Crusade of the Children

The national team has not tasted defeat in this qualification campaign, but until the home match against Andorra, the feeling was that at each meeting, it lost... a little something.

It took 21,000 children for everyone to find at least a glimmer of a smile, including the coach, Edward Iordănescu, a man who usually exudes overwhelming seriousness. In fact, the coach sometimes makes you think that you'd rather lose with a cheerful companion than win with a sad one. Returning to the children, their presence in the stands managed to restore, as much as possible, the joy of playing for footballers burdened by personal failures, money, contracts, and tattoos. The fact that the stands cheered when our goalkeeper caught relatively simple balls was an incentive for the players, who, for the first time, left the impression that they feel indebted to those who support them and did something to repay them.

Of course, there's no need to idealize, neither on the pitch nor in the stands. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt if the Romanian Football Federation were to draw some lessons from this story and in future matches, a section of the stadium, a stand, or some sectors were exclusively reserved for children. In addition to the innocence and enthusiasm brought by them, perhaps this would help civilize the adults. Out of shame and respect, they might refrain from vulgarity and violent gestures and decide to support the team, which often does not deserve encouragement. But let's be serious, in life, do we only offer others what they deserve?

The national team has a good chance of qualifying for the final of EURO 2024, but the truly good news is this: there are still spectators who love it!