I Am Not a Model

While FIFA chases profit and pageantry, Bielsa continues to embody everything worth preserving in football.

As FIFA insists on turning this World Cup into a grotesque, farcical spectacle of capitalist greed, solely for the benefit of themselves and their wealthy benefactors, it’s easy to forget that football is meant to, and should, mean much more than just dollars and cents.

Yesterday Uruguay played their first game of the World Cup, a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, but it was their official FIFA photoshoot that seemed to garner the biggest reaction. The reason? Marcelo Bielsa.

For his portrait picture, Bielsa stood, eyes gazing towards his feet, refusing to acknowledge the camera; refusing to be an obedient cog in FIFA’s money-making machine. It was an act of subtle defiance, one that pushes back against the ever-growing commercial demands expected of players and coaches.

The resulting photo is iconic: Bielsa’s strikingly uninterested figure stands against a dark, cloudy blue, marble-esque background with the word ‘URUGUAY’ emblazoned across his navy torso. Think Kendrick Lamar ‘Damn’. The ‘coldest’, ‘hardest’ photo to come out of the World Cup by some distance. 

Inevitably, the portrait went viral, and, of course, Bielsa was asked about his lack of compliance:

“I’m not a model," was the response. “I don’t have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken. Should I also explain why I don’t look to the people who are speaking to me at this moment?”

He was clearly irritated by the reporter's question, and continued his scathing rant:

“There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain. If I’m wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses? You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that? There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.”

It was Bielsa’s more erudite way of simply saying “Fuck off, it’s a load of nonsense”.

And he’s right, obviously. As Leeds fans we’re all well aware of his impeccable character. I could sit here and wax lyrical about Bielsa's genius to the unaware and wilfully ignorant (Joe Cole), but it’s all been said and done before. We no longer need to justify or provide a reason for why we love the man. Those who know, know. Those who don’t, never will. It’s that simple.

No Leeds fan, or anyone who’s spent any time writing about him over the years will be at all surprised by his non-compliance, or the short shrift he gave to the unsuspecting reporter in the following press conference.

Bielsa has always been a staunch football purist, and has made comments condemning what he sees as corporate overreach into the heart of our beautiful game. His stance against what modern football has become is admirable, and speaks to an integrity distinctly lacking in the key decision makers within football. 

People like Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino are plagued by greed, narcissism, and narrow-mindedness; they can’t even begin to comprehend the depths at which Bielsa feels and understands football on a cultural and human level. We need people like Bielsa in football; without them, it’ll be left to the jackals.