Migration and Muscles: A new common sense?

For decades the relationship between migration and musculature was clear for Europe-bound Latin American footballers: more is better. Regardless of talent, the more muscle the higher the odds of finding a place on a top dollar European side. Until recently it was common wisdom, almost reflexive in nature. In a 2001 interview Diego Maradona was asked his opinion on the possible migration of Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola. His response was quick and to the point. I'm paraphrasing but it was something in the order of: "if they want to succeed in Europe, they better start going to the gym." 

Making reference to the old adage that European football tends to privilege less talented players who can tolerate the physical rigors of the game over those with more talent but less 'body' and bulk, Maradona's comments seem out of touch in today's context. The arrival of Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona FC this season highlights this apparent shift away from so much emphasis on physical strength. After a successful stint at River Plate in Argentina and at Udinese for the last three seasons, all relevant questions about Sanchez's game  point to pretty much any place except his body. Can he adapt to Barça's pressing and passing? Is he willing to put up with bench time? Where will he play if Messi owns Barça's right flank? The questions go on and on--some are very relevant given Sanchez's distinct style and game--but none of the important questions seem to reference Sanchez's 'durability', a code word all too often used to comment on a player's size and strength. 


Part of the reason for this apparent shift lies in Barça's high output offense which relies heavily on very talented players but even more so on a cohesive effort to apply high pressure defense and recover the football as quickly as possible. During this week's Audi cup games Barça coach Pep Guardiola started teams that featured stars but also young players from La Masia, Barça's youth academy. During the games he practically swapped out the entire starting eleven and introduced a mixed set of players to replace the starters. Guardiola balanced the spectacle by carefully shuttling stars in and out and when Iniesta left the game, David Villa entered the game. What was interesting to watch was the way in which the seemingly endless stream of substitutes did not at all distract from the style imposed by Barça. Even more than that it was also significant to note the diminutive stature of almost all the La Masia products making their debut at the Allianz Arena. It is not only a privileging of a particular style of play but also an appreciation of talent, technique, and collective play over brawn and muscle. 


The questions around the arrival of Sanchez should be about this style of play and not much else beyond that because that is what matters at Barça at the moment. Whether this can become a lasting trend remains to be seen and depends, unfortunately, much more on the quality of the refereeing than anything else. For the time being, and as long as referees protect players in the spirit of FIFA's vaunted Fair Play, it will continue. 

The crisis of Argentine football

AFA president Julio Grondona

A few days ago the Argentine Football Association announced that, as of the 2012 season, it would merge its first and second division tournaments in order to create a 'super' tournament of 40 teams. The move comes in the aftermath of a complicated juncture for the AFA which includes the utter failure of the national team in this year's Copa America and the descent of River Plate--one of the countries most popular football teams--to the second division. Yesterday, in a press conference on the announcement of the outline for the restructuring of Argentine football, official AFA spokesperson Ernesto Cherquis Bialo confirmed what many suspected as the rumor mill began to churn out more details on the changes to come:  "if River Plate had not descended, this would not have been decided." (See link) While the move to reinstate River Plate to the first division was fairly transparent, the restructuring of the tournament also potentially masked other major problems for the AFA:

• River Plate is not the only popular team currently in the second division (though it is by far the one with the most titles and largest following). The recent demotion of Gimnasia y Esgrima (La Plata), Huracan, and Rosario Central along with possible relegation problems to come for other important teams (Racing, Boca Juniors, and San Lorenzo) jeopardizes the AFA's ability to coninue to generate revenue through the host of 'clasicos' that in many ways define Argentine football. With River Plate, Gimnasia y Esgrima, Huracan, and Rosario Central mired in the second division, the AFA's 2011-12 season will be without three of its most 'clasicos': the so-called "super" clasico between River Plate and Boca Juniors, the Newell's Old Boys-Rosario Central derby in Rosario, and the La Plata derby between Estudiantes and  Gimnasia y Esgrima. Thus the 40 team tournament offered the promise of replentished coffers for the AFA
•  A more significant though less discussed issue is a massive pending lawsuit against the AFA for (essentially) break of contract on behalf of TyC Sports. The absolute owners of Argentine football throughout the 1990s, TyC lost its contract for exclusive broadcast rights for first division games last year to the incentive promoted and backed by the national government headed by president Cristina Kirchner. Futbol Para Todos (the broadcasting of all first division games over the public airwaves) is at the core of a suit brought by TyC in the amount of (approximately) 300 million dollars for the breach of the contract the company had with the AFA until 2014. (See link)

"Todo Pasa"

The AFA's looming financial problems and the potential solutions offered by the 40 team tournament notwithstanding, the plan has been met by relentless popular opposition in Argentina and a range of mobilizations to the AFA's headquarters is being organized through social media. In light of the popular opposition, Julio Grondona, president of the AFA, has called a press conference for today and is expected to shelf the project for 'further study.' Yet Grondona's move might prove to be too little and too late and after 34 years in power he may have to show himself the door as a result of the failure to not only deal with the controversy surrounding the 40 team tournament but also yet another early exit by the national team early exit from this year's Copa America. The largest unresolved problem for the AFA is the common perception of massive corruption (and in 99% of cases the actuality of corruption and personal dealings) and Grondona might have run out scapegoats to push down the proverbial pirate plank Grondona is known for wearing a ring with the legend "Todo Pasa," something which can be loosely translated into "Everything Happens." It can also be understood a much more direct way of saying “anything goes" and a statement to Grondona's durability if taken to mean a much more literal "Everything goes by." In his thirty four years of rule at the AFA he has survived ten changes of national governments, including the de facto presidency by the military junta of the late 1970s during which he ascended to the throne of the AFA. If Grondona's "Everything goes by" is correct and no crisis is truly insurmountable, Grondona might continue.