Fernando Signorini, the historic physical trainer of Diego Maradona and the Argentine National Team during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, offered a strong reflection on the current state of football and its role in society. In an extensive one-on-one conversation with TyC Sports, the coach was critical of the current system and warned that the sport “is being used to stupefy and trivialize.”
Throughout the interview, Signorini reflected on his childhood in Lincoln, his education marked by reading and humanistic education, and the deep relationship he maintained with Maradona for over a decade. From this personal journey, he argued that football has lost its educational and cultural function, and that today winning “by any means” is prioritized, stripping the game of its values.
“The system needs obedient players who neither think nor question,” he pointed out, while questioning the role of power, leadership, and the lack of social commitment within professional football. In this regard, he emphasized that training is not just about preparing the body, but also about developing people with critical thinking.
As a summary of his perspective, he left a phrase that encapsulates his stance: “Without a doubt, there are too many fields and not enough libraries,” a definition that brings back to the table the debate about the place of football in the cultural and social construction of Argentina.
