By Eng Ben Misagga
Spain lifted the trophy. Let’s be honest why.
Not because they were gods. Because they didn’t have a Messi or a Ronaldo. No single man to worship. No brand to protect. Just a team. A real team. Together since Under-17. They passed the ball like they shared one brain. That’s football. That’s why they won.
Messi killed the final. He came chasing the Golden Boot, not the trophy. Every touch became about his stats. Every run died at his feet because he needed one more goal for the billboards. Argentina stopped playing football and started playing Messi. When you feed one man, the whole team starves.
Then came Spain’s sophisticated shot passes. Lightning through heaven. One touch, two touch, goal. Argentina never saw it. They were still waiting for a “Hand of God” moment. But dependence on the hand of God made the gods of Spain kill the hand. This time, miracles were outlawed. The game punished prayer without practice.
The shortfalls were ugly. We name them:
. FIFA’s interest was not football. It was Argentina at the final. The soft penalties. The extra minutes. The fear of cards for one side. Farmers of football have taken the orange and sold us dragon fruit. They rebranded corruption as “drama.” We watched a script, not a sport.
. The final was served to fear and death of the red card recall. VAR became a weapon, not a judge. Players walked on eggshells. Tackles turned into conferences. You can’t play war with lawyers on the pitch. The game lost its teeth.
. I missed France at the final, but Mbappe made the final. Without him, it would have been a funeral. He alone remembered that football is courage, not calculation. The rest played like accountants.
. We traded misery of long-range faded passing for Spain’s drones. Finally. No more hopeless balls to nobody. Spain flew over the pitch. Controlled. Precise. Deadly. That’s how you kill nostalgia.
. I saved 5 years to watch 2026. Blood money. Sweat money. But Ebola grew the game in fear. And it got spoilt by the cellular call to help America FC. Politics entered the stadium. Borders entered the dressing room. When the phone rings from State House, the referee listens. That’s not football. That’s theater.
IF FIFA STILL WANT A GAME:
. Kill the god-player culture. No player should be bigger than the badge. Cap ad deals during tournaments. You’re here for country, not for Nike. Spain proved it. Team first. Always.
. Jail FIFA politics. Independent referees. Rotate them like pilots. No ref from a finalist’s continent. VAR calls made public, live, with audio. If we hear the fear, we kill the fear.
. Red card recall must die. If it’s a red, it’s a red. No “clear and obvious” loophole. That rule was made for cowards. Football is contact. Let men play.
. Protect the game from state calls. Any political interference equals an automatic ban for the federation. No “America FC.” No “Qatar FC.” National teams, not national projects.
. Go back to U-17 chemistry. Nations must build squads, not buy them. Spain’s 15-year project beat Messi’s 15-year brand. Time beats talent when talent won’t pass.
The truth is this:
The orange was sweet because it was real. Now they’re feeding us dragon fruit. Pretty, expensive, no taste. We don’t want influencers. We want footballers.
As the Oracles of Kifuuta say: “Omupiira teguzannyibwa na linnya; guzannyibwa na magulu.”
Football is not played with a name; it is played with legs.
Spain used their legs. The rest used their brands.
That’s why the trophy went to Madrid, not to marketing.
Post a comment