It’s just a game

For a lot of fans cheering for their national team in the FIFA World Cup that ends on Sunday, defeat is unacceptable.

Winning is everything and if it doesn’t happen, expect all hell to break loose.

When South Korea’s squad returned home after failing to advance beyond the group stage, irate fans welcomed head coach Hong Myung Ho at the airport with boos and insults. While Hong was the target, the entire team was chastised when South Korea failed to win a single match at the 2014 edition in Brazil. The players were pelted with toffees, an insulting practice in South Korean tradition, upon landing.

Who can forget the aftermath of the 1994 World Cup where Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph Bell’s home was burned down by fanatics and Colombian player Andres Escobar was murdered for scoring an own goal? Not even celebrated star David Beckham was spared from negative backlash at the 1998 World Cup where he was blamed for England’s loss to Argentina as early in the second half, was issued a red card for kicking an opposing player to leave his team a man down. “The whole country hated me,” he said, recounting how he was spat at and received death threats. At the 1982 World Cup, Carlos Caszely missed a penalty in Chile’s 1-0 loss to Austria and it was difficult to live down. He was also the first player ever ejected on a red card in the World Cup.

Imagine if defending champion Argentina lost to Egypt in their round-of-16 match in Atlanta last Friday. Egypt raced to a 2-0 lead but couldn’t hold on as Argentina roared back to win, 3-2 with Lionel Messi equalizing and Enzo Fernandez delivering the clincher two minutes into injury time. Argentina’s faithful wouldn’t have forgiven La Albiceleste if World No. 24 Egypt pulled off the upset. Remember that after the 1958 World Cup, fans greeted Argentina’s players by throwing coins to expressdispleasure over their poor performance, dropping out of contention in the group stage.

In the book “Soccer In Sun and Shadow,” author Eduardo Galeano wrote about the sin of losing: “Soccer elevates its divinities and exposes them to the vengeance of the believers. With ball on his foot and the national colors on his chest, the player who embodies the nation marches off to win glory on far-off battlefields. If he returns in defeat, the warrior becomes a fallen angel. Without question, the national uniform has become the clearest symbol of collective identity, not only in poor or small countries whose place on the map depends on soccer. In soccer as in everything else, losing is not allowed. Failure is the only sin that cannot be redeemed.”

What drives fans to fanaticism and violent reaction? Maybe because they’re invested in the team and fiercely loyal. They will be furious if they feel they’ve been let down. Maybe because of hero worship, they can’t accept their heroes falling and will turn against them if they lose. Maybe, they’ve bet heavily. Maybe, they think they know better than the coach. Every fan is an expert. Maybe, it’s national pride. A loss could mean a betrayal of trust. But whatever the reason, there can be no justification for outrage, uproar, vehemence or unsportsmanlike behavior. It’s just a game, after all, and you win some, you lose some but when all is said and done, sport is about the triumph of the human spirit, whether in victory or defeat. It’s beyond competition,it’s the ultimate metaphor for life