The Persian version of this article has printed in “Goal” daily, Dated: Monday, January 30, 2017.
Put Out This Fire Too!
Vahid Namazi
1- Where is the limit of human capabilities? When individuals with physical limitations reach the Paralympic podiums, can we imagine any boundaries for their aspirations or those of able-bodied individuals? Yesterday, the world of sports witnessed a historic event that once again proved how closely a healthy lifestyle and sustained motivation to achieve goals can align with reality. Roger Federer, the Swiss legend of tennis and one of the most decorated athletes in history, celebrated his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, cementing his name in history. But the key point is this: at 35 years old and after a six-month absence due to injury, he made a comeback and defeated his long-time rival Nadal in a historic final, proving to everyone that age, physical challenges, and injuries cannot stand in the way of humanity’s lofty dreams. If only our athletes would learn from this triumphant return and remind themselves that by maintaining fitness, embracing a healthy lifestyle, and staying professional, they can achieve both their financial goals and immortality in the hearts of the people.
2- Yesterday, Barcelona escaped defeat at Real Betis’ ground, despite a perfectly valid goal by Jordi Alba being disallowed, thanks to a last-minute goal by Luis Suárez that ensured they didn’t return home empty-handed. But nothing particularly noteworthy happened beyond that. While the weaknesses in La Liga’s refereeing are evident to all, even fueling suspicions of blatant bias among fans and media aligned with big clubs, no one pulls their team off the pitch, no coaches stage sit-ins on the field, no club presidents issue statements resembling threatening editorials in fan-driven newspapers, and Catalonia doesn’t threaten to secede from Spain overnight! Without a doubt, such a level of refereeing errors in Iranian football would be utterly unacceptable, and their repeated occurrence week after week against different teams is simply inexcusable. However, if every mistake in our domestic leagues leads to abandoned matches, people turning against each other, or fueling ethnic disputes that delight adversaries, there will be nothing left of the half-dead carcass we call “Iranian football,” which is already struggling to survive.
3- We try to be good boys and avoid even thinking about the painful rumors of dirty hands behind the scenes in Iranian football and its top-tier refereeing. But let’s be fair: we can’t find any place in our hearts to accommodate this staggering volume of bizarre and sometimes laughable mistakes. Humans are fallible by nature, and it’s precisely because of this human trait that divine systems of reward and punishment, and by extension, earthly laws, exist. However, the recurrence of certain mistakes in some contexts is so costly that merely investigating them isn’t enough. Premier League teams vying for the championship spend up to 30 billion tomans annually, if not more, and seeing their efforts go to waste due to refereeing errors (let’s call them unintentional) is unacceptable. Those teams at the bottom, clutching their lanterns and dreading the tough final days of the season, are already under pressure, fearing the devaluation of their club’s worth and the nightmare of struggling in the lower division. Therefore, if the Football Federation doesn’t step in promptly with proper management (not traditional “village elder” tactics or servile pleasantries), it will be complicit in these multi-billion-toman losses!