Road to the 2026 World Cup: Footballers Are Selfish

JAKARTA - The World Cup is a great and very simple treasure. Just like the game of football itself, simple. The story, in World War II, the cup made of gold, with a height of 14 inches and a weight of 11 pounds, was once hidden behind a mattress in a city in Italy.

The goal is so that it is not seized by enemy forces. Several years later, the trophy that was being displayed in an exhibition in Inggis, was stolen. Then it was found, in a pile of garbage by a dog, named Pickles.

This is just a little story about the FIFA World Cup.

The most important thing is how stupid it is, if the world does not realize the miracle, glory, and grandeur, this spectacular event that always takes place every four years. It is fortunate for the country that has the opportunity to host the World Cup.

Just look, the qualification of the preliminary round is very tight. Followed by 203 FIFA member countries, playing 600 matches for I8 months. Just to determine, who is entitled to enter the FIFA World Cup?

The World Cup event always attracts the attention of billions of eyes. It is estimated that during the match, there are 31 billion viewers watching from 460,000 television stations. This number is 31 times more than when people watch the first human event landing on the moon - a place that is unlikely, to be the World Cup organizer, for now.

The problem is, if you talk about football, there will be no consensus. There is no common point of view, everything is always based on perception. "The World Cup is the world".

The World Cup event is able to stir up many things. From nationalism, corruption, politics, corruption, social, big business, class separation, sports spirit, love, greed, violence, sex, even war.

There are supporters who choose to commit suicide, it has become commonplace. The brutality of the English "hooligans" at the Brussels Stadium in 1995, which killed 39 people, became an unforgettable stain in the history of world football. The "Hillsborough Disaster" on April 15, 1989, which killed 97 Liverpool supporters, was a tragedy that was difficult to answer. In the country, the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, October 1, 2022, is still a "gray" legal process.

JB Priestley, the screenwriter, once wrote an article, "Football offers conflict and art." Philosopher Albert Camus, also revealed, "In football, he learned that the ball would not come in the direction you want. It helps me face life".

Many countries and global agendas depend on the results of the world's most popular branch. Honduras and El Salvador declared war when their teams got into a fight in the 1970 Jules Rimet Trophy (before the World Cup) qualifying round. The Argentine military dictator, who was not trusted and supported by the people during that time, gained credibility when the host team won the 1978 World Cup in Buenos Aires.

Different countries have different stories. After entering the final 1994 ballot for the first time, the Greek team gathered with their coach Alketas Panagoulias.

"You are not only ambassadors of Greek football, but also ambassadors of this country itself. Your spirit and determination are much stronger than any diplomatic effort. Our country cannot be bargained over. So is the pride of Greece," said the coach enthusiastically.

What's the catch? Panagoulias is not a Greek, he is an Austrian citizen. But in football, everything is the same.

For those who don't know, and where the teams came from, don't worry. All teams have their own characteristics. In the past until today, the Italian national team has worn Valentino's designs.

The Brazilian player was ordered to have sex only after the match was over. A typical reversal, the Colombian team, every time they scored a goal, was called Fausto Asprilla, or Salsita (he liked salsa music).

If all this sounds like ordinary things in a big event. Yes, of course because the World Cup, is a super giant, luxurious, glamorous party. Even much bigger, than any feast on earth.

Only one thing hasn't changed, the players. In one study, conducted by Italian psychologists, in 1993, "Football players are arrogant, selfish or self-centered individuals, childish, stupid men who are not suitable to be fathers, and who live in a world of gossip. All the players think about is sports cars, women, making money, and popularity.