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It’s party time in Portugal for football’s classless society, as the locals and half a million tourists ensure that a good time is enjoyed by one and all. Sport is a very important medium to get people closer. With the Portuguese attitude towards life Euro 2004 is a classic example the real value of sport. The competition has reached half way stage and eight of the sixteen teams contesting the finals will return home by midweek but though the excitement continues to rise, the fun remains, despite a few surprises and skirmishes.
Savouring life slowly is a Portuguese passion and much of the best, is humble-tradition folk-festival, simple, honest food drowning in olive oil, music that pulls at the heart strings, recalling past love and glories, and markets overflowing with fish, fruit and flowers.
Portugal has a rich seafaring past, superb resorts, wistful towns and a landscape wreathed in olive groves, vineyards and wheat fields. The hospitality of the Portuguese people and the meticulous preparations have combined towards this happy moment.
When during the short but impressive opening ceremony, Nelly Furtado sang ‘Forca’ one could not but appreciate the lovely words of love for sport and life.
For the locals and the hundreds of tourists who visited Portugal for Euro 2004, the happy atmosphere may linger longer than the fare offered on the field of play, Loule staged a football carnival with floats, an impressive parade, and samba extravaganza.
Lobo Square in Leiria attracted thousands for a full programme of entertaining, ranging from concerts to the traditional pig sucking festival. The affable Portuguese prove to be perfect hosts and it seems that all the country and not solely the eight cities where the matches are being played, was en fete. The appropriate slogan of ‘peace and pleasure’ said it all.
In many instances one noticed why football is referred to ‘as the beautiful game.’ Football brings about kings and princes, the bourgeois and the Bedouins together in a fascinating atmosphere of colours, bands cheers and jeers, with the never ending debates and arguments on who did what and giving a million and one interpretations of what should have been done and wasn’t or what shouldn’t have been done and unfortunately was done, with disastrous effects.
After all, as the axiom goes, that is football, with brilliant goals, boring matches, glaring misses and very dubious decisions which make you wonder whether the law applies for everyone.
Costly blunders
Footballwise, it is very evident that the challenge for the title will be very tight.
Sometimes matches are remembered simply because of episodes. France-England was highly interesting, but never a classic. It will go down in the books as the match when France scored two goals in injury time to turn defeat into a dramatic victory. Perhaps England’s keeper David James’ excuse that the FA and Eriksson failed to supply him with clips of Zidane's repertoire is a feeble cover, but what can Steven Gerrard say for his foolish back pass which led to the decisive penalty kick?
Russia’s keeper, Ovchinnokov, was wrongly sent off by the Norwegian Terje Hauge, because he never handled the ball and though the Russians were poor this decision didn’t help when they met Portugal.
Francesco Totti of Italy should have been sent off by Majuto Gonzalez of for his brutal late tackle on a Dane during injury time, but the Spaniard whistler spared him! The gifted star was given a lesson for spitting at Poulsen, but even here he got off lightly. Usually the minimum suspension for such disgusting behaviour is a four-match ban. That is the reason why the Italian officials decided against an appeal, which would have possibly increased the suspension.
It’s not fair play
Football’s ruling bodies keep harping on about fair play. They give out stickers, parade banners before kick-off and brag about their promotion of the meaningful slogan. Unfortunately they don’t always practise what they preach. One fails to understand why the list of referees for the tournament includes referees from only ten competing countries. Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden all have a referee hailing from their country. Even Norway and Slovakia have their own whistlers, though they failed to reach the last sixteen. But Croatia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Greece do not! The completed list of 12 referees and 28 assistants, include a Scot, a Luxembourger, a Belgian and a Greek!
UEFA’s Referees Committee should explain what led them to this strange and illogical selection, and the fans have a right to know what criteria was used so that six participating countries do not have a referee present in Portugal. Though fun dominates in Portugal this decision, that was taken at least six months ago, is not funny.
At a seminar held in Porto on the eve of the competition the referees were told not to tolerate players taking their tops off after scoring and to check for ‘divers’ and ensure that these are punished. They were also told that the bench is a no smoking zone and were given strict instructions regarding violent tackles, holding opponents from their shirts, and were told not to tolerate defenders who ignore the distance for dead ball situations, and were also given other instructions regarding players’ accessories like ear-rings, chains and rings! Of course, such guidelines are important, provided that all referees adhere to them and the interpretation is streamlined.
Astrologers’ Prediction
Though only 16 matches have been played a few decisions are already known. Russia and Bulgaria are the weakest, Greece well disciplined, while the great favourites France have yet to score from a collective move.
Perhaps it is interesting to repeat what astrologer Bethea Jenner predicted. Those who believe in the stars may reach their own conclusions. A month ago this astrologist declared that Spain and Greece should progress from Group A; France (impossible) and Bulgaria (already eliminated) to wave adieu from Group B, there will be rejoicing in Stockholm and Copenhagen from Group 3 and finally Holland and the Czech Republic to make round two from Group D. If the message is not cordial please don’t shoot the messenger.
The best women
The media is obviously kept busy with innumerable stories, most of which have nothing to do with the real game. Millions are glued in front of their small boxes and know exactly what is actually happening on the field of play; however to make the whole tournament more interesting they ensure that they pick other stories. So far the hooligans have been kept under control and the ‘usual carnage’ has been spared. The Portuguese authorities deserve credit for their crowd control, but the media was short of stories and had to pick on other topics to catch the eye.
A reputable London mag wrote about a few stunners who are married to famous footballers and mentioned Magdalena Graaf, the blonde pin-up wife of the Sweden goalkeeper Magnus Hedman, Nicole Merry wife of Thierry Henry, the Swedish model Helene Svedin who is married to Luis Figo, Eva Kilianova who is dating Liverpool’s Milan Baros, Francesco Totti’s fiancée Ilary Blasi, Steven Gerrard’s partner Alex Curran and Bobo Vieri's on/off girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis.
There must be a few other glamorous girls connected with a number of stars who when not performing on the field of play are busy modelling clothes, sun glasses, food, after-shave products and even nail polish!
Such is to-day’s world’s most beautiful game!
They ‘western’ stars would also make sure that they also have a number of tattoos. Beckham has nine or more, but I did not see any Russian player with one.
Tattoos representing the cross of St George and bulldogs bulged from forearms, biceps and calves in Algarve. ‘English fans bare tattoos and fill the bars’ said the front page of a local paper. During the week it was the British fans who stole the headlines once again as “200 ran riot, 11 deported after fights in Albufera.” These yobs ruin a spectacle of music, bands and songs in the sun, with the evening matches thrown in.
John Kerry’s secret
Even President Bush’s challenger for the White House loves the beautiful game. But he keeps it a secret. Throughout his campaign for the US presidency, John Kerry has gone out of his way to demonstrate his athleticism by cycling, snowboarding, windsurfing, playing hockey-and even buying a jockstrap-in front of cameramen and reporters. But few people realise that should the Democratic challenger beat George W Bush, the country will have its first true ‘soccer’-savvy leader.
However, he has failed to use his soccer credentials to woo the US’s coveted ‘soccer moms voting bloc, probably because he knows he can’t afford it. One Bush advisor has sneered “Kerry looks French - the last thing he needs is to be spotted trying to juggle a football or donning a Paris St Germain scarf......In the name of politics!”
“Almost as blasphemous, don’t be seen with me because party officials won't like it.”
We are only talking about football honey....it’s just a big party in Portugal.
Vive o 2004
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