Leo Cerezo

Politólogo-MPP. Políticas Públicas/Comunidad/Sustentabilidad. Demócrata, dreamer, lector y fotógrafo aficionado.Opiniones a título personal. #ESG #Comunidad

[César A. Hidalgo @cesifoti]

Argentina’s behavioral crisis in the World Cup final has brought to light traits many of us in Latin America have internalized and that we need to come to terms with.

In many countries, emotional self-control and the ability to admit mistakes are seen as virtues. A behavioral problem in parts of Latin America is that there are social circles where the opposite is often celebrated.

This is the idea that someone who remains in control of their emotions is a coward or, depending on the situation, a traitor.

If someone offends you, your family, your team, the reaction that is celebrated in these circles is not restraint but flipping the table. The more berserk you go, the more you show that you care. That is a harmful value to hold, and also, one that many of us once shared. I certainly had it internalized when I left Chile 20+ years ago. In fact, I’ve spent much of my adult life trying to unlearn what I grew up believing was the socially acceptable behavior.

The second trait is an unwillingness to admit mistakes. You can always find an excuse, move the goalposts, or, once again, start a fight instead of publicly accepting that you’ve made a mistake. Admitting fault is a sign of weakness. Defending a losing position is a symbol of courage or, in sports, a test of loyalty.

Together, these two traits are behavioral dynamite. People explode because they cannot admit fault, and double down. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they become prisoners of them.

I grew up watching football with my father. When I was 10 or so, I was learning what was right and wrong from the way he interpreted the game. This included behavior both on and off the field. Only later in life did I realize that every penalty he called for, or contested, had little to do with the play itself. Whether a call was fair depended entirely on which team benefited. He was happy if his team received a nonexistent penalty or an opposing player got an undeserved red card.

These traits are among the things that pushed me away from the continent. They are certainly not exclusive to Latin America or the Southern Cone. I’ve encountered them in people all over the world. In an important sense, these are behaviors that all of us exhibit as children. What strikes me as unusual from the place I am from is having been part of social circles where these behaviors were not seen as flaws of character but as virtues to be admired, celebrated, and enforced.

These excessive forms of pride are not conducive to learning. They make it psychologically difficult to update one’s beliefs, accept responsibility, or improve. Although they become particularly visible in sports, they are by no means confined to them.

Something I am proud to have learned is to apologize quickly and often. Not because it is too difficult, but because it was like learning a new language at old age. That doesn’t mean becoming a pushover. But I’ve learned that a man who never apologizes cannot be a man of integrity, because we all make mistakes.

Argentina’s behavior on and off the field during the World Cup final was, to me, a particularly blatant expression of values that many people continue to defend. In some circles, these attitudes have become intertwined with ideas of national identity and loyalty. Yet they are shackles that ultimately limit our development, not because they make us lose a football match, but because they make it harder for us to learn from our mistakes.

The right thing to do now is the least likely: offer an honest apology. If my interpretation is even partially correct, we are more likely to see the opposite. Never back down. Never apologize. Never control your emotions. There is such a thing as having the wrong values. I hope that one day we can do better.

[Librerías Gandhi @LibreriasGandhi]

Se acabaron los cambios de juego, vamos a los cambios de página.
#CopaDelMundo

[José Ramón Fernández @joserra_espn]

DETRÁS DE LA COPA, UNA RED DE CORRUPCIÓN.

La investigación de @Romain_Molina señala que, nueve días antes de la final de Qatar 2022, la AFA habría cedido el 30% de sus derechos comerciales a una empresa de Miami creada tres meses antes, sin experiencia en futbol.

El informe asegura que USD 42 millones del premio mundialista habrían sido enviados a esa empresa. Denuncia presunto lavado de dinero, empresas fachada, encubrimiento de abusos y presiones a periodistas.

[FFF @FFF]

COMMUNIQUÉ DE LA FFF :

Les propos racistes de la Sénatrice paraguayenne Celeste Amarilla visant Kylian Mbappé sont totalement abjects et inacceptables. Comment peut-on tenir un tel discours ? Ces propos sont délictueux et condamnables. Ils doivent être poursuivis ici comme ailleurs. La FFF procède à un signalement au parquet à des fins de poursuite judiciaire.

La Fédération apporte son entier soutien à son capitaine, ses joueurs et plus généralement à toutes les victimes de tels propos odieux. Plus que jamais la FFF entend lutter contre le racisme et toute forme de discriminations. Ces propos déshonorent ceux qui les tiennent et ceux qui les diffusent. Les joueurs de l’Équipe de France représentent la France, c’est notre pays qui est insulté.

[José Ramón Fernández @joserra_espn]

EL APOYO AL TRI VA MÁS ALLÁ DEL ESTADIO.

Marcas de distintos sectores están dejando temporalmente el inglés para comunicarse en español antes del México vs Inglaterra. 🇲🇽 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Roberto Haz @tudimebeto]

Es imposible no emocionarte con este video que subió la Selección de México, confío que hoy le vamos a ganar a Inglaterra y haremos historia una vez más🇲🇽❤️

No hay nada más hermoso en esta vida que ser mexicano🥹✨

[MatchReport @MatchReportH]

This Is Why We Love Football” — Zlatan Ibrahimović

“People in the USA always ask me why football is the greatest sport in the world. Tonight is the answer.

A nation playing at its first FIFA World Cup stood across from the defending world champions, a team filled with players who have won everything, and they never showed fear for one second.

Cape Verde didn’t park the bus and pray. They defended like lions, yes, but they also believed they could score. They believed they could hurt Argentina, and they did it twice.

Their goalkeeper refused to surrender. Their defenders never stopped fighting. Every substitution brought fresh legs and fresh belief. Even when Messi reminded everyone why he’s one of the greatest players in history, Cape Verde simply got up and fought again.

That’s what impressed me the most. They never accepted that they were supposed to lose.

This wasn’t only the first World Cup match for Cape Verde. This was a message to every small football nation around the world.

You don’t need a population of fifty million to compete. You don’t need the biggest league or the biggest budget. What you need is personality, belief and courage.

Argentina are through, and they deserve credit because champions always find a way.

But Cape Verde leave this tournament with something equally valuable. They leave with respect. Every football fan who watched this game will remember the night a tiny nation stood eye to eye with the world champions and refused to blink.”

#ARGCPV

[World Cup 2026 @ofootball__]

You won our hearts ❤️

[TheFootballLad @TheFootballLad]

LUKITA. 🇭🇷

[VZ 🇨🇻 @vozinhanews]

Nós acreditamos 💙🇨🇻

[José Ramón Fernández @joserra_espn]

Buen video!

[Fernando Esquivel @fer_esquivel22]

Desconozco quién lo haya hecho, pero qué joya...

La secuencia de la victoria de México ante República Checa y el ingreso en homenaje a Guillermo Ochoa... EN ANIME.

JOYA. 🇲🇽😮‍💨🤌🏼

[UEFA Europa League @EuropaLeague]

Guillermo Ochoa. Legend. 🇲🇽

#UEL

[ESPN FC @ESPNFC]

What a ride it's been for a World Cup legend 🫡🇲🇽

[Match of the Day @BBCMOTD]

Here's how group B finishes! 💪

Switzerland and Canada go through, with Bosnia having a great chance of making the last-32 with their third place finish. 🇨🇭🇨🇦🇧🇦🇶🇦

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

BLOCKBUSTER: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks (including No. 13), 1 pick swap and 1 second-rounder, sources tell ESPN.

[José Ramón Fernández @joserra_espn]

Una imagen que debería incomodarnos más que cualquier derrota.

Japón nos sigue dando lecciones que van mucho más allá del futbol.

[Leo Cerezo @leocerezoh]

@totalplaymx Listo

[Leo Cerezo @leocerezoh]

Pésima la conexión @totalplaymx. Llevo horas sin servicio. Quién puede ayudarme a restablecerlo?