Soccer
(or fútbol in Spanish, a word that comes from "football")
is much more than just a game in Spain. It's almost a religion for the
fans. Week after week millions of Spaniards passionately follow the
soccer results. The country stops and the streets empty whenever an
important partido de fútbol (soccer match) is being played. For
those who don't live it with passion this is the perfect moment to go
to the cinema, walk or do the shopping. None of these non-soccer lovers
go to a bar or a cafeteria: They are packed with people watching the
partido on TV, listening to the radio and shouting.
Soccer
is the "Deporte Rey" (King of Sports) in Spain and, as someone
said, a low-cost therapy to counter the problems of everyday life.
Franco
often used soccer to divert attention from the problems of his dictatorship.
The anti-communism and chauvinism of the regime made the people proud
of being Spanish when the national team defeated England (because
of the Gibraltar problem). Nowadays we don't have "Franco's
problem" but there are still a great many common problems
to solve. By the way, even though we don't live in a fascist regime,
there are more soccer matches on TV than ever. Hey, you can even buy
a TV satellite and see the thrilling Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt!
The fact
is that soccer not only makes people happy; it makes a lot of money
too. Clubs "buy and sell" players for prices that make you
shake your head in amazement The chairmen or owners of the big teams
have a lot of power just because of the posts that they hold. Fútbol
and Spain are two closely related teams. It's a passion for men,
kids and women, which can be difficult to understand to people
who come from countries where soccer is not so popular.
