How Ashton Kutcher Explains Football

No, you’re not being punk’d.

If you’ve ever seen The Butterfly Effect, starring Ashton Kutcher, or are familiar with the chaos theory concept for which the film is named, you might have an idea of how nearly half the populace of South America feels as the World Cup approaches.

Essentially, the theory posits that even the slightest change in detail at the beginning of an experiment can produce a hugely different outcome. Based on the work of mathematician and meteorologist, Edwin Lorenz, the idea is that a butterfly flapping its wings in one particular place, or not at all, might, through a series of consequent reactions affect the direction or severity of a hurricane an ocean away.

I remember , as a young whippersnapper, reading a science fiction story about a man who travels back in time to see dinosaurs and accidentally steps on a butterfly or caterpillar or some such.  When he returns home, his world is in ruin.  Of course, Ashton Kutcher only travelled back to his own childhood. No hurricanes. No dinosaurs. Still, each change he made, attempting to improve his present life, brought drastic and unintended consequences.

Now, as far as I know, no football fan in Brazil or Argentina has discovered time travel.  Still, there have been some radical changes in the makeup of the two national teams recently.  Like a work exchange program, Brazil is adopting a more staid Argentinish approach in preparing for South Africa, while Argentina is, a la Brazil, trying to add a little color and panache to their game.

If you play word association with a group of people, first mentioning Brazil, the reply will probably be either soccer or Carnival. The colors of the flag and the national team kit are a vivid gold, green and blue. Music, dance, laughter, creativity and  celebration are all words that describe the Brazilian people; they pursue happiness with their heart and souls.

Victory party

Holiday party

Conversely, the Argentines seek satisfaction. They are very political animals. Continuing the game of word association, next ask for the name of a famous Argentine and for every Diego Maradona mentioned, you are equally likely to get one answer of Che Guevara and  another voting for Evita Peron.  Pride , power and politics are cultural bywords in Buenos Aires.  Or they would be, if English was the language spoken.

So why are the Selecao eschewing individual talent for team cohesion and defensive discipline and why did the Albiceleste give the reins of the national team to a man famous for his excesses, who took charge with a rash promise to not only bring his country victory but to do it in style?

The simple answer would be that it is down to the two managers. Dunga is a former center back, Brazilian born but of conservative German stock, a heritage which has always shown in his game and management philosophy. Maradona, on the other hand, has lived and almost died, not for the glory of the game, but the drama.  This reversal of polarized philosophies is like George W. Bush hosting the Oscars while Ellen DeGeneres sits in the Oval Office. It’s like the BBC airing Debbie Does Dallas while the Daily Mail runs a five part series on global warming. It’s like Roy Hodgson out on the town with Cheryl Cole on one arm and Victoria Beckham on the other while Ashley, Becks and John Terry enjoy a nice quiet evening at home playing Scrabble.

I can just hear Golden Balls exclaiming, “Monogamy is too a word, you prat!”  (and don’t forget the 50 point bonus for using seven letters)

Communist Party

Socialist Party

For Brazil, the new methodology has borne positive fruit. The team is hardly boring, still showing frequent flashes of artistry but it has drastically reduced the foolish defensive lapses that have tripped them up in the past. While the media and fans may cry for the likes of Ronaldinho and Adriano to satisfy their appetite for theatrics, qualification went smoothly and, ever so slowly, outsiders are starting to buy into Dunga’s system.  The team is healthy, to boot, and have regained their number one FIFA World Ranking from the Spaniards.  Things are looking up.

For Argentina, not so much. The team struggled through the CONMEBOL qualifications with the raw, inexperienced Maradona showing no consistency in his roster selections, starting line-ups or tactics. After the side secured an invitation to the finals, in their very last match, the manager gave such a profanity laced hairdryer treatment to the media, which had delighted in pillorying him at every turn,that he earned a 60 day ban from FIFA and allegedly received a request for tutelage from the awestruck star of the Batman movies and fellow connoisseur of cuss, Christian Bale.

One plan coming together...

... Another falling to pieces?

Under past Argentine managers, petty differences were set aside for the greater glory and national pride.  The new regime, however, has permitted personality to become a major part of the selection process. One of the most sublime midfielders in the modern game, Juan Roman Riquelme refuses to play for Maradona, and the manager himself has largely ignored Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso since taking charge. Also absent from a final squad including 6 strikers is Inter fullback Javier Zanetti. The two Inter men, both well capped internationals, have played a huge part in their club side’s successful journey to Madrid for the Champions League Final. Only Diego Milito, taken as the 6th forward, was included from the trio of Argentines featuring for the two time Serie A champions. Perhaps the overabundance of strikers chosen reflects their manager’s opinion of his own historical importance.

To be fair, a hard fought one-nil away victory in a friendly over Germany has given some hope that such a talented team may be able to overcome the ineptitude of their little Napoleon.  It seems a slim hope at best, however.   Meanwhile, the outcome for either team, be it stunning success or epic failure, is subject matter for days yet to come.  More appealing–to me anyway– is the social subtext of the strange new world that is emerging in South American football.

Moreover , being satisfied with the simple answer of laying blame at the feet of Dunga and Maradona is too easy. It doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.  After all, someone had to hire the managers.  It then follows that whoever does the hiring also signs the paychecks and tends to have deep pockets and powerful connections.  Therefore, economics and politics had to have a lot to do with this unexpected transformation. Interestingly, the political and economic landscape in both nations has also undergone significant change in the last decade.

Brazil, in the ’70’s and ’80’s, was a country in shambles. Inflation was rampant, crime high and the government was rife with scandal. The Cartolas (top hats) who ran the Brazilian clubs were as corrupt as the politicians they were in bed with. Then, in 1994, the Plano Real was enacted, curbing inflation and bringing the national deficit under control.  Brazil’s currency, the real, stabilized and foreign investors began to do business there. In 2002, leftist Luis Inacia Lula da Silva was elected President and the country has continued to prosper, leading to FIFA awarding Brazil the 2014 World Cup.

...while Cristina Kirchner attempts to hold off another economic landslide

Inacio rocks Brazil

As Brazil began to emerge as an economic power, Argentina’s government was rocked by corruption and scandal. In the new millennia, Buenos Aires seemingly rode an economic wave, as the gross national product rose, led by an automotive industry benefitting from the new consumerism just over the border in Brazil. The recovery was welcomed after decades of struggling under the expense of the ill advised and disastrous invasion of the Falkland Islands. By 2008, however, it became apparent that the government had been deliberately concealing the rate of inflation, publicly publishing a rate of 10% when it was, in fact, at least twice that.  All was not as rosy as it seemed.  Over the past two years, many Argentine government officials have been implicated in corruption schemes. The new administration, led by Cristina Kirchner,  has had to raise taxes across the board and once again look to the International Monetary Fund for assistance.

Soccer clubs have not been exempt from the crisis. The opening of the 2009 fall season was threatened as it was revealed that almost every club, including giants Boca Juniors and River Plate, were mired in massive debt. It is now Argentina that is home to emotional, reactionary policies and greed with Brazil cautiously looking forward to a prosperous future.

Valencia's Villa tests the wind before sailing for Barca...

...while ex partner Silva looks to flag a taxi to Madrid

While the situation in the two countries is one of the more stark and sudden changes in football’s landscape, it is far from the only one. Football is a major part of the global community, a place that is rapidly transforming .

The butterfly’s winds of change are blowing through stadiums all over the world.

Television has brought a wider audience and much more revenue to European leagues.  While some clubs are thriving, others have incurred huge debt.  Many small clubs, eager for a piece of the pie, have mortgaged their futures and, in the face of a sudden economic downturn, cannot honor their debts.  In England, Portsmouth are going through administration and have been relegated.  In Spain, Valencia have at last been forced to sell their best players, the Davids Silva and Villa, to pay their bills.  Those are just two of many top flight clubs in dire straits.

Outside of the game, changes in the global economy have also seen the creation and expansion of the European Union, the NAFTA Trade Agreement in North America, and Australia realigning itself in the Asian market.   These new political and commercial relationships, as well as the boom in internet and communications technologies, are quickly bringing the world  much closer together.

As a result, the lines between cultures are blurring.  Football is, of course, affected.  Despite the relative disinterest of their home markets, there is an ever increasing proliferation of American and Aussie players throughout Europe.  The roster of the current German national side, a country that, sadly, still lives in the shadow of the atrocities committed by the most fervent nationalist in history, features a virtual rainbow of German born players of Ghanian, Turkish, Tunisian, Spanish and Polish descent. Players like Mesut Ozil, with their very un-Germanic creativity, are even changing Fussball from probably the most efficient team oriented style of play into a more intricate and risky attacking game.

faces of the new Germany

and Jerome Boateng,

Mesut Ozil,

Cacau,

Sami Khedira,

FIFA itself, under the direction of Sepp Blatter has had a major part in this evolution, bringing the World Cup to Africa for the first time this year, it having recently made its debut in North America and Asia, as well. The next step may be integrating the Islamic nations into the World Cup village.  Qatar , with the encouragement of the FIFA chief has made a very innovative bid for either the 2018 or 2022 tournament.

The world is becoming more intimate and football is playing a role. As wonderful as that may be, one hopes that the changes in how the game is played in places like Brazil and Germany, caused by this globalization don’t ever evolve to the point where nations are indistinguishable from each other, all embracing similar  types of players and utilizing one bland style.  While that seems to work for the NFL, soccer’s charm is in its ability to bridge the gaps between and appeal to vastly different cultural and political environments.

Some of the greatest fights in boxing history, Ali/Frazier or Leonard/Duran, for example, were compelling due to the clash of opposite styles; power punchers trying to break down skilled boxers. That principal holds true in soccer when Italy meets Brazil, Argentina clashes with England or even when the Ivory Coast meets South Korea.

The diversity of the game is what makes it thrive. To lose that would be a grievous blow.

Author’s note:

I am far from the first to notice or remark on these changes in the game. As you can easily see if you check out my blog (insert shameless plug here) or just look at the title of this article, two of my favorite books on football are:   How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foerr and Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski. I heartily recommend them. The authors know much more than I do about the butterfly effect now happening in the beautiful game.

Please read their work.