The plan was to write something joyful about my twelve-year-old daughter´s first participation in a tournament abroad. I also wanted to share a little of the good feeling coming from my own first post-WorldCup/EuropaLeague-summer match as a coach for my son´s team.
However, my mood was darkened early this morning by the news that Cameroonian striker Albert Ebossé had been killed in Algeria. Killed just after a match by someone calling himself (probably not a woman, I reckon) a football supporter. I can´t write with joy.
My daughter has returned home. My son scored twice.
I´m still in a dark mood.
How much can my love for football withstand? How much violence will it take before I tell my kids to quit playing the game they love?
There are, of course, no straight answers. Today, I just hope Algerian supporters from all teams can refrain themselves from vengeful rage, stop the madness of stone-throwing, and instead stand up for less violence in and around the football arenas.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
A teenaged football hero
Martin Ödegaard has been selected to represent the national team of Norway, at the mere age of fifteen. That's obviously the News of Today in the football world, and most football bloggers in Europe will probably write more than a few lines about him. I will leave him with some good luck wishes and then turn my, and hopefully your attention towards another teenager. A real hero.
Last Sunday I watched my twelve year old daughter play in a big youth tournament in the western suburbs of Stockholm. As always on these occasions the ground was bustling with joyful and anticipating young boys and girls, hundreds of them, together with their coaches and families. The August sun was shining. Games were going on on six pitches. Parents were serving hamburgers and coffee.
As a father it makes me happy to see my girl be a part of this, and to be a part of it myself.
However, as a father and football lover it also made me very sad to see and hear the behaviour shown by some of the parents and leaders. Let me be a bit clearer. I mean the behaviour shown by some of the male parents.
While my daughter and her teammates were preparing for their quarter-final, I witnessed a tight game between two very good teams of eleven year old boys. As usual the referee was just a few years older than the players. This one was perhaps sixteen years old. As always, there were no assistant referees to help him, nor any fourth official. Furthermore, I´m afraid the goal line technology is not implemented in the Swedish youth leagues yet. Still, the aforementioned parents, I mean fathers, were so engaged in their sons' potential success or failure, and so convinced of their own football knowledge, that they regularly let out loud shouts, protesting against the ref´s decisions.
Generally, the level of engagement from some of these parent, I mean fathers, was actually pretty scaring. The never-ending shouting, telling the kids to do this or that, and the sometimes merciless criticizing of the referee is not only detrimental to their own health and the good spirit of the sport, but also plain stupid. The referees are all in the beginning of a potential career. It may be their very first season, or even their first game. For every young referee that the stupid parents, I mean fathers, make quit the trade because it's not worth the effort, the risk grows that the kids actually can´t play as many good games. Their own kids. My kids.
I hope this guy, in spite of all, walked away from this game with a good feeling, since he actually was a good referee. If he can withstand all the negativity he will meet from some parents and leaders (and from the young players sadly mimicking the adults) a few more years, he will be a bigger hero than he already is.
Last Sunday I watched my twelve year old daughter play in a big youth tournament in the western suburbs of Stockholm. As always on these occasions the ground was bustling with joyful and anticipating young boys and girls, hundreds of them, together with their coaches and families. The August sun was shining. Games were going on on six pitches. Parents were serving hamburgers and coffee.
As a father it makes me happy to see my girl be a part of this, and to be a part of it myself.
However, as a father and football lover it also made me very sad to see and hear the behaviour shown by some of the parents and leaders. Let me be a bit clearer. I mean the behaviour shown by some of the male parents.
While my daughter and her teammates were preparing for their quarter-final, I witnessed a tight game between two very good teams of eleven year old boys. As usual the referee was just a few years older than the players. This one was perhaps sixteen years old. As always, there were no assistant referees to help him, nor any fourth official. Furthermore, I´m afraid the goal line technology is not implemented in the Swedish youth leagues yet. Still, the aforementioned parents, I mean fathers, were so engaged in their sons' potential success or failure, and so convinced of their own football knowledge, that they regularly let out loud shouts, protesting against the ref´s decisions.
Generally, the level of engagement from some of these parent, I mean fathers, was actually pretty scaring. The never-ending shouting, telling the kids to do this or that, and the sometimes merciless criticizing of the referee is not only detrimental to their own health and the good spirit of the sport, but also plain stupid. The referees are all in the beginning of a potential career. It may be their very first season, or even their first game. For every young referee that the stupid parents, I mean fathers, make quit the trade because it's not worth the effort, the risk grows that the kids actually can´t play as many good games. Their own kids. My kids.
I hope this guy, in spite of all, walked away from this game with a good feeling, since he actually was a good referee. If he can withstand all the negativity he will meet from some parents and leaders (and from the young players sadly mimicking the adults) a few more years, he will be a bigger hero than he already is.
Saturday, August 09, 2014
The evening belonged to Black Army
When Bauyrzhan Dzholchiev all too easily put the ball behind the keeper Patric Carlgren, making it 3-0, the European dream died for the Swedish hosts AIK. The guests FC Astana from Kazakhstan won 4-1 on aggregate and thereby advanced to the play-off round of the European League for the first time in the club´s short history.
The performances of the AIK players this evening in Friends Arena didn´t make anyone wearing the black and yellow colours feel any pride, but something else should have. Just a few seconds after the last goal, the fans on the northern stand started to sing "Que sera sera, vi håller på AIK (=we support AIK)", and they kept tirelessly on singing and chanting for the last twenty minutes. The fan group called "Black Army" has through the last 35 years mainly been known for the hooligan activities that often, but in very varying amount, have been present during and around the matches and away trips. During the matches I´ve seen the last couple of years, I have been impressed by the positive attitude that almost totally has dominated the northern stand, even when the players underperform like last Thursday. The songs and chants are about the own team, any booing against the referee is soon replaced by more singing and so on. The trend was there earlier, but I think the sudden death of the goalkeeper Ivan Turina in 2013 made a difference. The whole club gathered in shock and common mourning.
Sadly enough, in the section I was sitting together with my kids you could not avoid a totally different attitude. Men in their forties and fifties (yes, all of them were) were shouting and swearing the whole game. It was almost always in a negative manner, complaining about the performances of the players they claim to support. How they can endure and perhaps enjoy being in a negative mood for ninety minutes beats me. It was a depressing experience and next time I will try another section.
I wish the good forces will prevail, and that the atmosphere in the football arenas my kids will visit in the future will be one of joy and sportsmanship. I wish that spectators not accepting this will stay at home.
The performances of the AIK players this evening in Friends Arena didn´t make anyone wearing the black and yellow colours feel any pride, but something else should have. Just a few seconds after the last goal, the fans on the northern stand started to sing "Que sera sera, vi håller på AIK (=we support AIK)", and they kept tirelessly on singing and chanting for the last twenty minutes. The fan group called "Black Army" has through the last 35 years mainly been known for the hooligan activities that often, but in very varying amount, have been present during and around the matches and away trips. During the matches I´ve seen the last couple of years, I have been impressed by the positive attitude that almost totally has dominated the northern stand, even when the players underperform like last Thursday. The songs and chants are about the own team, any booing against the referee is soon replaced by more singing and so on. The trend was there earlier, but I think the sudden death of the goalkeeper Ivan Turina in 2013 made a difference. The whole club gathered in shock and common mourning.
Sadly enough, in the section I was sitting together with my kids you could not avoid a totally different attitude. Men in their forties and fifties (yes, all of them were) were shouting and swearing the whole game. It was almost always in a negative manner, complaining about the performances of the players they claim to support. How they can endure and perhaps enjoy being in a negative mood for ninety minutes beats me. It was a depressing experience and next time I will try another section.
I wish the good forces will prevail, and that the atmosphere in the football arenas my kids will visit in the future will be one of joy and sportsmanship. I wish that spectators not accepting this will stay at home.
Thursday, August 07, 2014
Another World Cup to follow, and another.
Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal. These are since long well-known places for ice hockey fans all over the world. Moncton is not. For three August weeks, these four cities will draw interest from people mainly interested in football, the soccer variety, that is. Since we are in the middle of the European pre-season with daily transfer rumours and big friendlies like Arsenal vs Boreham Wood, there is some competition for the attention by fans and media, but there is a big championship going on in the land of maple leafs.
Partly as a rehearsal for next year's senior world cup, Canada is hosting the U-20 World Cup.
Probably you understand, or already knew, that it´s not real football going on, but the kind played by women. Well, the rules are the same, the playing time is the same, but still... I mean, they don´t play as GOOD as all men, and they don´t earn as much money, so you can´t really call it football, can you?
The tournament started on Tuesday, and I´m very (unironically) pleased to see how much FIFA is highlighting it on their website. It massively headlines the start page, and you can read a lot about every team and follow every match live.
The first four matches drew a total attendance of almost 50,000. I think that's as remarkable as the 41,000 attending the Women´s Euro 2013 final game in Stockholm, considering this is a youth tournament.
Hopefully, these are steps to a broader acknowledgement of women´s football worldwide. Hopefully, FIFA will soon have more women in power. Hopefully, the teams that are good enough to qualify for the senior tournament next summer will meet an even bigger audience in Moncton and the other five host cities. Hopefully, the media attention will be bigger than ever.
The players deserve it.
Young football-loving girls all over the world deserve it.
We all would benefit from it.
FIFA U-20 WWC
Partly as a rehearsal for next year's senior world cup, Canada is hosting the U-20 World Cup.
Probably you understand, or already knew, that it´s not real football going on, but the kind played by women. Well, the rules are the same, the playing time is the same, but still... I mean, they don´t play as GOOD as all men, and they don´t earn as much money, so you can´t really call it football, can you?
The tournament started on Tuesday, and I´m very (unironically) pleased to see how much FIFA is highlighting it on their website. It massively headlines the start page, and you can read a lot about every team and follow every match live.
The first four matches drew a total attendance of almost 50,000. I think that's as remarkable as the 41,000 attending the Women´s Euro 2013 final game in Stockholm, considering this is a youth tournament.
Hopefully, these are steps to a broader acknowledgement of women´s football worldwide. Hopefully, FIFA will soon have more women in power. Hopefully, the teams that are good enough to qualify for the senior tournament next summer will meet an even bigger audience in Moncton and the other five host cities. Hopefully, the media attention will be bigger than ever.
The players deserve it.
Young football-loving girls all over the world deserve it.
We all would benefit from it.
FIFA U-20 WWC
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