“Oeoeaa, the vinotinto goes, oeoeaa, the vinotinto goes (…) what emotion, my heart beats”this phrase of a hopeful song of 2002, in a Venezuela that entered into crisis after years of the government of Hugo Chávezhe was recurring and excited an entire country to see his selection in the World. Today, 23 years later that seems to be one of the few illusions that he has managed to remain in force.
And it is that the Venezuelan football team again excites with the idea of going to the World Cup. This time it can be different. But it was time not to fail. To have cold blood and, although some do not like it, to take care of the results more than the style of play, in order to cease to be the only selection of South America that has not attended the maximum appointment.
There has been no better opportunity than the current one. The illusion of going to a World Cup remains intact, each qualifying day accelerates the heart, although many times not precisely for joy.
This World Cup, the first to be held in three countries (USA, Mexico and Canada), will have 48 selections. Conmebol was given six direct classification positions and repechage, Venezuela’s option.
Four days are missing, two of them in Venezuela. Probably in Maturín, the fort that has made dream again. In that fief, perhaps, a kind of “end” is lived on June 4, when Bolivia is received, which is only one point below in the classification table.
It is time to fail or disappoint, as happened when the ticket for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was sought. On that occasion Venezuela ended in the eighth position with 22 points, leaving 4 of the repechage.
The illusion has been in each tie. For Brazil 2014 the heart beat very strong, but when you thought about buying tickets, two infarctions were suffered that ended the world -class dream. Venezuela lost key matches against Uruguay and Chile in the final stretch and ended in sixth place with 20 points, 5 of the repechage.
In Conmebol’s story, the seventh place has been achieved with 18 points. Although the average is 21 units. So it’s time to fail. Bolivia must be won at home and try to rough points in Uruguay and Argentina so that in the last game at home, against Colombia, the people can shout and celebrate with their heroes that the Vinotinto goes.
