The players from Qatar and Canada preceded them but without giving it importance. After breathing two joys into a nation, the Ecuadorian team said goodbye yesterday to the World Cup, in which they had so many hopes, like any country where things could go better. The hour of goodbyes has begun, so carefree for some –the hosts– and so bitter for others, the disinherited.
Qatar 2022 has two fixed images, outside the pitch: the fans in the stands – it is an essay on idiocy – and the cameras that capture the joy of this or that fan – lots of schools, lots of restaurants, lots of squares – when their selection brand.
When things go badly or regularly for nations and the price of bread, corn cakes or rice rises for the poor – it's the war in Ukraine, get used to the idea! – there is always the World Cup, which so proudly they come, after eliminating rivals of similar sociological dispositions.
Let's look at Ecuador, to cite an endearing country, whose diaspora guarantees domestic chores and care for the elderly in Spain –among other commendable tasks–. A draw was enough for them, they achieved it with great effort in the 67th minute and after three minutes they conceded the goal that eliminated them from the World Cup. Senegalese euphoria, Ecuadorian agony. The minutes passed but nothing: the responsibility of bringing joy to his loved ones, to an entire town that has a hard time days on, was lead to the legs. The equalizing goal, the ticket to the round of 16, had an inaccessible price.
Some readers will know what I'm talking about. Spain, even with Franco, was not even capable of qualifying for the final stages of the World Cup. He didn't even give us a chance to score in the first round! And drown in the feeling of collective failure and inferiority complex. The coin did not matter: tails always came up. Spain was absent in Mexico 70 and Germany 74 (with the aggravating factor of an infamous playoff match to qualify in Germany against Yugoslavia, immigrants against immigrants). Or the inglorious eliminations of Argentina 78 and Spain 82. Those of us who remember those bumps understand what the Ecuadorians felt yesterday and what other teams –Morocco, Ghana, Tunisia…– will feel when their time comes. What will come...
The World Cup are the Magi Kings of the developing countries. The illusion of belonging to the first world, to the concert of great nations and to be part of global headlines for a good cause and not for the usual: hardships, riots, corruption, natural tragedies. To fall eliminated is to wake up on January 6 and see that the dining room is empty.
