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by
George Kasakula, 28 January 2006
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04:57:02
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Eriksson victim of hate
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson was naive and stupid when he was caught in a sting by a journalist in which he made stunning revelations about his future as well as his impression of some players. But the reaction of the English FA to relieve Eriksson of his duties after the World Cup is not proportional to the ‘crime’. Revelations of Rio Ferdinand being lazy, Michael Owen not being happy at Newcastle, and Wright Phillips not worth the $24 million, among others, are not words that Eriksson should have uttered. But by telling him that you will go after the World Cup, the FA have just denied themselves a chance to win the tournament if they were to win it anyway. What can make Eriksson work hard when he knows he will go? In any case, there was a question of pride when Eriksson was employed five years ago. The English were never happy that Eriksson, a foreigner, was made manager of their national side. The media probed unnecessarily into Eriksson’s private life forgetting that what they wanted was a football coach and not a priest practising celibacy.
Southern Africa lagging
The first week of the Africa Cup of Nations has just confirmed long held views about African soccer. That southern Africa still has a long way to go and that north and west Africa will dominate African football for a very long time. All our representatives were defeated in their first games. Our neighbours, the Zambians, tasted the full impact of the force of Tunisians, pummelling them 4-1. Glamour boys, Bafana Bafana, were characterless against Guinea, losing 2-0. Zimbabweans could not stand the heat against Taranga Lions of Senegal, again falling 2-0. This should be a concern to a region that is hosting the next World Cup. And I hope soccer administrators are doing something about it. South Africa, for example, has all the resources, what is the problem? Coach Ted Dumitru, after seeing past failures with players outside the country, has opted for a squad that is largely local. Apparently, it is not working. Soul-searching can do.
Sweet week for United
This week has been sweet for Manchester United supporters after the disappointment in the derby against Manchester City. But United will always remain United. Sunday’s win against Liverpool was even sweeter. Prior to the match I was happy that the team played the underdog. It was a team that had just been embarrassed in losing a derby against one that is currently in form. It was a team missing some key players (Paul Scholes, Christian Ronaldo, Allan Smith, etc) against one with a big squad with only one key player (Luis Garcia) on its injury list. But Man U perform better when in difficulties. The win against Liverpool was also lovely because it consolidated Man United’s reputation that records are broken at Old Trafford—the Theatre of Dreams. Remember Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten run? Then Chelsea’s only loss this year. And then handing The Reds their first defeat in the league since October. And of course the team is in the finals of the League Cup after seeing off stubborn Blackburn on Wednesday night. It cannot get sweeter than this. Congrats to all United supporters.–– Feedback: georgekasakula@yahoo.com
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