足球小國的狂歡日，魅力褪色的世界杯

MANCHESTER, England — It started in San José, Costa Rica, late Saturday night, with a goal from Kendall Waston, the Costa Rica striker, and a scream from Kristian Mora, commentating on his nation’s game with Honduras for Teletica Deportes. “El Mundial, el Mundial, el Mundial,” he bellowed, over and over again, as Waston raced toward the fans in the Estadio Nacional and thousands more spilled out onto the streets to celebrate. “That’s what the country is shouting.”

英格蘭曼徹斯特——一切始于周六深夜的哥斯達黎加圣何塞，哥斯達黎加前鋒肯德爾·沃斯頓(Kendall Waston)在同洪都拉斯的比賽中進了一個球，現(xiàn)場為Teletica Deportes電視臺解說比賽的哥斯達黎加人克里斯蒂安·莫拉(Kristian Mora)不禁發(fā)出尖叫，“進了，進了，進了，”他一遍又一遍地喊著。與此同時，沃斯頓沖向國家體育館的球迷，還有成千上萬人涌上街頭慶祝。“這就是整個國家此時的呼喚。”

It swept into Alexandria, Egypt, a day later: Mohamed Salah’s nerveless penalty, again in the 95th minute, giving the hosts a nerve-shredding victory against Congo and a place in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Salah, carried aloft on his teammates’ shoulders, described it as a “childhood dream.” So many fans packed the streets of Cairo that, at one point, an army helicopter appeared, dropping Egyptian flags from the air.

一天后，這股浪潮席卷了埃及的亞歷山大。在埃及對陣剛果的比賽中，穆罕默德·薩拉赫(Mohamed Salah)在第95分鐘冷靜地主罰點球命中，為主隊取得了比賽的勝利，也令埃及28年來首次躋身世界杯。薩拉赫被隊友們抬在肩膀上，他說這是自己的“童年夢想”。無數(shù)球迷擠滿了開羅的街道，后來空中出現(xiàn)一架軍用直升機，從空中拋下一面面埃及國旗。

On Monday, on the cusp of the Arctic Circle, it was Iceland with a victory over Kosovo, enough to make it the smallest country ever to have qualified for a World Cup. On the field in Reykjavik, Iceland’s players led their fans in the now-traditional thunderclap. The noise traveled around the world.

周一，北極圈邊緣的冰島戰(zhàn)勝了科索沃，成為有史以來取得世界杯參賽資格的最小的國家。在雷克雅維克的球場上，冰島球員們帶領(lǐng)球迷發(fā)出如今已經(jīng)成為傳統(tǒng)的戰(zhàn)吼。洪亮的聲音傳遍世界。

And then came the climax, on Tuesday: in Quito, Ecuador, and Couvo, Trinidad; in Lima, Peru, and Lisbon, Portugal; in Panama City and Sydney, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At the end of four days of the most exquisite tension, the coup de grâce, on arguably the most remarkable day of international soccer for a generation.

然后高潮在周二到來：從厄瓜多爾的基多，到特立尼達的庫沃;從秘魯?shù)睦R，到葡萄牙的里斯本;從巴拿馬城和悉尼，到洪都拉斯的圣佩德羅蘇拉。經(jīng)歷了極度緊張的四天，眼前是最關(guān)鍵的時刻，可以說是這一代國家足球隊中最為引人矚目的一天。

Argentina, so troubled for so long, made it, thanks to a hat trick from Lionel Messi against Ecuador; so did his peer, rival and existential counterweight, Cristiano Ronaldo, as Portugal edged out Switzerland at the last.

阿根廷經(jīng)歷了長期的困難，終于在對陣厄瓜多爾一役中，因利昂內(nèi)爾·梅西(Lionel Messi)上演的帽子戲法得以成功打入世界杯。和梅西齊名的球星、競爭對手與生死大敵克里斯蒂亞諾·羅納爾多(Cristiano Ronaldo)也帶領(lǐng)葡萄牙在最后一場比賽中淘汰了瑞士。

So great is the lure of Europe’s club competitions and so compelling are the endless soap operas around their teams, that it is easy for those in the countries that have appointed themselves the sport’s heartlands to be dismissive of international soccer.

歐洲足球俱樂部賽事充滿極大誘惑，無窮無盡的肥皂劇總在俱樂部球隊之間上演，令人目不暇接。那些身在自認是足球運動中心地帶的人，比較容易對國家隊比賽不屑一顧。

Panama, a victor against Costa Rica, will be there for the first time — thanks, in part, to a goal that did not happen. It was such an auspicious occasion for the country that the next day was immediately declared a national holiday. The United States, beaten by Trinidad and Tobago, will not be there, the shining brilliance of Christian Pulisic not enough to prevent the country from missing its first finals since 1986.

巴拿馬由于戰(zhàn)勝了哥斯達黎加，將首次入圍——這在某種程度上多虧了一個其實并沒有進的進球。此事是如此喜慶，以至于該國立即宣布翌日為全國節(jié)日。美國被特立尼達和多巴哥擊敗而無緣世界杯，克里斯蒂安·普利西奇(Christian Pulisic)的出色發(fā)揮也未能阻止美國自1986年以來首次未能躋身決賽圈。

Honduras might yet qualify, thanks to a win against Mexico, but only if it can beat Australia, which edged past Syria, the decisive goal coming after 199 minutes of 210. That is one of the intercontinental playoffs for a place in Russia; the other features New Zealand and a Peru team indebted to David Ospina, the Colombia goalkeeper, and an eagle-eyed referee. Peru and Colombia tied, 1-1, in Lima. Peru’s goal came from Paolo Guerrero, scoring direct from an indirect free kick. Had Ospina not touched it, the ball would still have gone in, but Peru would be out. Such are the margins. In recent days, such has been the drama.

洪都拉斯仍有可能入圍，因為它戰(zhàn)勝了墨西哥;但只有在它戰(zhàn)勝澳大利亞時才有這個可能，而澳大利亞在長達210分鐘的比賽中的第199分才進了決勝的一球，險勝敘利亞。這只是得以入圍俄羅斯世界杯的跨大洲附加賽的其中一場;在另一場中，與新西蘭對陣的秘魯隊多虧了哥倫比亞隊守門員大衛(wèi)·奧斯皮納(David Ospina)和眼光銳利的裁判。秘魯在利瑪舉行的比賽中與哥倫比亞以1-1戰(zhàn)平。秘魯?shù)倪M球來自于保羅·格雷羅(Paolo Guerrero)的間接任意球直接破門得分。如果奧斯皮納沒有碰這個球，球仍然會進，但秘魯也將被淘汰。就是這么懸。最近幾天，就是這么有戲劇性。

The Champions League, after all, is now the game’s gold standard, where greatness is achieved and contested. Pelé and Diego Maradona built their legends at World Cups, back when that was the only place where the very best assembled, and when it was the only time much of the rest of the world could see, and assess, them. Messi and Ronaldo, by contrast, meet their peers every other week in the Champions League, and do so in front of an audience of millions.

畢竟，歐洲冠軍聯(lián)賽才是當今足球運動的黃金標準;球員在這里成就偉業(yè)，也造就爭議。貝利和迭戈·馬拉多納在世界杯上創(chuàng)下自己的傳奇，那是因為在當時，世界杯是唯一一個可以讓最佳球員同場競技的賽事，也是唯一一個可以讓世界的其它地方看到球員們、對他們品頭評足的地方。相比之下，梅西和羅納爾多在歐冠賽事中每周都可以見到旗鼓相當?shù)膶κ?，他們的比賽有?shù)以百萬計的觀眾收看。

Domestic competition, too, is so much more compelling now: the cut and thrust of the Premier League, awash with unimaginable sums of money, and the glamour of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus. Soccer’s rapid globalization in the last two decades has meant that these are the jerseys players dream of wearing, these are the competitions that they dream of winning, and these are the teams to whom fans lend their hearts, every week, every month, every year.

國內(nèi)聯(lián)賽也變得更加扣人心弦：英超賽場上的短兵相接背后，有難以想象的巨額金錢涌動;巴塞羅那、皇家馬德里、拜仁慕尼黑和尤文圖斯俱樂部的輝煌也是如此。在過去20年里，足球的快速全球化意味著，這些俱樂部的球衣是球員們夢寐以求的，這些俱樂部的比賽是他們夢想贏得的比賽，而這些俱樂部球隊則是球迷們每星期、每個月、每一年都在全心關(guān)注的球隊。

Internationals, by contrast, are an afterthought and an inconvenience. Attendances across Europe, even in Italy and Spain, suggest a lack of engagement: Games are regularly moved to smaller stadiums in a bid to generate atmosphere, but even that cannot always mitigate against the sight of vast swaths of empty seats. In England, which has the national team that regularly draws the largest crowd, the conviction has taken hold that it does not matter that much anymore, that the club game is the sport’s engine.

相比之下，國家隊賽事顯得滯后而麻煩。在整個歐洲，甚至是意大利和西班牙，國家隊賽事的上座率都表明人們?nèi)狈εd趣：賽事經(jīng)常被改在較小的體育場舉行，以便制造氣氛，但是即便如此也未必能緩解出現(xiàn)大量空座的情況。英格蘭國家隊通常能夠吸引為數(shù)最多的擁躉，但是人們已經(jīng)確信，俱樂部比賽才是這項運動的發(fā)動機，國家隊已經(jīng)不再那么重要了。

Such is the privilege of success. Europe’s superpowers qualified for Russia while barely breaking a sweat: England, Spain and Germany all finished the campaign unbeaten. Germany, the world champion, did not so much as drop a point. Portugal, France and Italy lost only once. It is not boring because it does not matter; it is boring because it is easy.

這是勝利者的特權(quán)。那些歐洲強隊幾乎不費吹灰之力就能夠成功挺進俄羅斯：英格蘭、西班牙和德國在資格賽中都保持了不敗戰(zhàn)績。衛(wèi)冕世界冠軍德國隊未失一球。葡萄牙、法國和意大利只是各失一球。這并不無聊，因為無關(guān)大局;這很無聊，因為勝利唾手可得。

To the people pouring out of their homes to celebrate in Iceland, in Egypt, in Panama; to Kristian Mora, screaming himself hoarse, international soccer matters, in a way that club games rarely, if ever, match. Millions tune in to the Premier League, or the Champions League, or a clásico, in all of those places. Very few national holidays are declared.

對于冰島、埃及和巴拿馬那些沖出家門慶祝的人們來說;對于喊啞了嗓子的克里斯蒂安·莫拉來說，國家足球隊是很重要的，而且是俱樂部球賽無法相比的。在上述所有這些地方，都有數(shù)以百萬計的人觀看歐冠和英超賽事，抑或西甲的巔峰德比;但卻鮮有為此而宣布全國慶典的。

And yet, it was impossible to watch all that joy without wondering if it might be for almost the last time. This is one of the last qualification cycles for a 32-team World Cup. In 2026, thanks to FIFA’s ruling earlier this year, 48 countries will qualify.

然而，看到這些人如此喜悅，你不禁會想：這會不會成為最后一次?由32個國家隊參賽的世界杯很快就要成為歷史，這些比賽是最后的幾次資格賽之一。根據(jù)國際足聯(lián)今年早些時候的宣布，到2026年，將有48個國家獲得世界杯的參賽資格。

The rationale is clear. The emotion of qualifying is international soccer’s appeal, its unique selling point, and yet it can be lost. Australia’s late winner and the United States’ eventual defeat were 14 hours apart, and yet few could have taken in both games and all the nail-biting sport in between. The kickoff times were too diffuse; the distances too great; work and sleep and time got in the way.

他們的理由很明確。世界杯參賽資格所激發(fā)的情感是國家隊足球的魅力所在，也是它的獨特賣點，但這個賣點也有可能失去。比如，澳大利亞的最終勝利與美國的最終落敗之間相隔14個小時，但是幾乎沒有人可以觀看這兩場比賽，以及兩場比賽之間所有令人緊張的賽事。開球時間太分散了;比賽場地之間相隔遙遠;工作和睡眠時間夾在其中。

Far better, then, for all of that drama to be bottled and stored and released in a concentrated form, as part of the finals themselves. That way more people can watch; that way, more people will pay. To FIFA, drama only counts if it can be monetized.

更好的辦法是讓這些激情洋溢的比賽成為決賽的一部分，把它們集中打包發(fā)行。這樣就會有更多人觀看，也會有更多人為之付費。 對于國際足聯(lián)來說，只有能夠帶來利潤的激情才算得上真正的激情。

There is a fundamental misunderstanding here. Costa Rica did not explode with joy, or Panama declare a national holiday, or Egyptians flood the streets because they expect to win the World Cup. It was an outpouring of joy simply for being there, for achieving something rare and wonderful.

然而這里有一個根本性的誤解。哥斯達黎加成了歡樂的海洋、巴拿馬宣布全國放假、埃及人涌上街頭，這一切并不是因為他們期待自己的國家能夠贏得世界杯;這只是因為能夠躋身世界杯本身便足以帶來極大的歡樂，只是因為他們?nèi)〉昧四承┱滟F而又美好的成就。

As soon as being there becomes an expectation, an obligation, that joy disappears. That is when international soccer does become boring. FIFA set out to transform the World Cup because — officially — it felt that the more people invited, the better the party. It just forgot that part of the thrill, part of the appeal, is in receiving that exclusive invitation in the first place.

一旦成為期待與義務(wù)，這樣的喜悅就消失了。屆時，國家隊足球?qū)⒄娴淖兊脽o聊起來。根據(jù)國際足聯(lián)的官方說法，他們開始對世界杯進行改革，是因為他們覺得邀請的人越多，派對就越精彩。只不過他們忘記了，獲得別人得不到的邀請函，也是刺激和誘惑力的一部分。