Sufrí una gran decepción en Francia 98 [Iniciativa Hive Argentina] ESP/ENG

Ahora que estamos de nuevo sumergidos en esta oleada deportiva a propósito del mundial de futbol, y que veo esta iniciativa no puedo evitar remontarme muchos años atrás cuando yo aún me dejaba llevar por la fiebre del momento. A ver, nunca he sido amante del deporte, esa es la verdad, nunca me ha gustado ni practicarlos ni tampoco verlos por televisión, pero siempre que llegaba el mundial de futbol, por alguna razón, tal vez la euforia que se respiraba en las calles, la publicidad de la televisión o mi edad, no sé que era pero me alentaban mucho a ver todos los partidos completos desde el inicio hasta el final (sin importar la hora) pero como mi país (Venezuela) jamás ha participado en la copa del mundo no me quedaba más remedio que apoyar a otro país, hay quienes apoyaban a varios (por si les fallaba uno) pero el mío, desde siempre fue Argentina, yo me sentía una argentina más cada vez que jugaba mi equipo y en Francia 98 yo estaba particularmente emocionada porque jugaba mi delantero favorito, Gabriel Batistuta, jaja y él era uno de mis crushes 😍.

Now that we are once again immersed in this sporting wave because of the World Cup, and seeing this initiative, I cannot help but go back many years to when I was still caught up in the fever of the moment. Look, I've never been a sports fan, that's the truth. I've never liked playing them or watching them on TV, but whenever the World Cup came around, for some reason—maybe the euphoria in the streets, the TV ads, or my age—I don't know what it was, but it really encouraged me to watch every match from beginning to end (no matter the time). But since my country (Venezuela) has never participated in the World Cup, I had no choice but to support another country. Some people supported several (just in case one didn't make it), but mine, from the beginning, was Argentina. I felt like just another Argentinian every time my team played, and in France '98 I was particularly excited because my favorite striker, Gabriel Batistuta, was playing, haha, and he was one of my crushes 😍.

Well, the thing is, during the 1998 World Cup in France, right in the quarterfinals, I was incredibly excited watching the match. Argentina was playing against the Netherlands, but guess what? Argentina was eliminated. I was only 13 years old at the time, so I burst into tears of utter disappointment while my dad looked at me like I was some kind of freak... "Don't exaggerate, it's just a game," he told me, but for me it was a huge defeat, a tragedy 😄 I also remember my mom telling him, "Leave her alone, she's just a kid." But I know there are many adults who not only cry, they even fight to the death over a soccer team, which I honestly find pathetic. Not the crying itself (after all, it's just releasing an emotion), but the arguments, fights, and even vandalism over the sport, since this discipline should promote healthy competition and human development.

I'm not that interested in the World Cup anymore, but I did celebrate Argentina's victory in 2022 in a big way. I remember it being particularly exciting because I was connected via WhatsApp with two Argentinian friends. Well, one of them is Chilean but has lived in Argentina for so many years that she considers herself one of them, and the other friend is actually part of the hive (@eugemaradona). She'll remember the anecdotes, haha! Oh my God! The penalty shootout was agonizing. I remember my friend Eugenia telling me that even her dad turned off the TV because he couldn't stand the tension. So we kept her updated on what was happening: there were shouts of euphoria, joy, jubilation, and even tears. It was incredibly exciting.

And well friends, that's all I wanted to tell you about this initiative, but I would certainly like to invite you to be a part of it. I'll leave the link to the original post here so you can take a look 😉.

I would like to invite my friend @eugemaradona and my sister @bethyjade.

Imagen diseñada por mi en el editor de Canva.