Why politicians should really leave sport alone. Part2

This week's second most gratuitous grab of a sporting event for purely partisan reasons:

DUP politician, whose blushes I shall spare, jokingly messaged on Sunday "McDowell wins US Open last year. McIlroy leading the Masters this year. The DUP delivering for Ulster!"

Ah, no.

Today after young Mr McIlroy's disastrous final round he updated with "McIlroy crashes out at US Masters golf. The reason for this major setback is obvious - UUP/Tory cuts!"

What next?
Salmond claiming an affinity with the Barca midfield ("world-class,   sleek and capable of steam-rolling any opposition")?

Tom Elliott threatening to do a Shakhtar Donetsk ("with all our team playing in the same direction , correct planet alignment and a few bob in the ref's back-pocket...we can overcome the overwhelming odds and triumph")?
sleekit

Oh FFS...

The piece preceeding actually hits pretty well the targets it sets out to hit... but open up the comments and inevitably in rush the cybernat loons.

RaboRuglen:

At no time have I ever visited either Ibrox or Parkhead, however neither can I ever recall having seen any Saltires within the crowds (or outside the venues) at these matches on TV - plenty of Union flags and Tricolours though!

Make no mistake about it this malaise is a product of and sustained by the Union. Come Independence it will be seen for the historically anachronistic, irrelevant and destructive force that it is. Deprived of its sustaining forces it will wither away.

Come the Glorious Day and the Celtic and Rangers bigots will awake from their false consciousness and exchange their centuries-old engrained sectarianism for a civic, secular, independent Scottish identity?

Blatter talking once again with forked tongue?

Is there anyone left who takes what this old fraud says seriously anymore?

Fifa boss Sepp Blatter says the Celtic nations' international status would not be affected by their players' turning out for a Great Britain Olympic team.

The British Olympic Association hopes Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will join England in fielding a team in the 2012 London Games.

But each of the Celtic nations has expressed fears that doing so could harm their independence in the game.

But Blatter said: "It's very clear. If they play, there is no sanction."

The FA clearly don't.

If you all hate Colin Moynihan, Sepp Blatter, Lord Coe...clap your hands

A recurring topic which simply won't do the honourable thing and disappear:

THE Scottish Football Association hopes that any Scot selected for Team GB at the London Olympics in 2012 will declare himself unavailable for the sake of the country.

But the governing body knows it will essentially be powerless to prevent anyone participating in the event should they be inclined to accept the invitation.

There are 525 days until London 2012 kicks off. Make that 523 if you are talking about the Olympic football competition, which will begin with a women’s match at Hampden Park two days before the opening ceremony itself. Yet still the issue of British involvement in the football event remains chaotic.

This is the basic story to date.

This is how it feels to be City...

This is how it feels to be small,
This is how it feels when your team wins nothing at all.

This week's cultural offering is dedicated to the second (or third, if you count FC United) team in Manchester:

Carling, probably the most boring tournament in th...ah, who cares?

I have mentioned previously on here that I am generally (or is that generously) allowed two Euro football aways a year by Ms oneill.

The offer extends to club or country, although since 2005 it has been, with the exception of one trip, Northern Ireland I’ve been travelling to support.

This year has presented an early disappointment, with my planned Belgrade trip to watch OWC in serious doubt since UEFA’s decision to punish us for the behaviour of Serbian hoolies in Italy last year. Estonia in early September looks to be tidy replacement, with a trip to (*cough*) Wembley to watch United in the (*cough*) Champions League Final the possible second option if I can gather together the likely (*cough*) grand or so that the tickets will be probably be fetching.

And, no, before you ask, I won’t be going anywhere near Dublin for any of the games in the Carling Nations(?) fiasco.

It seems that the FAI are panicking that my apathy may be spreading:

Moynihan talks through his short arse

Moynihan spouts nonsense:

British Olympic Association chairman Lord Moynihan has warned that selecting an all-English team to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics may lead to legal challenges from players not considered for selection.

That would seriously be a first in world football; as far as I know, not one player has ever offered up a leagl challenge to not being selected for his own national team, never mind an international select for a Mickey Mouse tournament.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reached an agreement in May 2009 to allow the selection of only English players, with the other home nations concerned that a combined team would threaten their individual status with FIFA.

Agreement being the key word there- so, why suddenly is it a problem again for the Poison Dwarf?

That deal was cleared by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee but the BOA are adamant that players are picked on merit, and Moynihan has outlined one of the main areas of concern saying the agreement would be in breach of the Olympic Charter.

He said: 'We would open ourselves up to legal challenges if the pool of players available for selection was England only.'

If I understand his logic there, although the IOC themselves have agreed to the arrangement, they may have done so in ignorance of the regulations in their own charter? Riiiggght.

Quote of the day

Hurrah for hacks, St George and England!

In this World Cup sewer, we reptiles of British journalism hold our heads high

And I'm not being sarcastic.
There are not many countries in the world where the interests of free speech and actually downright decency would trump a World Cup bid. The fact that it did in the United Kingdom is something we can be very proud of.

Sweeping FIFA's corruption under the carpet is the patriotic thing to do?

I've read this a couple of times now and still find its implications disturbing:

The BBC's plan to broadcast a Panorama documentary into allegations of Fifa corruption is "unpatriotic", says the head of England's 2018 World Cup bid.

"I'm incredibly disappointed with the timing of what the BBC seem to be proposing with Panorama," said the 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson.

"To do it the week before the vote - I don't think think it's patriotic."

So... if the FIFA hierarchy do take umbrage at the programme's findings and as an "indirect" result, England lost the 2018 World Cup, what does that say about the morality behind the whole selection process?

And it's not just the BBC which has been causing upset:

More recently England's bid suffered further damage following corruption allegations made against Fifa by the Sunday Times newspaper.

Anson went on:

Anson, who also branded the Panorama programme "sensationalist", has been to see the BBC's director general Mark Thompson about the documentary, but the 2018 bid chief made clear he had not asked for the programme not to be shown.

"I did not ask him to do that, I just told him what the potential implications of doing it would cause," said Anson, who knows the contents of the letters Panorama had sent to Fifa executive committee members it had wanted to interview.

"The issues seem to be things dealt with by the Swiss courts and by Fifa in the past. They're not happy with someone raking over old issues but then, no one would be.

In other words, FIFA have been onto Anson explaining the "consequences" for England's bid if the programme has been shown? The Panorama programme is due to be shown on November 29th, today:

... Fifa's ethics committee will announce the outcome of its investigation into claims that two executive committee members - Nigerian Amos Adamu and Tahitian Reynald Temarii were willing to offer their support in return for money for football projects.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing and will fight the allegations during the three-day hearing.
The committee will also rule on claims that Spain and Portugal have agreed a voting alliance with Qatar, who are bidding for the 2022 World Cup finals.

Unusually, Fifa has called an emergency executive committee meeting for Friday to discuss the findings.

If something untoward is found in either case, Anson still believes it would be "unpatriotic" and "sensationalist" for the BBC and other British media to report and comment on the rotten state of FIFA?

We have a media in this case prepared to report the truth, irrespective of the consequences and that should be a major cause of patriotic pride to Mr Anson.
If England are to win the 2018 bid, much better that it's done with integrity and conscience intact surely?

Quote of the day

Bit longer than usual, but I make no apologies. This from a young Muslim Celtic supporter, "The Bhoy Ali", is excellent:

I’m being a little facetious, but I just did not realise what some people read into the poppy symbol. For me it is a simple way to remember all those young men throughout the former British Empire who never came home. To remember those from a different time with different ethics and different expectations. Those who kissed goodbye to mums and dads, brothers and sisters, wives and girlfriends and never came home. A chance to pay respects to young boys who died on foreign soil for a cause they knew little about but the “establishment” gave them no say in whether they participated.

On second and third readings I began to understand, emphasising the point I made at the beginning – we are all products of our upbringing. For those with more immediate connections with the Irish troubles I can understand why any commemoration of British soldiers will be difficult to bear, especially if you see this symbol as glorification of militarisation. But in the same way you rage against the establishment for “forcing” this symbol on you, don’t rage against me because I don’t see things your way.

You claim that this symbol is being hijacked by those glorifying war. Across the world extremists are trying to hijack Islam, my religion – That’s their problem not mine.

Protestors hold up banners about blood stained poppy’s - Then sing songs about the IRA.

Posters on the web slaughter John Reid and call him Doctor Death – Then stick an X against for New Labour who took us into more conflicts than any other government.

Do read the rest of it.

The Old Firm increase their dominance

For the SNP and Scottish Labour, read "Rangers" and "Celtic"; so far ahead of the rest of the pack, the rest might as well pack up their boots and go home:

The SNP has significantly closed the gap on Labour following the launch of the party's 2011 election campaign at its annual conference last weekend.

The poll puts the SNP on 34% in the constituency vote, against 40% for Labour, 14% for the Conservatives and 8% for the Lib Dems. On the regional vote the SNP has increased to 31% against 36% for Labour, 15 for the conservatives and 8 for the Lib Dems.

Which makes the Conservatives, the "Aberdeen" of Scottish politics. Allegedly once, waaay back in the mists of time, a power to be reckoned with north of the border, they even nicked the odd title off Labour and the SNP.
Now would be inordinately pleased next May if they avoided relegation to oblivion (aka the Scottish Division One).

Leaving the Lib Dems. Constantly being patronised and laughed at by fans of the Big Two but essentially harmless and, well, pointless (in both accepted meanings of the word).
Partick Thistle?

Quote of the day

Kenny MacAskill had a message yesterday which is also applicable to disgruntled members of the GAWA:

"We've not got the best fitba' team in the world but they're oor team and we're proud of them. Scotland's not the biggest country in the world, but it's oor ain hameland and we're all proud of it."

Reality bites in the N.Atlantic

Five points at this stage of the competition is two more than I expected and there are no easy games in international football you know and... well.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear!

There are probably less than a dozen teams in Europe that wouldn't be automatically expected to beat Northern Ireland and even in the best of times, I wouldn't fancy our chances against any of them.

Give us Sweden, Spain, England, Italy on the other hand...

77/1 for a Home Countries Treble!

On international football nights, I always make sure that I have a little "hopeful/less solidarity", combined bet on the four home countries. Going on returns to date, let's just say that I wouldn't recommend it as an alternative means of investment to a few fivers stuffed under the biscuit tin under the bed...but one day I just know it's going to come off.

So, Paddy Power today are offering a whopping 77/1 (!!!) treble on Northern Ireland to beat Italy, a Scots' victory in Prague and the Welsh to sort out Bulgaria in Cardiff. At this juncture in the afternoon (before the first pint)it does seem somewhat of a far-fetched possibility, but the price of a pint has gone on it anyroads.

Can Northern Ireland, at least out of the three, do it tonight?

Italy won't be fancying it that much. Windsor Park is most certainly not the Stadio Olimpico; the fans' fervour (fortified with something a bit stronger than a caffè latte) could unsettle what is a pretty inexperienced team and, to be blunt, since no one expects them to win the Northern Ireland team itself has, well, nothing to lose.

But no, the head says "Of course not, we haven't a chance". And to be honest, it's one of the games where I can sit back (tonight, thanks to one of Ms O'Neill's little perverse jokes, in an Italian restaurant) and enjoy the game without stressing myself overly about the result. I'll predict a battling two-goal defeat with hopefully no injuries for the more important away game on Tuesday.
As long as Italy go home knowing they've been in a game, that'll do me nicely.

Update

Paddy won’t be sponsoring our Winter Cruise around Caribbean this year... but not to worry, once again we pull off a result against the kind of team we have no right to be pulling results off. Four points off our first two games against World Cup finalists, Slovenia and a team that has won the World Cup more times than we’ve even qualified for the darn thing is way beyond my expectations at the start of the campaign. I should have learnt by now never to write OWC off, time and time again they prove me wrong and despite actively following one of the best club teams in the world, I can honestly say they’ve given me my best football experiences simply because they have always been so unexpected.
So very proud, yet again, of my team.

UK Olympic Football team confirmed by UEFA, unnamed FA official and Harry Harris

Bearing in mind this is from Harry Harris, a journalist whose grip on reality and truth can be tenuous at the best of times:

UEFA have given the green light for Great Britain and Northern Ireland to field an Under-23 football team for the first time in the Olympics.

High-level talks will take place this week to finally decide whether England will go it alone or whether it will be a team drawn up from all the home countries.

But either way an Olympic football team will be fielded for the first time by this country.

Wrong. A British team, not only competed in, but actually won the Olympic Football tournament in 1908 and 1912. Also, the opinion of UEFA, as the organising body solely for European football, is of much less importance than that of FIFA, the worldwide body. Those two rather important, points aside, reading the rest of the article, this seems merely to be a case of putting more indirect pressure, before this week's meetings, on the N.Irish, Scottish and Welsh FAs. There have been no new directives or mixed messages on the topic from Blatter for some time now.

Was Scotland's result or their fans more embarrassing?

Oh dear.
Fair to assume Robin Galloway doesn't reside on the intellectual wing of the Tartan Army:

"IT'S only right that the stadium rings with a cacophony of boos.

I hope we boo so loud no one can hear that dirge.

What do the people of Liechtenstein expect?

Of all the tunes in the world they could have, it just has to be the same tune as England's?

I think they've chosen it deliberately to wind us up."

Yes, of course they did.
Poor Gordon Peat has now attempted to clear up the mess caused by the idiots:

George Peat, the acting chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, has described last night's jeering of the Liechtenstein national anthem as "disgraceful" and issued a public apology.

The Liechtenstein anthem, which has the same tune as God Save The Queen, was met with audible derision by some members of the Scotland support ahead of last night's match at Hampden Park, which Craig Levein's side won 2-1.

Peat said: "I was embarrassed and extremely disappointed by the disgraceful behaviour of some of our supporters during the Liechtenstein national anthem at Hampden Park last night.

In the modern football age of CCTV and "in your face" stewarting, it wouldn't be that difficult to identify at least the worst culprits. Then, it's a simple matter of banning them from future internationals- Mr Galloway would be a good, high-profile start.

Maribor Redux

Two years ago myself and the Better Half spent a very pleasant week in Slovenia, ending up for a few days in Maribor. A swish apartment was rented, romantic walks along the river were made, delicious horse steaks and bottles of the local Chardonnay were dispatched. In fact the only dampeners on the whole week were that Northern Ireland was defeated 2-0 by the home nation and our recently appointed local ran out of beer about three hours before the game started.

Times change unfortunately and I'm soon heading off to the same destination with an overnight bag and nothing much more than a dozen ham baps, a Harp 4 pack and 100 euros to see me through to Saturday night, when hopefully I'll be arriving back home. Accommodation this time has been booked for what suspiciously looks like a university hostel where, if we're really lucky, we might be sharing a dorm with the tax dodgers hard working students of the QUBNISC...

Strangely enough, Ms has given this one a miss and I'll hazard a guess that Belgrade also won't be top of her "Places to See" list for 2011.

Re. the football, well...
I stick to my opinion that we are one campaign (and a change of manager) away from a decent enough team, one that would be capable of finishing 2nd or 3rd in whatever group it finds itself. But in this transitional (almost) post-Healy era, I genuinely think we'll be lucky to escape this group with ten, at the outside, twelve points. If we get a draw on Friday I'll be ecstatic; in the more likely case, we restrict Slovenia to a narrow victory, I'll be reasonably content.

Those wanting a more in depth coverage of the game should check out the new GAWA Blog here.


Update

That was an unexpected couple of hours Friday evening.

Curiously enough as Friday afternoon wore on, having heard the team selected by Worthington, I became even more pessimistic about our chances. But in my own defence, part of my "analysis" has been proven true I think by the evening’s events- with a glimpse of a number of good younger players coming through to supplement the old(er) pros such as Davis, Clingan and (if he ever sorts his head out) Lafferty we have the base of an exciting few years ahead.

After 30 minutes, I couldn’t see us getting stuffed; at half time I was confident enough of a scoreless draw; after we scored, I honestly couldn’t see Slovenia getting back into the game. Having watched some of the highlights, I now think that probably the atmosphere-induced euphoria had clouded my more objective judgement but... who cares, three points from our first away match of the group and against World Cup finalists to boot will do nicely. To reiterate continuing reservations concerning how far we can progress this time and Worthington’s management would be churlish, so I won’t!

And those concerned with the damage inflicted on my well-being by the budgetness of the trip can rest easy. My match-day diet was improved greatly by the plate of roast hog(!) on offer at the prior fans’ game, our Slovenian hostel is equivalent in standard to a mid-price dUK hotel. And I was only joking about the Harp.

Quote of the day

Walter Oppenheimer, a Catalan journalist with the Spanish daily El Pais:

Some Catalans hate the Spanish team, but most of them don't. Equally, some Catalans want independence but most of them don't. They might be ready to support it one day if necessary, but not yet, because they don't feel they need to be outside of Spain.

Most Catalans are Catalanists, which is something rather different from pro-independence: they love Catalonia more than they love Spain, but they don't hate Spain. The same happens with the Spanish team: they support the squad, but they are not prepared to put the Spanish team before Barca, for example. It has always been like that.

The last bit, about putting club before country, is something which is not confined to the devolved regions of Europe.

Joy on the streets of Madrid...

and also Barcelona, it would appear!

But the march could not have been worse timed, according to Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira, deputy leader of the Catalan regional government and a leader of the separatist Catalan Republican Left party. "This is ridiculous," he complained. "We will end up with more Spanish flags being waved for the Spain-Holland match on Sunday than Catalan flags on the Saturday demonstration."

Barcelona did not experience the same wild celebrations that provoked gridlock in parts of Madrid after the semi-final win against Germany on Wednesday, but Carod-Rovira is right that growing support for La Roja overshadows attempts to assert Catalonia's "different" identity.

Viewing figures showed three-quarters of Catalan television sets were tuned into one of the channels showing the Germany game. As horn-tooting cars and motorbikes flying Spanish flags drove around the city afterwards, flag-waving, chanting fans gathered on Barcelona's Ramblas boulevard in a previously unseen, and unimaginable, celebration of Spanishness.

The red and gold Spanish flag that is so viscerally disliked by local nationalists has even begun to appear on Barcelona balconies. Something, undoubtedly, is changing. "You will now find people out on the streets in La Roja shirts, or with the Spanish flags that are normally considered taboo here," said Marcelino Sánchez, who was among those celebrating in Las Ramblas.

A nation of millions holds you back.

Dedicated to "Race Equality Secret Service" who attempted to post the most racist comment you would ever had the displeasure to read on here:


And...good luck England;)