Strange goings on at the Euro Cup show you how conservatives operate
So in the 47th minute of the Spain versus England Euro Cup final, Spain gets the go ahead goal with an assist by just turned 17 the day before Lamine Yamal.
In case you haven’t been following, Yamal is the sensation of the tournament, but only got his very young start with Barcelona after Barcelona went basically bankrupt and couldn’t afford more experienced players. Even then, while finally doing the right thing, Barcelona was derided for running a day care.
Back to the match, what will England, down 1–0 against a Spain dominating the tournament, do? Why substitute anyone for 30 year old Harry Kane — who was probably injured several games ago and should not have even started and in addition bring on 22 year old Cole Palmer, arguably England’s strongest attacking player — who should never have been on the bench.
It works! Cole Palmer scores a goal to bring England level with Spain! What will Spain do now?
Why of course substitute Mikel Oyarzabal for 31 year old Álvaro Morata — who offered Spain only “leadership” and should not have even made the 2024 squad.
It works! Mikel Oyarzabal scores the winning goal for Spain!
What should have been national soccer played at the highest level became a Dragon Ball Z fight scene with teams powering up by playing players that were wrongfully benched.
It’s understandable that Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente Castillo, having won the tournament, will get away with playing Morata.
How though does Gareth Southgate, who somewhat admitted after the game what everyone pointed out long ago — that Kane was not fit, get away with starting him?
Physically, it’s been a tough period for Harry [Kane]. He came in short of games and didn’t quite get up to the level we’d all hope.
And how does Southgate get away with not starting Palmer?
Palmer didn’t start a single game for England, despite the team scoring three times when he was introduced over the course of the tournament.
And even bigger picture why does the overwhelming success of Barcelona’s “day care” not inspire other teams to invest in and encourage very early player development? (How is an 81 year old running against a 78 year old for president of the United States?)
The answer is conservative policy:
At its most basic, conservatism is about protecting what was good and strong about the past. And that’s a respectable, responsible belief. The problem is that it ignores reality. Life doesn’t regress to the past. It is always pushing forward to the future. Always. So, while having conservative beliefs as part of one’s political philosophy is healthy — having them as one’s total philosophy becomes isolating and limiting.
So despite articles like Southgate’s blind loyalty to Kane proved England’s undoing, Southgate’s very conservative employer, English FA, will not pressure him to leave and only a combination of public outcry or Southgate’s volunteering will cause him to leave.
Here’s the thing though, any organization in power will lean towards protecting the past since their power rests on a reverence for the past.
For instance English FA, formed in 1863, is the oldest football association in the world. England’s last international tournament win was the 1966 World Cup. They of course live in the past and call the prospect of winning a trophy as “football’s coming home”.
The same principle applies to any corporation where usually the bulk of the money will be cash cows that are the result of past success.
The same principle applies to any political organization or religion whose brand is solely dependent on the past.
Even as much as the 2024 Euro Cup highlights conservative thought, sports are still wonderfully less conservative than most of the world around us.