I stumbled upon this MARCA editorial El Sevilla y Gabriel García Márquez
It compares Sevilla’s downfall to one of my favorite works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But the piece was so poorly written that I couldn’t help thinking, “I bet even the AI models of 2023 could write better than this guy!”
So I co-authored my own editorial with the help of Gemini. And then for your reading pleasure, I translated it into English.
It’s better in Spanish, but even the spotty English translation, it’s 200% better than the crap MARCA is publishing these days. Enjoy!
Sevilla FC and the Chronicle of a Decline Foretold
Few books capture an impending disaster with the chilling mastery of Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. From its very first line, we know Santiago Nasar’s fate, and the story unfolds as a painful account of the oversights, misunderstandings, and collective inaction that allowed the inevitable to happen. It’s hard to admit, but for Sevilla fans who’ve watched the club’s recent struggles with a sinking heart, this tale strikes a disturbingly familiar chord in Nervión.
Sevilla FC’s “death foretold” hasn’t been a literal one, thankfully, nor a final one. But it has marked the end of a golden era, of their standing among Europe’s elite, and, precariously, of their financial stability. Just like in Gabo’s novel, the warning signs were numerous and, looking back, agonizingly clear. Who could miss them? Financial reports first whispered, then shouted, alarm; a once-magical transfer policy began to sputter, with top players sold but replacements bringing more uncertainty than solutions; and an almost mythical reliance on European triumphs papered over increasingly obvious cracks in their domestic form.
On that fateful morning, Santiago Nasar woke up oblivious to his impending doom, yet almost everyone in town knew the danger he was in. Similarly, within the world of Sevillismo, many sensed the club’s foundations were cracking. Whispers filled the stands, debates raged in fan forums, and commentators warned: debt was mounting, the wage bill was becoming a stranglehold, and even the celebrated Europa League victories—like an oasis in a barren desert—couldn’t hide the growing problems.
So, who was to blame? Much like the novel, it’s too simple to point fingers at a few “Vicario brothers.” Instead, it was a series of decisions, perhaps not born of ill-intent, but certainly misguided in their execution or timing. Perhaps it was an overblown confidence that past glories would carry them through, a disconnect between financial realities and sporting ambitions, or simply the challenge of reinventing a winning formula once it had run its course. Many saw the club teetering on the brink of poor results and financial fragility. Yet, like the townspeople in Gabo’s story, it seemed no one truly could, or knew how to, stop the “death” of that dominant Sevilla.
The story of Sevilla’s sporting decline and financial woes has unfolded for all to see. The recent battle to avoid relegation, after years of competing with the best, was the grim culmination of those long-held fears. But unlike Santiago Nasar, a football club can rise from its ashes and rewrite its own story. For that to happen, however, the lessons from this “chronicle foretold” must be learned. It demands an unflinching look at past mistakes, a clear-eyed vision for the future, and, above all, the courage to make tough decisions. Only then can Sevilla ensure its next chapter is one of revival, not another demise that everyone saw coming.