Foosball Radio | On the Road | Texas-Farid Lounas

[00:00:01] The following is a presentation of Foosball Radio. Foosball Radio On the Road It's Foosball Radio on the road. We're at the ITSF 2024 World Series of Tornado in Dallas, Texas at the Western Hotel

[00:00:26] and we're winding down for the weekend but there is so much to talk about and I am more than honored and privileged to have with me the man who really made this all come together

[00:00:40] His name is Farid Lounas and he is from France and he is with us to talk about how this all came together and he's also here to talk about what the future might be for the ITSF and the United States.

[00:00:57] So first of all Farid, thank you so much for joining us. My pleasure to be here today and to meet you. Thank you. All the work you do with Foosball Radio, that's something we appreciate.

[00:01:12] And to be there this first world series is also an opportunity for you that it is for us too. So thank you to be there too.

[00:01:19] Oh you're very welcome. It's absolutely, I thought it was imperative when I heard about the concept of what the ITSF had planned for the World Series just to be here to witness what this is like. And as a player I am ecstatic.

[00:01:36] After experiencing this format this weekend, I can't imagine doing anything else. It's just perfect and it was well run. There were timed breaks and the competition was fierce. So just from a player standpoint thank you so much.

[00:01:56] So take us back in time for the ITSF. How long has that organization existed and how long have you been involved? For too long. Too long? I started working on the ITSF in 2002, 22 years ago. Coming with the concept of International Federation.

[00:02:21] Many people try to organize International Federation during 30 years. I think every year there is a new International Federation that people think, okay this is how the world should be run.

[00:02:32] So as a player I decided to also do it myself and I just become the president of the French Federation and it doesn't make sense for me not to be part of an International Federation. So you had obviously played the sport of foosball.

[00:02:51] What level of proficiency were you considered a pro within France? When I started organizing the ITSF I was one of the top French players. Not so bad international player. I already went maybe five or six times in US and in many different countries.

[00:03:12] That's not about the level but I met a lot of people. I met a lot of players and we have some difficulties sometimes to speak the same language. Not only because the buyer of the language but the buyer of the style of game

[00:03:27] and sometimes the buyer of the words of the game and traditions. Yes, so France obviously has its own table, Bonzini, which is a kid I played on Bonzini because of a family of people who ran a restaurant near my house.

[00:03:45] Had a Bonzini in their restaurant but I learned early on that Bonzini was a great table. Although I think in America now there's a bit of a bias about it. Although in Canada, just north of where I live and upstate New York,

[00:04:01] there's a huge Bonzini scene and there's also great Bonzini scene in North Carolina of the US. How about yourself? Are you a Bonzini du Votet? In USA in first place it was one APR. Since the 70s it was one APR.

[00:04:18] And beginning of the 2000s Bonzini came up with Alan Kripps in USA. We make a wonderful job and step by step they develop the Bonzini style in the US. Also with Alan Tsunier in Canada they developed this and then the IQBB and Quebec would do a wonderful job.

[00:04:40] They love the activity. So yes, this activity is going up over there. It's marginal because the most important is Italian style and tornado. Italian style in Canada and tornado in the US for sure. But yes, I am on myself.

[00:04:57] You know, I'm born on the Bonzini table, a French style table. So the table you like in general is the table you're born on. Whatever is an official table or not. Agreed, yes.

[00:05:09] The first time I saw a table similar to like a tornado I thought it was very cheap and kind of plastic-y. I didn't think it was a substantial table at all. Of course I learned differently but it just seems so different.

[00:05:22] Very different from what I was accustomed to. At any rate, so once you became a player you decided to form the ITSF. How long did it take to finally establish what we see today?

[00:05:37] It takes some time of course because when you start to create something new most of the people are against. Because they don't understand why we need this. Everything was running well. Why we need to speak together, to work together, to be friends. The Federation, yeah. Etc. Etc.

[00:05:56] So yes, it takes some years for people to understand that it is necessary for all of us to be able to create friendships over the world. Yes. That was the first goal to respect everybody because I was a good French player.

[00:06:14] I met some good German, Italian, Belgian and American players. But when an American went to France, to France country, and played we don't care so much because it's not good on the Brazilian. Like an Italian goes to USA they don't care so much too.

[00:06:34] So when we organise the first World Championships and everybody can see the skills of the people on the other table to start to respect each other. That was a very important step. Excellent. And now you are behind the World Cup. The World Cup has been in what since 2006?

[00:06:52] 2006 on board because of the German Federation doing a great job, DTFB and Klaus Gottersleben. Okay. So that's helped a lot to make this event a first start.

[00:07:03] And right before we had this World Championships we had in Italy with Massimo Ragano who also did a very good job to make this happening. So we have some important steps we made in 2004-2006.

[00:07:19] Right. I think that has grown exponentially now and at one point it was every two years and then Covid came along and kind of interrupted that. So 2025 is the next World Cup.

[00:07:31] Yeah. We tried to do it in 2021, 23-25 not to be at the Olympic Games, not to be doing the World Cup of soccer. Okay. Because it's difficult for the city to support. It's an event that costs a lot of money. It's very expensive. Sure.

[00:07:50] And it's difficult to be in front of this kind of event. Now the thing that we hear the most about those events, the World Cup when our players go there to represent their country. What is it on average? 25, 26 different countries that compete. About 40 to 45.

[00:08:06] 40-45. Okay. It was way under the number that I was expecting but wow that's amazing. So to represent one's country in anything whether it's foosball or I don't know La Crosse.

[00:08:23] To be a part of that, that is such an important part of pride when it comes to being on a team like that.

[00:08:30] In this country of course we play foosball in our tournaments and I mean it's very individually based other than let's say if you've got a partner for doubles.

[00:08:41] It's very individually based but it seems like with the World Cup you have figured out this formula where countries play against each other and they root for each other and you bring in huge audiences. Where do you get these audiences from?

[00:08:57] So there's two aspects of your question. There is a team but this is something you know and you knew in US. It's a league program. When you play with each other, for each other everything changes. Yes.

[00:09:11] Everything changes. You have a few top players who help, they're not so good players to help you. So there is a team spirit. Backing each other up and firing.

[00:09:20] Yes, it's necessary. You train your team if you are the best and you try to be supportive if you are not the best in the team and do your best.

[00:09:29] And there is emotion, there is feelings. That's very important. That's the most important you can have in sport and in life in general. Get emotion.

[00:09:39] So this aspect is really important for us. When we organise the World Cup, we want to give emotion to the players but also to the audience. Right. So your second question about how do we bring audience over there? How does it work? It's just a lot of work.

[00:09:59] Yeah. So when I say a lot of work, it's really a lot. You cannot imagine that just by printing some flyers and having a poster in the city and make some social networks post anything will happen. Nothing will happen. It will help. Yeah.

[00:10:17] Because you need this. People need one, two, three, four, five, six, seven source of proof to go somewhere or to do something. Yep. So it's part of it but this is not enough.

[00:10:28] I mean, I know if Steve Murray who is helping on this side of the pond for today's event, you know he's run the Texas State Tournament for many, many years and it started out very small. And it grew over the three decades that he's done it.

[00:10:46] So the first World Cup, what did you learn in that first World Cup event that you knew you had to change immediately? Anything specific? No, we have some ideas about how should be run an event like this. It then goes maybe up on our expectation. Right.

[00:11:10] Because the famous match, the first World Cup it was 2006 Hamburg and we have this famous match USA France. Yeah. We were expecting it to two hours and it was four hours and half. Oh.

[00:11:24] We finish at one o'clock in the morning but the crowd didn't never stop to cheer, to support the teams. Yeah. It was a lot of emotion for a lot of people including myself. Sure. It was very nice.

[00:11:38] I have some friends on both sides but mainly in France of course. Yep.

[00:11:43] It was, yeah and it gave a lot of energy to all the other team over there, all the other people to believe that yes, this sports can be really emotional, can be a show, can be entertainment. As it should be.

[00:11:55] Yeah, as it should be but it's not that easy to make this happen. Okay. Well we're trying to figure that out still. As you may know. So you had to change things along the way so it evolved from 2006 to what's going to be in 2025.

[00:12:14] What can we expect to see in 2025 for the World Cup that hasn't happened before? That's not the idea for me to make something new. Okay. We are in Spain so what I want is to, I care about legacy. Yeah, yeah.

[00:12:34] When we were in France two years ago, now there is more than 200 schools with tables. 200? Yes, 200 schools with tables. Fabulous. More than 200 partners, companies who know about football now ready to support the development of the activity. Yeah. And about 20,000 spectators will come there. Hold on, 20,000? Yeah.

[00:12:59] So I heard you say that correctly, 20,000 spectators. Yeah. Wow. Burrito, I mean I've heard because I haven't been to one of these events but that is astounding. Not at the same time though. Okay. Still. It's one week. Yeah. So it's a few thousand every day.

[00:13:18] It's a long event. Yeah. It's a long event and it will be a little longer next year because we have so many people. Right. So many tables. It's more than 200 tables including the table for the kids. Mm-hmm.

[00:13:31] It's really a lot of work to organize an event like this for sure. No question. Not for me only. Yeah. We had about 180 volunteers at the last World Cup. Wow. So it's really important. Without the volunteers especially as I noticed this weekend because logistically there's

[00:13:49] so much going on here. What's the size of your crew this weekend? I cannot say it's maybe 25 people. 25. 25 to 30 people who are involved here. Wow. It's not so much because we are in an hotel. Mm-hmm.

[00:14:05] So you don't have to care about the food, you don't have to care about the drink, about the security, about the medical, about the electricity. But there is many aspects, you know, cleaning everything. Oh sure. You are supported by the hotel when we do something like this. Okay.

[00:14:19] But when you are in a big room like we were in Nantes and we will be in Saragossa. Yeah. It's a sport. Palette though. There's cleanup. There's a lot to do. It's 5,000 square meters you have to care about. Wow. Wow. Yeah, that's...

[00:14:36] But again all these numbers are important. Mm-hmm. And we are very happy with these numbers but again it's not... You cannot reproduce it if you don't know how to make it. Correct. And the only way to do it is to spend time, energy, to have the knowledge.

[00:14:53] So this is what we try to figure out. And if there is something to answer your question that we want to do better is having some protocols who help us, who help the staff to be more efficient. Okay.

[00:15:07] And ourselves to be more efficient so we save some time so we can have a little more sleep and we can make it better. Yeah. But what we are a little afraid of is that there is too many players, too many people. Interesting. So...

[00:15:20] That's a unique problem to have. Because this is already a huge problem because we know that... And it's not open, you have to qualify. Yes. It's quite difficult to qualify. Sure. We are sometimes complained about the way to qualify in the country.

[00:15:34] It's normal, it's okay because there is a lot of... You can't just buy your way into a tournament like that. Yeah. But there is some countries who cannot shop because of the visa, because of different financial questions, you know in South America the economy is not really easy.

[00:15:50] In Africa and Asia the visa are sometimes difficult. Okay, but if everybody shop we may have 1,500 players or something. 1,500 players. I think without the visa, with the visa problem and everything and I hope we can solve it but we will be around 1,000 players. Yeah.

[00:16:10] But it's a lot because it's a multi-table event. Yeah. If it was not a multi-table event I don't care about 5,000 players you know. Okay. It's not a problem. It's a multi-table.

[00:16:20] So every time we have a match we have to move, we have to find the two tables of each table of each players, create an arena and have them to play here. So it's a work of TITAM. Legistically difficult. It's crazy. I think really it's crazy.

[00:16:39] I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I think it's the best idea we never had. Sure. But it's near impossible to make it happen so it makes our staff crazy. But we are very happy with this because it's really fair.

[00:16:52] So what I'm all leading to here with your background when it comes to organizing the World Cup, the things that you've done, you've accomplished and you found successful and things you're still working on. Now you come here in 2024 Memorial Day weekend, the normal weekend for Texas State and

[00:17:11] Steve Murray says, you know what? Let's bring it across. Let's do that here in Dallas, Texas. How did that all come about for you? First we have a discussion with tornado. Okay. Kelly and Trey. Trey is now in charge of the development of tornado for Valet d'Inamo. Right.

[00:17:34] So we had some discussion. Because I don't do anything alone. It's not possible. Of course. Maybe stupid to do anything alone. Right. We have some discussion and we agree, I think, after a few weeks and a few months of discussion

[00:17:50] that the starting point in the partnership between tornado and ITSF is USA. You need to have a strong base in USA to develop the American style game. This is what we care about with different manufacturers and style of game even if

[00:18:10] they are not in ITSF, we don't care. Yeah. But it's important to care about your base, about the people who play this style in your country and now we can then maybe go to another country later. Okay. But the base should be solid. That's important.

[00:18:26] And this is USA. So that discussion that you had, between the first discussions to present day, how much time went by? Was there a lot of time before you were able to put all this together? I mean... The first discussion was maybe six, seven months ago. Really? Yeah.

[00:18:47] Less than a year. Less than a year, of course. Wow. No, no. And then we speak about this and say, okay, maybe one of the aspects can be to have a starting point, you know, to learn. For me to learn. Yep. Because I have to learn.

[00:19:02] I've been to USA many times to play, but not to organize. So I don't know how it works here. Right. The deal with the hotel, the place, the city, the media, the communication in general. It's a whole new realm. I don't know anything. Yeah. I'm here to learn.

[00:19:16] And the best way to learn for me is to do it fast. Yep. So if we have an opportunity, I'm ready to go every time it's necessary. I am not in a rush, never. But if there is an opportunity, I am not having to lose. Right.

[00:19:32] And here what happened is the discussion with Steve. Yes. So then we have a discussion with Steve Murray. And after the discussion, after maybe a few weeks of discussion, but pretty fast, we make the decision to have Dallas to be the starting point. Yeah. To move forward.

[00:19:53] To move forward also because this is a place of tornado. This is an historical place for table soccer. Yes. So if you want to create a story or make history, it's good to think about where you start about it. So I think this place makes sense.

[00:20:09] Strategically brilliant because this is where the world championships of your part in the expression used to take place. Now things have changed, you know, but time moves on and now of course Kentucky is the location for the tornado championships, which euphemistically is referred to as worlds.

[00:20:29] Although they don't own that, but it's still, that's now kind of like the new heart of it. But Dallas has always or Texas in general has always been the heart for the championships. I think it's important and if we, even with tornado and the discussion with Valerdy

[00:20:48] and Amor is we need to have a strong base. Yes. Tornado is also based in USA, but also in Texas. Right. So we have to care about Texas as we have to care about different states. We need some strong states if you want to have national development.

[00:21:07] You cannot imagine to go national like this if you don't have strong base. It doesn't make sense. And there is always something I do. I'm not saying it's good or bad. Something I do is I start from the bottom and the top at the same time. Oh, sure.

[00:21:22] Always at the same time. This is what I like to do and I'm wishing that it would join one day of course. But I like to do it this way. It's like this. So this is the top aspect here but we are working on bottom project.

[00:21:36] This is, I would say, one of the most exciting things that has happened in this country when it comes to this sport. Just because of the fact that it's not just an international flavor but it's because of the fact that it's a whole new setup.

[00:21:51] Just the look of it. I mean, as we gaze upon the arena of the finals, the tables one, two and three it's unlike anything I've ever seen in the states. We've had similar setups but nothing this specific, nothing this well tuned. That makes any sense.

[00:22:16] The idea here was to give an experience of what can be done in the US. Not saying this is what you have to do. It should be like this. Oh sure. But we have to give a new experience and see how people react.

[00:22:30] What they lack, what they don't lack, what can be done better. All the people here told me that this is a nice event. On my perspective, there are so many things strange on my... That I've done, not that people have done.

[00:22:47] But this is the way we have time to do it, to do only. And this is... Okay, but this is my part. We are far away from what we can do in the US but to test, to experience this, I think this is what we can do

[00:23:06] and the best we can do in a few times. And it was difficult because we have to say also to the players and international players, in six weeks or eight weeks we'll have a World Series in USA. You have no time to practice, you have no time to...

[00:23:19] Right. ...to take your tickets, you have no time. And it will be one week after a few days after the World Series, Bonzini. Oh, yeah. So it was tough decision to make, to be honest. It was really tough. But the opportunity was only this, this weekend, this time.

[00:23:34] Okay. So we do it now. Oh, we wait one year to make it much better. Yeah. I decide to do it now and to do it much, much better next year. And again, it's not about the tournament this year. Yeah.

[00:23:49] I'm not saying I don't care about this tournament. I care about this tournament. I care about sharing... Oh, of course. I spend a lot of time with the players here. Many people I know, many people I don't know.

[00:24:00] So that was my stuff, speak with many other people over there. So we have some reactions. That's very important feedback and pleasure to meet people and to understand what people do in their life. Yep. How they want to be involved, how they want to support.

[00:24:15] And then the idea is really to build something strong, not events. And it takes basically layers of planning, layers of preparation and of course the experiments, if you'd like to call it that. And see how that... how gauge, how that's working. Was it a success?

[00:24:36] It's not me to tell you to say this. Okay. All right. I don't know. We try our best in the short time. And I hope people have good time. I hope people are motivated and become ambassadors of the sports for USA.

[00:24:51] We have to change the way people think themselves playing football. Yes. And be able to share with their families, their friends and around. Yep. That's important for us. We always come back to that theme. And many times we've discussed it here on Foosball Radio

[00:25:08] that Foosball is a family, playing it simple. It's a... in this country a very small family, if you compare it to the rest of the world, but it's a family nonetheless. They come together to play, compete, but they come together to be together. Just to experience the family.

[00:25:28] Yes. Yeah. It's good and bad. Yeah. Okay. It's a family so sometimes there is some arguments with family. Sure. So this is what I see a little in USA. Everybody walk a lot, loves the game. Everybody in their own direction. That's problem I can see.

[00:25:49] We have to help people to bring... to be together. And sometimes, this is a second point maybe, it's difficult to let people enter in your family. Yes. Yes. So this is something we have to do to open the group. Yeah, yeah. To other people.

[00:26:05] So this is to challenge... I will have to face with the people motivated to do it in the next weeks and months. Could I use the phrase, Rome was not built in a day? And that's why we are here for many years. Yeah. Our goal is...

[00:26:22] We have no goals. Okay, okay. Let's do it. Let's go. If the only thing I want is in one month when we look back, we have done job. In two months, okay. I don't want to speak. Yeah. And not able to say... To say to myself,

[00:26:39] I'm able to be objective of what we've done. Oh sure. And to say, okay, we have done a good job. So I never promise anything. Yep. I cannot deliver and the idea is not to be able to deliver but to try and to adapt to the situation.

[00:26:56] So I guess the phrase would be to... Not to over promise or... You know, reduce the expectations but over deliver. Would that be correct? Yeah, over work in the first place. That would be important. Yeah. And yes, build a team, work a lot, have a plan.

[00:27:17] Change the plans every morning. Yep. Because the plan will adapt to the situation with the people. Gotta be flexible. Yeah. Only flexible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Only flexible. So that's why also I'm not here to promise anything. Because I don't want to say something

[00:27:34] and I have an opportunity to make something better and because I say something I have to change. No. What we want to do is to do our best. I have to care about more than 60 countries. Wow. So USA is just one of them. Yes.

[00:27:49] But USA is important because... There's a scene, there's a base of players. Yeah. Not what it used to be by any means but still yeah. No, I would say yes. There is a scene, players are playing very good. Yeah.

[00:28:09] This is not what I care the most, you know. Yeah. Because when you travel a little, you see that there is many scenes where there is a lot of players and a lot of good players playing their own rules on their own tables too. Yes.

[00:28:22] We don't know them, we don't respect them because we don't know them. It's not because we don't want to respect them. Right. It's not disrespect. Just because we don't know what happened. There's no way to know. I travel a lot. We will go to Spain next year. Okay.

[00:28:35] There are 12,000 federation players in Spain. Wow. Playing a table, people say, oh, very strange, we don't like it. It has the two feet. Two legs. Yeah, yeah. Two legs and the floor is not straight. Okay? Yeah. But it's fantastic. And the skill of the García Bordes

[00:28:56] and the top players over there is incredible. Yeah. They are fun, I have fun when I play there and the skills is incredible. I want to bring to the world these people and say, look, they train a lot. There are stars in their countries. They are important. Yeah.

[00:29:10] Like in Italy, you have also some stars with their style of games. So in North Africa also, I go to Argentina. There is many countries with good players, but we don't know them. But this is not the main reason for USA. Okay. Okay. The main reason for me,

[00:29:27] USA, if we want to develop something around the world, there is some key country we cannot avoid, and we need them to help. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because when something good happens in Germany, it's good for all Europe. And if you would refer to this in the,

[00:29:42] if you were saying in a geopolitical sense, an alliance, an alliance of forces coming together? If you are able to, we know when the US team is coming to the World Cup in Europe. Yep. It's always a good moment. It's always a good time.

[00:29:59] 100 players coming, fighting for their flags and for the countries. That's exciting. It's exciting. But when it's exciting, you give a motion to the people who are excited, but they give this emotion to the public and to the other team, to the other people. You know, it's contagious.

[00:30:16] It's contagious. It's a positive circle. And so we need this. So in USA, there is a big potential in what? There is a big potential for communication, for sponsorships, for activities in college, for activities in schools, for boys and girls clubs in USA. Yes.

[00:30:32] I can continue a lot like this. There is a lot of opportunities. Of course we can have academy, we can have activities in clubs, we can have more people playing. But first we have to care about the grassroots. Right. Tournament is good what we have done here.

[00:30:46] Okay, maybe good. Yes. This is just a place where we can resave the people. What was missing now? You can make the grassroots work you do. All day long, if at the end they go to a place where it's not family welcome, company welcome,

[00:31:04] media welcome, they will leave because you have only one shot. Yeah. So it's... Especially with a short attention span that human beings tend to have. Yeah, and because we have only football. We are not big sports that everybody will adapt to.

[00:31:19] No, people who don't adapt, they will go, come with their kids, come with their friends and say, no, we go. Oh, oh, that's nice. That was exciting. Okay, so this is the idea. You have only one shot. So when we make an event like this,

[00:31:33] we think about this. We think about if people enter in the room, can you understand what happened? Can people are fresh? Do you understand the story that's unfolding on the table, in front of you, the competition, the story, the drama? A minimum. Yeah. A minimum because it's difficult.

[00:31:51] There is a lot of matching. I don't know how many matches we have this weekend. I think it's on the platform, maybe 2,000 or something. 2,000. Yeah, I don't know exactly. Everybody can see it on Koal, the news of Nero's start. We have a lot of statistics here,

[00:32:04] but it's a lot of matches to watch. So at the World Cup, it's 10,000. So there is no chance they can see anything. Wow. But we have something incredible in football. First, and I don't know the list, what will be, yeah? And first, when you enter in the room,

[00:32:21] if it's well prepared, well organized, there is always a wow effect. Yeah. Because you don't expect this from table circles, because your expectations are very low when you think about table circles. Very true. So that's why you have to be careful about the design of the room,

[00:32:37] about the way you do it, because then the effect can be multiplied a lot. So that's important. Yeah, that's so true. Another aspect is you can, we let the spectators walk around the table always in each tournament, even the World Cup,

[00:32:53] we let the people go around the table and I never see a spectator really making trouble, you know? Yeah. Because the level of concentration is so high from the players and it's quite that people share this emotion to the spectators and every spectator will come

[00:33:10] to the World Cup tournament. Wow, so much freedom against Germany, against Italy and it was intense, I love it. So that's something important for people, they can choose their field and they can watch the major world. Yep. And the third thing I can see about this is

[00:33:28] when they go to a final arena, that's why we care a lot about the final arena. Yeah. Then this is where you become a spectator. That's when the focus is on that one aspect, that one table or those two tables that they're playing back and forth on.

[00:33:43] And this is where people can understand. The spectators that go there, the partners, the sponsors, the institution, whatever, they go there, they know this is where it's happening. Yes. Everything is clear, you cannot understand what happened on 200 tables but you understand what happened here.

[00:33:57] The final will be in two hours, it's like this, it's like that. And then this is where the whole thing comes together, the excitement, the passion and the pride. Yeah, and we have a chance because we have a lot of players this weekend playing a lot of match.

[00:34:15] So when you enter in a room like this, you see matches everywhere, you see players from different countries and this is the same in so many, I think there was 1,000 tournaments each year where it's like this. Wow. And what happened? The atmosphere is pretty good.

[00:34:32] We don't have ref in 99% of the match. Yeah, didn't really see a need for it much. Most people are pretty good. In general in football, sometimes there is some things that should not happen. And we try to do our best to solve this sometimes.

[00:34:47] It's not easy but compared to any sports, and the tension you have in the match, it's really nothing. Spectators are always impressed about the intensity and I don't know if it's fair player friendship there is over there but it's something in between or maybe both that happen.

[00:35:07] But they are not nice, they don't want the other to win. It's not peace and everything. It's a war on the table. So we are lucky about this. Yeah, it's true. I've been to a few tournaments over the last couple of years

[00:35:20] and I've never been really a tournament player necessarily but I go to broadcast or whatever but I'll get a chance to get on the table and play a few matches. And yeah, I've noticed, I'm not going to say where

[00:35:32] but there were moments where you kind of look across the table and wonder if that person is really doing the right thing or practicing good sportsmanship, I guess it's the best way to put it. And sometimes it's a parryth or not. Yeah, that's why sometimes we need ref.

[00:35:48] Sometimes even with ref it's difficult. But how many people hit the other one in the last 20 years? And should continue but you know, in this kind of fast mode fear that we have no fight on the tables it seems normal, it is normal.

[00:36:09] This is what should happen every time, everywhere in any sport, in any activity of course. But yes, we have this end. Sometimes this is something we start also here. The image you give yourself to the spectators and also to the other players.

[00:36:23] When I look this weekend, we try to get the spot dress. That's something new for USA. Colored shirts. Some people have colors, shirts, whatever. Two sports attire. It's a little better, that's what it is. It's not enough in my opinion yet.

[00:36:39] But when you enter in the room as a spectator, as a sponsor, as a media and you see people I would love to see because I see many players here coming from different states they don't know where they are from exactly.

[00:36:53] So if you can see this on their shirts that they are from this city, this club, I will be so happy. I saw the women category for example. They're very well dressed. You see that it's not only the concentration and the fight in the women category

[00:37:11] but also they care about the team spirit. And I like this. So this is something maybe still missing in some countries but we can have it. It's the small things you do, like building a reputation for uniforms and being able to dress alike.

[00:37:27] That's the small things that really make the difference of the larger picture when it comes to the image of the sport. It's not only the image of the sport. It's also the image of yourself. Because sometimes you need, I don't know if we will do it

[00:37:41] but you need someone to say, okay you have to dress exactly the same in doubles and be together, act like the team. Okay I will do it because he said it. I have this stupid guy say I have to do it.

[00:37:53] But when they do it, they feel as a team. And they have the great pleasure. It's a uniform. So when you put your uniform in basketball there's no question. You feel part of your team and you fight for your partners. There is a lot of things behind it.

[00:38:11] It's not only to look clean and everything but it helps you a lot to be in the game. So the other thing that there's been a bit of constant conversation regarding Americans and the way we tend to go to tournaments.

[00:38:26] We don't necessarily think of it as an athletic event. It's more of a hey what a great time we're going to get together and socialize. And by the way there's foosball tables there. Let's have a competition. This I got the impression it was more about the athleticism first.

[00:38:44] These are athletes coming together to compete. Then later on there's camaraderie and social gatherings. Would I be correct in that? We are still in between both. In any case players who are here they practice a lot. Yes, oh a lot. They train like athletes. That's it.

[00:39:07] They train like athletes. Maybe they don't have the support, the capacity to have people to follow them for their training for everything. Of course they're not a professional sport. But the way they act they act like athletes. And that's important. So they have to feel themselves as athletes.

[00:39:26] It's a taxing sport. Now I will grant you this. I'm 65 so for me to spend an entire weekend playing in many events or many matches is extremely challenging. We have the over 63 category. People have a lot of fun. But not only the level is very high.

[00:39:49] There was fierce competition going on in the over 63. And you continue to have again I come back to this emotion. Whatever is your age, whatever is your capacity to play. We develop the disabled category. We are now developing the deaf category.

[00:40:05] I hope for the next walk up or the next one in 27. We just want to have some program with our autism. We will have some program with many different programs. Userting, whatever it's not important who is the winner.

[00:40:19] Fight, get emotion and everybody is happy and you make people happy. Do your best and just you know and if it's not quite good enough that's okay but compete and be proud of the fact that you're representing your team.

[00:40:32] And then of course your country if you're there competing for your country. What better scenario could you possibly come up with for a sport? And even when it's come to individual. Because if you are part of a club, of a team, of a country

[00:40:48] you have people behind you. So people behind you to support you but people behind you also to share with them when you win. That's important to share. That's important to be able to do this. And you give them, they give you back.

[00:41:04] So all of a sudden how you're about this, I think it's fantastic. Well this is where the passion and the stories come in. Now as a broadcaster, as a writer, storytelling is very important. You have to tell the story.

[00:41:19] You have to have a beginning, a middle and hopefully a happy ending. And if a casual observer or someone who's maybe into the sport can get the story that's key. And of course it's easy to understand because you're competing for your team.

[00:41:35] Whether it be your country or a club, whatever the case. But the story has to be apparent. Yeah and not only to tell the story to people. Like you said as a media you need this. And a little advice, as you say that I will not say more

[00:41:52] but a little advice for people who make some press release or who want sponsors to follow them and say oh please write a story. If you want people to go with you, don't tell them oh I'm playing football give me money or give me attention.

[00:42:06] No, tell me what happened. Tell me something I want to be part of. That makes sense. People forget about it sometimes. We want to be entertained as human beings. We need to be brought into the loop. What is so special about what you're doing? Bring us in.

[00:42:24] And people want to feel useful. Yeah, oh yeah yeah. If I help to donate something to do, okay why? So I help someone, I help a place. I'm happy. And everybody is like this.

[00:42:35] It's just oh you have to pay because you are the big company of the streets so you have to give me money because I represent the street. Why? Yeah that's not a valid reason. That's not a compelling idea right?

[00:42:49] No, again it's a lot of work because you're in the media and you know this. To tell a story is difficult. Yeah, oh and to make sure that it's accessible. Accessible and it makes sense for the people you are speaking to.

[00:43:05] Because sometimes people want to hear a story of two hours. Look we are speaking a lot here. Oh, well. But you imagine you cannot do this on the national TV. Correct. You will have two minutes. So you have to express one, two ideas and go.

[00:43:19] So the story will be different regarding who you are talking to. Yeah, that's one of the things that modern technology with podcasting has made possible. We can go further, we can go beyond the headlines, way beyond the headlines and more deeply into any story that comes our way.

[00:43:36] I mean as an air personality in broadcasting I was encouraged by my superiors to tell a story in 10 to 15 seconds. Whenever I open the microphone 10 to 15 seconds that was this will be and here comes the end of story.

[00:43:56] If you can move these in series now they try to do the same. You have one or two minutes to let people enter and they will leave. Yeah, exactly. There is a very very short attention span.

[00:44:08] I do believe the energy of foosball though has that capacity to pull the audience in if it's pulled properly. And so far I think you are one of the most effective storytellers of this sport that I've seen.

[00:44:21] What I can tell you is that every spectator, every company, sponsors, politicians, you know mayors of cities or ministry, I bring to an event, we organize and we care about them. How amazing is that? Always come back and say wow that was great.

[00:44:42] So now I know that foosball is on the map. So if one day we call them they remember. Yeah, yeah exactly. Because you always remember foosball because it's not something usual. That's it. Yeah. It's not something usual so everybody know about it, nobody know that it isn't competition.

[00:45:01] So when it comes to competition it should be well organized. It should be fantastic and look impressive. No question. If not people will say oh foosball, oh this is a foosball I know. Yeah. Okay, this is ball game, this is nice. Thank you very much I will go.

[00:45:16] Well you have to establish relationships and those relationships of course have to be maintained. Will you give me 10,000€ if I ask you? Okay. You want me to give you a good reason. You know? Yeah.

[00:45:34] So you want me, I will be able to, I need to be able to gain, I don't know if it's the word, gain your trust. Yes. That's definitely a term. So yeah, so this is the relationships you have to create with the players if you want them

[00:45:52] to be part of your federation, organization with the sponsors, with the institution. The institution is public money. Why do you give public money or public services to an organization? It should be a trustful relationship. Yes. It will be good for social, transparent. Transparent and for people. Yeah.

[00:46:11] Is it social or not social? Or is it just for yourself? Even the top sports, they are not only top sports. Oh don't get me started there. I mean I completely understand that because I don't know if you're familiar with the

[00:46:25] controversy that was going on with college sports or NCAA, the level of college players have generated in excess of $80 billion for other people, but not for the players. The players get nothing because they're students. They're students and they play college level.

[00:46:48] But I think they pay now some billions to... Oh there's a settlement, yeah. Yeah, there's a settlement there. As it should be. I mean that's only fair because your talent is doing this because they love the game.

[00:47:00] They play to their utmost level in college because they of course want to move on to maybe a pro level, whatever the case. But to take advantage of that and make huge amounts of money without compensating those players. It makes sense. Yeah.

[00:47:18] I hope one day in football we'll have sponsors. Oh sure. And then you have to share this money. Yeah. In general it's a third, you know. You need a third to organize, to administrate everything or you cannot do anything, you cannot make events.

[00:47:37] There is a third you need to keep for the communication of the people who give you the money. Yes. Because there is a reason why they give you the money so you have to use it to

[00:47:46] prove that you use it in their own way too, not only for your way. Right. And of course there is a part. It could be a third. I don't know if it's right what I said. No, no. To the players, to the people making the show. Sure.

[00:47:58] So this is the way you organize the system in my opinion. There has to be of course then some way of generating that revenue. Of course that's in the process, right? It's part of what happens when you build an audience. It doesn't happen first.

[00:48:14] No, it doesn't happen first and if you look there is very few sports. Right. Well professional sports. Yes. And there are many other places. Even the big sports, some people tell me sometimes golf is very popular in the USA. Oh sure. People making a lot of money. Yep.

[00:48:30] Yeah but if you compare the numbers there is what? 20 million people playing golf and membership. Exactly. I play not very well. Yeah. But I like to get out you know. So we need to reach numbers in football too. Yeah. But numbers of membership. Organize this. Yes.

[00:48:48] Not only to have the data because I know this is a new goal, the data of the people. But not only this it's how they are part of your organization. How they support, how they go and like they do in many other sports.

[00:49:00] We are not at this stage and to be able to go to another stage, not at this stage. Yeah. I'm not speaking about this. Like I'm not speaking about the Olympics and something sometimes people want to go there. Oh sure, sure.

[00:49:11] I'm speaking about just look the next one, two or three steps. And let's start by one or two and to organize ourselves a little better. Yeah. It's been a little chaotic on the inside especially of American football organizations.

[00:49:30] A little chaotic and not unified in any way because there's been factions that kind of clash so. I don't know so much about this. Yeah. All things and I'm not very interesting to be honest. Right, right exactly.

[00:49:44] I care about okay let me see we are working now with the US Federation to make a new constitution to make a new sport code. Yeah. It starts in my opinion by the law. Let's make everything on paper and let everybody start on the same line. Yes.

[00:50:00] This is what happened. So starting 2025 we will have this. It will be official I think in one or two weeks. Okay. Everything is done now. Fantastic. Yes, it will be done. People know the rules. Everybody can apply.

[00:50:14] Everybody can be part of it and this is the start of the foundation building if it makes sense. Yeah. But we need to start this. You cannot build a house if your foundation are moving. Oh absolutely. There's no foundation there's no house. Yeah. And it's up.

[00:50:29] So and then we will go step by steps and like your ass if you continue on the house we will have to care about details. Yeah. Because the details make the difference because you can go to the roof and then you see that

[00:50:39] one detail is missing and everything got down. It's precarious but at the same time it's so worth it because this is a phenomenal way of spending a weekend if you will as a player but it's also well worth to bring others

[00:50:57] in to see how wonderful this really is. How important it is to younger kids developing their skills, learning to play as a team, learning to have good sportsmanship, learning to focus, put their phone down. Long enough to play foosball. This will be another discussion on the phone.

[00:51:17] Yes of course. That's a really question for us right now. Okay. The digital. Yeah. Nobody can fight against the digital. Okay. The only way to fight against this and not the kids. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sorry but... Adults too. Adults too, it's the same. Yeah. It's the same question.

[00:51:40] We don't like when the kids do it because they are too young and they can have an impact on them. Yeah but there is impact for everybody in my opinion. Oh no question. So we have to care about it. But you have to offer something. Yeah.

[00:51:51] It's not, don't do it. It doesn't make sense. It's what do you have to offer? So the question is how we connect foosball to digital. Yeah. How we don't make foosball against digital. You have to work together. It's a symbiosis that has to occur. There is some aspects.

[00:52:07] So we are working on some projects. I hope to be able to speak about it in few months. Okay. But we are really working on this topic in the moment. We are in the middle of this in six months. Fantastic.

[00:52:20] I hope in six months we'll have something done. Maybe we'll have something done. Maybe not. There are so many actors on this activity. But what we are trying to do is very serious. Moving in that direction, that of course I know that Kudos to

[00:52:34] David Kala who's out of the northwest of the United States. Modern foosball. They've done some amazing things. Digitally he's got a new software program. Modern foosball or house of tournaments whatever you want to call it. But it's a really nice set of soft, it's a good software package.

[00:52:53] It's also their coverage is similar in some ways to what you have done this weekend. Kudos. I mean they've then done some, they've moved forward in a very positive way. And using digital technology to its fullest which is great.

[00:53:10] What is for sure is we will need all the people who have a little interest in foosball. Yes. So the one who have more interest in foosball will invest time, energy and sometimes money. Yep. Should be part of everything at any stage.

[00:53:25] We are, I would say we but now I can say USA in USA. You have not so many players compared to different countries in Europe. You don't have a real national organization with volunteers. Right. But you have a lot of people interested in foosball. Oh yeah.

[00:53:49] If possible ambassadors, you have a lot of capacity. I will not be here if I don't see that there is a potential to create a team. Yes. I will not come with a project if I know that it's impossible to find a team to do the job. Okay.

[00:54:02] Because there is no way I will come back maybe one or two times in USA this year and next year because I want to make it happening soon. Okay. I will be there, I will be in July in New York and then in New York. In New York?

[00:54:17] Yeah, I want to go. That's my home turf. What's happening in New York? Can you talk about that? I am in the middle of the country this week. Okay. So I will spend one week maybe or some days, maybe a few days well today in the East

[00:54:30] Port and then in the West Coast to speak to people inside foosball. Okay. And speak to people outside foosball because we need help from outside. Yes. That's important. Oh no question. A real team is not only looking at yourself, some people from outside to tell you hey,

[00:54:46] you never think about this and go in this direction or not. It will take time to build relationship but I know if I go to New York and LA and speak to people outside, I will need maybe two or three years to make a real deal with them.

[00:54:58] Wow. So that will be important. Yeah. We want to have all people inside foosball to work together. Okay. But we know it would not be enough for sure. Yeah. We need people outside of foosball to give us some advice but not only maybe start also some projects.

[00:55:15] That would be very important. Sure. I hate to do this but there is a couple of things we notice on the network called ESPN. I'm sure you're familiar. Some individual competitions that are kind of popping up and somebody showed me a film

[00:55:34] or a video yesterday and I was astounded to find out that there is a world championship of pillow fighting, fighting with pillows. I'm not good at it but I can learn. Yeah. And then the other one I saw was squeegee, cleaning glass with a squeegee.

[00:56:00] There's a competition for that too and it has... This is very useful. Yeah, of course. If you're good at it. So the pillow fighting was in a boxing ring and they had a major sponsor, Dr Pepper, the soda company. What? Everything. You spoke about entertainment. Yeah.

[00:56:23] You have also... Many people talk to me about reality TV some years ago. Yeah, right. Reality TV, you have to do this, we have some content. We have to be careful not to go in one shot program. Yeah.

[00:56:36] The idea is not to go up and to go very down. Correct. If you are here and you go up, then when you go down, you will go very deep because you lose.

[00:56:45] All the people motivate on...when you go up will disappear in one second when it stops. So you have to be careful to go up. That's a really good point. It has to be sustainable. That's important because I'm not here to develop football in one year, in two

[00:57:02] years, in 200 countries. Right. I'm just a part of the project, a little part. I will be there maybe what, two years, five years, ten years. I don't know, not that much. So people will be there. We have already...we have about 30 people working every day in ITSF. Yeah.

[00:57:19] No kidding. I'm just coordinating all these people. But this is a team effort so...but it should be done. It will be done maybe for the next 50s, 100 years. I don't know. Yeah. Who cares? Wouldn't that be nice, right?

[00:57:36] So we have generations to come where we'll look back at this and say, that's where it all started. Yes. So we are just making history today and since 2002 here but also the people will do the history in the 50s. You know, football starts in the 50s mainly... Right.

[00:57:52] In many countries in Europe and something. Then it goes in the 70s with the fantastic story with the Germans and the USA we know, all of us. The evolution. We just have to be careful not to stay in this years. We have to create a new story now.

[00:58:06] Yes. And this is the purpose of this. So let's do it but there is no hand. The past has been exciting but also very heartbreaking in so many ways. Especially with tournament soccer and Dynamo, they have their moments.

[00:58:22] They did well for what they were doing in their time. I mean you could go to a tournament soccer championship and win $35,000. In 1977, money which was the equivalent of probably $120,000 today. And that of course only lasted five or six years before.

[00:58:44] It just collapsed and fell because of video games and the other badly timed incidents. So we have seen it happen before. We have seen this rise like you say that pinnacle and then dropping right off. Yes but this is where you have to be careful not to...

[00:59:01] And even when Lippeaport started this, I spoke with Lippeaport about all this. He was in France some years ago. We have time to speak and to exchange our answers. And sometimes you really want people to be happy.

[00:59:13] You want to create this million dollar tour to say oh this is fantastic. So every time people let you know the guy, Wyndham Flaherty, Johnny Lout, all these people from the old-fashioned game in the 70s, they want this to be back and that's only good.

[00:59:32] But it should be done with real foundation. Not done because oh we want this to be back. So we will go to this money just to make some players happy from the memories they had 40 years ago and say it's back now.

[00:59:49] No, if it's one million, it's because it makes sense. It's because you have the audience. Yes, the audience and the support that would require without basically just bankrupting everybody involved. That's... you know in big sports people make a lot of money

[01:00:09] and there is a lot of money but there is a lot of money in the sport in general. Yeah, yeah. This is something else here. Maybe one day there is many sports. In the sport, even Olympic sports, there is no money for athletes. Oh, of course.

[01:00:25] Because it's not possible, it's not the way it is done. Here we have this tradition of entry fees and twice money. That's good. People can have some money back for their trip, can have some money back to make the tour.

[01:00:39] That's important in my opinion because it's not recognized as a sport in many countries. You don't have the government support to have trainers, to have facilities to help you to travel. So it makes sense. But we have to work on both sides.

[01:00:53] We have to work on sports recognition to have public support and we have to work on sponsorship to have financial support. And be able to show those sponsors and those independent financiers that, hey, there is something here to this and it is sustainable

[01:01:10] so if you're in for the long haul for us, we're going to see benefit. Yeah, but the benefit of football is not competition. Correct. It's social, mainly social. If you say, okay, it will help people to connect in schools, in companies, in hospitals, everywhere, in universities.

[01:01:35] Yeah, it will help people to connect, to feel better together, to have less health problems, to help connections, cerebral connections when you have brain troubles, etc. Whatever the studies you can make, how you can help girls and boys in schools to play together because it's a mixed game.

[01:01:59] There are 100 or 200 possibilities. It's too much. Oh yeah, yeah. But you have to concentrate on what makes the difference between table soccer and other activities. You can be 70 years old playing with a 6 years old. You can play on the table soccer. It's a great equalizer.

[01:02:17] It's a great equalizer, yeah. We are not the only sports to do this. Oh yeah. But in this sport, on this game or these activities, there's a tool because this is a tool for pedagogy goals in schools and also in therapeutic goals in hospitals.

[01:02:35] We are walking in the hospital about this. Everything can happen with this sport is good, but now when you want to work with a company or an institution, you have to be very clear. You have to be very clear and say,

[01:02:48] okay, this is the goal we will reach together. So there is not one formula. You can't be ambiguous about it. You have to be very specific about these are our plans. This is what we have for the future. These are the reasons you need to be involved.

[01:03:02] Yes, and it should make sense for you again. Why you give me 10,000? Because we started the interview one hour ago and you still didn't give me one 10,000. So there was a question here. Give me time. Give me time. Not so you understand. Yes.

[01:03:17] From your company, you will not spend the money. This is the money for your employees. Right. This is the money maybe for the development of the company, for the marketing, for the communication. For I don't know what other reason,

[01:03:31] but you need to give a good reason to the company to support you. Correct. And you cannot say, look, we have a champion here. We have a world champion in our team. Give us money. Yes, but like you said, there is a pillow world champion too.

[01:03:43] What I do? You are the pillow world champion. And it's the same for football or pillow world champion. If tomorrow there is 1 billion people looking at the pillow world champion and only 10 million looking at the NBA champion, they will give the money to the pillow. Exactly.

[01:04:01] So it's not about football. That's the numbers. Nobody cares about the activity. It's not that important. Of course there is character. When you have a character in sports, this is something else. Right. It's an age-old issue when it comes to combining something that's athletic

[01:04:20] and exciting and competitive with entertainment. That's why whenever there is 2 things I don't want to do. Maybe someone else will replace me will do it. It's okay. I don't want to go to betting. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand what you're saying. Because betting is betting.

[01:04:41] There are many things. You have to be careful too. Oh absolutely. But there are many sports going to betting because they are maybe organized to be able to face. They are strong enough to face this. But for me it's a little dangerous.

[01:04:57] And I don't want to go also to a one-table game. Yeah. You know, this is something people ask me many times. But I don't want on my side to go to one table. We are very rich because it's multicultural. It's multi-traditional in every country in the world.

[01:05:13] We are maybe one of the most played activity sports in the world. We are maybe one of the game that makes most people happy in the world. Yes. When they see a table, they smile. They don't smile at us.

[01:05:26] They smile because they are happy about the table and the game. The only star we have in the world, and it's a big star, this is the table. Yeah. So with that, I was wondering because this is the tornado. This is the World Series of Tornado.

[01:05:42] And we're right here in Tornado's front yard to play. Would there be an American event with ITSF that would include multiple tables? I don't know. Okay. What are the multi-table events? So we have three multi-table events. Yep. We have the World Cup that everybody knows. Right.

[01:06:03] If some people listen to the show, you have to understand that it is about 350 and 500,000 euros to organize this kind of event. Yeah. So there's a lot of money to find, a lot of people to convince because you don't give me your money

[01:06:19] but I find a lot of people to do this. Okay. But it's a lot of work to be able to do this just to run the event. I'm not speaking about anything else. Sure. Because it's very expensive. So this can be bringing the USA,

[01:06:31] but we need to convince sponsors, institutions, cities and why not? Yeah. We have the Champions League. And now it's European, but the idea is to make it worldwide maybe next year or the after. That would be interesting. Can it be done in USA? Maybe, it's smaller. Okay.

[01:06:49] So again, it depends on sponsors. It costs less money to speak about numbers. It's maybe 150,000 and it's okay. And you have the gold final. It's a very new tournament. Yes. We are starting here. There is two players, Suley Van Roo and Tomiyo who are qualified for this event.

[01:07:07] So you will have two American players. Hence the golden ticket. This is a golden ticket. We will show it next week. We are making a working... There are so many subjects we are working on. Very late and everything.

[01:07:20] But we have the golden tickets, yes, ready for next week. So we'll have 12 women players, 12 men players. We have our partners, Phil Oro, giving us on 25,000 gold prices during this event. We will try to make a very nice event. But it's easier to make a very nice event

[01:07:40] when we have only 12 men and 12 women. That's... But it also costs some money. Also 150,000. You have to find to organize the scan of the event. Because you need to bring the people. You need a room to bring the people to make communication,

[01:07:55] to make marketing, to organize the final arena. This one costs money. Build the arena and... Everything. And you need staff. Everybody, if they make numbers, they will understand. Quickly that... Oh, okay. So it's like when people organize tournaments, sometimes they ask,

[01:08:10] oh, but you know, this guy or this girl, they are making money to organize the event. Yeah, but look at numbers, what you have to spend. Oh, yeah. In the first place. Oh, just the logistic issues when it comes to your team. The team that builds the setting

[01:08:25] brings in all the tables, gets them leveled, gets them clean. And I want to use this time to also thank the team of Texas State and Steve's team because... We are speaking now and you can see that... The boxes are lined up. Yeah, they are setting down everything

[01:08:42] since four hours, five hours and it will continue for four hours, five hours. It's 50 tables. Yes, and the play and the participate during the event and this is really a team effort. Oh yeah. To be honest, I like it. Oh.

[01:08:57] I sleep two hours or three hours a day. But no, but it's like a team effort, it's like playing because you share this with people and when it's done, you're tired and I like to be tired. But it's a good tired.

[01:09:08] It's a good tired because you do something that maybe other people cannot do if they don't spend this energy and time we've done. Right. And we succeed to do it together. So there is no value for this, you know? Yeah. This is something you have to...

[01:09:22] After the work-up, 14 days in total of organization, two or three hours maximum each night. When you finish this, believe me, your team may be like people who organize concerts and travel during months. Oh yeah, yeah. You feel good. Oh, it's... Especially when you're entertaining

[01:09:41] 20,000 people in a concert, you know? That's got to be a great feeling when they get that done. It's hard, but it's a great feeling until everything works well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So that's why the manager is important there. Oh, it's... Kudos to you and your team.

[01:09:59] You did a wonderful job. So there's like everything else that people do that has technology involved. Everything worked well mostly. I mean, but what are you going to do? Sometimes things happen. But you guys, I think, pulled it off beautifully. You never would have noticed

[01:10:15] there was any hiccups or any issues along the way. No, it was okay. We have a chance to have a crash test during this weekend on Electricity. Yes. So that's always good. You know we always have this kind of...

[01:10:29] A problem when you make an event a little bigger. So you will have some problems, but it's good because you train yourself. Suddenly when you make quacks, test yourself. This is how you learn. Like a good foosball player, you've got to learn to adjust. You have to learn.

[01:10:45] You have to lose. Yeah. If you win all your match, maybe there is a problem, you know? You never got to get better if you don't lose. No, yeah, yeah, you have to lose. You have to fail to understand, to learn.

[01:10:59] It's not because it's writing on a paper or someone told you that it's in your body, you know? Yeah. So no, no, that's good. And we had a lot of time to teach people here so they can not only see, but we spend time with the USTSO team,

[01:11:13] with other people here, runners to explain them that it's not difficult. You have to be calm. You have to have a plan. Yes. You have to revise the plan, look at the timing every time, calculate. It's a day you have to calculate every... if every five minutes

[01:11:29] you don't calculate what will happen or 15 minutes, something will happen. Yeah. Something will happen and you don't know. You don't control this. It's called Murphy's Law. Yeah, but it helps you to be calm and to be nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because if you don't anticipate,

[01:11:45] then when it comes, you're hurt. Yeah, yeah. Because you don't anticipate. People in front say, oh, it doesn't anticipate. So you hurt. It's happened, right? Oh, yeah. You don't do it a lot then. Okay, so you can speak to the people and say, okay, we made a mistake

[01:12:01] or there is some change about this and this... You need to adapt. Yeah. There's a... even in a smaller sense, I mean when I was working, putting together the podcast equipment, I mean, I would drag this stuff across the country to set up and there's...

[01:12:17] even though I've done this dozens of times, there's always some kind of a technical issue that needs to be solved on the side or something that I didn't think of in advance. But you were not stressed because you have the experience. Correct. So you know how to react.

[01:12:31] I'm not saying it's easy. No? You have to find solutions. You're looking for options. And I know there's a solution. I always know there's something. You know there is. Yeah. You don't know which one yet. Yeah. But if you stay calm

[01:12:42] and you look at the possibilities you have, you will adapt. Maybe it will not be as better as the best plan you have. Sure. But it will be fair. It will be good. It will be enough for the project you have. And it works.

[01:12:52] So everybody does this every day in their life. Yeah. So why they don't do it when they organize an event? Yeah. Well there you go. Good point. And thank you for helping with that, with a established pattern and understanding that that's, hey guys,

[01:13:08] we're going to do this thing. And we have a plan and we're going to adjust along the way. Nothing's going to be perfect. That's fine. When things happen, we can react in a common and collected way. We're going to solve it.

[01:13:20] We're going to solve problems along the way. That's half the fun. And the results speak for themselves. People, we can see here people like to play. Yes. Like to socialize. That's what's happening. And this is one of the first point of the ITSF. This is the first,

[01:13:41] like we say, object of the constitution of the ITSF. Okay. Friendship. Yeah. So I come back to this, but this is the most important. You know, who wins, who loses. It's a lot of emotion when you lose. It's a lot of emotion when you win. Yep.

[01:13:55] That's important because it's something you can share with people, even the audience. But the most important is at the end you are part of a group, you know? And that's the most important. It's a wonderful feeling. A wonderful feeling. Everybody needs to socialize with people.

[01:14:10] There are so many alone in the world. So many people alone in the world. No kidding. They don't have a patient. They have a patient here. So we are able to share it. We need to be able to include new people. Yes.

[01:14:22] So I'm not giving an listen to US here. We have the same listen to give to every country. Oh, every place. Every place. Every country has a very positive aspect. Like I said about USA, about the team, about the experience, the knowledge about football,

[01:14:36] and the year you know the activities, top player, et cetera. And each country has a very positive aspect also. Exactly. We're not going into details, but sometimes it's crazy. I had a very long conversation today over lunch with my partner for Amateur Doubles, who's out of Colorado.

[01:14:54] Shout out to Carl. But we hadn't met before. He helps to support FoozeDog Live and Foozeball Radio through something called Patreon. But I hadn't met him in person and we played together this weekend. And we had a really wonderful conversation about a lot of things.

[01:15:12] Music, a bit of politics, and discovered we had a lot of things in common. I never would have known this person or understood where he comes from if I had not played with him in a Foozeball tournament. You speak about something I don't in general,

[01:15:28] and I will not. Politics, religion, any other information, news, people have an... Oh, sure. Okay. But what is interesting, when you share the same patient, you have a little more patience to understand the other point of view. Exactly right. So that's always interesting. When you know the person,

[01:15:47] you don't have the same feeling, you know? People say, oh, this is bad because you don't know them. I'm not saying by knowing them there will be a better person. I'm not going to solve it. But at least... There's a bridge.

[01:15:59] You will take a little time before you have an opinion. You make a final opinion about the other person. Yeah, exactly. If you share the same person, you will take this time. You cannot fight or beat people. You share something with them. Even it's a small thing.

[01:16:13] Not only a foosball, of course. And it is interesting that he and I both had the same comment about when you come to a foosball tournament, nobody cares about those things that are happening in society. We're focusing on what's happening in front of us on the table.

[01:16:27] We don't have time for any of that other stuff. Let's have fun. Let's compete. Let's do our best. And the best team will win. That's what will happen. And we'll accept the results. That's the idea. And we are pretty lucky because even if there is some little contestation

[01:16:47] sometimes about the game, it's mainly what you say. It's mainly the best we win or at least if the atmosphere is good, the best at this time, at this match. And that's enough. And then at the end we'll socialize and have fun and talk to each other

[01:17:04] like human beings. Go figure. Most of the time. Except when things start to get a little out of control. But that's for another time. It's happened. Well, Farid, first of all, thank you so much for what you do. What you have done, what you're doing now,

[01:17:24] and what you're about to do. Thank you. I'll take... Thank you very much to like what our team is doing because I'm just the representative or I don't know what is the name of the team. But again, we are in ITSF about 30 people at least. And outside ITSF,

[01:17:45] each federation, each organization, because there's not only federation while doing something, sometimes people think, okay, what thing ITSF about this organization or this organization? There's about 10 or 12 organizations around the world doing their own things and that's always good. We always support this.

[01:18:06] There is no one way to do it. We don't know if we're going in one direction. It's a good way. And just try to go in the same direction all together. Sure. But we don't need to be all in the same boat and doing things.

[01:18:18] And ultimately, there has to be a leading team. There has to be a team that kind of guides others on the direction to go. That's always been the case. Yeah, but this is a job when you decide to become a president

[01:18:35] and you say, okay, I want to lead. You need to have a vision and you need to be able to care about the people you work with and to share this vision, to be able to trust everybody and to do the job.

[01:18:47] So yes, this is what I have to do. And I hope I'm able to train also other people so they will be able to do it in their federation and later in ITSF too. But I'm pretty optimistic because what we have done in the last years

[01:19:01] is very positive in my opinion. We give a very good image of football. Oh, terrific. That's important because we love the game. We have to share it with two people. Are we stupid to love the game? Are we just stupid to do this? No.

[01:19:15] I don't think so too. I think it's a very interesting tool and this is why I'm here. I have a passion for this game. I know that it's helped me a lot even in my life because if you want to be a good player you have to...

[01:19:31] Like in the sports, you have to practice. It's not only physical or psychological but it's very technical too. So that's perfect. That's something we want to share with people so we don't need to be ashamed of this. And sometimes there are some people

[01:19:49] who are a little ashamed of that. Why would they be ashamed? Because you're playing football in competition and this is not what you expect. So we change this image step by step and this is why these kind of events are important. And people...

[01:20:05] Like we spoke about at the beginning of the interview when you come with your family they need to be able to see you they need to be able to see what happened. Support you? Yeah, support that's important. So you need to be proud to be

[01:20:16] in something a little bigger than yourself. Oh yeah. That's help. We all have that need that innate human need to be a part of a community. A community that thinks in so many ways the same. Not exactly the same in every case

[01:20:32] but certainly similar and have a unity over some activity which would in this case be the sport of foosball. It's a great family. We love the fact that there's other people that also need to be a part of the family be brought in. I have a thought here

[01:20:51] and it's kind of a... I'm ripping off a song title but it's... In foosball there are no strangers just friends you haven't met yet. Yeah, I agree with this. And it's very interesting because you will play a match in a matter of the ball you play today

[01:21:12] maybe in a match it was not good with your opponent. There were some troubles because you don't agree on the ball on the interpretation of the rules even if it's much better than some years ago because at least we have World Wild Wars now

[01:21:23] so it's helped a lot the discussion but whatever there is problems but maybe in the next tournament you will play together. Yeah, exactly. It happens all the time. So suddenly you've got a whole different perspective because you've got to work together. And it's happened all the time.

[01:21:39] I see so many people say oh I don't like this. In the next tournament they are playing together because they need a partner and even if they lack or dislike the guy they understand the skill. They respect the skills. We need to team up with somebody

[01:21:54] and say hey I know you are really good out of the two rod in the pits there I know you're the person I want to play with you because I know you can back me up even though you kicked my butt

[01:22:06] in the last match or whatever the case. So yes, like you said it's maybe a friend you didn't meet but maybe it will be next time people you don't like so much because he will be your opponent again so this is a no hand story about this

[01:22:20] that's it and it's very nice again it's about emotion we are the human the human I should say the human species and we're all one species and we all love foosball and that's why we're together so there you have it I gotta say

[01:22:38] I'm a bit punch-trunk after this weekend because I've been up a lot and playing a lot and doing a lot of other things but you know what I've been saying before it's a good tired and I am looking forward to the future more so now than ever

[01:22:52] I cannot tell you what happened you will see a part of it and I will be able to tell you after it happens maybe before it happens if really it happens because I don't know we have many options we have many people who want to do

[01:23:06] I will meet I think 15 people in the next 10 days that want to be part and the door is open for them so I cannot tell before we have the discussion what will happen it will be stupid because it means I will not use the human resources

[01:23:21] existing in the country so I don't want to go in the direction because I want this to go and I want the USA to fit what happened in other countries doesn't make sense so yes many things will happen but it will depend on people not only me

[01:23:36] well we are anxiously anticipating to see the results and we're looking forward and the door is wide open here by which we all should meet I hope we can do this everywhere in the world but also something much better in USA thank you so much thank you