Football has been tribal and jingoistic for over a century. Where it succeed in penetrating beyond the scope of a mere sport, it is inherently primitive. This can be a healthy way for people to remain in contact with all that is important in life but it’s often not.
Writing in today’s Sun, former Celtic player (good grief) , Ian ‘Wrighty’ Wright said: “The next young player who says he does not want to play for England should be ordered to ring the parents of a soldier who has died serving his country in Afghanistan and tell them his reasons”.
To invoke the memory of those who have sacrificed their lives in order to rebuke reluctant footballers is beyond primitive, it is debased and ugly. Bereaved parents would surely be sickened at attempts to equate their sacrifice with a football game. Football and our media have lost their way. Wright should be ashamed, but he won’t be, it’s nonsense like this which newspapers pay for. His media value will have increased.
Harry Redknapp’s ill-made comments about Spurs players not wanting to travel for England games are also a nonsense. There’s not a top-flgiht manager in the game who’s yet to experience players reluctant to fly to Tbilisi, or some other distant destination, for a friendly instead of resting at home with his family. If you are a top pro, these games hold little excitement or value and come at a fitness cost, to pretend otherwise is being duplicitous.
Players with imposing club demands can see these games far enough. Those involved in European football often have two games per week for months, depleting resources and adding strains to muscles. A flight to the back of beyond before a thankless task of a game is simply not an attractive offer. Most players go, but let’s be honest, almost all will choose times to back out occasionally.
England are hurting after an awful World Cup but it will be counter-productive to hand the stage over to jingoistic lunatics. And ‘Wrighty’, if anyone asks you to pull the Paradise Windfall one day, don’t feel obliged to pitch up.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.
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Often a red card ruins a game , it would be hard to make this one worse
Auldheid
I don’t know why Celtic walked away from, what I hear, were very constructive meetings.
It remains a mystery.
Am I right in saying that the only reason Celtic have said no to the LW is because of finances?
Gotta Go,joe
Seeya..
Kojo, Still Laughin’
No guesses who the bookies are favouring?
Italy (10 men) @ 5/1
C. Rica @ 7/1
Weirdly Italy more attack minded now than at anytime in the game
Expected Uruguay to have stepped it up by now , perhaps the sending off has spooked them a bit.
Italy doing a great job at breaking the game up.
so funny
2 awful players both take sly digs at each other
Suarez biting again
the guy is a child
Urg score
One nil Uruguay
A goodin
1 nil
Good goal Godin…
Suarez bites an opponent again!
Goal.
Feck!
Last 10 mins are really going to kick off
Five red cards to follow…
Wasn’t exactly coming
Mon the Costa Rica..
HamiltonTim
I know that Celtic were not happy to let their costs be governed by an external authority over whom they had no control.
The Living Wage Foundation is not a central authority one that has the authority of law behind it as far as I can make out.
http://www.livingwage.org.uk/history
At least Suarez is hungry for success
The Italy management will shrug their shoulders and say this is what happens in South America , a carve up
Suarez,wonderful fitba player and a despicable
man….the fable of the scorpion and the frog,comes
to mind.
Auldheid
18:44 on 24 June, 2014
‘I know that Celtic were not happy to let their costs be governed by an external authority over whom they had no control.’
How topical.
I was listening to this last night.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0477nry
Ultimately Italy have not been good enough . Only against England have they posed any attacking threat
The Suarez bite, will FIFA ban him????
https://vine.co/v/MtJJb6YVbPt
Italy out
Cheats out cheated what a shame
That was (nail) neck biting!
So Suarez had some Italian for lunch, wonder what’s for dinner? Mexican?
I’ll get ma coat
thezombieslayer
Presume you mean Italy . Don’t recall any cheating from them in this tournament
Bada @ 1732
“£8 mil…………have we not got STs to sell?”
The manager or some sports hack….
Who to believe?
When your star man is a 35 year old who can make a braw pass when you give him too much time, getting out the group stage is a step too far imo.
Ah well.
Tallies oot.
Suarez?
Great player.
Horrible, despicable racist erse.
Should be banned for the rest of the tournament.
HH!!
a wee “soiree”………..Odaxelagnia is a paraphilia concerning sexual arousal through biting, …braw ….like a bit of Italian ma good self …..braw :)
Decided not to watch any of those two games.
wisemovecsc
The epitome of a spring too mediocrity.
I give you Livibhoy.
If Celtic ever spend £8m on a player I hope our new kit is made out of cotton wool!
Celtic. More than just a club. A plc.
The Italians have been treated to more UEFA ‘favours’ than any other country in the last 50 years.
They’ll moan and groan, but there you go, thats football.