Spain
No more excuses
Three a.m. A gang of hooded figures dressed all in black escape the darkness and dash silently across the concrete forecourt, casting long, sinister shadows in the moonlight. A quick glance around and they clamber over the wall at the Spanish federation’s Las Rozas HQ, 25km north of Madrid. Tiptoeing through the gloom, shooting whispered commands at each other, they grab a huge white banner from a suspicious-looking van, unroll it and daub it with gigantic black letters.
As the camera closes in, the invaders are revealed as members of the national team, with Sergio Ramos, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol at the head; as it pulls away, their message is revealed. “Being Spanish is no longer an excuse,” declare the colossal letters, “it is a responsibility.” A couple of weeks later the banner is unfurled to roars of delight from Spain fans before a match in the Canary Islands.
Why have the Spanish won nothing since the 1964 European Championship? The theories are legion, the list of excuses painfully long. Refereeing scandals, cheating opponents, key injuries, simple bad luck – all have been given an outing, providing an inescapable historic context for la seleccion, a weight that will not be shed until they do finally win something.
And that is the point. The message on the banner says much about the Spanish mentality when it comes to their national team, about the desire to bury the underachievers tag for ever, not cower behind excuses. It says much about the desire to take responsibility but also the pressure exerted in a country where the expectations of many are sky high and yet rock bottom among others. As ever, Spain believe that they can win the tournament but fear that they won’t. Headlines declare: “Reasons to dream,” while the official song modestly demands only that “we get past the quarters”.
There is an awkward coexistence of superiority and inferiority complexes in the Spanish footballing mindset. There is a belief that they play the best football but also a conviction that some set of circumstances will contrive to deny them success. Rarely do those who analyse Spain argue that they have been unsuccessful because they are not good enough. No, they have been unsuccessful for a reason – and one normally not of their own making.
Scandalous decisions
Look at their recent World Cup history and it’s hard to disagree: in the USA, Luis Enrique had his nose broken as Spain lost to Italy; in South Korea they were knocked out after some truly scandalous refereeing decisions; and in Germany they made a blistering start but fell to France in a tight match after a debated free-kick.
But excuses have often been too readily grasped. Hence the banner: some believe it is time Spain embraced the challenge and did not wallow in victimism. This is a generation of wonderfully talented players but, as coach Luis Aragones always insists, they must compete, too. As the Spanish phrase has it, they must have talento (talent), of course, but they must have talante (personality), too. No more excuses, it’s time for Spain to take responsibility. And take home that trophy at last.
Interview with Spain coach Luis Aragones
Interview with Spain's Xavi Alonso
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