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og så lige for at følge op på Guadeloupe Frankrig relationen - og lidt katalansk småracisme...

Political Footballers XI: Central Defence Lilian Thuram

In a recent Guardian article Jonathan Wilson writes about the possible longevity of Spain’s dominance of world football. That Spain have been able to produce skilful, intelligent players like Xavi, Iniesta and Silva, all who are 5 foot 7, has been attributed to a different focus in junior football. He says that perhaps the obsession with pace and power in other countries (England were the tallest team at the U-20 World Cup tournament) has contributed to a lack of creativity and imagination on the football field.

This situation is something the French Football Federation were trying to address at one of their committee meetings earlier this year. The meeting was secretly recorded by Mohamed Belkacemi, national technical adviser for football in poor, multi-racial suburbs of France. The tape reveals the current France national team manager Laurent Blanc as saying, ‘We are producing only one prototype of player: big, strong, fast… and who are the big, strong, fast players? The blacks… I think we need to refocus, above all for boys of 13-14, 12-13, introduce other parameters, adjusted to our own culture’ (quoted in Lichfield, 2011).

The recording of this meeting caused significant outrage in France. Ex-national team defender Lilian Thuram, campaigned for Blanc to be fired, saying he is ‘guilty of at least unconscious racism and promoting racial stereotypes’ (Lichfield, 2011). Blanc remains the national team manager, and was also recorded saying that he wouldn’t care if the whole was made up of black players. Nevertheless the meeting became notorious due to the suggestion from others on the committee that ‘quotas’ should be used when selecting boys to join training programmes. This hasn’t happened, yet. The intention was to prevent young, skilful players who may not be as strong as others, from being discouraged from playing by bigger, stronger boys. It seems that Blanc, and others, believe the biggest and strongest teenage boys in France most often happen to be black. What he appears to be saying is that if instead of prioritising qualities like strength and pace, they focused upon skill and technique this would encourage skilful white, black and brown players to continue playing the game. However Thuram believes, with some justification, that once the assertion is made that black players are more strong and powerful, it is only a step away from saying that white players are more intelligent than others.

This kind of racial stereotyping is something Thuram witnessed while he was a player at Barcelona. He talks of a physical trainer saying that Eric Abidal was an, ‘Athlete of the black race’. Thuram adds, ‘It’s not because he stays behind to run after training. No, it’s because he’s black’ (quoted in Kuper, 2008). - fantastisk med tika - taka og småracisme...kan man andet end at elske de culos..jeg mener cules..:-)

Thuram, as well as being a cultured, intelligent and dominant defender, has also been outspoken politically, most notably on issues of economic injustice, immigration and race. He is a natural choice for the second centre-back in the Political Footballers XI.

The riots across France in 2005 & 2006 stirred up issues of immigration and nationalism. These riots predominantly took place in poor, underprivileged areas and the rioters were disaffected youth from immigrant communities.

Thuram was intimately aware of the issues involved. He is an immigrant from Guadeloupe, an ‘overseas region’ of France in the Caribbean. He moved to France at the age of 9, to join his mother who had gone there some years earlier. His talent as a footballer provided him with a way out of the poor neighbourhoods in which he lived. Nevertheless his upbringing has made it impossible for him to forget about the difficulties people in those areas face. He says, ‘Most kids in those suburbs have no way out and that is why they are violent. I do not excuse violence, but I understand it’ (quoted in Hussey, 2007). The then Minister for the Interior, Nicolas Sarkozy, called the rioting kids ‘scum’. To which Thuram responded, ‘If they are scum, then I am scum.’

This statement was being made by a footballer who 7 years earlier was made a member of the Legion d’Honneur, the highest possible award for a French citizen. This award was given after Thuram scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Croatia in the 1998 World Cup semi-final. A game the French President at the time, Jacques Chirac, called, ‘The most beautiful day in French sport.’

Thuram himself has little memory of the game, and had to be told by his team-mates and manager Aime Jacquet that they had won, and were in the World Cup final. Jacquet says he thought Thuram was in some kind of mystical state during the game (Hussey, 2007). Thuram calls it his ‘Miles Davis moment’.

The multicultural ‘black-blanc-beur‘ team that won the World Cup that year didn’t please everyone in France. The racist Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the National Front, said, ‘Thuram as a non-European represents an affront to France’, and went on to complain that there were too many black players in the French national team. In later years there was also some criticism from the immigrant communities of some of the players, particularly Zinedine Zidane. Some felt that he didn’t do enough to draw public attention to issues affecting the Algerian population in France.

This came to a head during a friendly game between France and Algeria in 2001, shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in the United States. The game was first disrupted and then cancelled after pitch invasions, and chants supporting Osama bin Laden and attacking Zidane and other players. As the players left the pitch Thuram remonstrated with one of the Algerian pitch invaders reportedly saying, ‘Can’t you see how you are damaging the cause of France’s ghettoes?’ (quoted in Kuper, 2008). Like the recent riots in England, pointless violence and destruction only serve to mask the underlying social and economic factors that provoke the rioting. The link below is from the film Les Yeux dans les Bleus, and helps to give an idea of the event and Thuram’s frustration. [in French]

Thuram called this game the worst moment of his career in football. At that time he says he felt like everything he believed in, like people being able to live together in harmony, was all wrong. Since that night he has done everything he can to make the opposite come true. With Patrick Vieira he invited 70 recently evicted black African refugees to a European Championship qualifying game against Italy. The purpose was to initiate a discussion about how immigrants are treated in France. There were moves to change the law as a result of this gesture. He has also established a foundation in his name to continue the work against racism.

This former Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona defender rightly deserves a place in central defence in the Political Footballers XI.

Bibliography

Hussey, Andrew (2007) ‘The OSM Interview: Lilian Thuram: If you can keep a cool head’ in the Observer, 4th March, 2007.

Kuper, Simon (2007) ‘Political Football: Liliam Thuram’ on Channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/…285767.html

Lichfield, John (2011) ‘In Black and White: Blanc is on the brink’ in The Independent, May 6th, 2011.

Wilson, Jonathan (2011) ‘The Question: How long can Spain’s football dynasty last?’ in The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.u…ll-dynasty#

San Lorenzo spiller iaften på udebane imod Colon, i den Argentinske Clausura. Der er ingen undskyldninger for San Lorenzo. Det er en kamp der skal vindes, hvis holdet skal blande sig i toppen. Colon er traditionelt stærke på hjemmebane, men de har fået en elendig sæsonstart, med kun 2 point i 5 kampe, så det ligner en San Lorenzo-sejr. Vamos Ciclon!!!

mon ikke både paven og Viggo ser med..

Tidligere Lyn-Oslo fodboldspiller Tommy Nilsen har stablet et socialt projekt op i Rio de Janeiro for at hjælpe unge favella-børn med at få sig en fremtid væk fra gaden.
Karanba har formået at få den unge Darlan i Fluminenses ungdomsrække.

Kudos til ham:
http://www.karanba.com/

Tommy Nielsen gør et kæmpe arbejde med projektet Karanba. De tager hvert år på turné i Skandinavien. Dana Cup er et af målene. Norsk TV havde en dokumentar om Karanba sidste år. Det var bevægende.
Det er en masse norske oliepenge, som er med til at finansiere projektet. Synd at vi danskere ikke er så begavet med råstoffer, så vi kan lave tilsvarende projekter.

Trenden er fortsat de seneste år drenge....

CORINTHIANS, MANCHESTER CITY, AND BRAZIL´S ECONOMIC BOOM

One month ago, would you have imagined that a Brazilian club would make a €40 million bid for the Manchester City captain and still be taken seriously?

When Corinthians announced an offer to bring Carlos Tévez back to South America, they gave rise to the possibility of an improbable wish - that Roberto Mancini´s favourite Argentine had been making public for a while - coming true. But, how can a South American team offer such money for the pride of Eastlands? The answer lies in Brazil’s booming economy, and the current status of the football clubs in the land of Samba.

The recent wave of comebacks by Brazilian footballers - Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Fred, Robinho, Ronaldo and Adriano are recent high-profiles examples - can be explained by Brazil´s economic situation in the 2000s. In 2008, Brazil was ranked as the ninth largest economy in the world by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after settling all their international debts, and cementing their position as the ‘second’ nation in America – behind only the United States. The Brazilian Real became the best-valued against the American dollar, which was reflected in the improvement of the financial capabilities of football teams, who could suddenly offer unhappy European stars salaries of the same level as those paid in ‘the Old Continent’.

Ronaldinho, for example, earns €8 million per year at Flamengo, which would place him among the ten highest earners in European football. Santos have been able to hold onto Neymar, one the most promising talents in Brazil, despite a €20,7 million offer from Chelsea; offering the wonderkid a salary described by the club’s president, Luis Alvaro Ribeiro, as one “of a European level”. Tévez, who, according to the Football Finance website, receives roughly the same salary as Ronaldinho, would be an easy fit into Corinthians’ budget, thanks to the rising currency, and increase in sponsor-driven salaries.

Another factor in the improvement of certain club accounts is a new broadcasting deal, signed in 2011. Until last year, the clubs negotiated their TV contract together, under the Clube dos 13 (a company created by the clubs) umbrella. Now, each club is free to negotiate separately, hoping to get more money from the TV companies. As a result, the two best supported clubs– Flamengo and Corinthians – signed an agreement with TV Globo, under the terms of which each one will receive approximately €40,5 million per year, between 2012-2015. This amount can increase to €58,5 million with pay-per-view sales – and this money would have financed Tévez’ comeback. In comparison, Corinthians accounts reveal that they received €24,7 million in 2010, and just €10,3 million in 2007.

Last Tuesday, however, the adventure of Corinthians came to an end before it had even (re) begun for Tévez. The Brazilian club decided to withdraw their offer, because of a lack of time – the Brazilian transfer window closed yesterday. But the message sent by one of the biggest football teams in South America was clear: the days of one-way talent traffic could well be coming to an end.

Goool Kalinski, San Lorenzo!!! Hvor er det vigtigt. Kør så sejren hjem.

Kampen slut. 1-0 til San Lorenzo:-)

Julio Dely convoca a 23 jugadores


Julio Dely Valdés reveló ayer la lista final de 23 convocados de la selección de Panamá que estarán viendo acción en los próximos dos partidos de eliminatorias mundialistas rumbo a la Copa del Mundo de Brasil 2014.

Panamá se alista para visitar a su similar de Jamaica el próximo viernes 22 y luego recibe en casa a Honduras el martes 26 por la segunda y tercera fecha de la hexagonal final de la Concacaf.

Un total de 11 legionarios y 12 jugadores del patio conforman la convocatoria del seleccionado nacional, donde la ausencia más notable es la baja por lesión del arquero Jaime Penedo, quien estará fuera por dos meses por una fractura en el dedo medio de la mano izquierda.

Los dos jugadores del ámbito local que al final fueron recortados de la lista son el defensor Roberto Chen, del San Francisco FC, y el delantero Luis Matagatos Rentería, del Tauro FC.

Según la nota de prensa de la Federación Panameña de Fútbol, los legionarios estarán llegando entre el domingo y lunes para unirse a los entrenamientos, que se inician hoy desde muy temprano en el estadio Rommel Fernández con los jugadores convocados que militan en el ámbito local.

La sorpresa de la lista fue la inclusión del atacante Edwin Aguilar, quien se metió en lugar de su compañero de equipo Matagatos Rentería para completar el grupo de cuatro delanteros que incluye a Blas Pérez, Luis El Matador Tejada y Alcibiades Rojas, del Atlético Chiriquí.

El último gol de Aguilar con la selección de Panamá fue en enero de 2011 por la Copa Centroamericana ante El Salvador.

La ausencia de Matagatos Rentería llama la atención debido a su buena puntería ante los jamaquinos, a quienes les anotó un gol en ambos partidos amistosos el año pasado, en los triunfos por 1 a 0 en Kingston y 2 a 1 en el Rommel.

La delegación panameña estará viajando a Jamaica el próximo jueves 21 en horas de la mañana en un vuelo chárter y el retorno a suelo patrio está programado para el sábado 23.


Porteros

Luis Mejía – Fénix (URU)

Kevin Melgar – Alianza FC (PAN)

Alex Rodríguez – Sporting SM (PAN)


Defensas

Felipe Baloy – Santos (MEX)

Leonel Parris – Tauro FC (PAN)

Román Torres – Millonarios (COL)

Carlos Rodríguez – Chepo FC (PAN)

Luis Henríquez – Lech Poznan (POL)

Jean Carlos Cedeño – Alianza FC (PAN)

Harold Cummings – Deportivo árabe Unido (PAN)



Volantes

Nelson Barahona – Itagüí (COL)

Aníbal Godoy – Chepo FC (PAN)


Jairo Jiménez – Chorrillo FC (PAN)

Marcos Sánchez – DC United (USA)

Alberto Quintero – Chorrillo FC (PAN)

Juan de Dios Pérez – Tauro FC (PAN)


Armando Cooper – Godoy Cruz (ARG)

Gabriel Gómez – Deportivo Junior (COL)

Rolando Escobar – Deportivo Anzoátegui (VEN)


Delanteros

Luis Tejada – Toluca (MEX)

Blas Pérez – FC Dallas (USA)

Edwin Aguilar – Tauro FC (PAN)

Alcibiades Rojas – Atlético Chiriquí (PAN)

Tragedia en el fútbol nacional: Asesinan al jugador Bryan Santamaría

Santamaria formó parte de la selección Sub-17 que disputó el mundial en México.

(tvn) El jugador de fútbol del equipo sub 17, Bryan Santamaría, fue asesinado esta madrugada en Vista Hermosa de David, provincia de Chiriquí, por sujetos desconocidos que le dispararon a él y a un acompañante.

Santamaría, recibió al menos tres disparos en el cuerpo y otra persona que lo acompañaba también resultó herido y se encuentra en condición grave en el Hospital Regional de David. Aparentemente Santamaría y su compañero caminaban por la vía cuando los desconocidos les disparan.

Amigos y familiares lamentaron el homicidio de Santamaría, quien según dijeron, era un joven que se dedicaba solo a sus actividades deportivas.

Santamaría representó a Panamá en el mundial sub 17,donde vistió la camiseta 17.

Actualmente era jugador del club San Francisco de la Chorrera que lo había cedido en calidad de préstamo al Atlético Chiriquí, donde jugaba con la camisa número 50.

Agentes de criminalística de la DIJ y de la Fiscalía Primera Superior realizaron el levantamiento del cádaver y ordenaron su traslado a la morgue judicial de David.

Hasta el momento no hay detenidos por este homicidio, ni del intento de homicidio del otro ciudadano que permanece grave en el hospital.

Storkamp i Colombia lige nu, imellem Deportivo Cali og Ateltico Nacional. Atletico fører 1-0.