The Guerrero affair

Day -15 WorldCup2018

Yesterday's soul searching moments about my lack of guilt associated with watching the World Cup was real. Today, the confusing immorality, to the point of comedy, in football was in the limelight.
The saga of Paolo Guerrero's will-he-won't-he ban took another twist. The Peruvian captain is going to be allowed to play in the World Cup after the Swiss Supreme Court cleared him to take part. His ban hasn't been overturned, he hasn't been proven innocent. The court just said that he should not miss the opportunity to play in his first World Cup. The judge said that playing in Russia would be "without any doubt the crowning glory of his career". She also said that he benefitted from a "rare surge of solidarity". The three captains of the teams that Peru will face in the opening round signed a letter supporting him being allowed to play.

So Fifa banned him, CAS increased WADA's ban and public support made all of that redundant. Oh, how wonderful I would feel if I worked for WADA today.

Where was Carl Lewis' letter of support when Ben Johnson was kicked out of the Seoul Olympics? How come all the public emotion didn't save Lance Armstrong? If only the whole of Naples and Argentina had petitioned Fifa for Maradona's drug use to be ignored because of all the happiness his football brought to so many people.

I have an opinion about positive drug tests, most of which centre around them being a little bit ridiculous considering that you and I, as regular Joe and Jill's, are allowed to take "banned substances" without any punishment. But rules are there to give sport a structure, a code of what is acceptable. WADA have worked very hard at it. And now it all goes out the window because of unscientific, un-researched public support and because as the judge noted (as reported on Australian news website ABC) "a possible negative effect on Guerrero's teammates of being deprived of their "emblematic" captain". Oh dear.

I wonder if these same fans of Guerrero and the right for footballers to not be deprived of competing at the World Cup also believe that Sergio Ramos should be banned from football for being a "disease" to football. A "disgrace"? What else did they call him? Please. He's a dirty footballer. Yes. But he's not the only one in history. And they've all been idolized over the years, just like Guerrero is now. As I was reminded the other day, the Italians didn't ask for Claudio Gentile to be kicked out of the 1982 World Cup, or the Brazilians for Rivaldo to be sent home in disgrace in 2002. We football fans are all hypocritical.

But what is Guerrero? A clean cheat who didn't know what was in his tea? Let him play, Swiss Supreme Court, because you truly believe he didn't know what he ingested. Call the ban out for being ridiculous if you think it was. But don't allow the rules to be bent because he "deserves" to be in Russia.

Ah. When does the football start?

Reflection, a moral dilemma

Day -15 WorldCup2018

Am I selling my soul to the devil by not really ever acknowledging that the World Cup that I look forward to so much every four years is taking place in a country who's president and government can be accused of so many abuses, acts of discrimination and worse against it's own citizens that I find reprehensible. Yet I celebrate the World Cup completely separate from the environment it's being played in. Is it wrong to say that the football has nothing to do with the politics? Probably. Or is it wrong to say we need the joy of the football to forget the suffering of so many, that the majority of Russians have nothing to do with what is wrong with Russia and they should be allowed to celebrate this wonderful event?

I don't know. It should be hard to feel full excitement when bombs are falling in Syria, a silent un-reported war is going on in Ukraine and a Russian journalist feels so strongly about the need to uncover the connection between the Russian government and underworld that he agrees to be part of a fake murder plot that he doesn't even tell his poor wife about it.

But I admit, I am weak. I am looking forward to the World Cup. Football has been a good distraction for everything in my life. Not good, it can be argued but it's what I see life through: the emotions on the pitch and the stands reflecting and acting as a comfort and accompaniment to so many real life emotions.

June 16th: The garden will suffer

Day -16 WorldCup2018

Sixteen days! 16! It's 18 days until what I think should be named "world day of football", the only time in the first round of matches where four matches are being played on the same day. And they are going to be good ones.

6am (Toronto time): France-Australia, intriguing, could be very exciting, which France will show up?
9am: Argentina-Iceland: the most eagerly anticipated match of the first round for some, hipster heaven and football history.
Noon: Peru-Denmark: the enigmatic South Americans against the cool Danes.
3pm: Croatia-Nigeria: they could both be wonderfully exciting dark horses, they could both be terrible. It's exciting waiting to see which they are.

Saturday 16th June: not a day for gardening.

If the opening match isn't good enough.....

Day -17 WorldCup2018

If Russia vs Saudi Arabia, the opening match of Russia '18, is not your cup of tea then look forward to day 2. It opens with Egypt vs Uruguay. If Salah vs Suarez is still not enough to get your World Cup juices flowing go back to work and wait for Iran vs Morocco. If that fascinating clash of two countries who would never normally play each in a competitive match is not fascinating for you, then clear your schedule for the last match of the day: the European Champions, Portugal, against the best team in the world from 2008-2012, Spain.

Every day will be a good day. Enjoy as much as you can.

Russia-Saudi Arabia, June 14th

Day -18 WorldCup2018

The opening match of the 2018 World Cup is hardly one that would normally get too many football fans excited. Russia play Saudi Arabia on June 14th. Because it is the World Cup and the opening match it will get a lot more attention then any other time these 2 countries met.

There is a political angle to this match. Russia, Syria and President Assad's ally, is playing against the country that was the first to condemn Assad for his crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011. 
Relations between the Russians and Saudis have been practically nonexistent since the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in 2005. The Saudi government accused Syria of being involved in the assassination. As the civil war raged in Syria, the Saudi government were known to be supplying arms to the rebels in Syria.

But that's all politics. This is football. And of course, the two are always kept separate. If you cannot remember any previous matches between these two countries, you are not alone. They have met only once, a friendly in 1993 that Saudi Arabia won 4-2. And , again, that's the beauty of the World Cup: two countries that would normally never play each other coming together for what is a huge match. Nobody wants to start the World Cup with a defeat.

Russia's recent from has not been very impressive. They lost their last two friendlies, 3-1 and 3-0 to France and Brazil respectively. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, won their last two, 2-0 against both Greece and Algeria. But it really is true that previous farm means nothing. It is who is better on the day, or, simply, who can score more goals.

The Saudis were in Marbella, Spain recently for a training camp. According to the Saudi Arabia Football Federation website they had one day where they started with running and then had speed exercises They then moved on to "attacks and head scoring." Clearly they must see a weakness in the Russian's ability at defending crosses.

Whatever the final outcome as soon as the referee blows his whistle to get the match going it will mean that another World Cup is underway.

On to the World Cup we go.

Day -19 WorldCup2018

That's it all over. Champions League, Championship play off, done. Now we can fully look forward to June 14th and the opening match of the World Cup, Russia vs Saudi Arabia.

No more talk of will they or won't they get promoted, or whether a Jurgen Klopp team will win a final or if Napoli will move beyond celebrating winning one match and actually win something.

If nothing else, the people of half of Birmingham and half of Liverpool need something to look forward to after today.

'Twas the day before Aston Villa.......

Day -20 WorldCup2018

So close to the end, I've almost done the 1000 days but I feel like I'm limping towards the finish line. Maybe it's just because Aston Villa are taking up all my mental energy right now.

I wonder what mood I'll be in this time tomorrow.