The book “Invasion of the Field” by Alejandro Requeijo.
In “Invasión de campo” (Ediciones B), journalist Alejandro Requeijo begins with a statement of principles that clearly captivates the reader. It’s an interesting essay – or manifesto – in favor of the identity of the stands in football stadiums. Understanding the stands as a strange connection between dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who feel part of a unique identity.
The stand as a concept holds joys and sorrows, big stories and small anecdotes, it understands the reasons why a player is booed, it interprets who this banner is aimed at, it knows what the rivalries are, it highlights the differences between them all that on people you shape to gather around a shirt and a shield. What one level celebrates, another sees as an aberration. Some people admire beauty above all else. Others enjoy watching the ball go over the sideline after a powerful defensive cut. And even if it doesn’t seem like it, there is an explanation for everything. Because the stands, like the people, have shaped their way of life parallel to the further development of the history of the clubs they support. And they have built a solid and complex relationship that is understandable even to those who are not one of them. That’s why football teams’ obsession with turning a company’s holy grail – fans – into mere consumer customers is so strange.
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Requeijo gives shape to a theme that has been discussed for years among the most purist and loyal circles of fans, who see how strangeness gives way to anodyne homogeneity. How football is becoming a luxury product, with money ultimately replacing the social, cultural and familial factors that determine team selection. The fan, Requeijo reflects, asks not what his team can do for him, but rather what he can do for his team. Maybe the next field invasion is – How long has it been since you’ve seen one? – no more reason to celebrate.
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