Venezuela’s economy, once so prosperous and stable, is now in ruins. There has been
no collapse more dramatic, more significant, in the last 50 years, and it has brought with
it political chaos, crippling inflation, crime and poverty.
“It’s really hard to think of a human tragedy of this scale outside civil war,”
Kenneth Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard University, told the New York Times
in May.
“This will be a touchstone of disastrous policies for decades to
come.”
Venezuela, buoyed by large oil reserves and a functioning democratic government, was once
the richest country in Latin America. Now, though, things are very different. The hyperinflation
rate, in early August, reached an astonishing 10 million percent, and the country now owes
$100 billion to foreign creditors.
The crisis, according to most economists, was set in motion by the reckless policies
of Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Opponents of Maduro, who assumed
office in 2013 following the death of Chávez, accuse him of squandering billions of dollars
in oil revenue and allowing inflation to rise and rise inexorably.
Those who back Maduro blame strict sanctions imposed by Donald Trump’s government, and
economic boycotts by the country’s biggest businesses. The collapse of the economy has
led to increased political violence and an alarming rise in homicides. And millions have
fled the country to neighbouring Colombia.
No industry nor aspect of daily life has gone unscathed. And that includes football, which
as been brought to its knees at lower levels and even impacted at the very top, in the
Primera División. Regular blackouts have interrupted several high-profile games, and
there is often a lack of electricity and basic equipment. Players have often gone unpaid,
too, which has meant an exodus of some of the country’s best footballers to Europe
and elsewhere.
“It has affected football massively,” Carlos Tarache, a sports journalist based
in Venezuela, told Tifo. “The simple fact that the development
of our rising talents has been impeded has had an impact on football’s growth in the
country. But dreams are not held back by adversities, and today Venezuela is enjoying its most prodigious
generation of players in years, coincidentally in one of the worst moments in its history.”
Remarkably, Venezuela’s youth teams are thriving. A talented generation of young footballers
are coming through, battling against hardship just to make a living. And supporters are
responding, turning out in their thousands, even with money made worthless, with food
and drink increasingly hard to come by and crime rampant. The outlook, for football in
Venezuela, despite the turmoil, is surprisingly positive.
The problems, though, are unavoidable. In March, a top flight game between Caracas FC
and Zulia was a disrupted by a nationwide power blackout. The game was scheduled to
be played at night, so both clubs attempted to rearrange the fixture for daylight hours.
But the Venezuelan Football Federation refused to move the kick off time, and Caracas and
Zulia played out a 0-0 draw in protest.
For that, both clubs were docked a point and fined 360,000 bolivars, at the time the equivalent
of around £40 due to the hyperinflation. “I publicly express my outrage at the disrespectful
manner in which the FVF has addressed us footballers,” Caracas captain Rubert Quijad said in response
to the punishment.
“Venezuela had suffered a national blackout. The lack of electric affected Zulia state.
Our preparation was hindered and the conditions to play the game were not there. The lack
of electric, water, ice, and the risk of injury and difficulty in being treated (`if injured)
raised the risks. I demand respect and for Venezuelan footballers to be granted dignity.
Do not forget that before being footballers, we are human beings.”
Other clubs have been hit even harder, most notably Primera División side Deportivo Anzoátegui,
who in July were forced to fold their first team because of insurmountable debt.. Those
players unable to negotiate a move have been left without a club and without a salary,
at a time when money is scarce.
“Let's say that a Venezuelan footballer who's been playing for three or four years
and is quite well-known can earn between US$300 and US$400 a month, while others earn $80
to $100,” said former Carabobo coach Wilson Gutiérrez in a recent interview with El Espectador.
“It is really not enough. There are even some who get paid in bolivares and there are
also delays in payment.”
The situation is hardly ideal for young players attempting to make their way in the game.
But that does not appear to have held back Venezuela’s Under-20s, who continue to impress
on the international stage. Coached by Rafael Dudamel, the team made it to the final of
the 2017 Under-20s World Cup, losing to England, and this year performed well at the South
American Championship, beating the likes of Chile, Brazil and Colombia.
Football, over the last few years, has proved a unifying force in Venezuela. Amid the political
chaos, the debilitating inflation and poverty, it has brought people together, if only for
90 minutes, and allowed them, briefly, to forget. Distractions from the bleak reality
are welcome. And, perhaps most importantly, football has brought optimism.
“It’s on an upward ascendancy and one that I believe is unlikely to stop,” Jordan
Florit, the author of an upcoming book on Venezuelan football – Red Wine & Arepas:
How Football is Becoming Venezuela’s Religion – told Tifo. “England is a football nation
– it plays cricket and rugby, too, obviously – but it’s the people’s sport; New Zealand
is a rugby nation, India is a cricketing nation, and so on so forth. I think the general perception
is still currently that Venezuela is a baseball nation, but a national football team offers
representation on an international stage like no other sport and in recent years, as La
Vinotinto has become a source of pride for Venezuelans, it is slowly
but surely usurping baseball.”
There is much still to do to improve the infrastructure of football in Venezuela, but that has been
made increasingly difficult by the economic situation. And there are few signs of an imminent
solution.
“The Federation and the League certainly have to take some actions to secure the continuing
development of Venezuelan football,” Carlos Bustamante, a Venezuelan journalist based
in London, told Tifo. “There are a lot of clubs who have 50% of their shares owned by
government institutions, making them dependent on public funds that are increasingly in a
deficit nowadays.
“Despite all the problems, there still are clubs committed and doing the right thing.
Caracas FC and more recently Zulia FC have done it, and both are representing the country
in the Copa Sudamericana. The future of the country is still unknown but with the necessary
reforms, and following those examples, the future of Venezuelan football can be better.
But the changes must be focused entirely on the structure of the organisations that rule
football in Venezuela.”
There is much to ponder domestically, and there will likely be more clubs, more individuals
adversely affected by the economic collapse in the months to come. Internationally, though,
the future looks refreshingly bright. The target, for Venezuela is to reach the 2022
World Cup in Qatar, by which time the country may be on the road to recovery.
“The 2020s should be the best decade in La Vinotinto’s history,” says Florit.
“Their supporters should be very excited.”