This Blog Posting is patterned around an article about the Coach of Uruguay’s National Soccer Team.
This guy darn near brings tears to my eyes.
Such Old Fashioned and Greatly Missed (by me, at least) Values!
The article was in the Wall Street Journal and is online at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/uruguay-soccers-dead-poets-society-1530264601
Fellacerpts (Excerpts From the Article by Fella) are below...
Uruguay: Soccer’s Dead Poets Society
Óscar Tabárez, the man they call Maestro, has found World Cup success by running his team like a boarding school.
By
Jonathan Clegg and
Joshua Robinson
June 29, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET
Sochi, Russia
In the 150 years since soccer was invented on the muddy playing fields of English boarding schools, the sport has changed so much that it would be almost unrecognizable to the blue-blooded boys who kicked around a heavy leather ball.
But it hasn’t changed completely.
Because in a small outpost on the Volga River, a gray-haired 71-year-old who walks with a cane, the man they call Maestro, is still educating young men to carry themselves with character—and win World Cup games.
His name is Óscar Tabárez. And in 12 years in charge of Uruguay’s national team, he has helped turn a country of 3.5 million into the best pound-for-pound team in world soccer by treating his players as if he were a housemaster at Eton or Harrow.
Just as any British boarding school, Tabárez has long said his primary goal was to mold well-rounded men. He imparts lessons about respect, decency, and the importance of good manners.
“He would always say that being a football player is a profession but it is the way you behave as a human being that is important,” said Diego Forlán, a former Uruguay captain under Tabárez. “You can be a talented player, but if you don’t behave well, it’s going to reflect badly on you and your teams.”
“A young talent should train and prepare for life’s challenges,” Tabárez has written. “The young person must study, we shouldn’t obstruct that, we should favor it, it increases their sporting potential.”
Tabárez organizes trips for young players to attend museums and the theater. He engages his players on subjects as diverse as classical music and botany.
Tabárez is also a stickler for good manners. Many a Uruguayan star has run afoul of his no-muddy shoes rule. And there are strict rules about not leaving plates on the table or putting feet up on chairs. The use of cell phones is prohibited at breakfast, lunch, and during team talks or meetings.
Tabárez wants the players to talk to each other, even if it’s only hello.
He says, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know them, it is a sign of coexistence and respect.”
That also extends to the field. Before Uruguay competes in any tournament at senior or youth level, Tabárez lectures the team on what behavior is expected of them. His message is always the same: No fouls, no bad conduct, and whatever happens, no back talk to the referees.
Again, the link to the article is: https://www.wsj.com/articles/uruguay-soccers-dead-poets-society-1530264601
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If an NBA Player were told to not argue with the Referees, he would respond, “If you want me to do that, you gonna have to add on a very big bonus on top of my very big salary and, if I forget, you gonna have to pay me a Forgettin Bonus.”
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
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