“No journalist could have obtained statements as revealing and intimate as Jefferson”: the secret behind Enfocados, where Farfán debuts as a YouTuber

Those who have seen episodes of Cuto’s Faith, The Puchungo headlines and, more recently, Focused, you will agree with me on one thing: no journalist, no matter how busy, talented or innovative, could have obtained such revealing, intimate and funny statements. The truth is that for decades, due to the bad habit of asking cliché questions that led to cliché answers, reporters and footballers have produced the most predictable interviews. Not only at field level (where the reporter could use the excuse of being in a hurry), but also in television studios or more comfortable locations. There are exceptions, of course, thanks to professional communicators who strive to obtain reflections from their interlocutor that do not fall into the banality of “we can only look ahead and continue working”, but they are just that, exceptions. The majority of interviews with soccer players in Peru are journalistic pieces worthy of being analyzed in the corresponding faculties as counterexamples of communicative effectiveness. But, as I said before, it is not just the fault of the journalist who turns on the recorder; The rhetorical resources of the average Peruvian soccer player are not enough to sustain a conversation that is precisely philosophical; Many of them see the journalist as a potential enemy and go to interviews with their guard up, taking care not to say anything that could later be used against them.

These new digital spaces are attractive for that reason: they let us see football men being themselves for the first time in front of a camera. They are comfortable, speaking without censorship, as they would speak on the corner of their block. The reason is obvious: they have before them, not a journalist with a credential, but a former teammate, a friend with whom they shared rallies, locker rooms, training, that is, a past, a life. There is no sports journalism school in the world that offers a master’s degree that matches that background.

In Focused, with the complicity of Guizasola, Jefferson Farfán has been achieving a very high level of sincerity on the part of his guests. Yotún dances, Alberto Rodríguez tells jokes, Waldir confesses, Paolo is made of flesh and blood. Everyone applauds, puts on badges, catches up, revels with their memories and gossip, even breaking down public controversies (like the unforgettable episode of Golf Los Inkas). At times the viewer doesn’t quite grasp the subtext of what they say or the inside jokes that are exchanged, but it doesn’t matter, he still smiles because he perceives the authenticity of the situation. It was precisely in one of his most recent programs that Farfán said that a year and two months ago he became a father for the fourth time, and spoke about his daughter Luana with an ease that, I suspect, he would not have shown to the most astute host. of a sports block.

It is because of these news that the news of his farewell match, while relevant, sounds secondary to us. Today the Seal that everyone wants to see is in another field, on YouTube, where he does not ask for passes, he only asks let them give you light.

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