BandungBergerak.id – Football and literature are two concepts that are very different in practice and understanding. If you look further into the definition in detail, football is a collective sport that relies on teamwork by controlling the match with the aim of creating goals against the opponent's goal, while literature is the art of writing by expressing feelings, thoughts, emotions, and human experiences in a way control all these aspects and then arranges them beautifully and creatively.

Consciously or not, when we talk about these two concepts that look very different, there are actually several similarities that can be found and are then interesting to discuss. The form of football in literature, the role of critics in football and literature, and the complexity that fills the gap between the two are aspects that will be explored further in this article.

The Form of Football in Literature

The football theme is one of the most popular in literature. The development and connection between the two will never get old. In line with that, these two concepts can merge into one, complement each other, and can also become a forum for mutually advancing knowledge combined with one another.

If in the concept of football, we recognize the form and important elements such as the field, ball, players, goal, and so on, then in literature the form of the important elements we can mention poetry, novels and also films. The integration of football into literary concepts can be done in this case.

For example, let's take an example from a poem. Poetry is used as a means of expression through beautiful and charming writing, then performed to the public by reading it with passion, appreciation, and emotion. Poetry is also used in literature as a medium to express something with a football theme. Like one of the legendary Indonesian poets, Joko Pinurbo, who expressed football through his poem entitled "BOLA".

Permainan sudah selesai. Perburuan tak akan usai.
Kostum, bendera, spanduk bertebaran di pinggir arena.
Ribuan penonton telah pulang meninggalkan stadion,
tempat yang kalah dan yang menang bertukar celana.
Maafkan kami yang tak juga paham rahasia bola.

Di tengah lapangan Maradona masih menari di atas bola:
bulatan nasib yang selembut doa; buntalan daging
yang membalut kandungan bunda; tempat janin kudus
mengarungi hari-hari agung penciptaan; puisi pengembara
yang ditenun dari benang-benang aksara.
Aku ingin masuk ke dalam bola, ingin meringkuk di sana. 

This poem contains deep meaning in poetic but light language. The representation of the poem above is how Joko Pinurbo as the writer of the poem tries to reflect what he feels about football. Its relevance can also be connected to expressing happiness and immortalizing historical moments. The poet will struggle with the words in his head and overcome them before a beautiful work of poetry emerges. That is the main goal of a poetry writer or what is usually called a poet. He tried to unite two different elements processed hundreds of words in his mind and then presented them fragrantly to his readers.

It's the same with football players. He will train hard to reach his body's limits, then maintain his stamina to withstand pressure situations in matches, and finally present a beautiful game to help the team he plays to win. Two things that we have never criticized in depth but apparently have the same connection.

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The Role of Critics in Football and Literature

Talking about football and literature will definitely not be separated from a critic. The function of a critic is to provide an in-depth analysis of a branch of science that they are reviewing. Critics also play a role in assessing quality in the context they are working in. They can also provide professional opinions for improvements and corrections so that things that are criticized will be better in the future. Another thing a critic must do is provide a neutral perspective to the general public, including fans or readers. In this case, critics are required to be more astute in making observations. For example, providing a new perspective that may never be shared by the audience or conveying perspectives from various points of view that most people in general have never thought of.

In the world of football, critics play a crucial role in statistical mapping, player evaluation, and tactical analysis. These 3 things are some basic things that must be understood when becoming a football critic. If you were more professional, of course, these 3 aspects would still be lacking. However, at least if you want to start a career as a football critic, these 3 basic understandings are the starting point to start.

An example of a famous football critic is Jonathan Wilson. This English-born man is one of the famous football critics and also the author of a book entitled "Inverting the Pyramid": The History of Football Tactics. His in-depth exploration of the history of tactics in football from the beginning to the modern is clear evidence that he is a reliable critic in his field and makes a real contribution to the field he studies.

Just like football, literature also has famous critics who support its important role in the progress of the world of literature. Its function is more or less the same as football criticism, namely providing an evaluation of the quality of the work by providing an in-depth assessment in terms of writing style, narrative, use of theory, exploration of themes, and so on. Genre analysis is also included in literary protection in carrying out its work. Literary critics help discuss various literary genres and analyze them using the availability of theories related to those genres. Promotion and appreciation of literary works also contribute to the role of a literary critic.

For example, there is a new writer who is still not well-known and needs promotion to raise his name and the work he has created, of course he needs a critic who already "has a name" to promote his work and then carry out a book review to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Once this is done, the hope is that the new writer can raise his name to the public.

Complexity

A phrase called complexity refers to the characteristics of a system, object, or phenomenon that is composed of many components, aspects, and elements that are interrelated and complicated. Likewise when talking about football and literature. These two understandings have a complex structurality and often arise into unpredictable complexity.

Both of these fields have their own unique complexities in their own ways. The complex relationship between the two presents an interesting relationship to review. Especially in looking at football from a literary perspective.

From the strategic and tactical aspects, for example. Football and literature both involve deep strategies and tactics in practice. Involving these two components is one of the keys to success in "winning". Football wins matches while literary works win awards or even Nobel prizes. Apart from that, in football itself, the context of the strategies and tactics used can also refer to beautiful games that end with scoring a goal. Meanwhile, in literature, writers apply strategies and tactics that can be represented in narrative writing techniques and make readers curious about the author's storyline.

Or if we look at it in terms of reflection of human behavior. Football and literature often depict a mixture of human emotions and behavior. In football, when a match occurs, of course, the emotional level of the players will increase. Some are relaxed, some are stressed because of excessive pressure, and some are normal because they are used to it. Meanwhile, in a literary context, it usually refers more to characters who are depicted as having various emotional characteristics. This is also based on social observations by the writers which are then incorporated into aspects of their work.

Critical and in-depth analysis can also enter into the complexity of understanding football and literature. Analysis always plays an important role in understanding the game. This is because football is a sport that can never be predicted. Anything can happen in this sport. A complicated strategy followed behind it. Therefore, in-depth critical analysis is one component of the complexity contained in it. Likewise, with literary works, analysis is needed to dissect the content of the work, its strengths and weaknesses, and understand the message conveyed by the author in his work. Critical analysis is also used to help readers find hidden meanings that literary authors may not explicitly write about in their works.