Weekend warriors

In the countdown to the all-important Classico in the La Liga title race, news that Xavi Alonso is quitting as coach of Bayer Leverkusen will hang heavy in the air. A legend with Real Madrid and an exemplary figure in the world of football, he’s now the strong favourite to return to the Spanish capital to succeed Italian Carlo Ancelotti.

A match that is all the more important for restoring Real’s tarnished image as the biggest club in the world and a leading examples of all that’s good in the sport.

Watched, scrutinised and commented on. Every weekend the championships are followed with singular fervour. Young people are passionate about it, longing for glory. Older players are attached to it, contemplating the past weeks with a sense of grandeur as the results unfold.

The media aspect means that those involved in the sport have a duty to set an example. A task that seems increasingly difficult to accomplish for many: violence against referees, calls for boycotts, repeated protests, accusations of corruption… The football we cherish so much sometimes seems to be affected by disturbing symptoms. During this season, Real Madrid, in particular, have illustrated its excesses time and again.

Known the world over for their successive Champions League triumphs, this season is tinged with a special atmosphere. It’s been 21-years since Real failed to appear in the last four of the Champions League. However, history may well remember this year for the club attracting attention for some disturbing extra-sporting behaviour.

The arrival of Kylian Mbappé last summer and the great performances of Brazilian Vinicius Junior during the previous season boded well for a new year full of hope.

Bad losers

It all began last October with the annual celebration of the Ballon d’Or – the prize awarded by France Football to Europe’s best player. The victory of Manchester City’s Spanish international midfielder Rodri was met with disbelief and even disgust in Madrid. Such was the incomprehension and discontent that not a single member of the Madrid delegation turned up for the trophy presentation

Voted men’s club of the year, they were clearly enormously disturbed by the Spaniard’s victory believing their Brazilian striker Vinicius should’ve won. But what message did it send to the world to boycott the proceedings? Sore losers? It’s ok of course to be disturbed by defeat but to not recognise someone else success appears churlish to say the least.

Back in February, Real questioned the integrity of Spain’s referee’s association after losing 1-0 to Espanyol claiming that arbitration has “reached a level of manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignor

Real fans too seem to believe that corruption is working against them. While a number of clasico matches have taken place, all won by Barcelona, the King’s Cup final last month has left a particular bitter taste in the mouths of many.

Hostilities began in the run-up to the final when referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea could not hold back his tears as he spoke of the pressure he and his family had been subjected to. It came after Real Madrid’s TV channel released a video questioning his integrity

In response, the club put out a statement defending the ‘free speech’ of its channel saying “Real Madrid understands that football’s values must prevail, despite the hostility and animosity that has today once again been shown against our club, by the referees appointed for the final.”

The great spectacle of the match was rounded off by some surprising images. Several contentious decisions were made against Barcelona during the match.

And yet, during extra time, it was Madrid’s players who went into a tailspin. The images speak for themselves: protests, violence, anger.

It was unanimously agreed that players of such a high calibre, despite the extreme emotions of a match, could not behave in such a way. Barça’s victory resulted in an epic end to the match, with many players being sent off. The most notable of these was that of German defender Antonio Rudiger, who’s received a six-match ban after throwing ice at the referee.

Weekend warriors

Apart from the purely sporting aspect, this repeated behaviour raises real ethical issues. How can one of the world’s greatest teams afford to act in such a way in the eyes of the spectators? Football inspires and amazes when it shines. However, these recurrent excesses, illustrate serious shortcomings.

Increasingly, we are seeing violent behaviour towards referees and between players in amateur and children’s leagues. Some soccer dads and mums repeat such animated angry antics on the touchlines or don’t hold back against referees, feeling they’re entitled to express their opinions. So, how can we be critical of them if the highest authorities are struggling to maintain a level playing field?

Real Madrid and its president, Florentino Perez, are playing a dangerous game of pressure. Too often distorted for the sake of economic interests, football tends towards the worst at the expense of the best. The question is not whether there will be further excesses, but when? Penalties will have to be tough and the higher authorities will have to abide by a common word of respect. Football belongs to the fans, and if respect is violated, it loses its essence: the game.

As a former player with Olympique Lyonnais and current player and coach with FC Villefranche Beaujolais, this behaviour has a direct impact on me. Throughout my training, the principles of respect, humility, commitment and excellence were at the heart of every session. I can’t help but wonder, once you’ve reached the professional level, what’s left?

Personally, I find it hard to accept that one of the world’s greatest clubs is at the centre of this kind of controversy. I think it’s everyone’s duty to cultivate unwavering respect. Football is fuelled by people: coaches, players, managers, spectators. I’m convinced that a reciprocal sense of duty is needed to turn around a sport that is tending to become distorted.

Over the last two years, I’ve been writing an account of my sporting training at Olympique Lyonnais and my literary emancipation. Throughout the story, I try to decipher, with a human approach, an environment that tends towards individualism. I try, step by step, to remind people of the need for mutual consideration between those involved in football because the ripples of what we do, and how we act, spread far and beyond the pitches on which we play.