I’m not worried about a 0-0 draw. It is one of the possible results and even the reward when you play really badly, as Ecuador did on Tuesday in Quito against Colombia. What is worrying is the lack of self-criticism of the coaching staff of the national team and the arrogant reaction of the national team member who shoots at the fans who demand a better game than football players like him, who win riches and prizes by wearing the tricolor.

Tri’s performance is not all the beauty that television sells us. Everything he tells us every minute of the game is designed to sell us a “torpedo”. It is an emotional trap that many people fall into who believe more in the story than in reality. We have been strict in proposing in this magazine the reality that we see, without obligations to the managerial environment that the journalism sector fears or adheres to in the search for “logistics services”. It is not very nice that those in power are denied the applause they think they deserve or have negotiated. But before tuning in there is an ethical commitment to the truth, which is what those who read us expect.

The Ecuadorian Football Association made mistakes in hiring coaches. Have leaders thought about what kind of driver they want? The basic thing: one who thinks about the game, creation, offensively, without abandoning defensive caution. “An order for adventure,” declared CĂ©sar Luis Menotti; or the one who goes out to defend himself, who refuses to look for the opponent’s goal, who prevents his players from looking for a goal. Gustavo Alfaro was one of them. His football record condemned him.

The same thing happens with the Spaniard FĂ©lix Sánchez Basa. It is obvious to talk about his background. His theory is the worn-out “direct football” that prevailed in Europe about 30 years ago: football without fraud; What was advertised was done. All touches are from the side or back; It is not in anyone’s interest to set up the show, but to force it. The end is a hit wherever it falls; Everyone is watching the ball, but not watching the game. It was after the ugly match against Colombia that he admitted his football ideology. And it’s sad that he believes it’s good and that we have to keep playing like this.

The dark prospects of this national team without a compass are worsened by the position of the players who accept the coach’s mistake. They are more comfortable running forward, even if the play doesn’t appear. There is no rebellion to adopt another game, because that would risk the call (it gives the impression that it is done outside the coach’s office) or ownership.

As in that picture where the sweeper prefers to hide the trash under the carpet instead of picking it up and throwing it in the bin, pride appears as a darkening agent. This is shown by the coach and surprising spokesman for the players: Carlos Gruezo. For nine years I was looking for an argument to justify his calls. I even doubted my ability to analyze. I wondered if he had a virtue, or many virtues, that I could not see or understand.

Am I losing my wits after 72 years of watching soccer around the world? Today, he is paying for his wrong call to the national team and the mistake of making the headlines with rude phrases towards independent journalism and towards fans who reject his role on the field and the performance of the national team. Why doesn’t Gruezo ask himself why he is always being called if he shows no quality to contain or support and his most common resource is to hit the opponent?

At this point, I’m interested in who their influential representative is. Is he the one who supposedly always manages to get someone who doesn’t contribute anything to the game and just knows how to run over whoever comes with the ball? We’ll find out.

And finally, the topic of playing at height comes up. It was definitely established in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers as the vast majority of those called up played domestically and needed no further adjustment. On the other hand, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay were cautious due to lack of oxygen. The other rivals were never afraid of him. Twenty years later, reality has changed radically. Our football players operate on the plain, as do their opponents, so the fate of the protagonists is the same: they all drown.

With Luis Chiriboga, the prejudice was established that to suggest playing on the Coast was an attack on the country and its heroes. I dare not suggest it today, because we already know about the “civic spirit” of those who direct or receive cash as FEF employees. They showed this in the case of Byron Castillo, when they denied Diario EL UNIVERSO accreditation for Qatar 2022 due to “unpatriotic behavior”, although they later backed down due to national and international pressure.

We lost two points against Colombia, and it could have been three if Luis DĂ­az hadn’t missed the penalty. We play in nothing; We almost committed suicide with our own “height”; Now neither Superman nor Boy Wonder saved us. We begin to doubt our future. With a great ball and arrogance, we will be watching the 2026 World Cup on television. (OR)