Lionel Scaloni has made it pretty clear where he stands ahead of Argentina's World Cup semi-final against England. The Argentina manager says he is not going to mix football and politics, and honestly, good on him for coming out and saying it. It takes a bit of courage to stand in front of the cameras and call for calm when you are managing a country with such a loaded history against the English.
The Falklands War, the Hand of God, Maradona turning it into a one-man national crusade — the Argentina versus England fixture carries more baggage than most airports. So when Scaloni says we should not confuse politics and football, he is essentially asking two passionate sets of fans to park decades of complicated feelings and just enjoy a football match. Noble idea, but he is going to need a loud speaker and a miracle to pull that off completely.
That said, he is absolutely right in principle. Football is better when it is just football. The players on the pitch do not set foreign policy and they should not have to carry those burdens onto the grass. Scaloni seems like a thoughtful manager, someone who understands the weight of the occasion but does not want his players distracted by noise that has nothing to do with tactics or technique.
From a purely football perspective this is a brilliant fixture to have in a World Cup semi-final. Argentina are world champions and have Lamine Yamal — wait, wrong team — they have a squad built around collective work and genuine quality throughout. England, if they have got this far, will be full of confidence and probably still arguing about whether to play with a back four or five.
The truth is both sets of supporters will feel the history whether they want to or not. That is just human nature. But if the managers and players can keep their focus on the football, the rest of the world gets to watch something special. Scaloni clearly gets that, and it is hard to argue with him.
Let me know your thoughts.