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Hola amigos, buenas vibras para todos.
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Hello friends, good vibes to all.
> Shame is one of the many feelings that has invaded the minds and hearts of Venezuelans since that fateful night last Tuesday. It's difficult to express what 11 guys on a field running after a ball can generate in an entire country, and it's not exactly a good thing. The most important match in the history of the Vinotinto, perhaps the most significant milestone in national sport, ended in a mediocre 3-6, becoming one of the worst matches the national team has ever played in the qualifiers. But let's take it one by one because there's blame to go around.
> I've always said: Venezuelan players aren't mentally prepared to play in a World Cup. There's no blood, no grit, no heart, no nothing. The fact that they weren't able to hold on to a lead twice and then concede four goals afterward is a mockery and unacceptable; it's indefensible. The refoundation of the Vinotinto team must be total and radical. There are players who can no longer wear the shirt. I'll name a few: Wilker Ángel, Ferraresi, Casseres, Navarro, Makoun, Yangel Herrera, Soteldo, Edward Bello; all of them, whether by their own decision or that of the next coaching staff, should not return to the national team.  [Fuente!](https://www.prensa.com/deportes/colombia-golea-a-venezuela-y-frustra-su-sueno-por-la-repesca-al-mundial-2026/)
> But it's not just the players themselves; the management has a huge influence on this failure. The federation, along with its president, has never ensured the proper functioning of national football. It's true that this group of players had everything they needed to qualify, but all of that was a mirage, absurd and cheap marketing based on the tragic phrase "Mano, I have faith," the same phrase that invited people to expect something "supernatural" since with work and effort it would be impossible to achieve anything. That phrase is another of the things that must disappear so we can begin to demand something from the real and tangible.
> Yesterday, "Bocha" Batista was fired. Probably the worst coach this national team has ever had, and the seams were already visible since the Copa América, but he, with his arrogance and untouchable position thanks to a stratospheric contract that put him, financially, above a Scaloni or a Luis De La Fuente, pretended that everything was going well and that it was part of the work plan. I think even what he showed on Tuesday was worse than anything we'd seen before. The substitutions should have come right at 2-2 or at the start of the second half, not 25 minutes later with the score at 2-4. Not including Savarino, the best player on the continent last year, until after the damage had been done is one of the most absurd and inconceivable things Batista could have done.  [Fuente!](https://mundour.com/2025/09/10/colombia-acabo-con-la-fe-mundialista-de-venezuela/)
> But let's be clear, Venezuela didn't lose the playoffs on Tuesday. They did so when they prepared terribly for the match in El Alto, Bolivia; when we failed to beat the worst Chile in years; when we drew against a Peru in crisis and lacking goalscoring; and of course, when we couldn't beat Uruguay with so many players missing due to sanctions here at home. Too many points dropped along the way marked the tragic fate of this team. They deserve nothing but the public's repudiation, and from this stems another problem: the lack of criticism. In this country, sports journalism died several years ago; all those who remain here traded their university degrees for lights, cameras, and phones to become complacent "influencers" for the national team, unaware, or even capable, of the damage they cause.
> The blow that signified this new failure was Monumental, the name of the stadium where the massacre took place. There was a very triumphant atmosphere leading up to the match; the odds, based on the possible results, favored La Vinotinto, and yet, we were eliminated. We have to wait four more years, or maybe eight or twelve; I don't know. For now, there's no coach, and next month we have a friendly against Argentina. The future couldn't be bleaker; we can't fall any further than we are; the normal thing would be to start climbing and regain confidence, but I don't even know if that will be possible, at least in the short or medium term. This future is uncertain, and that, my friends, is sad and hopeless.
*** Bueno amigos por hoy es todo, espero que les haya gustado. ¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima! ***
> Well, that's all for today, friends. I hope you enjoyed it. ¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time!