“League 1 had all the symptoms to die, in the FPF they were in charge of doing everything wrong, but the fans and the players resurrected it”

Because to describe how disastrous League 1 has been this year we would need a special edition and not a column. Since Victor Villavicencio left the management of League 1, the organization of the tournament is adrift, without a work team and with a solitary Jesus Gonzales, whose tone of voice is not known and has shown that he does not have the leadership that a position like his requires, nor the experience to be the head of the tournament. He only executes what he is ordered from above which pawn.

From the walk overs due to the TV rights conflict, which made League 1 famous throughout the world, fields like the “Campeones del 36” in Sullana, a club that received a million dollars from 1190 Sports and the Project FIFA Forward in the last three years for infrastructure, but sometimes their locker rooms don’t even have water. The worst thing of all is that no one supervises it. The world upside down.

Not to mention the match schedules. Matches Monday at 3 in the afternoon or Tuesday at lunch time especially to enjoy at work and at university. Referees who have only received basic VAR training. Double contracts that are an open secret in many clubs. Not to mention the obligation to pay additionally to watch matches in League 1 Max, which has caused piracy to explode uncontrollably.

Despite everything, it seems that the Peruvian fan responds best in adversity. Because the expectation that exists for the final stretch of the championship has exceeded any precedent. Because it’s not just the excitement about the title. Throughout the season the fans, especially Lima Alliance and academichave filled the stadiums in matches against teams that, about five years ago, would have been played with more than 50% of the stadium empty.

After the pandemic, football has become a space for socialization where entire families, men and women alike, with their shirts on, enjoy football like they have rarely seen before. There is no doubt that today it is the main entertainment product of Peruvians. Being at the stadium is an opportunity to go eat something delicious, enjoy a show at halftime, take a photo for Instagram, make a TikTok and even enjoy the preview with friends and it’s a taste of revelry.

What is going to happen today due to the definition of the Clausura title and the relegation, looks like a photographic final but shows a blurred portrait of what the competition has been in general terms. If the “U” wins today we will have two superclassics in the grand final for the national title. You couldn’t ask for more emotion. They have given us one of the most exciting finals in recent years. That doesn’t mean I’m not still sick. The diagnosis remains critical and reserved. The relapse can be even more serious.