“In South Korea there has been no need for alarm because people are obedient”

“In South Korea it has not taken a state of alarm because people are much more obedient. You tell them not to go out and they don't go out. Latinos are more reluctant to follow orders.” This explains Luisma Hernández, an analyst at Daegu FC and coach of the reserve team, that in the Asian country it has not been necessary to take restrictive measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. “Many activities have stopped, such as schools or soccer, but in restaurants or cafes they have continued to work. People are very civic. Not only do you avoid getting it; also infect others, “adds the Tenerife, confined to the club facilities but optimistic about the imminent return to normality.

Daegu, home to the club the Spaniard has worked for the past two years, was South Korea's first and most powerful focus. Cases continue to be detected there, but “people, albeit with precautions, are beginning to take to the streets.” “It shows that there is less transfer of ambulances and police,” says Luisma, who believes that “in Spain the measures have been taken late“:” I understand that they do nothing when only cases had been detected in China, but with Italy so close … They should have recommended caution, because overnight you cannot lock people up at home. You go from white to black without going over gray tones. “

When South Korea began testing massively, scientists predicted a significant increase in coronavirus positives. But nothing could be further from reality: the country managed to crush the curve and has become an example of how to stop the spread of the virus. “In the parking lot of our old stadium there is a qualified place where you can take the test without leaving your car. That relieves hospitals. There is also a mobile application with which you can evaluate yourself. They analyze your data and if you are a possible positive they give you an appointment to go by car to do the test, “says Luisma from the clubhouse of Daegu FC, where since the beginning of the health crisis soccer players and technical personnel have lived together.

“I was reluctant to continue training, but it is a way of keeping the group. We understand that we are a healthy population, an athlete … We have lowered the frequency and intensity of training, but we have managed to create a routine of collective and individual maintenance“Luisma details, who only leaves the sports city” for specific things. “Individual contacts, yes, have been totally prohibited:” We eat here, we go to the gym and training camp, but we greet each other with the elbow and contact only occurs in training struggles. We have had to isolate some players because they have a fever, but so far we have managed to live without the virus. “

The fourth round of the K-League, the highest category of South Korean football, should have been played this weekend. The championship did not start because of the coronavirus, but South Korean clubs are already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. “We believe that on April 11 the league could resumeHopefully that will help to start consuming Korean football in other countries, “reveals Luisma, who also follows from Korea the news that is emerging around the return of football in Spain:”Thebes should be told to ask any physiologist. Playing every 48 hours players would be constantly breaking or would benefit teams with broader squads. Prudential time must be given for preparation. Even more so at this time of the season, when there are many teams risking their lives. “

Despite the 12,000 kilometers that separate his native Tenerife from Daegu, Luisma Hernández closely follows the news of the coronavirus in Spain. The canary recommends common sense, “which unfortunately is the least common of the senses”. “If you have to do something that involves a risk, put on gloves, a mask … Today a friend told me that he was going to walk through the fields, that nothing was happening because he had no one around. No! Many people have the possibility going to a quiet place and sunbathing, but if you can't, you can't. Only in this way have we been able to control it in Korea “, warns one of the few Spaniards in the K-League. “This is very serious“sentence.

Coronavirus: society vs soccer

One of the most interesting approaches to the coronavirus is how decision-making, a very common shortcoming in Asian soccer players, is socially serving the continent to crush the contagion curve. “It is a very interesting reflection. Spanish coaches went outside to teach the Asian footballer to make decisions on his own. He is used to being told what he has to do. On a social level it suits them very well, however we in football We try to give you resources and tools so that when you make a decision it is best for the group and for yourself. In football we would like them to be more autonomous, more disobedient, for social life it is usually good for them to be more autonomous as long as the guidelines are healthy for the group“, analyzes Luisma Hernández.