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US President George W Bush’s challenger, the Democrat John Kerry, loves football but never used these credentials during his electoral campaign. He did demonstrate his athleticism by cycling, snowboarding, windsurfing and playing hockey. He even bought a jockstrap in front of cameramen and reporters but never mentioned football. In the US football is regarded as a European sport. Imagine Kerry with a Paris Saint Germain scarf round his neck, at a time when because of the current political situation the Americans and the French are hardly kissing each other!
Besides that, the recent daggers which have hit the European game hardly encourage any fresh interest. Sadly football fans are not really bothered about serious problems like doping, violence and all things negative. Once their fancied strong side is doing well or their weak edition is not always hammered and humiliated, they maintain interest there. Regular poor results will scare them away.
But honest administrators are really worried with recent developments.
Status symbol to talk football
There was a time not many years ago when the main topic during middle-class dinner parties centred on the razzle and dazzle of football. It became a status symbol to express an opinion on the game, such as football share prices, diamond formations, David Beckham’s hairstyle and Paolo Maldini’s designer clothes. Supposedly intelligent people found it imperative to proclaim an interest in football when most of them never really cared for the game. Such a scene was a common occurrence in most European countries.
It is a totally different story these days, as a very close friend who goes by the anonymous name Babs summed it all, when stating that: “Today, though the game has been hyped up more than ever before, even the most tolerant soul will accept that it is not fashionable to talk about football, especially in social circles. Much of this talk is more reserved to the canteens. It belittles nearly all those who are involved in this morally bankrupt sport. There are so many other more interesting topics to discuss. The football culture has almost become a bore.”
Babs is not just an ordinary analyst, but a soul-searcher on human behaviour, a perfectionist with a deep knowledge of world affairs, rare intelligence and exceptional vision. It’s a treat discussing any topic with Babs.
“There is an urgent need of cleaning up the rotten act. A few persons in authority are trying, while others give the impression that they are holier than thou.” said Babs.
Coburn, Chelsea vs Mutu
Richard Coburn, Minister for Sport in Tony Blair’s cabinet, has urged the Football Association to ban Chelsea’s Adrian Mutu for two years for his failed drug test in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency code. Chelsea went even further, even if their decision will mean that they will not recoup anything of the GBP15.8 million they paid Parma.
They sacked the shamed, GBP3 million-a-year, Rumanian addict Mutu, who admitted that he has been on coke since early this year.
These are principles to be admired in this ailing sport. A further example comes from Greece where every effort is being made to rid it of widespread corruption, match- fixing, doping and hooliganism. It is not an easy task as the well-known investigative journalist and key witness into criminal probes, Filippos Sirigos, found out recently. He was knifed and beaten with crowbars after writing stories about corruption in Greece’s soccer clubs and testified against the top two sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou who faked a motor cycle incident to avoid being tested on the eve of the Olympic Games.
Juve’s trial
Last Monday, Raffaele Guarinello, the public prosecutor in the Juventus doping trial, asked for the club’s chief executive officer Antonio Giraudo and the head of the medical staff Ricardo Agricola to be given jail sentences: 25 months for Giraudo and 38 for Agricola, who have both denied the charges.
‘La Vecchia Signora’ is in the dock awaiting sentence.
It was more than six years ago when the outspoken Czech Zdenek Zeman, then manager of AC Roma and now in charge of the Puglia club Lecce, claimed that drug use was rife within Italian soccer.
“Get rid of pharmacies within football,” he declared and all hell broke lose. Mario Pescante, the head of the supreme sport authority, in Italy resigned and the head of CONI’s lab did the same. Zeman mentioned the massive thighs of players like Del Piero and Gianluca Vialli, and he became the most hated man for some. Turin’s public prosecutor Raffaele Guarinello started a serious inquiry and in January 2002, Giraudo and Agricola were accused of administering banned substances to the players between 1994 and 1998, during which period they won about eight or nine major honours. During the trial Prof. Muller, a pharmacologist, stated that Juventus had a store of 281 medicines with at least five prohibitive anti-inflammatory drugs, and 38 others working on the nervous system.
A number of great stars, including Maradona, Zidane, Vialli, Roberto Baggio, and Del Piero, appeared in the witness box. Many diplomatically gave ‘can’t remember’ answers. They may also be prosecuted.
The world’s ‘Beautiful Game’ is fast becoming a misnomer.
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