Genocide vs football

Genocide vs football

Camus always said “Live life to the point of tears” – he wasn’t talking about footballers today in this case. There is despair and there is anguish in football and then there is genocide.

The footballer requires an introduction to the bottomless pit of human rights abuses before he/she partakes in the great game – then we shall know that they will play with greater honesty and reflection. Eric Cantona knows this. When the conquering Brazil side lost to Italy in the 1982 World Cup and were eliminated the Brazilian players religiously crossed themselves as they left the ground - some were in tears – except Socrates. He shrugged his shoulders, clapped his hands and put his hand out to congratulate the Italians on a marvellous game. The only thing missing was the hemlock, which unfortunately many Brazilian fans requested the Brazilian team drink after their elimination. Too many football people speak about the game by stating a very disappointing comment - “That’s football”, which is nonsense.

This should not be the philosophy. No player has ever handed their World Cup winning medal back because of this philosophy (e.g. Maradona at the 1986 World Cup).
The day a player hands his medal back is the day a player has read Tolstoy or quoted George Santayana – “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Albert Camus was killed in a motor vehicle accident as were the footballers Deyna of Poland and Scirea of Italy - they were unfortunately condemned to repeat this sorrowful end. Holding up a trophy or enacting reverence to a higher being (Brazil at 2002 World Cup final) is not a philosophy; the Bible is one of the most genocidal books in history. Jose Mourinho, like Mohammed Ali before him threw his 2nd Chelsea winning medal into an ocean, an ocean of fans. Mourinho, like Cantona before him knows life and silence, and what it takes to win but at the same time to quote Mourinho “So I know all about the ups and downs of football, I know that one day I will be sacked”.

Johnny Nonation