Francisco de Goya, clearly anticipating April 13th, 2012, etched an etching. It was a terrifying etching. A sleeping man is devoured by a swarm of creatures of the night. The admonition reads: “El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.”
The world is full of wonders.
Earlier today it was announced that next Saturday’s (April 21) Sevilla-Levante match will have to be bumped back later than the already superlatively late time of 10pm (ending now at 12:30am). More keys than I care to push down have captured the ongoing idiocy of the LFP’s schedule-making division, which seems to be about as competent as the manatees writing Family Guy’s jokes but with one quarter of the work ethic. Releasing schedule times two weeks in advance complicates the entire process of Watching a Match of Football. Clubs organize travel last minute. Socios have their lives disorganized weekly. And on, yes, on.
The reason for this tiny little 30-minute pushback? The post-clásico presser, of course.
“Wait, they’re telling Sevilla-Levante that they have to wait until 10 fucking 30 to kickoff because of a post-match Q&A?”
They are. They are absolutely doing just that. Nevermind Mourinho’s recent no-show after the tie with Villarreal. Nevermind that there is actual football on the schedule for 10pm. Instead we get a half hour of two grown-ass children either being very polite or being terrible, disingenuous human beings. At this point, we haven’t mentioned TV Revenue Sharing, but I think you can guess where this road leads.
Around the world, those who hate reading Marca, Sport, Mundo Deportivo et al., have no choice as the soap opera comes to their living room. Dear Leaders will scowl, scoff and, naturally, either claim the match to have been completely fair or allude to conspiracies. This is the kind of nonsense that we want to watch. Please, can we get Guardiola and Mourinho in a hotdog eating contest next midweek?
“The dogs I was given were predetermined in order to choke and kill me.”
If it wasn’t already clear, this decision shows that we (the rest of La Liga) are mere jesters in the court. To properly understand the EE/LFP relationship, we have to first decide which one is the stripper and which one is the drunken patron shoving money into the g-string. This is difficult to discern. Could you ever imagine the LFP scheduling Barcelona or Real Madrid for three Monday matches in four weeks? Check out Sevilla’s recent schedule.
This isn’t about match scheduling as much as it is about the EE being the richest kids on the block with newer and better toys than anyone, whose parents give them obscene allowances every week with which they buy up the toys they don’t have from the rest. Oh, and they also happen to know the ice cream man, so they get free Bomb Pops every time he ding-a-lings down the cul-de-sac. Oh, and their parents decide, since their two families have way more interesting things to sell at the neighborhood garage sale than anyone else, that they’d also like to set the date amongst themselves regardless of the others’ plans. The neighborhood association director agrees with this and actively feeds their insufferable sense of superiority, which they seem to feel is inherent in them and not at all a product of an entire system of injustices.
Forgive me for that awkward-as-hell analogy, but I think we can all agree: “What awful neighbors.”
The sleep of reason produces monsters.
Awesome post Aaron. I had a conversation with a Sevilla fan while I was in Spain in October (luckily for me there was a rare Tuesday night 10pm game that fit perfectly in our travel plans) and we talked about the poor attendance at these 10pm week games especially for the kids who have school the next morning. Needless to say he hates it.
Mmmm, that’s some tasty rage, Aaron!
Really, what can you say? It’s classic LFP. And it’s not as if they’re bumping a boring or insignificant game–(1) it’s a head-to-head match between two teams that are in the fight for Europa and/or Champions League action next year, (2) Levante is one of the most amazing stories of the season, (3) there’s the interesting Kone goals/loan/Sevilla buyback storyline that would be an enormous front-page controversy if RM or Barca were involved…I mean, La Liga is pooping on an important match for a press conference that Mourinho won’t even attend. The LFP values this press conference more than Mourinho, for crying out loud!
On the plus side, the next time the TV revenue debate heats up and Barca/RM fans run to our comments section to say we just need to have more people in our stands and enthusiastically following our games on TV in order to EARN more of that money, we’ll have one more concrete example of how the system actively works against everyone but the big two developing engaged fan bases.
These sorts of things (and for example the way Bilbao got screwed in the scheduling of their match with Barca) just make the irony of big two fans complaining about ref decisions and screaming about how the league is out to get them even more hilarious. You could put Barca’s goal at the top of a mountain with their opponent’s at the foot, and every cule in the world would complain about the rugged state of the pitch.
Excellent post. No post match Q&A is more important than a football game, and actually, the Real-Barca post match is the least interesting. Not because it repeats itself, but because what will be said there will be shown again and again for at least a week after the game…
Hey – great post. I have been lurking for a while here – it’s great to have a community of Sevilla fans willing to speak in English. I just have to mention one thing – the figure in the Goya etching is definitely a man. I only point this out because it’s one of my favorite works by one of my favorite artists. I did a seminar on Goya at the U de Sevilla, and bought a set of “Los caprichos,” framed a copy of “El sueno de la razon” and gave it to my brother, a devoted fan of reason himself. Quality stuff.
Let’s hope for a win tomorrow vs Getafe.
Thanks for pointing that out, Eric. Duly noted (and edited!).
Hey, sorry we missed you earlier, Eric–that darn spam filter is a pain sometimes.
Welcome to our blog, though–we’re always very happy to add to our numbers! I hope you’ll continue to comment and contribute–if your thoughts and insights on Goya are any indication, you’d definitely be a great addition to the conversation here!
Thanks! I’d post more, but I only get to see Sevilla play when they’re on ESPN3. Is there an online service one can purchase to watch the LFP?
I mean….purchase? No. But if you’re interested in seeing said content for free, there are likely many folks here who could help you out.
Table is definitely set for Sevilla tomorrow: every non-EE team above us in the table dropped points. A win would see us rise to a tie for fifth and put us within 3 points of 4th.
On the flipside, though, all those teams that were tied with Sevilla last week won (other than Getafe, of course, who we play tomorrow). So lots of room to move upward, or lots of ground to lose on those behind us if we don’t win.
ugh. i have no comment on the post. its ridiculous…
in happy news! valencia lost, malaga tied, and osasuna lost. that gives us a HUGE opportunity (again) this week… we can be tied for 5th with a win and just 3 points from 4th… dare we dream?
no. our dreams will be crushed.
Obliterated,decimated and beaten into dust.
Vamos mi SEVILLA!