Versus

VERSUS tells the story of the most sensational act of protest in sports history: the sudden boycott of the football 2022 World Cup final in Qatar by the two finalist teams, who then play the match elsewhere. We follow the birth and development of the conspiracy during the event. From the arrival of the national teams, there is a widespread atmosphere of protest (among insiders and public opinion) due to the six thousand deaths on stadium construction sites, the denial of rights, suspicions of corruption in the assignment, and the preventive censorship of any dissent.

Martin is an obscure official of the Danish federation, ignored by his superiors. He has long advocated for the boycott but considers himself too small to change anything. He accidentally meets the widow of a worker who died in the construction of the stadium where his Denmark is about to debut. The encounter multiplies his anguish; throughout the first match, Martin hears the stadium echo with the ghostly scream of that man. He decides he can no longer wait.

His plan is simple: work secretly to convince the federations to boycott the final. For this, he needs accomplices, a small number of Evangelists chosen among former stars who have already spoken out against this event. Simultaneously, he must plan an alternative final, and with Italy out of the World Cup, the hypothesis of San Siro arises, taking shape with a covert blitz with stadium and city representatives.

Martin is ousted from the Danish federation for his activism. As the project gains momentum, he faces a leak to an English journalist and the adverse reaction of many players from the finalist national teams. The night before the final, Martin receives a visit from a Qatari minister, who reveals that he has been deceived: the worker's widow is actually a human rights activist. He feels like a fool, but the Evangelists convince him to continue. The next day, the stadium is packed, but the field remains empty well past the scheduled start time. Amid general bewilderment, a statement is finally read, followed by a joint declaration from some players who, in dissent, announce their withdrawal from the alternative final scheduled for five days later, outside FIFA's jurisdiction.

Milan is immediately bathed in rainbow colors, for a long festival of inclusion attended by people from all over the world. The final takes place with reduced ranks, with the same outcome we know. In the following months, FIFA executives, after all the other teams refused the title, are forced to resign. The new council eventually homologates the result of Milan.

VERSUS is an alternate history drama, telling an "other" story that blossomed within a real global event, ultimately determining a completely different outcome. The project aims to involve all those real World Cup protagonists (players, officials, former stars, and journalists) who could not express their dissent at the time due to external pressures. The project's essence is for this film to become the striking act of protest that could not be realized in Qatar. It aims for partnerships with those holding the rights to the World Cup footage (RAI, BBC...) to turn the film into a global television event.