Since we can remember, football has always been there. For decades, day after day, football matches were played all over the world. It was unstoppable.
Every year, when Christians around the globe celebrated Christmas eve, the rest of the world still played football. In the Middle East, matches were rescheduled to midnight during the month of Ramadan. Wars, financial crisis - nothing could stop football. Until now.
Today, maybe for the first time since the end of World War II, no official football matches were held.
While everyone was supposed to get ready for the March international break, teams and players all over the world stopped all activity to the coronavirus crisis.
Is it how the end feels?
Let’s keep our heads up, even though we can feel our hearts break with every new announcement about canceling or postponing matches. In a few days, the UEFA Champions League final was postponed to an unknown date, and the Olympic Games were moved to 2021. Even if those events will eventually be cancelled, football has not said the last word.
After the end of the Second World War, it took a few months until leagues were resumed. The war ended in September 1945, and in the next months, football activity gradually resumed around the globe. On July 26, 1948, the Olympic football tournament began. Eighteen teams gathered for an event that only a few years back seemed unimaginable.
Yes, it may take time. We all have enough patience to wait for the moment that this crisis will be behind us. Meanwhile, we can sit and relax, to think about the best football moments we had or name the biggest players we've seen. Time heals all wounds, and we can help it by keeping the conversation going and speak about football. The longer we wait, the greater the anticipation that will make the return of football sweeter than ever.
When it will all be over, we will march back to the stadiums, to feel the new atmosphere that made by our anticipation for the matches. We will all thank for the honour of being part of the global love for football. A love that nothing could stop, not even a viral pandemic.
Or we could also just wait for the weekend and watch the matches from Belarus. Pick your poison.