I review In the Peat, Laurent Mauvignier’s magnificent story that recovers the tragedy of Heysel (1985), and the narrative turns my guts.
Football can be a death trap.
The fan leaves his savings to support some colors. Invest hours on a journey that may be only one way. Korea and cheers for his club and his players.
And what do you receive in return?
Sometimes, like in Heysel, an ordeal: you can end up with your lungs bursting between the fence that doesn’t give way and the mob that crushes you.
I think about that tragedy and I think about the football stars. Fan friends, I’m going to write John Carlin: football may be a religion for all of you. But the soccer star, the prayers and ordeals of all of you don’t give a damn.
Toni Muñoz and Mayka Navarro, infallible investigators of this newspaper, learned yesterday that Neymar Sr., Neymar Jr.’s father, will pay Dani Alves, his son’s friend, the bail of one million euros that the justice to set him free.
(And they tell us about it at the opening of the Society section).
If Neymar’s money arrives, today Alves will once again move freely along boulevards, soccer fields and bars, after handing over his passport and ID, lest he leave for Brazil or something… tonight partying to uncork and celebrate his liberation.
(Of course, be careful where you get into: you are supposed to stay at least a kilometer away from your victim).
(…)
Whether we like it or not, Alves’ release is legitimate and fair, at least if we take the rigorous interpretation of justice as fair. Another thing is what this whole matter tells us, for example, about Neymar (the senior and the junior).
Neymar, like so many soccer stars, deindexed subjects of ethical, sporting and educational commitments, is above what you think, poor fan who pays his fee and is cold in the stands. If you have to support your friend, you support him, whatever he has done, poor guy, who was a wonderful player and an exemplary teammate and he comforted me in the locker room and introduced me to his friends and gave me assists and was the first in hugging me when I scored a goal. My poor friend who introduced me to the ins and outs of the night and the private rooms, how unfair justice has been to him, keeping him behind bars for a year. Well, that, all this is what this matter tells us: that Neymar jr. He is a good friend of his friends.
¿No?
