Given the temporary absence of sports shows, the live broadcast of the champion league’s quarterfinals was a very entertaining event. The fact that there were no Ukrainian teams made it possible to watch the games in an unbiased manner.
It is hardly necessary to mention the fact that perhaps half of the current soccer stars turned up as members of the quarterfinals teams. An analysis of the technical nuances and the coaches’ tactics and strategies would make another story for a soccer magazine. I want to direct the reader’s attention to something else: what turns every game played by soccer pros into a real show.
Two of the four quarterfinal matches ended up with the Benfica, Barcelona, Lyons, and Milano teams failing to score any goals. In both cases the defense proved stronger than any offensive efforts, and there were not too many exciting situations near the nets. But few would say that the games were not interesting to watch on television because real soccer professionals were playing and enjoying the game rather than fighting for victory. The difference between the two notions is found when you compare European and Ukrainian soccer techniques.
The players in the Champion League’s quarterfinals kept the ball running masterfully, snatching it from opponents, sharing passes, and kicking the ball in the right direction. Yes, they goofed at times, but never violated the soccer code of ethics. A soccer player viciously kicking an opposing team member’s legs instead of the ball in the heat of the game would apologize seconds later and humbly accept the referee’s warning or even the red card. In a word, the players never fought the referees. Yes, they looked angry, they shouted, they gesticulated — but only to their colleagues.
Now let us visualize our Ukrainian soccer fields, where players tend to run over to the referee after every debatable encounter and almost beat him in an effort to settle their problems; where players fall down after every encounter and then demand penalties. After the game the losing team blames the referee. It would take a separate article to discuss dirty soccer tricks used in Ukraine, like kicks in the back and faking injuries, four-letter words hurled at the other team to upset them psychologically.
The participants of Ukraine’s soccer championships appear to have mastered all these dirty tricks, so much so they could give lectures on the subject. That is why our soccer matches, which are held in keeping with the same rules and featuring players known in Europe, are such unattractive sights. Compare this to the Champions League, which has gradually turned into a true knightly soccer tournament abiding by its own code of ethics; where the notion of winning at all costs is deemed indecorous. Why? Because losing a game is no threat to any participant in this European championship involving great soccer teams. So Chelsea, Real, and Bayern teams are out of the league, so what? They remain big-time clubs despite this year’s failures, and they remain good supporting actors and deserve applause. The main thing is to enter the Champions League, the most attractive soccer show today; victories will come later.
We are all hoping that the next Champions League will necessarily include Ukrainian clubs. Judging by our players’ mastery, they are worth being included there. But whether they are psychologically prepared is another matter. Are they really prepared to play by the rules of the Champions League? Are they prepared to play pure soccer, somewhat knightly games — games in which rivals respect each other and never use dirty tricks? When the referee is held in esteem, his every decision as accepted as law?
This is not abstract thinking. Our teams fail precisely because of psychological instability. Ukrainian players take too long to get over every lost championship game. Our soccer players, geared to play aggressive games, lose their concentration at the very last moment. You look at the referee and then see the ball in your net. After that you talk about the referee’s wrong decision, the way the participants in the 1/8 World Cup of 1986 have been doing, after blaming their fiasco on the Belgian referee while forgetting their own mistakes. Twenty years ago, one second of lowering their guard threw the Soviet national team out of the World Cup standing, even though the level of the team’s performance rated the semifinals at least.
We keep repeating this mistake. The Bureau of the Ukrainian Professional League is kept busy settling referee scandals rather than closing the matter once and for all, as it was done in Europe, which is showing us such spectacular Champions League games these days. There is no room for soccer dirt in this league. Unfortunately, we have more than enough.
