REPORT Evasion, the most effective dribble on social networks

Before the irruption of social networks, fans said goodbye to their players with whistles or applause, according to what they thought was their performance. Then, they left the stadium and there was no buzz until the next game. That has changed. Now, the popular jury moves to mobile phones, tablets and any device that can access a social network.

This new scenario is perfectly defined by Nacho Silván, co-founder of Imagosport, a comprehensive management and professional sports advisory and communication company: “Visibility now is not like 30 years ago, when you were whistled at the stadium, a press conference every three months or maybe one day they occasionally whistled at you on the street. Now we are all more exposed, especially footballers”.

Let’s get in situation. Can you imagine that when you leave work, hundreds of people will wait for you at your doorstep to rebuke you for a mistake you have made during your working hours? That they even wish him death, his dismissal or similar things? Surely any of these situations would seem exaggerated by a simple mistake. However, in times of social media, many footballers find themselves subjected to this added pressure when the games are over and this sometimes leads to a ‘strategic flight’ from public exposure.

It is common for footballers to announce their ‘withdrawal’ on the networks after episodes of exacerbated criticism, in many cases reaching the point of insult, after a performance that does not meet the expectations of their team’s fans or if they have exceeded them in the opinion of their rival. In most cases it is not permanent, it is usually temporary, but they always attract attention due to the high number of followers they have.

Taty Castellanos, a Girona player, has been the latest example of the harshness of social networks. He is the last footballer who announced his retirement, after the game against Barcelona. Days later he returned and all the criticism turned into praise after the four goals that the Argentine scored against Real Madrid. Such is this digital world. His experience was perfectly explained by the player himself in an interview: “I’m very self-critical and sometimes I stick with the bad. I closed it because it came out, nor because I read negative comments… I disconnected so as not to always be watching that play (the one-on-one with Ter Stegen at the Camp Nou against Barça), so that it doesn’t hurt me so much. It was also a way to disconnect and be with my family and friends, which is very necessary. We live in a reality of social networks in which a bad comment affects you and you must be well connected, with a good circle. Life gives you revenge and soccer, the same. I keep the bond that surrounds me so good, it helps me a lot to keep my feet on the ground. The values ​​that were instilled in me should never be lost. In the world of football, having a good circle is essential for things to go well for you”.

Said reaction to a situation like this is sometimes understood as ‘shocked’ and a decision taken lightly. However, there is an explanation. psychological: avoidance as an adaptive response to this type of situation. This is how he argues Valle de la Orden, psychologist: “Avoidance is the most appropriate method to deal with this situation, you cannot enter into a direct confrontation with everyone. Therefore, a solution is to turn off everything and since everything is going at full speed, disappear for a few days. The next game you score a goal, you connect again and now, surely, the messages are positive. Change everything. I would bet on adaptive avoidance, on the means and the form of defense that you can do… There is no other option in a situation like this”.

Furthermore, the psychologist argues: “These patterns can be applied to any situation. It is the speed at which everything is consumed… Information especially. It is a defense mechanism recommended by professionals and it is not an outburst of the player himself, who is exposed every day to this type of situation. Anyone can get angry, because the normal reaction is to fight back, but it is not a one-on-one conflict. It’s you alone and you’re the scapegoat. Entering the rag is worse. It is a firewall, in three days you are no longer news. In fact, one recommendation is to get away from the aggressor.”

There are users, many of them protected by anonymity, who vent their discomfort with the work of athletes on social networks and dedicate a series of nice things to them that sometimes border on crime, when they are not in themselves. Before the Girona striker, another case that drew attention was that of Nico Williams, from Athletic. The player himself, through a statement agreed with his communication agency, explained the decision he made on Wednesday, April 5, after the cup elimination against Osasuna, in the semifinals: “Not everything goes. Given the commotion caused by the closure of Nico Williams’ social profiles, we want to communicate in a consensual manner with him that after the hard blow caused by the elimination of the Cup and the subsequent pressure from some users in the form of insults and disrespect on these social networks, Nico decided to deactivate his official profiles”. Three days later, on April 8, he returned to activity. “Thank you very much to all the athleticzales for the support and to all the others”, read the message back from him.

Between one and the other, the young Athletic player had a hard time, as he explained on DAZN Twitch: “I was a bit bad. I don’t want the same thing to happen to anyone and I hope these things don’t continue to happen. We are human beings and we can fail. He also highlighted the support of the fans, far from social networks: “The fans have chanted me these days and I have felt their support a lot.”

Other cases. These have been the last, but they will not be the only ones. Without going any further, Brais Mendes, a Real Sociedad player, left social networks during his time at Celta. The sky blue youth squad made this decision after receiving whistles in Balaídos, accompanied by criticism in the digital world.

Now, the footballers must be good on the pitch, but they must also know how to function in the post-match in nets. That is going to be a new situation that they will have to face. In this way, Nacho Silván is clear about the previous path that must be considered before taking the step into the digital world. “When someone enters a social network and wants to be active, like everything in life, they first have to know what they want to do there and how they are going to do it. I understand that it is not easy. We are testing, but the footballers, whether they like it or not, are public figures and everything they do is important when they are part of the football spectacle. You have to know how to manage it calmly”, explains the co-founder of Imagosport.

Today, the phrase of the legendary Real Madrid player Juanito makes sense, who said: “90 minutes at the Bernabéu are very long”. Although the Bernabéu could be changed for social networks…

Mendilibar, Sevilla coach, reflected clearly on the Nico Williams case and his temporary departure from social networks. The Sevilla coach, who was oblivious to that world, did not mince words when it came to showing his opinion. “I do not have, nor will I have, social networks in my life. All inventions are for good, but they are used for evil. The players are realizing that not only do they get better if they score a goal or the National Team calls them, but the hosts also come from another side, ”he explained.

The veteran coach from Biscay also made a positive reading of all these unpleasant situations, understanding them as a fundamental part of the learning of the youngest soccer players. “I like that sometimes things like this happen so that they turn off everything they have and return to normal. Today everything is digital and we rarely see each other face to face, this is being lost”.

Another coach who also spoke about social networks was Sporting’s Miguel Ángel Ramírez, although this time it was due to the wave of criticism his team was receiving at a certain point in the season. “There are some comments… They are media that are doing a lot of harm to humanity in general, not only to the world of football, because there are no filters, because there are no codes, because I say what I want without any consequence… I in environments that are like that, I’m sorry, but I stay completely on the sidelines, “he confessed.

The coaches experience this type of criticism from a double perspective, the one that directly affects them and their decisions on the green and another indirect one, which is the one that impacts their footballers individually.. Either way, coaches are faced with a new factor when it comes to managing a locker room.

Sergio Ramos chose to ask Twitter for help due to the death threats that he and his family had received. The PSG defender wrote the following direct message to the new owner of the blue bird network: “Elon Musk, removing the blue badges, forcing payments and making money is a strategy. Eliminating hate, promoting respect and making Twitter a better place could be another…just saying.” Undoubtedly, the camero’s response is another way of dealing with the digital harassment suffered by some athletes, especially soccer players, on social networks.

This case has been individual, but some clubs have already taken measures to prevent hate spilled on networks. Valencia for a year and a half avoided comments from fansSeveral Premier League clubs have even stopped activity on social networks during the weekends to ask the platforms to better regulate who is there, how they are doing and how they comment. Also focusing on the issue of anonymity.

Social networks are also a place where controversies occur between protagonists of the world of football. The last ones were the exchange of messages on Twitter between Vinicius and Javier Tebas, after the racist insults to the Brazilian in Mestalla; and the scuffle between Iñigo Martínez and Athletic, after the announcement of the departure of the central defender.

The most enigmatic case of absence in social networks was carried out by Karim Benzema. The former Real Madrid striker did not make any kind of announcement, but remained inactive for 17 hours andl last September 3. This situation caused a huge stir among the fans of the white striker, who questioned the reason for Karim’s ‘blackout’ for practically a day.

It must be borne in mind that the Ballon d’Or is one of the athletes with the most pull on social networks. In January 2023, 125 million followers were counted between Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Frenchman, after that period of time, reappeared with an enigmatic message. “On the right path,” said the text, which was accompanied by a photo with his son. And until today. He has never explained the reason for that situation, he simply resumed his digital activity with absolute normality and all those who follow him breathed easy. There have been no more shocks with Benzema, although the reason for those 17 hours of retirement was not explained either…