There are few more annoying people in football than those that constantly moan about international breaks. Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol spoke on behalf of this relatively small but very vocal group of narrow-minded and self-serving individuals in September when he asked, “Why is our enjoyment of football being interrupted for something that is boring?”
After fighting through the initial disbelief and rage provoked by such an astoundingly arrogant statement, one could not help feel anything but pity for a man that finds the international game “boring”. Because make no mistake about it: nothing that happened in football this year matched the drama of the November international break. It was pure emotion from start to finish.
Ireland secured a place in the UEFA play-offs by first beating Portugal in Dublin and then stunning Hungary in Budapest with a last-second goal from hat-trick hero Troy Parrott. “I said against Portugal that is what dreams are made of, but I don’t think I’ll ever have a better night in my whole life,” the Dubliner told RTE. “It’s a fairy tale. You can’t even dream about something like that. Honestly, I have no words to describe the emotion right now. These are tears of joy. This is the first time I’ve cried in years.”
Andy Robertson was also overwhelmed with emotion as he thought of his dearly departed friend Jota after he’d managed to realise their shared dream by leading Scotland to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. “He missed out on Qatar because of injury, and I missed out because Scotland weren’t in it,” the left-back said on the BBC. “So, I know he will be somewhere smiling over me tonight.”
Haiti’s qualification, meanwhile, brought joy to a long-suffering people, with Sebastien Migne managing to lead the Grenadiers to their second-ever appearance at the World Cup – and first since 1974 – despite being unable to set foot in the Caribbean country due to an ongoing conflict that has forced 1.3 million people from their homes.
“It’s fantastic for Haiti that the team is back on the biggest footballing stage,” the Frenchman told one reporter in Curacao – where Haiti were forced to play their home games – after the decisive 2-0 win over Nicaragua.
Curacao’s qualification was even more remarkable, as they heroically held on to claim a 0-0 draw with Jamaica that saw the Blue Wave become the smallest nation ever to reach the finals. “It’s an impossibility made possible,” winger Kenji Gorre told The Guardian. “It’s literally impossible for such a small island, such a small 150,000 population, and now to go to the biggest pinnacle of football is unbelievable.”
And that’s the main point here: for nearly every single person that plays or follows football, the World Cup is the ultimate goal, because representing one’s country is the greatest honour imaginable. That’s why Messi is still leading Argentina, and why Ronaldo says he’d only play for Portugal if he could.
So, while international football may be boring for some supporters in England, for the millions and millions of the rest of us around the world, there’s nothing bigger – or better. Parrott said after sending an entire country into delirium, “This is why play football.” It’s also why we all still watch it too, though.
