Article 100: A Tribute to English Football

To begin my article 100 it should be stated that I am a fan of English football. One cannot help but be a fan of the inventors of the beautiful game.

Hailing from Brazil, a country many credit with having put the beautiful in beautiful game, I cannot help but admire the inventors, especially since it was a Scotsman, educated in England, who introduced the sport to Brazil.

Having said that, one has to admit that English football has been in decadence for many years and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

The reason I say that there is no light is that in order to fix it, the first step would be to admit it.

The title of this article could so easily have been “a country in denial” for in general the English fans and the English press seem to think that all is hunky dory and it is others who come to England who must adapt to their high standards.

Before we go on perhaps a brief look at football hierarchy is called for. Brazil and Italy are the two best football nations in the world. Between them they have as many world titles as every other nation on earth put together.

Now that we’ve quickly cleared that up let’s get down to dregs of football royalty which would be England and France who both managed to scrape out titles at home both with a certain degree of controversy.

So these two nations are the light weights amongst the big boys. The quasi-football entities, the diet coke of real football nations so to speak.

French fans, media, and football administration seem to understand their lot in life, generally low profile, working hard on youth programs and hoping for better days and perhaps another Zidane.

However the same cannot be said of my English football friends. A visit to any predominantly English based football chat site will reveal a culture of “we are number one.”

The English press relentlessly bothers to publish critical articles about other nations instead of focusing on just how bad English football has been in the last several decades.

An article recently said the following in reference to Italian football, “Now zoom ahead, or flash back, to the Italian national team. It is the world champion, but time catches up with everyone. The latest version of the Italian team is pedantic and dull. No. 1 striker Luca Toni is a throwback. He's a big, lumbering target guy who can't play with the ball at his feet. “

“ Time catches up with everyone” , “pedantic and dull” and “lumbering target guy who can’t play with the ball at his feet,” all strike me as apt descriptions of English football and English players.

However such a thing would be considered blasphemy in the English press, unless of course it’s about some other country, like say, the current and four times world champions, Italy.

English football fans and media have become so adept at the “we are the best” mentality that there is a bandage for every sore.

If a tournament can’t be won—then perhaps that tournament is no good.

If a tournament which can’t be called “no good” can’t be won—then at least we placed well.

If we didn’t qualify for a tourney and so can’t even “place well” well then sack the coach or maybe it was the organizers or maybe the bad pitch...anything but the blasphemous “our footie is lame.”

Truth is that English football is way behind in terms of training systems as well. Futsal is not even played in the country. Every modern Brazilian star started with futsal before going on to a youth program.

In Spain futsal is also prevalent and perhaps it is no coincidence that Spain is the current European champs..

Instead of improving and modernizing the solution seems to be to buy the Spaniards and Brazilian, along with any other nationality, to glorify the English leagues. This has yielded one world club title and has had no effect at a national level.

Main reason for the limited effect of foreigners on the English league is again the mindset that those who come must learn and adapt to the English way.

Some leave, some refuse to come, and some young foreign talent get turned into clumsy grass-cutters, sliding here and there and lobbing the ball up-field all in the name of the mighty buck.

Meanwhile the English beat their chest like Mini-Me and go on calling the giant Italians lame, the mighty Brazilians and Argentineans weak, and criticize everything but their own outdated, unimpressive brand.

Yes, I am a fan of English football. Only a true fan would go out of their way to be so frank about something so serious.

I say aim for more. Instead of made up heroes married to Spice Girls, dream of an English captain kissing and lifting the most prized of all football trophies. Dream of true football glory but let the first step be acceptance of where you are right now.