Football Rebels (Les rebelles du foot): More than just a sport

The world looks up to people with power. That is what power is all about, the ability to impact the world for the better or the worse. Being famous and successful automatically grants a person power and when it is achieved through the means of sport, the honour is all the more prestigious. The French documentary Les rebelles du foot (Football Rebels) is about international footballers who achieved a status of being great and then used their power to make a change for the better.

The documentary is narrated by one of the greatest footballers to have graced the sport in the recent past, Eric Cantona. Cantona was well known for have a fiery personality and playing exceptionally well during his illustrious career which makes him an ideal candidate to host this documentary about personalities who have made a difference using their sporting background. The first footballer in the limelight is Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba who used his fame as the national team’s captain to unite his broken country and bring peace in a time of eminent war. Next up is Carlos Caszely, a man who was made to suffer personally for publically refusing to submit to military rule during Chile’s coup d’etat in 1973. Another personality who was celebrated was Rachid Mekhloufi, a rising star who left his professional club to form a football team that would support the formation of the state of Algeria. Predrag Pasic is the last person who is celebrated in the documentary for starting a school in Sarajevo which would teach children to play football and live peacefully in a time of war.

All the stories in the documentary feature prominent personalities that have caused a positive impact to their respective countries in their own ways. From being as subtle as the formation of a school in a war-ravaged city, as was done by Pasic, to taking a public stance by making announcements as was done by Drogba and Caszely, each have risked losing their fame and fortune and, on occasion, their lives for the sake of a cause they cared strongly about. The documentary celebrates the people who have gone past being mere footballers to being strong political influences.

Every moment that has strong emotional or ethical ties in the documentary sees the interjection of Cantona as narrator who asks the audience if they can imagine living in the middle of war with a gun against their head, or at times he draws from his own personal life to narrate a story which affected him and his family as he grew up to be the great footballer that he was. The documentary also uses stock footage from the actual events and footage gained from revisiting the locations which has an additional effect to lend to the film. The interviews with the personalities as they speak from their own experiences can be quite emotional at times and quite inspirational as well.

For any football fan, this is a must see to witness how football transcends the boundaries of being a mere sport and becomes a great influence in life. For a person who cares less about football, it is a narrative about how simple people who live with honour and dignity can rise above themselves to move a nation and the world around it.