.
This threat also appears in the series by Blackburn and Darwen. But in real life it led to the FA in 1885 accepting that players were paid, thus opening the doors fully for professionalism in football.

Curiously, the leftover aristocrats did form an Amateur Cup in 1893, and even a breakaway Amateur FA in 1907. But as it was dominated by aristocrats it was completely isolated and had by the start of WWI broken up and been reincorporated into the FA.
A more curious expression of the glorification of the Gentleman-Amateur in football was the creation of the Corinthian Football Club in 1882, as a team for the best amateurs in England. The team attracted some of the best players in England, but refused to lower themselves to play the FA Cup, where they would probably have been competitive with the players they had (they did beat Blackburn in a friendly match in 1884). When playing matches they even refused to take penalties, and put pride in not warming up or overextending themselves. Corinthian FC toured the world and were instrumental in bringing the game to other parts of the world (SC Corinthians in Brazil are directly named after them), but by WWI had fallen out as a final leftover of a foregone time.

Considering the global billion-dollar sport that football is today, "The English Game", despite its liberties with historical facts, is very interesting and entertaining for anyone interested in the history of football. But as with any historical TV show, do not believe in everything you see, but read up on the facts!

Bayern Munich champions

There must be a certain strangeness in celebrating with “We are the Champions” in an empty stadium. But that is nevertheless what Bayern Munich did after their 1-0 victory against Paris St. Germain in the UEFA Champions League. They deserved the victory although the Parisians had some  big chances that, were it not for the extraordinary Manuel Neuer, could have given them their first title. But the Bavarian side largely seemed in control and Kingsley Coman’s header was enough to give them the title.
In the end it was a good final, but not as memorable as expected, although we will all remember the final with no spectators!

The owners of the Europa League

Sevilla did it again: they have won their sixth Europa League title since 2006 and is surely the most dominant team in this tournament. But also consider the fact that they have won six European titles since 2006!
It was a fantastic first half with a 2-2 score in an intense match, where both sides had been in the lead: Luuk de Jong had scored two headers for Sevilla, while Lukaku had scored on penalty and Godin on a header. Despite the parity, I had the feeling that Sevilla had an edge against an Inter Milan side that seemed more nervous on the night. The second half was more controlled, with Sevilla getting the lead late in the match and cruising to the title with experience and a certain degree of cynical time wasting.
Whom I feel really sorry for in Romelu Lukaku: he misdirected the ball into his own net following Diego Carlos' wide bicycle kick, and thus, in my view, scored the goal that gave defeat to his own side (Diego Carlos has nevertheless been credited with the goal). An unlucky finish to Lukaku's great season.

I watched the match under lockdown at home. I would have loved to have someone to debate with during the match, which was very eventful. The problem of discussing with the TV is that despite the fact that I am always right (I would anyway), is that they do not seem to listen to me!

Looking forward to a great final!

Olympique Lyon started the match well, and it could indeed have been a fantastic match against Bayern Munich, had it not been for the French side's inefficiency and the German side's efficiency. After Serge Gnabry had made it 0-2 for the Germans, the match was largely over, although one must commend Lyon's continued but feeble attempts at turning it around (Barcelona could learn something). But Bayern Munich were simply way too good, and in the second half appeared to even shift down a gear, even after Lewandowski made it 3-0.
Bayern Munich nevertheless has some weaknesses that Lyon saw in the initial minutes: a forward defense that can be outrun by fast strikers (very fast, as none of the Bayern defenders are particularly slow), which Paris St. Germain certainly has.
Something both Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain showed in each of their semifinals that they will punish mistakes; this cost dearly to both Leipzig and Lyon, and shows that they both have to be fully concentrated throughout the match.
With these two teams this looks to be one of the most memorable finals of all time in a tournament that given all these COVID-19 circumstances has been and will remain, one of the most memorable Champions League seasons ever. I regret that I will have to watch the final alone, in my house, without even the possibility of finding a good pub to watch it; but I will try to make the best out of it of a final that I have huge expectations about!

PSG's first Champions League final

Paris St. Germain had learnt from its mistakes against Atalanta, and with Kylian Mbappe and Angel DiMaria in the starting lineup they never looked back. Angel Di Maria, besides scoring the second goal, set up both other goals, headers by Marquinhos and Juan Bernat, and Neymar, except for the fact that he should have scored a goal, is concentrated and participating in the buildup. Paris looks like a team that really wants to win the title, and whoever they meet in the final will have to control their outstanding attacking players.
Except for the fact that PSG played a great match, there is not much to say about RB Leipzig. They seemed a bit nervous and overwhelmed by the occasion,  and made some mistakes in defense that PSG promptly punished, in particular in Juan Bernat's goal, where the German side appeared naive. They have been a refreshing side in this season's Champions League, but today surely did not show that they should belong in the final.

Sevilla-Inter Milan final

Sevilla and Inter Milan are the two most successful sides in the UEFA Europa League/Cup since its creation in 1971: Sevilla has been in five finals, and won them all (2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016), while Inter Milan have been in four finals, and won three (1991, 1994, 1998).
Sevilla has made it to their sixth final as if the cup belongs to them. While Manchester United had its moments in the semifinal, one never felt that Sevilla was nervous or that they would not be able to turn around being 0-1 behind, and indeed, they made it with a well-deserved 2-1 victory.
But they will not have it easy against an Inter Milan side that under Antonio Conte appears confident and plays with discipline and organization. In their 5-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk was achieved by these qualities as well as a superb attacking due in Romelo Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez (each one scored two goals) that Sevilla's defense will have to control to have a chance.
Although I never bet, I think that Inter Milan has a small edge to take the Cup that Sevilla has won so often!
Don't miss it!

Ha ha ha Bartomeu

I just read that Barcelona's President rejected signing Alphonse Davies because he was Canadian:
https://ar.marca.com/claro/futbol-internacional/barcelona/2020/08/15/5f380746268e3e216b8b45b2.html?intcmp=MODCLAR01

With a leadership like that, no surprise that Barcelona is doing like they are!

Magnifique Lyon!

There was another surprise today as Olympique Lyon defeated highly-rated Manchester City 1-3 to make it to the Champions League semifinals, where they will be facing mighty Bayern Munich.
Although it is a surprise, the French side were far better than Manchester City. They were extremely organised and concentrated, in my view the best organised team of the 4 semifinalists, and their counterattacks, after Manchester City seemed on the verge of scoring where deadly, as Moussa Dembele scored the two winning goals after Raheem Sterling had missed the biggest goal in Champions League history!
There was some refreshing non-VAR controversy regarding Lyon's second goal: The Argentine commentators on ESPN were not fully in agreement as a player in clear offside jumped over the ball to let Dembele alone through to score. Did he influence the play or not? The goal was given, in my view correctly, and I am happy to say that the great Mario Kempes agrees with me!

Super Bayern Munich

8-2 is never a score you expect in a Champions League quarterfinal, but it was the score today, when Bayern Munich took apart FC Barcelona in what some people had called the "pre-final" of the Champions League.
The Bavarian side was 4-1 ahead at halftime in what reminded me of the infamous 1-7 World Cup semifinal match in 2014, and of the 2013 Champions League match when Bayern defeated Barcelona 4-0.  And surely Bayern Munich never put a break on their attacks, and eight goals was, if anything, not enough. The German side was simply outstanding; all their players performed to the highest level, with good ole' Thomas Muller, scoring two goals, truly at his best. The 19-year old Canadian, Alphonse Davies, also made a huge impression, in particular his build-up for Bayern's 5th goal (by Coutinho). Anecdotally, young Davies has an interesting life-story, as he was born to Liberian parents at Budumburam refugee camp in Ghana, moving to Canada in 2005. I was living in Ghana in 2005 (and have visited Budumburam a few times) and later lived in Liberia. I am sure that Mr. Davies is starting a glorious career!

And about Barcelona: you prove your greatness in adversity, and this Barcelona side is not great. They never looked as if they believed in a result (even when they equalized to 1-1, one had the feeling that Bayern would overrun them), and they were disorganized and slow. Sergi Roberto was probably substituted because the match was supposed to be played without spectators, and he was, alongside many of his teammates, a spectator.
Regarding Lionel Messi, we are used to him being petulant when things are against him (we have seen it with Argentina), and not doing anything to pull his team up, and this was also the case today; he looked as if he had given up by Bayern's second goal. That is no way to behave for a captain, but even less for a player who is supposedly the best in the world.
Barcelona will probably undergo massive changes in the next months, and in the meantime this will be the first Champions League semifinals since 2007 without any Spanish teams!

Historical RB Leipzig

Only 11 years after the club was founded, RB Leipzig just made it to the Champions League semifinals after defeating Atletico Madrid 2-1.
Atletico Madrid are hard to like because of their defensive awaiting style that almost seemed a bit sad today as Leipzig moved the ball around and was really the only creative team on the pitch. In the second half Dani Olmo finally brought the Saxon side ahead, which forced Atletico Madrid to wake up. The young Joao Felix entered the pitch and he gave Atletico Madrid some "happiness" ("alegria", as Mario Kempes said, commenting the match on ESPN), and he was also the architect of the equalizer, as he scored on a penalty against himself. Atletico Madrid continued pressing against a Leipzig side that looked tired, but on a counterattack three minutes before the end Tyler Adams was a bit lucky to have his shot deflected into a 2-1 lead and eventual victory.
RB Leipzig will face Paris St. Germain, and the French side will be favourites. But RB Leipzig have certainly shown they are a competitive side and will play without pressure, so they should certainly not be discounted yet!
I will be supporting them!

Paris in the semifinals

I felt sorry for Atalanta, who played a great match, and seemed headed for a historic semifinal after Mario Pasalic had given them a first half lead. But in the last minutes of the match the lead fell apart as Marquinhos equalised and Eric Chuopo-Moting gave them the victory goal after a build-up by Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe and Chuopo-Moting both came in in the second half to give more power to an attack that completely depended on Neymar (who had two enormous misses in the first half), and it helped against an Atalanta side that seemed more and more tired as the match advanced, despite them playing an excellent match throughout.
But in the end I feel that Paris deserved the victory after they have kept on pressing against a difficult opponent, but surely they will have to play better to advance to the final: why not start with Mbappe?
It will be Paris St. Germain's first CL semifinal since 1995, so they have already improved from all their previous years!

Monday match

I don't like Mondays. And today's Europa League Monday match between Manchester United and FC Copenhagen was a disappointment worthy of a Monday.
The historical part of the match was that two Norwegian managers who had both played on Norway's 1998 World Cup side faced one another: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Manchester United and Staale Solbakken for FC Copenhagen.
The Danes started well, but as the Argentine commentator on FOX Sport said: they need to score on their chances. And they certainly did not, and as time wore on they became slower and took no risks. Despite this, they were a better side than a very bad Manchester United side, which only seemed to depend on occasional bursts by some of its star players. It had to go into extra time for Anthony Martial to be awarded a very small penalty (I guess that the referee just wanted it all to be over with as well) that Bruno Fernandes converted against FC Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson, who was without a doubt outstanding in an otherwise tiring match.
Manchester United will face the winner of Wolverhampton-Sevilla.

Champions League 2019-20 Quarterfinals

I must admit that I hugely enjoyed watching the round of 16 matches the past week, and watching Europa League and Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals for the next two weeks will be great. And as they are only played as one match knock-outs, on a neutral venue, there should be extra excitement!
The quarterfinals are as follows:

• RB Leipzig-Atletico Madrid: Both of these teams knocked out last years' finalists, Tottenham and Liverpool respectively. Atletico Madrid shocked the defending champions, and will be looking for yet another shot at the title that has always eluded them despite three finals.
• Paris Saint Germain-Atalanta: Atalanta are probably the surprise side in this years' CL, but have in my view not really been tested against one of the best sides. We should expect this to happen now as PSG has their eyes firmly set finally being able to have a shot at the title; they have only been in one semifinal (1995), and their last previous quarterfinal was in 2016. I would bet on them making it to the semifinal, at least.
• Manchester City-Olympique Lyon: Two teams who have a decent Champions League record over the last 20 years, but have never been in a final, but each have been in one semifinal each (Manchester City in 2016 and Lyon in 2010). Manchester City took out mighty Real Madrid, highly deserved, while Lyon eliminated the elderly Juventus side (and cost the Bukowski- loving banker, Maurizio Sarri, his job). Manchester City has always had ambitions to get a CL title, and will see this as a great chance. At the same time a young Lyon side will play without pressure in a surely exciting match!
• FC Barcelona-Bayern Munich: This is certainly the match most people are waiting for. FC Barcelona has not had a good season, and will look to redeem itself in the CL. Lionel Messi was again outstanding in the 3-1 victory over Napoli, and people seem to expect him to carry the side. In the meantime, Bayern Munich totally cruised to the final via Chelsea, and are perhaps slight favourites to make it to the quarterfinal. However, with Messi and in a knock-out, anything can happen!

Be sure to have some beers if you, like me, are watching these matches alone and locked down at home!

The importance of Jurgen Klopp

I just heard this BBC documentary about Jurgen Klopp, and would greatly recommend it:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0q0y
It shows that he combines incredible football intelligence and work, with a unique personality. It does not surprise me, but it makes my admiration all the greater for Mr. Klopp.
The world, even beyond football, needs more people like him.

The Europa League 2019-20 quarterfinals

During this past week I have enjoyed watching the Europa league last-16 fixtures that were seriously delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am in fact somewhat glad that football can provide a little relief in this my sixth month of lockdown, although I would love a pint in a pub while watching....
We now have the following EL quarterfinals:

• Shakhtar Donetsk-Basel
• Inter Milan-Bayer Leverkusen
• Manchester United-FC Copenhagen
• Wolverhampton-Sevilla

Both the Europa League and the Champions League will, due to the pandemic, take place as mini-tournaments over the next couple of weeks, in Germany and Portugal respectively. For fans (who will nevertheless be able to attend the matches), this will be a replacement for all the tournaments we have missed this summer, and maybe the format will be a success. More interesting will be whether these tournaments will lead to different outcomes than what would be expected from the more traditional format: teams focused completely on this and playing only one match, without spectators, after such long breaks. It would appear that this format will be more open for surprises, why it will be very interesting to follow!

UEFA appears to have taken strict measures regarding COVID-19. Beyond playing without fans, teams are completely isolated in their hotels (even from their management, which is perhaps only pleasant...), and players are routinely tested. But some measures appear more symbolic, such as not shaking hands before the match (appears redundant considering how close contact that players undergo during the match) or prohibiting the exchange of shirts after each match (after 90 minutes of close contact and the need to wash the shirts anyway, this appears redundant). 

In any case, someone recently told me that the virus spreads over a distance of 600 meters, which would make any measure redundant anyway, except for every human living in sealed bubbles 600 meters apart...

Gracias Iker

Iker Casillas is retiring. He is certainly one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and one of the gentlemen of the sport, of which there are few left. He won it all with Spain and Real Madrid, and it is therefore terribly unfair how he was treated when his career was on the wane. They should have thanked him forever for what he gave them, but Mr. Casillas was never a bitter man, and has, as always, shown more grace than the people who criticized him! Thanks for everything Iker Casillas!

FA Cup final in COVID-19 times

Watching alone at home, an empty stadium, taking a minute to think about mental health:

Breaking the curse for Cruz Azul?

Tonight I watched Cruz Azul defeating Santos Laguna 2-0 on a rainy night in Mexico City. Cruz Azul played well, deserved the victory, and this was their first match in a season in which many experts consider them as favourites to take the Mexican title. Cruz Azul is the fourth most winning club in the Mexican league, but their last title was in 1997, why some say they are under a curse. They were leading the previous Clausura season which was cancelled due to the Corona virus, but that is also why they are considered to be in the best position to take the title. They surely have a strong and experienced side.
Cruz Azul has thus taken a first step, but it is worth noting that their star striker, Jonathan Rodriguez, received a red card in this first match.
To break the curse will still require a lot of work!

Mexican League opening

I am in my fifth month of lockdown. I have spent it alone in my house, privileged and under good conditions. But that does not take away that it is affecting me. I keep busy, but have a really difficult time staying positive as I read nothing but bad news of a world going to hell, miss friendly company, and feel I have really nothing to look forward to.
Football used to be something I looked forward to, and I guess with the suspension of football worldwide a lot of people have been looking forward to the weekly semi-religious ceremonies of football restarting.
Yesterday I was browsing around the TV when I came across the opening match of the Mexican "Guardianes" (the new name of the Mexican top League) season between Necaxa and Tigres UANL. UANL, who are vying for the title, were far superior, winning 0-3 with a two goals by the French striker Andre-Pierre Guignac and one by the Chilean Eduardo Vargas. But the star was the 19 year old Uruguayan Leonardo Fernandez, who appears to be touted as a future star.
Although Tigres were far superior, I enjoyed watching the match, which was without spectators. And perhaps I need to look forward to something. Tonight there is another match between Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna, two teams that are contenders for the title. And on August 7th the Champions League is starting again, so I think I will try to look forward to these matches, and perhaps use football to feel that I am a part of something!
And a few beers!

10 + more footballers that have made a lasting impression

Someone recently nominated me on Facebook to post pictures of ten footballers that have made an impression on me. It was not easy, and got me thinking about the many footballers that I admire and respect. Although I posted ten, there are so many more, so, here is an expanded list of fantastic footballers:

• Diego Maradona: for me he remains the best there ever was; he was largely the reason I fell in love with the game. I moved from Argentina to Mexico in 1986, and the 1986 World Cup was thus very special for me, and he shone for the team that I supported.
• Michael Laudrup: The greatest footballer Denmark has ever produced was a young man during the World Cup in 1986 when I also became a fan of him. I moved to Spain some years later, when he was playing in FC Barcelona, and being from Denmark immediately led to comparisons to Laudrup, who was deeply admired and respected. Besides his qualities, he was also considered a gentleman as a player, although he seemed out of touch, for instance when he changed to Real Madrid
• Ronaldinho: Perhaps the best footballer I have seen play; I saw him in Barcelona against Zaragoza in 2006, in a match where he scored two goals. He was splendid in everything he did and was hugely entertaining to watch in any team that he played.
• George Weah: In the 1990s I had barely heard about Liberia. And suddenly there was this fantastic footballer from Liberia scoring amazing goals in Serie A for AC Milan! I particularly remember a goal he scored against Verona. Many years later I moved to Liberia, and the first thing I thought about was not its awful civil war, but as the country that created such a fantastic player!
• Ruud Gullit: I first became a fan of Gullit during Euro 88, when he led the Netherlands to a fantastic triumph. He then moved to AC Milan which became a fantastic winning side with him, alongside players such as Rijkaard, Van Basten, Baresi. That Milan side was for me one of the most memorable teams I have watched, and Gullit, with his characteristic dreadlocks, the best.
• Jorge Valdano: Jorge Valdano was one of the players alongside Maradona in the 1986 World Cup triumph, and I also became a fan of him, despite him playing in Real Madrid (I am not a fan). But besides his skills, Valdano is one of the greatest thinkers about football in the world.
• Kim Vilfort: In 1989 I watched the Danish Cup final between Ikast and Brondby. I supported Ikast, but as the team ceased to exist and I moved, Brondby became my team. And Kim Vilfort was one of the pillars of the team. He was not brilliant, and a bit slow, but he was humble and hard working, the two most important qualities. In 1992, on the Danish national team, he scored the second goal in the legendary Euro victory against Germany, something I will always be fond of remembering!
• Marta: Until Marta came along I was not a fan of women's football. I found that they lacked skills and were too focused on the physical part of the game. But Marta changed that, bringing Brazilian skills and flair into the game. She was a spectacular player with skills far above most men, and changed women's football, despite all the discrimination she has had to endure from a male chauvinistic sport.
• Didier Drogba: Since I first heard about Drogba, while he was playing in Marseille, I became interested in following his career, which became glorious, both at his time in Chelsea and also with the Ivorian national team. The reason to support either side was basically Drogba, who besides his goalscoring abilities also was a man committed to improving things in his country.
• Peter Schmeichel: In my view the greatest goalkeeper there ever was, but of course, I am also biased, as he started in Brondby and was so important in Denmark's 1992 Euro triumph! 
• Carles Puyol: Puyol captained two of the best sides in history; Spain's 2010 World Cup winners and FC Barcelona's Champions' League and La Liga winners. And in both teams he was the solid and talented defender that provided the space and confidence for the teams to be victorious. He is likely one of the best defenders of all time. 
• Wayne Rooney: He was not the best player ever and he played for England and Manchester United (two teams I do not support), but I realized that I had closely followed his career, and had few bad things to say about him. 
• Zinedine Zidane: Although he played for Real Madrid I am only full of admiration for Zidane.  I got to know him from his time in Juventus, but he went into history when he led an incredible French team to the World Cup title in 1998. I cannot even blame him for his famous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final! And his perfect 2002 Champions' League final goal against Bayer Leverkusen is legendary!
• Gaizka Mendieta: In 2001 I went to study in Castellon. That year I became fan of Valencia, who made it to the Champions League final as I was among the spectators cheering, and they were led by a splendid Gaizka Mendieta, who happened to be from Castellon!
• Carlos Valderrama: The first time I cheered like crazy for Colombia was in 1990 when Colombia played West Germany, and Valderrama leading the Colombian midfield with his characteristic hairstyle. He had a glorious career with a Colombian side that sadly underperformed for years, but also had a good career in Europe.
• Ronaldo: I am talking about Ronaldo Nazario, the prolific Brazilian goalscorer who in the 1990s and 2000s scored goal after goal for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. I remember watching him so often on TV, scoring again and again, that it seems that period of my life was defined by his goals! While his 1998 World Cup was a memorable disappointment he belongs in the history book with Brazil's 2002 World Cup victory, when he also became the most scoring player of all time!
• Miroslav Klose: Not the most memorable striker, but after the 2014 World Cup he became the most scoring player of all time in a World Cup. But more than this, he was always a gentleman, one of the most fair players at a time when one saw this less and less.
• Eric Cantona: I admired him because he was an outstanding individualist in a team sport. A personality like his can be problematic in a team, but people like him are necessary for football.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Basically for the same reason I admire Eric Cantona, I admire Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I watched him play for Sweden against England in Euro 2012, and although Sweden lost, Zlatan was the best of the match.
• Xavi: The midfield general of FC Barcelona and for Spain's World Cup winner was the brain behind both winning teams. In my view he should have been the FIFA World Player of the year at least once during those years!
• Iker Casillas: Any brilliant team has a great goalkeeper and so did Spain in 2010. Iker Casillas was a gentleman and a fair player who was marginalised from the club he gave it all for, Real Madrid. I feel he is one of the most underrated goalkeepers in history.
• Nadia Nayim: When Denmark did well in women's football at the 2017 Euros, Nadia Nayim was an outstanding player, but also an admirable person who has excelled in and outside the pitch despite the odds of her being a woman and a refugee.

The list is getting long, and there are in fact more footballers to whom my little homage here is a small gratitude to the joy they have given me.

RIP Ahmed Rahdi

I just learnt that Ahmed Rahdi passed away from COVID-19. Ahmed Rahdi was the only player from Iraq I really know; I remember watching Belgium-Iraq in the 1986 World Cup where he scored Iraq's only World Cup goal in history.
Mr. Rahdi was made Asian player of the year, and had a long career in different Iraqi clubs in a country that underwent huge difficulties: firstly under Saddam Hussein, wars, and the US invasion. Iraq is a country where they love football, and a player like Mr. Rahdi is a legend a country that already performs well given all its challenges (remember their victory in the Asian cup in 2007).
Ahmed Rahdi was the only Iraqi player I remember, but there will hopefully be more in the future.

Racism in football

Besides Corona virus the most talked about theme during the last couple of months has been racism. And just as with Corona virus, the world of football is also influenced by this. In fact, racism (and xenophobia, nationalism, homophobia and misogyny) has been a problem in football for a long time; and as with the rest of society, a problem that has never been addressed for real by football authorities.
The German-Ghanaian football Kevin-Prince Boateng has written an excellent article about how he has experienced racism in football, and the immense hypocrisies: "Nothing has changed. Nothing. If anything, racism has gotten worse".
Think about that....

Ramblings

I have been alone in my house for more than one month. I am ok at spending my time alone; I am Generation X - we were built for this! I am not bored (I frankly do not understand how people can even get bored), but I have been feeling increasingly like a Robinson Crusoe with internet connection.
And with too much time, that someday will feel like too little time.
Talking about football, I have now become much better at FIFA19, and won the Serie A with Napoli in awesome style, and winning the Danish Superliga with Brondby. While I perhaps need to play online, I have to say one thing that makes the game very realistic: the referee totally and completely suck.
Also talking about football, among the so far 11 books I have read these days, Tom Holland's "The Shadow of the Sword" mentioned the 532 riots in Constantinople, when rival fans of two different teams in the popular chariot races nearly destroyed the ancient city. In the end the Emperor had to send in his most elite troops to crush the violence, leading to up to 50000 deaths.
The tradition of hooliganism lives on today; so a reflection is what in the world have we learnt from history?!?
Talking about history, besides the two online project management courses I have been taking courses in ancient archeoastronomy and modern world history. I guess football does not figure prominently (in fact none at all), but at the same time one can say that history is in everything, even as it happens all around us.
Have you ever read comic books? I have read all my old comic books. I always loved Asterix, but also had a few versions of Natasha, a sexy Belgian flight attendant that had plenty of crazy adventures. I had totally forgotten it, but inspired me to draw; despite all my drawing being crap, I have truly enjoyed drawing as I listen to a bunch of Ted Talk podcasts.
Ted Talks: they are great, even though some people talk a lot of shit, and are more full of themselves than their subject. I will never be able to talk like someone in a Ted Talk, so I greatly admire people who can talk so smoothly and without nerves.
Practice is not enough; I tell you from experience!
I have baked bread (it tasted like dry turd after one day) and I would like to learn to crochet. I looked at a video online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q7vKB3ENws) but the problem is that I can't get hold of any materials in my current home imprisonment.
I also made a lego movie: https://vimeo.com/413379220/1cafbe54a7
In this way I am contributing to the world of entertainment which is the one that will further explode with this crisis.
Really, football may be suspended; but did the world fall apart?
I am supposedly "working from home". But more than ever there is time to question one's own work; having read a book on "pseudo-work" by two Danish anthropologists, this entire crisis must surely be leading to questioning the meaning of and depth of a lot of people's employment and their contribution to wider society. At least we may have finally and thoroughly confirmed that utility is not rewarded in this world. Rich celebrities who are good at acting, singing and looking good, have been telling us how to "live through" the quarantine, just as they have been telling us for years what it means to be successful, how to look, what to eat, listen and watch; what is worth living, and even dying for. And when this whole shit is over, Messi, Ronaldo and many other second-rate entertainers like them will all be rewarded with the millions of Euros that will never go to the doctors, nurses, drivers, cleaners, delivery boys and girls, who save lives and make the world turn.
So... when is this thing ending? I am surely not the only person waiting eagerly, but at the same time one is also developing a fear of the "restart". All these media are telling us that the world will not be the same, but frankly, are we not just going to look for the pleasure of normality? Am I weird for hoping things to be as before? And what if things are not the same? How can I lock myself up again n into this imprisonment where I am not responsible for anything but myself? Quarantine is making is making us afraid to live beyond our currently limited horizon.
Anyway, when this whole thing is over we can continue consuming and destroying the world, and feeling good about what some hot celebrity tells us to do.

Two weeks....

In two weeks of quarantine I have read four books, eaten 12 pizzas, watched 2 full series on Netflix, and read so many news I that I have gotten sick and worried from them. And I have also played FIFA19 on Playstation, and have become quite fond of it: it took time to get the controls, and I am still not good enough to play on the highest level, but I have managed to win the Champions League playing with Valencia (I won the final on penalty kicks against Liverpool), the Danish Cup (with Brondby), and currently on second place in the Danish Superliga, with Brondby (behind FC Midtjylland).
I have only played online with a good friend (who was the main reason for me getting it), but I like the game a lot. It is much better than the original football sport. On Playstation there is Artificial Intelligence, which at least denotes some intelligence that real football totally lacks.

Football suspended and Corona Virus

While I have not watched any football for a long time I could not help to notice that even the arrogant world of football, untouchable and innocent, has had to take into account the arrival of the Corona virus. Football all over the world has been suspended, with people not even knowing if the major leagues can be played to the end, or whether we will even have a Champions League final this year (so far it has been postponed one month). Both national team tournaments, the European Championship and the Copa America, have been postponed to 2021.
Maybe it will be possible to get tickets in UEFAs totally weird ticketing system....

Football is the least relevant of the victims of this virus that is hitting hard on the entire world. Personally I am stuck alone in a big house, alone in a country where I have no friends nor even a moment of comfort or a good laugh. I am frankly already sick of it, and have started daydreaming of the day when I will jump on a plane, see family and friends, and forget this period of my life.
In the meantime, as other people, I try to make time pass (I have even written again on this near-dead blog....!!), reading a lot of books and playing Playstation. I have even taken up Fifa19! (wow, maybe that will lead to another post in a few days!).

Stay safe and cool out there if anyone ever reads this.