DOCTOR SOCRATES
Author- Andrew Downie
Publisher- SIMON & SCHUSTER
Rs 699
His is the engaging tale of boundless talent lost to self-conceit, and the history of football — which has seen Indian football mavericks, too — has many more intriguing life stories, writes KUMAR CHEllAPPAN
You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of the Gita”, Swami Vivekananda is reported to have told his audience in one of his speeches. This in all probability would have happened during the global lecture series held by Swami Vivekananda between 1897 to 1901. The great Indian monk asked the youngsters to play football because he knew it would make them strong, physically as well as psychologically.
“You should have vigour in the blood, strength in the nerves, iron muscles and nerves of steel,” the Swamiji had exhorted the youth. There was neither Federation de International Football Associations (FIFA) or the World Cup Championship when Swamiji made this comment. The FIFA was formed in 1904 and the first ever World Cup Football Championship was held in 1930.
Inspite of Swami Vivekananda himself endorsing the significance of football and the country boasting of the prestigious Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football championship (having started in 1888) India does not figure anywhere near the first 100 nations ranked by FIFA, the global governing body of the sport. The country is ranked 105 by FIFA which has 211 countries as its members. The United Nations could boast of only 193 countries as its members!
In an era when there was no satellite TV channels or glossy sports magazines (the period between 1950 to 1980) India had some of the best football players who were adored even in foreign countries. Inder Singh, the Punjab-born player was nicknamed Bullet Train by the Japanese who were awed by his speed, ball control and shooting prowess. We had players like Magan Singh (Rajasthan Police), Sukhwinder Singh (Punjab), Parminder Singh,(JCT Mills, Phagwara), Subhash Bhowmick, Gautam Sarkar, Prasun Banerjee, PK Banerjee, Shylen Manna (all Bengal) Shyam Thapa and Ranji Thappa who shot into prominence through Mafatlal Sports Club of Mumbai. They were as good, if not more, as any other players from other Asian countries. The country was the gold medal winner in the first Asian Games held in 1951 and repeated the feat in the 1962 games held in Indonesia. But after that, the growth of football in India became stagnant. The country of almost 130 crore which is being portrayed as an economic power in Asia does not have a single player who could stand up to players from other countries.
According to FIFA, 320 crore people watched the 2014 World Cup Championship held in Brazil. This includes the global television audience. More than 100 crore people watched the final match, thanks to satellite TV channels and online streaming. This means that the simple ball game played between 22 players have become 21st century’s most popular and widely watched sporting event.The importance of football as a profession could be understood from the transfer fee paid by Paris St Germain FC to sign 22 year old Neymar, Brazil-born star from Barcelona FC. Neymar switched over to Paris St-Germain from Barcelona FC for a breathtaking sum of $ 263 million! The deal made global headlines, and such is the power of football.
All these things came to my mind while reading Doctor Socrates, Footballer, Philosopher, legend authored by Andrew Downie. Socrates represented Brazil in the 1982 and 1984 editions of the FIFA world Cup held at Spain and Mexico respectively. He went down in footballing history as the King of Tragedy because of his failure to win the FIFA Cup despite the fact that Brazil had fielded the best team since 1970 on both the occasions. Downie is a veteran sports correspondent and covered Brazilian football for 17 years. The book is a window to the world of football in Brazil.The 384-page book is a comprehensive work on the life and times of Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira (b1954), the elder son of a civil service officer in Brazil. like any other Brazilian boy, he too took up football because of the popularity enjoyed by the sport in the country. Remember, it is the land of Pele, Garrincha, Didi, Tostavo, Carlos Alberto and players of such standard who gifted Brazil the title of the ‘world cup champions’ thrice. All these players had their baptism by fire because they were all born and brought up in the slums of Brazilian cities.
Not Socrates. He had everything a youngster could aspire for because of his standing in the Brazilian society. Downie says that football in Brazil was a game patronised mostly by slum dwellers and school drop-outs. Socrates, who was 6ft 3.5 inches tall was a born footballer. He had all the physical and mental qualities required by a footballer. He was blessed with physical power as well as foresight. Having seen him play in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup matches, one can never forget the kind of football dished out by Socrates. As a mid-field player, he was a field marshal. Scheming many attacks from deep defence and making other players score goals with his unbelievable ball control, passes and dribbling, Socrates truly entertained the connoisseurs of the game. When he was in full flow, cutting across the opponent defenders, moving with grace and poise, Socrates could create a spectacle. That was the reason behind his popularity. But the international career of Socrates was shortlived. He was selected into the Brazilian nation side for the first time only in 1982 at the age of 28. By the time it was time for the 1986 World Cup, it was doubtful whether Socrates would make it to the final team. His indulgent lifestyle and his notion that he was above everybody in life is believed to have caused that.
The football style of Socrates is worth emulating because he was a thinking player. He brought a rare artistry to the game. But he was never disciplined and did not bother to give attention to his coaches. The only coach who could control him to a certain extent was Tele Santana, who trained the Brazilian teams for the 1982 and 1986 editions of the World Cup. On both the occasions, the Brazilian players entertained the global audience with exhilarating football. They showed the world that it was more important to play entertaining football than winning the trophy.
After the 1982 and 1986 world cup championship, critics were unanimous in their observation that though Italy and Argentina emerged as champions of the FIFA world cup, Brazil were the real winners. Sadly enough, the Brazilian teams of later years were nowhere near the class of 1982 and 1986 team coached and moulded by Santana. Much has been written about Socrates’ role in the Brazilian people’s struggle for democracy and in their fight against dictatorship. He led a movement called Corinthians Democracy, as a member of the Corinthians Football Club. But it was the same Socrates who had supported the dictators of Brazil by saying that the dictatorship had done good to the country and that press censorship is necessary (Page 45)!
The author has tried to give a vivid picture of the kind of treatment meted out to players by the management of Brazilian clubs. Most of the players were underpaid and exploited by the local clubs. Socrates made an impact among the players by fighting for their rights and salary hikes. Since majority of the footballers were illiterate and school dropouts, they were ignorant of their rights even in the 1980s.
Socrates is often portrayed as superhuman. But one can argue that he was a good football player but a poor sportsman — he skipped practice and bunked physical training sessions
The book also gives an account of Zicco, a team mate of Socrates and who was described by the media as White Pele. Zicco is presently in India coaching a Goan team playing in the Indian Soccer league, which football fans hope would elevate India to the big league. By watching the European league matches, we will understand that the country is light years away from the continental standards.
We in India too should have the life stories of players like Inder, Magan and the Thapas. These players too would have lot to tell the world, about their trials and tribulations. Indian football might have gone to the dogs but the office bearers of the All India Football Federation have made hay even when the sun was not shining. These are stories worth reading and listening to.
The reviewer is a Chennai-based special correspondent of The Pioneer
