Matthew
O'Donnell
Sunday
3 February 2002
The
Observer
Mario
Kempes, Argentina 1978
If
you saw the manager of tiny Serie D team Casarano out on the training pitch
last month you probably wouldn't have looked twice. But for a short time in
1978, his wide grin and unruly long hair were instantly recognisable
everywhere. That year, in a blizzard of paper thrown from the stands, Mario
Kempes stepped on to the pitch for the World Cup final. He scored twice and
Argentina beat Holland 3-1. Kempes was an instant hero.
Nowadays
though, he rarely goes home. 'I'd love to work in Argentina but there aren't
any possibilities to manage there. The managers always remain the same. They
just swap clubs once in a while.'
When
he does go back, he sees some of his team-mates from '78. 'We meet up three,
four or five of us. People like [Daniel] Killer, Fillol, Tarantini, Houseman,
we have a drink or two - the spirit is still great. We were young and it was
something beautiful that we went through together.'
The
triumph, though, was tainted by the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina
and tried to claim the victory as its own. 'Of course it was a difficult
situation,' Kempes says, but as the only player in the team based outside
Argentina (he was then at Valencia), the political context was something he
felt far removed from. 'I arrived on 8 May and left again on 15 July. I was
practically never in Argentina during the time of the military regime. Within
the camp we were playing for ourselves, and then for the people and then for
Argentine football as a whole - that was our perspective.'
After
the final, as the country partied ecstatically, Kempes quietly slipped away.
'The team went to the ceremony, we had a couple of glasses of wine,' Kempes
says, 'and then at about half-three we went back to our training camp to pack
our clothes. I took my suitcases and headed back to my parents' house in
Rosario about 300 kilometres from Buenos Aires. Two of my team-mates were from
there as well, so the three of us drove back together. I arrived and got my
bags and my medal out of the car. It was before seven in the morning, there was
no one there. I felt very calm. When I went home, my parents were still asleep.
I had a coffee and went to bed.'
Many
would have stayed long enough to bask in the glory or returned to dine out on
their moment in history; Kempes didn't. He's always travelled, always been
prepared to go wherever he finds work, first as a player and now as a manager.
'I'm almost like a gypsy,' he says.
After
a two-year apprenticeship as Hector Nunez's assistant at Valencia, Kempes took
his first manager's job in Indonesia, with Pelita Jaya, a team from Jakarta.
Roger Milla (also featured on this page) was there at the same time and would
train with Kempes's team.
Next
Kempes spent a turbulent month in Albania, in charge of Lushjne some 45 miles
from Tirana. In that short time the economy collapsed and civil unrest gripped
the country. Lushjne club president Rrapush Xhaferri was one of the men behind
the pyramid scheme scams that had brought the economy to its knees. Despite the
gravity of the situation, at first Kempes wanted to stay. 'It was difficult,'
he says. 'We were in good shape and in the semi-finals of the Albanian Cup. It
wasn't me being brave - I could see the country had problems but I thought
everything would sort itself out.'
Eventually
some of the local fans warned Kempes how quickly the situation was
deteriorating. 'They told me I had to leave because if I didn't, they weren't
going to be able to get me out of the country. I managed to get out the day
before it really exploded. I flew with my brother to Rome. It was the last
plane to leave Albania before flights were stopped. We were very lucky.'
After
Albania it was Venezuela, coaching a small team called Mineros de Guayana, but
that didn't last long there either. 'It wasn't any good,' he says. 'The team
didn't do well - but you know, it was just another experience that you learn
from.' Next it was Bolivia, where he coached three teams in three years, and
took La Paz outfit The Strongest FC to the runner's-up spot.
Two
years ago he went to Italy and, after an aborted attempt to set up a team made
up solely of Argentine and Uruguayan players, he landed the job at Casarano.
'Everything is great,' Kempes says. 'I love working, wherever it is. I love
travelling and if my wife and my daughter are with me - I am happy. I am lucky
because I can feel at home anywhere, I don't get homesick.'
Which
is just as well, as last week Kempes left Italy and is now in the south of
Spain managing yet another tiny lower league team, San Fernando.
As
for this year's World Cup, Kempes says 'The beautiful thing is that it always
throws up a surprise. For example, no one knows anything about China - I don't
know whether they'll do well, but most people have never seen them play
before.' Who are favourites?
'There
are about eight favourites.'
But
are Argentina the biggest favourites?
'Of
course.'
Source: theguardian.com
