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| Columns |
| Gracian Tukula’s SPORT ON |
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by
Gracian Tukula, 17 February 2007
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05:31:18
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Not just fleeting passion
Those of you who have reared pigs or seen how they behave will have noticed that they are very unappreciative animals. I am talking about those black pigs that are kept in our villages. Try to bathe them, they will roll in the mud the next second. Give them proper food, they will have human waste for a dessert. You just cannot win.
So why should I be bothering you with the disgusting behaviour of these animals which, by the way, can be delicious to those who love them nonetheless (don’t ask me if I am one of them because that would be personalising the column)? I can see similar patterns of behaviour in TNM Super League champions MTL Wanderers.
Not very long ago, I sat here lauding the nomads as a good vindication for order. From the look of things, having tasted a bit of order and seen what it begets, the Wanderers family is not satisfied and would prefer to go for what they know best, which is chaos and infighting using savage and dirty tricks.
It is not my business really who should run the club but a civilised way of getting positions of influence is the only way to get everybody pulling in the same direction and focusing on doing the best for the club. The current bickering has the huge potential to take Wanderers where they have been before last season.
With Big Bullets apparently putting their act together, the last thing the people from Lali Lubani Road should be finding time for is senseless self-aggrandisement which will only give their rivals the opportunity to profit. The aura of being champions that has been exuded in those parts will become a fleeting feeling.
Incidentally, a fleeting passion is what I feared would become of the Fam Cup and I have made that point several times. Malawi, Fam and the game need that cup badly and Walter Nyamilandu, Saulos Chilima together with their respective teams deserve all the plaudits that have gone their way for achieving this feat.
I am glad that Fam and the cup organising committee are looking beyond this season. We just have to tie Stanbic Bank to this game. The bank is already doing many commendable things to other sporting activities and I am sure it will find football an equally exciting partner in development as has been the case in other countries.
The twists and turns I foresaw in the English Premier League are taking place although not in the manner I would approve of from a personal view. Before the turn of the year, the title race was almost certainly a two-horse race. When so-called Grand Slam Sunday came, there were suggestions it would be open again and now it is back to square one.
As a Liverpool fan the most annoying thing last week was that for the first time in over 30 months, the side had lost a match in which they scored first. But have you people noticed how Arsenal are making late rallies their habit, particularly at the Emirates? There are things you just admire.
And in comes the Uefa Champions League in the coming week. The knockout phase has in store many exciting fixtures but I think many eyes will be on the Camp Nou where defending champions Barcelona will be hosting their predecessors Liverpool and the bookies have the Catalan giants as clear favourites.
If history is anything to go by, the Reds have nothing to fear having come out of the Camp Nou with draws twice in this century (2001 and 2002) in the Uefa Cup and Champions League respectively. The other interesting tie should be between Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and his previous employers Porto. As usual, I can’t wait.
—Feedback: gtukula@nationmw.net, gtukula@yahoo.co.uk, atukula@hotmail.com
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