We should not make a big deal out of the loss of the Armenian soccer
team. Our team plays the best it can. We should not analyze the game
based on the sport reporter’s comments such as “the boys were not
physically prepared for this, the loops were weak, there were many
defects, the trainer made many errors in tactics” and others. It is a
good thing though that there was a trainer. We can blame the trainer,
but it is not like our team was winning all the games before the
trainer came along.
The fact is that soccer in Armenia is going through a crisis. Excuse
me, but what isn’t going through a crisis in Armenia today? At first
sight, one may look at soccer as a primitive game-all you need is 0.7
hectors of land, a ball and 11 trained young players. In reality,
soccer in Armenia is an industry and can not progress in a country cut
off from the rest of the world.
The thing is that Armenia has been cut off from the rest of the world
in all aspects and what is unclear is why soccer has to be an
exception. It never crosses anybody’s mind to compare a “Yeraz” brand
name car with a “Mercedes Benz”, despite the fact that both are made
from the same type of metal and have four tires. Nobody compares
Armenian and Italian shoes, Armenian and American democracy, Armenian
and English education…….Soccer is simply one of the fields of its kind
where, whether we like it or not, we compare ourselves with others and
in the end the results are very clear. If it weren’t for the
international competitions, any official could announce that soccer in
Armenia has a 15.4% rise each year and that we can develop another
hundred years thanks to Armenia’s soccer championships. What needs to
be done for soccer in Armenia to overcome the crisis? The answer to
this question is two-fold: materialistic and moral/psychological. From
a materialistic point of view, it is very clear-the country as a whole
must solve the crisis and develop. “Special Care by the State” is a lie
in this case because in a state where half of the citizens do not eat
well, can not show that kind of care. This refers to almost all kinds
of sports. It is not by accident that only the Armenian athletes who
are born with physical (wrestling) and mental (chess) strengths are the
ones that achieve success in international competitions. We are not
successful in other types of sports where being born with physical and
mental strength is not enough. The moral/psychological factor is also
an issue having to do with society. How can the team play well if the
fans go to the stadium and idolize the opposite side’s players. What it
turns out to be is that we are impatiently waiting for the loss of our
team so that we can curse the luck that we have. And of course, as
always, we remember the past. In politics-the victory of Tigran the
Great, in soccer-the Ararat team in 1973…It seems as if we don’t accept
the fact of moving on.
Whatever happens, we must never lose hope. Sooner or later Armenia’s
level in soccer is going to rise. We simply have to believe in that but
at the same time, not wait for miracles to happen. We must understand
that each miracle happens as a result of hard and continuous work.