I am sure that [soccer]  is in a process of decline, that is to say, that more and more people are watching [soccer], but it is becoming less and less attractive because what made it the best game in the world is not there.”

Marcelo Bielsa

In just under two years, the World Cup will be kicking off in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, hopefully continuing to rapidly grow interest in the sport on the North American continent. It will be the first tournament hosted across three nations, and will be the first time the competition expands to 48 teams.  

Meanwhile, the last major international tournaments preceding the World Cup are wrapping up this weekend with the Copa America and European Championships both holding their Final on Sunday, July 14. Usually, both events are full of drama and high-level soccer. This summer, there has definitely been drama, but the quality of the sport has been severely lacking more often than not. This is not not to say that the best players are not playing. They are. So, what’s lacking? 

Own goals, at least in Euro 2024, are not lacking. After setting a record high with 11 own goals at Euro 2020, so far in this tournament we have seen 10 own goals with two games remaining at the time of this print. The Euros began in 1960 and has been held every four years since, but even with the gaudy own goal numbers from the last two tournaments, the total amount sits just at 30. That’s right, over two-thirds of the competition’s own goals all-time have been scored in just the last two tournaments. 

This can be a couple different things, one being a funny little footnote to a historic competition. Another take is much more nuanced and, at least circumstantially, kind of checks out. After Uruguay knocked out Brazil in the Copa America Quarter Finals last week in a penalty shootout, 4-2, former Leeds United and current Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa had some poignant thoughts about where the sport of soccer is currently.

Bielsa, always known to be a man of the people, expressed bluntly that he thinks the lifeblood of the sport is dying due to a few different factors. Most notably, commercialization and technology. The introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) over the last several years has ruined the “unpredictability” of the sport, he argues, because they are killing the suspense of the game. Despite the increased interest, what makes the sport enjoyable is rapidly diminishing – unpredictability.

“I am sure that  is in a process of decline, that is to say, that more and more people are watching, but it is becoming less and less attractive because what made it the best game in the world is not there,” the Argentine tactician said after his team’s win over Brazil. He wasn’t finished, adding, “If you let a lot of people watch, but you don’t protect the pleasure of what they watch, that favors business because the business is that a lot of people watch.”

England’s Jude Bellingham (10) scores a 90th minute equalizer against Slovakia to send the game into extra time. His bicycle kick is a moment of …

Anyone that pauses to think about what he says without their businessman hat on will understand that Bielsa is spot-on. He also talked about how even though the crowds all around the world are extremely healthy, especially at Euro 2024, the quality of the game does not reflect that support. Bielsa believes there is too much unattractive soccer and he sees a game that is losing its identity. He sees the game as an expression of cultural identity, not just “five minutes of highlights.” 

The beautiful game is stunningly simple at its core. Each team starts with 10 field players and one goalkeeper on a field that is 110-120 yards long and 70-80 yards wide, and the objective is to legally put a ball in the back of the other team’s net more times than your opponent in the allotted time. 

Unfortunately, a sort of modernization of soccer into more so an event designed to make as much money as possible is ripping out the soul of asport from the people who actually make up the heartbeat of the game. The exorbitant ticket prices implemented by greedy federations, especially the USSF here in the United States, are rapidly pricing out the everyday fan. With youth soccer having already turned into a pay-to-play type system anyways, it’s becoming more difficult to say Bielsa is wrong. 

Another factor contributing to the dip in quality at these international tournaments is simply the number of games in a season now. Former Dortmund and Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has talked ad nauseam for ages about how the fixtures are much too condensed now, and in years with international tournaments in the summer, the players only get 2-3 weeks to recover afterwards before they have to get ready for a new domestic campaign. Put simply: the players out on the pitch are more tired than ever before, despite all the advances in modern medicine and technology. 

Despite this, the average fan seems to still be heavily invested, at least for now, and maybe one day the tables can turn back in their favor. Meanwhile, with both finals set to kick off on Sunday, we can sit back and appreciate the world class talents that are on the pitch. Lamine Yamal, Spain’s 16 year old phenom, bested Kylian Mbappe in Tuesday’s semi final, and at the time of printing, the Netherlands and England are facing off in the other semi final at Euro 2024 for the right to play Spain. In the Copa America, Bielsa’s Uruguay takes on a soaring Colombia side for the right to play the world champions, Argentina and Lionel Messi. 

Spain’s 16 year old wonderkid, Yamine Lamal (19), became the youngest player to ever score in the European Championships after his …

I know that I will be tuned in no matter what, but unfortunately that seems to be all that FIFA really cares about anymore. As long as there are eyeballs glued to the television and tickets sold, the quality of play on the pitch is secondary when in reality, it should be the opposite. 

The direction of the sport is not exactly on the best trajectory despite the continuous influx of youth talent on the world stage, and in some ways will never be the same as it once was. In some ways that is a positive, but in others – ticket prices and greedy federations – something has been lost, like Bielsa was afraid of. It seems like everyday it becomes less and less “the people’s game” like it began, and seems to hurtle towards being an elitist sport. In that way, Bielsa has never been more right about the heart and soul of the sport dying.