How important is a football match?
That’s a difficult question to answer, because it’s as vague as it gets. The importance of a football match, any football match, varies from person to person. For a father seeing his son or daughter kick a ball for the first time might be the most important there is. For a player who was won everything there is to be won, even a World Cup final might not be *that* important. For Bill Shankly, the legendary Liverpool manager, football was not about life and death; it was much more than that. It’s all about the context.
When Manchester United step out into the field against Ajax in Stockholm, the context is not just about what’s at stake for the English giant. It is not just about the result. It’s about what came hours before the match started. The tragedy that struck Manchester Arena leaving 22 people dead and over a 100 injured will be fresh in the minds of players. Arguably the most famous football club in the world, playing a make-or-break match to salvage a sorry season under arguably the most popular football manager in the world – and yet somehow, the importance of the match feels trivial now.
For United fans miles around the world – not just in Manchester – the consequences of losing this match is perhaps still unthinkable. While those in Manchester will still be hurting and perhaps see this match as an escape from their unimaginable tension, those in India will be less inclined to think so.
If Marcus Rashford goes through on goal and misses a one-on-one, the blood pressure will rise. The expletives will follow. The sense of exasperation will be off the charts. Schadenfreude will replace the exasperation for fans of other clubs. Arsenal fans, who won’t see their club in the Champions League next season, would love nothing more than seeing Manchester United suffer the same fate.
But if and when such a thing happens – if and when Rashord messes up, if and when Wayne Rooney mishits a pass, if and when Fellaini makes a silly challenge – remember that these players are not carrying the weight of expectations of reaching the Champions League next season. They are carrying the hopes of a city that has been struck by a disaster that has left innocent kids dead.
“We’re all very sad about the tragic events last night, we can’t take out of our minds and hearts the victims and their families. We have a job to do & will fly to Sweden to do that job. It’s a pity we cannot fly with the happiness we always have before a big game,” was Jose Mourinho’s comments before the final. The team understandably cancelled the pre-match press conference and resorted to releasing statements through the official website.
‘We can’t take out of our minds & hearts the victims and their families.’ That’s not a manager making excuses, that’s a manager who realizes the enormity of the task facing him. For all we know, United might put in their best shift of the season, spurred on by the fight for Manchester.
If they do fail, spare them the abuse if you are an United fan. Spare them the vitriol. Be mindful of “the banter” you want to engage in, if you are the anyone-but-United type.
Remember what Nuri Sahin said after the bomb blast ahead of the Borussia Dortmund – Monaco match in the Champions League? The medio couldn’t even think about football until he came on to the pitch. He also said:
“I know football is very important. We love football. We suffer with football. We earn a lot of money, we have a privileged life, but we are human beings, there is so much more than football in the world and last night we felt it.”
As professionals the United players know they have a job to do. A job that they are well paid for. A job that rewards performances, trophies. But a job that places unreal burden on the shoulders of representing a grief-struck city, of winning a trophy for their people to bring them some cheer.
So just remember those words from Sahin when you switch on your television set tonight and sit down to cheer for your beloved Manchester United. And if you are not a fan, think twice before you send that funny tweet that you had in mind when you imagined Manchester United losing.
Unlike what Shankly said, this game tonight is not more important than life and death. In Carlo Ancelotti’s words, “Football is the most important of the less important things in the world.”
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