On the way home tonight, I was listening to Public Service Broadcasting’s ‘Everest.’ As the last bars fade out, a voice asks: “Why should a man climb Everest?” And the same man answers: “Because it is there.”
Tariq Panja once told me: “with all the things that you’ve seen or heard, you should keep a diary, and publish a book one day.” Recent attempts by others probably mean mine would not be a best seller. By occasionally blogging, it's an outlet, to share a few stories. Today, I met someone trying to climb his Everest.
More than 16 years ago, I joined The Football Association in the first ever Customer Relations Unit. My foot in the door owed something to a lucky connection with someone I worked with previously in a Sloane Street secretarial recruitment company. And despite nervously calling myself a ‘carrot cruncher’ in the interview, Mark Sudbury still took a chance on me!
Today, I met finally, face-to-face, Jeronimo Diaz Tomic. He’s worked in football before. In Chile. In Australia. Now he wants to work for FIFA. In September, he cycled 1215km from Toulouse, in the South of France, where he lives with his wife and son. He took 25 days, via UEFA and IOC HQs, to deliver a letter and CV, expressing his dream to work in sport. On the way, he camped. Sometimes, he slept in fields. He then delivered his letter and CV to FIFA reception. Then left again. He documented his journey in an incredible video.
Tariq Panja once told me: “with all the things that you’ve seen or heard, you should keep a diary, and publish a book one day.” Recent attempts by others probably mean mine would not be a best seller. By occasionally blogging, it's an outlet, to share a few stories. Today, I met someone trying to climb his Everest.
More than 16 years ago, I joined The Football Association in the first ever Customer Relations Unit. My foot in the door owed something to a lucky connection with someone I worked with previously in a Sloane Street secretarial recruitment company. And despite nervously calling myself a ‘carrot cruncher’ in the interview, Mark Sudbury still took a chance on me!
Today, I met finally, face-to-face, Jeronimo Diaz Tomic. He’s worked in football before. In Chile. In Australia. Now he wants to work for FIFA. In September, he cycled 1215km from Toulouse, in the South of France, where he lives with his wife and son. He took 25 days, via UEFA and IOC HQs, to deliver a letter and CV, expressing his dream to work in sport. On the way, he camped. Sometimes, he slept in fields. He then delivered his letter and CV to FIFA reception. Then left again. He documented his journey in an incredible video.
He found me on Twitter shortly after that trip, and we struck up a rapport. This was a guy who so badly wanted to get his foot in the door, as I did 16 years ago. I thought it deserved to be known about. So I posted a few tweets.
As his story was picked up in French media, we started to discuss the idea of him visiting FIFA. He would plan his journey, in order to find a cheap train fare. This afternoon, he finally arrived through the Zurich fog, after a journey from Toulouse, via Paris. 15 hours. Overnight. We did a mini tour of FIFA HQ. We visited the Committee room. The ‘Meditation’ room, - where visitors who need a quiet place to pray, can do so in peace – and our TV studio.
Over lunch, we tried to further nail down what would be his ‘dream job.’ Jeronimo presented me with a book. Hardback. Stunning photography. Produced and crowd-funded, by people who like me, could see something special. As we talked, he also did a bit of filming. Jeronimo explained that the bicycle he came to Zurich with in September had been sold. The drone, with which he filmed, had also been sold. Instead, he’d bought a new camera, and was testing out new ways to document his journey, in the same way he hoped in future, he may document FIFA projects.
As his story was picked up in French media, we started to discuss the idea of him visiting FIFA. He would plan his journey, in order to find a cheap train fare. This afternoon, he finally arrived through the Zurich fog, after a journey from Toulouse, via Paris. 15 hours. Overnight. We did a mini tour of FIFA HQ. We visited the Committee room. The ‘Meditation’ room, - where visitors who need a quiet place to pray, can do so in peace – and our TV studio.
Over lunch, we tried to further nail down what would be his ‘dream job.’ Jeronimo presented me with a book. Hardback. Stunning photography. Produced and crowd-funded, by people who like me, could see something special. As we talked, he also did a bit of filming. Jeronimo explained that the bicycle he came to Zurich with in September had been sold. The drone, with which he filmed, had also been sold. Instead, he’d bought a new camera, and was testing out new ways to document his journey, in the same way he hoped in future, he may document FIFA projects.
He also had two more books he wanted to leave for the FIFA President and Secretary General. I told him I’d introduce him to a few people. Then we’d leave the books. But we got a bit bold!
After delivering one photo book to a good friend who works in the Presidential Office, we walked to the other side of the building. By then, I had the sales pitch for Jeronimo well-rehearsed. Just as I started to make my pitch to one of the SG’s team, she said: “I think we can do better than that.”
Fatma arrived. Invited us into her office. They chatted. We showed her Jeronimo’s video. And he explained why he wanted to work for FIFA. Why he’d been inspired to cycle 1215km, in the hope he might one day get to realise his dream.
The look on his face, as we chatted downstairs afterwards and hugged, was one I hope to see again. It was flushed with a happiness and, a puzzlement almost, as if the last half an hour hadn’t really happened. There have been few highlights, and many more lowlights in the last two years, but this afternoon was special. Because I met a special human being.
Two days ago, Jeromino posted another video. He said he would not give up, until his story reached the right person. After today, I was reminded that if you find an ‘Everest’ in front of you, you could be beaten immediately. Alternatively, you can think of possible ways to conquer it. There are many cod-philosophical ways I could try to end this blog. However, one quote stands out from Mark Twain: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” I hope we started something for Jeronimo today.
