Captains of the world

Last weekend or rather Sunday afternoon while a storm was developing that brought thunder, lightning, lightning, and abundant falls of water in the Federal Capital of Argentina, I dedicated myself to watching the NFL, and then I put on this series of one of the most important streaming networks today. As I had read in the advertisement, it was a continuation of Capitanes, another series from the same company where a similar theme was addressed during the competition to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in the previous qualifying rounds.

I don't know why we chose to say playoffs instead of qualifiers, we decided on the more dramatic term, perhaps to give a little more drama, if I may be redundant, to the already arduous and emotional matches in dispute for the available places. for the final phase.

In the first World Cups since 1930 and until the qualifiers for Germany in 2006, the reigning champion qualified directly for the final stages along with the host country. That has changed, although it was only officially announced in 2014. Now the host or hosts qualify, but not the one holding the title. Perhaps FIFA has concluded that it does not deserve that consideration, it sounds strange, but it is so. However, never until now has the reigning champion been left out in the previous qualifying rounds and has a perfect presence in the following ecumenical tournament. It is fortunate, that a huge failure would mean that the champion of the most important soccer tournament in the world does not defend his title in the next one. Perhaps FIFA should review this questionable decision.

Returning to the series, I practically devoured it, if you'll allow the term. It is almost impossible for lovers of the most important sport on the planet not to like this series of 6 chapters, quite short and very condensed, by the way.

However, the spirit of the series is not to show a summary of the World Cup, it focuses mainly on the players represented by the captains of each team participating in Qatar, touching on personal issues and bringing to light the feelings of each one. of them, remembering that they are human beings who feel, suffer, and carry on their backs the heavy burden of the greater responsibility of defending and representing the colors of their respective countries.

Within what is compact and summarized there is room to highlight some particular facts of the politics that get into the sport even in the face of a specific prohibition and how the captains must resolve general issues and questions from journalists about that harsh topic, the case of what happened in Iran during the development of the tournament and the refusal of its team to sing the national anthem during the matches is emblematic, as well as the conviction of the captain of Denmark and his federation in defense of human rights who did not hesitate not to bring their families to Qatar in protest.

Although some leaders and journalists try to downplay some importance of the World Cup, perhaps with unspeakable interest, in the interviews, opinions, and speeches of the captains the atmosphere of being in the most important tournament of this sport that exists is mentioned and palpable. in the planet. The latter is strongly supported by the images that capture the fervor of the public and the party that takes place during the long month of competition.

Another aspect that I highlight about this good series is the difficulty and extraordinary challenge of reaching the defining stages, not to mention winning the title; a long and exhausting path that began a few years earlier with the participation of almost 200 teams around the world to conclude with a single winner. Not only do you need to play well, but you need a good amount of luck and try to avoid distractions and small unfortunate details that lead to defeat and elimination.

In the whirlwind in which we are immersed in our own lives, we quickly forget that great tournament, the details, and specific events that mark enormous surprises. This series reminds us of the early elimination of Germany, for example, the match that Argentina lost in the debut against a surprising Saudi Arabia, the great tournament of Japan and Morocco, and the new frustration of Spain, once again in a definition by penalties and the repeated elimination of Brazil by a European team in the quarterfinals. It is unthinkable to see the five-time champion with a streak that has already lasted 24 years without adding a new world title to his shield.

I definitely recommend it, perhaps with exaggerated optimism due to my condition as an Argentine, but I sincerely recommend it, it allows us to peer into the world of the team captains, observe their reactions, their families, their joys and sorrows, it allows us to experience the World Cup from a different perspective. different, to understand something of the more human side of a sporting competition of such importance.

After all, when the stage lights go out, only people are left, like you or me.