What's in a name?

A name is an identifier, sometimes unique depending on how creative your parents were if we're talking about people - occasionally if your parents get too creative, then changing your name by deed poll is an option once you come of age.

But how about countries? At one time, Britain had an empire that spanned a quarter of the globe and chose to name countries within her realm as she saw fit. Once those countries gained independence, a few decided to change their names such as Zimbabwe which was formerly known as Rhodesia and Sri Lanka which was known as Ceylon. For other countries such as China and Russia, the renaming was limited to cities so Peking became Beijing and Leningrad reverted to St. Petersburg after the break up of the Soviet Union.

In 1989, the military junta in Burma decided to rename the country Myanmar and the former capital city Rangoon became known as Yangon. Today saw the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, but whether it's a case of sticking two fingers to the military junta or a former colonial power refusing to recognise the diktat of a wayward former colony, the British press insist on calling the country Burma - Al Jazeera have no such problems.

If I tell you what I'ld like to be called then it behoves you to refer to me by my name choice, especially if you're seeking to engage with me. The British press are taking their cue from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office which persists in using the old name and that's tantamount to a diplomatic own goal.

Shooting the messenger

In July, Wikileaks released over 70,000 classified documents on the war in Afghanistan putting themselves, and in particular Julian Assange, the face of Wikileaks, in the firing line of the US government. Both the US and UK governments were quick to condemn the release of the Afghan war logs and say that the lives of troops and people who had collaborated with them were at risk. This has since been shown to be yet another piece of propaganda as three months on, the Pentagon were forced to admit that not a single person has been harmed by the release of the logs. In the lead up to July, Wikileaks had contacted the US government to request their help in redacting sensitive information - the US government refused to cooperate and of course initially denied that Wikileaks had contacted them until documents surfaced proving Wikileaks had contacted the US State Department via an intermediary.

The release of Afghan war logs turned Wikileaks and Julian Assange into the US government's bête noir  and so began numerous attempts to shut them down. Pressure was exerted on the British registered website that Wikileaks used for online donations and they succumbed to that pressure. A Swedish prosecutor decided to impugn Julian Assange's character by issuing a rape warrant which was cancelled 24 hours later. Last week, Wikileaks was subjected to an online attack that in their words "could have only been carried out by a highly skilled hacker", something that had been proposed by various persons within and without the US government. Fortunately, Wikileaks don't just have a Plan B, but a Plan C and a Plan D and their leak of the 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq war went ahead.

What is indisputable, is the accuracy and veracity of the documents so why is the US government hell bent on shooting the messenger instead of addressing the realities these documents reveal? With the Afghan war logs, the source, according to the US government, is Private Bradley Manning, but thus far the US government has not fingered anyone for the leak of the Iraq war logs - why?

At a press conference in London last Saturday on the Iraq war logs, Julian Assange noted that the first casualty of war is the truth and Wikileaks intent to redress that - the release of the logs shines a spotlight on seven years of propaganda peddled by the US and UK governments. Sitting alongside Julian Assange was Daniel Ellsberg whose courage about 40 years ago, in leaking the Pentagon Papers, served to make the US public aware of what was really going on during the Vietnam War and helped turn the tide of public opinion firmly against the war. During the press conference Daniel Ellsberg presented Julian Assange and Wikileaks with the 2010 Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence Award which the latter fittingly accepted on behalf of their sources.

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

John Lennon 9th October 1940 - 8th December 1980

Words that are even more resonant today than when he wrote them.

There are no certainties in sport

Over the past week, there have been a number of sporting results which can be categorised as upsets; Rafael Nadal, the world number one tennis player losing to his compatriot, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, in Bangkok, Liverpool FC, England's most successful club, losing to newly promoted Blackpool on Saturday and the reigning NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an exhibition game at London's O2 arena last night.

While Rafa's loss can be categorised as bad day at the office given he had numerous break points, he got back to winning ways in his next match in Tokyo. For Liverpool, it's a different story altogether as this result has meant the club have made their worst start to the league for 57 years, far longer than I have been alive. The international break means the Liverpool players will have to wait until 17 October to see if they can turn things around - given they are playing Liverpool's other club, motivation won't be lacking, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough. The Los Angeles Lakers played all but 6 minutes without Kobe Bryant who is recovering from knee surgery he had in July. The Minnesota Timberwolves coach, Kurt Ramblis, is an ex Laker so his motivation for getting one over Phil "The Zen Master" Jackson was not in doubt. The Lakers kept things close in the first two quarters, but they made numerous turnovers in the third quarter and it was a similar story in the fourth quarter. The Lakers started with four of their usual starters; Derek Fisher, Kobe, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest, but only Derek and Pau played a significant number of minutes. Kobe has his eyes on a 6th NBA championship ring so it's no wonder he's playing things very safe.

The drama at Celtic Manor as the last day of the Ryder Cup unfolded is something that would have been labelled fanciful if a scriptwriter had come-up with such a rollercoaster of a plot as the destiny of the Ryder Cup remained uncertain until the 17th hole of the last singles match to be played.

Sport is a great leveller and the guaranteed uncertainty is what makes the watching and participation so compelling.

He came, he played, he conquered!!

At the age of 17 he won his first French Open and the deciding rubber that won Spain the Davis Cup. He successfully depended his French Open crowns three times and in the process surpassed Björn Borg's record for the number of consecutive victories on clay - they called him a clay court specialist, but by 2007 he had reached his first Wimbledon final on grass. In 2008, he would become the first man since Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, but only reached the semi-finals of the US Open - they said he couldn't play on hard courts. In January 2009, he won his first Australian Open title, on a hard court, but his renowned mental strength was sorely affected by off-court tribulations and he made an unexpected exit at the French Open, wasn't able to defend his Wimbledon title, only reached the semi-finals of the US Open and lost all his matches at the World Tour finals in November 2009.

Still not at his physical peak, he had to withdraw from his match against Andy Murray at this year's Australian Open, but by the time the clay court season rolled round, he was back to his best, becoming the first man to win all three clay court Masters titles in a season and in doing so he took his tally of titles to eighteen, surpassing Andre Agassi and Roger Federer on seventeen. At the French Open, he swatted aside his 2009 conqueror and illustrated the gulf between himself and Andy Murray in the semi-finals of Wimbledon. His straight sets victory in the final over Tomas Berdych secured him his eighth grand slam and having decided to focus his energies on the one grand slam to elude him, he arrived at Flushing Meadows ready to cement his place in history with a remodelled serve.

Up until the final, he hadn't drop a set, but his opponent who played his best match in the semi-finals to thwart Roger Federer's attempt to appear in a seventh consecutive final, claimed the second set. However, Rafa was not to be denied and he won the third and fourth set to complete the tennis grand slam.

As he still believes he can improve, despite being world number one, having won nine grand slam titles, an Olympic gold medal, eighteen Masters title and three Davis Cups, the chasing pack should be afraid, very afraid!

Felicitaciones Rafa!!

The kindness of strangers

Over the past eighteen months, my expectations of support from people I know have become as permanent as the footprints left on a sandy beach. But when one door closes another opens and it's the kindness of strangers that has restored my faith in humanity. I believe in helping when I can and its karma that in my times of need, strangers have come through for me.

Je remercie les deux hommes qui m'aider la dimanche dernière et l'homme qui m'aider à l'aéroport il y a six mois.

All things considered

Given the heats were set up so I couldn't fail to progress to the finals, I did have serious reservations about how well I would do at yesterday's tournament, especially when it became clear that the other heat winners had actually won their heats. What's more, I lost my only warm up game, here.

My first match didn't start well when I did an air shot for my first serve and didn't land my second serve on the table so I was 0-2 down and it was first to five. Fortunately, I was able to turn things around and won the match 5-3. I won my second match 5-0, lost the third match 0-5 (my opponent used the pen-holder grip) and won my last match 5-3 which saw me top the group having won 3 matches and reach the quarter-finals. The matches were truncated to first to three and I won my first match 3-0. In my second quarter-final match, I was up against another pen-holder grip opponent and lost 1-3 to the person who would go on to win the tournament. In conversation afterwards, he mentioned that he plays for his firm so I thought I acquitted myself rather well.

Next up was a chance to practice stroke consistency with a robot and I had two goes at each table before taking my leave.

The organisers had provided me with a brand new bat when I registered and on the red side was a sticker saying, PLEASE, PUT ME BACK! As I was on my way out, I asked one of the organisers who I should return the bat to and was very surprised and delighted when he said I could keep it.

Now I have a bat and balls, I just need to find myself a club.

There WILL be medals in 2012

The sport that embodies the Olympic motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius is athletics (some of you may know it as track and field) and that's my first love given that I was a high jumper and sprinter back in the day. So it was very nice to be back at Crystal Palace yesterday for the second day of the Diamond League London meet.

On my way to my seat I stopped to congratulate the person responsible for British success at the recently concluded European Athletic Championships and urged him to tell UK Athletics to give Linford Christie a more prominent role in the lead up to 2012 as he knows how to get his athletes to medal at major championships (Mark Lewis-Francis, silver medallist in the 100m and Christian Malcolm, silver medallist in the 200m are two of the athletes Linford coaches). His response left me in no doubt as to who calls the shots at UK Athletics.

Nigeria's Blessing Okabgare, who won her 3rd 100m title at the African Athletic Championships in Nairobi a few weeks ago, shocked the second fastest women of all time, Carmelita Jeter (PB of 10.64s), in the heats and recorded a PB of 11.0s while doing so. Sadly, she was unable to repeat this success in the final, but once again Carmelita Jeter was defeated, this time by her compatriot Marshevet Myers. Allyson Felix completed the 200m/400m double but had to dig deep to secure victory in the one lap race. She intends to emulate Valerie Brisco-Hooks and Marie-José Perec, who completed this illustrious double in 1984 and 1996 respectively, in London 2012. Kenyan women are starting to make their presence felt in the 3000m steeplechase, Milkah Chemos stopped the clock at 9:22.49 which was an ACR. The Empress of Entoto aka Tirunesh Dibaba unleashed her devatasting sprint finish to secure victory in the women's 5000m, but overall Kenya secured more victories than Ethiopia. Augustine Choge wrote his name, literally, into folklore by winning the Emsley Carr Mile, the meet's last event.

Canine wars

Today I realised that dogs have Napoleon complexes too because it's been the smaller dogs, Scottish Terrier and Cocker Spaniel, who've attacked me for my balls. The latter dispelled the notion that dogs are colour blind when he opted for my orange ball instead of the lime green tennis ball is owner had thrown. Once again the owner after retrieving my ball, telling the dog off and wiping the ball against her jacket handed it back to me while apologising profusely.

Her embarrassment contrasted sharply with the insouciance of the next dog owner I had reason to interact with after his sorry excuse for a dog bit chunks out of one of my balls. The difference between this mongrel and the other two, the mongrel was an ill-tempered BITCH.

Now dog owners be warned, I will take measures to defend my property from your ill-trained dogs, by any means necessary.

What did Bo get BO?

On this historic day, at a defining moment for the country of his father's birth, one cannot but ask what alignment of stars ensured a referendum that will chart a new path for a country that is yet to live up to it's not inconsiderable potential would fall on the date that a US president of Kenyan ancestry celebrates his not quite half century.

It does look as if the YES YOUTH CAN supporters will provide BHO with at least one of the presents he wanted, I wonder if Bo will provide him with another?

Made in Kenya

Mo Farah's historic 10,000m/5000m double at the European Athletic Championships in Barçelona was made in in Kenya's Rift Valley where he spends time altitude training with the world's best long distance runners. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy and here's to hoping it provides him with the motivation to take on his much vaunted training mates at next year's World Athletics Championships in Daegu.

Une médaille pour chaque couleur du tricolor

Christope a gagné une médaille pour le rouge, le blanc et le bleu, les couleurs de son drapeau, le tricolor.
Félicitations à Christophe et Renaud. À Teddy, pas mal.
Voyez-vous à  Londres en deux ans.
Allez les trois mousquetaires, allez!!!

2 year countdown begins

Over the weekend, "I took part in the London 2012 Open Weekend challenge" by playing table tennis at different venues in London. Having last played in 2005 on the rooftop of a famous Manhattan building, overlooking the East River, I was pretty rusty on Saturday, at Brunswick Square, and it showed when I lost my opening game (I wasn't fully focused), but won my next 2 games before losing my final game to the best player. On Sunday at The Hub in Regent's Park, I lost both double series (best of five) that I played in, but won my singles series. I also picked up some tips on how to refine my strokes - now I just need to find an indoor table so that I don't have to compete against the elements as well.

Being serenaded by a preocious, bilingual 2+ year old was the pièce de résistance of a weekend full of highlights.

Malevolent rays

I lived in an equatorial country for over a decade where direct sunlight was the norm and I worked in the country who's national slogan is, 13 months of sunshine. I am an avowed sun worshipper (I would never go on holiday to look for snow) who enjoys basking in the sun rays or rather I used to because now I can't spend 5 minutes in the sun without a rash on the back of my hand and neck flaring up. I am currently using 2 creams, one of which needs to be refrigerated, in order to try and sort the problem out, but no sooner do I think I'm on the mend than there's another type of flare up - who knew skin was that sensitive?! Moreover, I mistakenly thought my melanin would protect me.

BAD DOG!!

Yesterday I was in the park doing my usual exercise routine that combines footy-boules, karate katas, juggling and stretching. I was juggling when all of a sudden a Scottish terrier takes it upon himself to get involved. At first, I wasn't having any of it so I kept the balls in my hands and backed away from the excitable mutt. The problem was, this served to make him even more excitable and he started jumping on me. Now, I'm not a pet person and I really don't like dogs jumping on me especially when the grass still has its morning dew.

The owner was trying to call the dog off, but the dog wasn't having any of it - I kept backpedalling in circles with the balls out of sight in my hands behind my back. The owner catches up with me and advises me to stand still which I do and immediately regret it. The dog, now emboldened continues to jump up at me while baring its teeth. Reluctant to call the dog's bluff, I threw the balls on the ground whereupon the dog triumphantly fastened its jaw around one of the balls and ran off. For the next 5 minutes, the owner used all sorts of tricks to get the dog to hand over the ball, but the dog wasn't having any of it. Eventually the dog obeyed a lie down command and reluctantly agreed to give up the ball in exchange for a treat. The owner who up until now had not been able to get close to the dog because he kept running off, quickly put a leash on the dog, wiped the ball down several times and handed it over to me sheepishly saying, "that's the first time he's ever done that".

Does anybody know how I can dog-proof my juggling balls?

According to the Capello Index

Leo Messi's nationality is Spanish - do you think they know something we don't?!

Where life is SO cheap

It will be interesting to hear what the spinmeister-in-chief will say with regard to the IDF's latest atrocity. But an even bigger atrocity is being committed by those countries who refuse to condemn this Rogue State's wanton impunity and belligerence.

All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing 

Tail wags dog

As you can see from this, the very American sounding Israeli prime minster knows how to get the dog a fetchin' and a carryin'. It does make you wonder just how committed the current Israeli PM is to the peace process. His recent statements before his most recent mend-the-fence trip to Washington were in all probability part of the manipulation process.

Les Trois Mousquetaires

Pas Athos, Aramis et Porthos, mais Christophe, Renaud et Teddy. The latter 3 are beginning to create waves in the world of athletics. While Teddy's performance may have been the most impressive, when he triple jumped 17.90m to go sixth on the all-time list ( he bettered his PB in New York with a jump of 17.98m to go third on the all-time list - WR = 18.43m) and Renaud leads the Diamond League pole vault standings, it was Christophe's 100m run of 9.98s that garnered the most headlines as he became the first white man to break the mythical 10 second barrier. Christophe is 20 so by the time London 2012 comes around, he should no longer be fazed by running in the lane next to Usain Bolt as he may have been on Friday night in Paris where he finished 5th in a time of 10.08s - mind you, Christophe will have his work cut out if Usain Bolt decides to defend his Beijing title as he made his winning time of 9.84s look like the proverbial walk in the park.

Allez Christophe, Renaud et Teddy!!

67

This figure represents the number of years that Madiba has devoted to human rights work - that equates to 72.8% of his lifetime. The first 25 years of his life were spent preparing him for a calling that would see him put his commitment to the struggle for equality before his family.

As a fitting tribute to mark his 92nd birthday, the British Museum is hosting a series of events to mark Nelson Mandela day. As part of the festivities, the museum is asking visitors to donate 67 minutes of their time to charitable causes.

His legacy to South Africa, Africa and the world was his ability to maintain his humanity amidst unremitting inhumanity and I'm sure he would appreciate the symbolism of time as a charitable donation.

HAPPY 92ND BIRTHDAY MADIBA!!

Palinesque (the she, NOT he)

According to this, Bliar never asked the questions that needed to be ask about the post war reconstruction of Iraq. Instead, he assumed the Americans would take care of things and left it at that. For a supposedly intelligent man (I couldn't possibly comment!!), he's decision to bury his head in the sand is Palinesque. What's more, he did a hatchet job on anyone who had the temerity to pursue that line of questioning.

Soft targets

All those countries that have sent troops to Somalia as part of the African Union's peacekeeping force were served notice of their unwelcome presence by the atrocity perpetrated in Kampala as spectators watched the World Cup final.

Policy of total impunity

is how US foreign policy has been described by the man who survived countless CIA assassination attempts. The same applies to it's satellite state, Israel.

He was happy to see us, we were HAPPIER to see him

Whether or not the rumours surrounding his appearance are true, it gladdened my heart to see Madiba beaming his megawatt smile to the full house in Soccer City, Johannesburg and the billions watching on television screens throughout the continent and the rest of the world. As usual, his cameo left us wanting more, but it would have been a travesty for him to have witnessed the skulduggery perpertrated by the Oranje as they sought to disrupt the rhythm of the more technically accomplished La Roja. Thankfully the swift justice that has been meted out during this most historic of World Cups, when moral authority and integrity have been compromised, did not shirk from duty last night and the team that tried/wanted to play football emerged victorious.

Felicitaciones La Roja!! Felicitaciones Campeónes!!

Déjà vu

In 2008, Rafael Nadal won his fourth Coupe des Mousequetaire, his first Wimbledon title and La Roja won their first European Championships in style.

In 2010, Rafael Nadal has emulated Björn Borg again by winning the French Open followed by Wimbledon, La Roja after coming a cropper in their opening match against Switzerland regrouped and steadily improved in subsequent games. Their mastery of possession football came to the fore in the semi-final match against Die Nationalmannschaft where they highlighted the weakness of the latter's counterattacking style - it doesn't work if you can't get the ball and La Roja had the ball 61% of the time. Die Nationalmannschaft expended so much energy trying to get the ball off La Roja that when they did get the ball, they were too tired to do anything useful with it.

I'm with Paul on this one.

Vamos La Roja!!

It's called K-A-R-M-A

La Celeste, you got your just desserts!! You needed to be brought back down to earth after the self delusional rantings of some of your players. Your morality was found wanting and in this most historic World Cup, it should never have been called into question.

Israel as a Strategic Liability?

Those are the words of Anthony H. Cordesman who has written the eponymous titled paper for CSIS. It's only taken 62 years, but at long last the penny has dropped.

Por favor, quédese

Querido Diego

Remember Espagña 1982 and how your frustration at being constantly kicked saw your tournament come to a premature end? Over the next 4 years, you used that experience as motivation for Mexico 1986 and the whole world saw what a motivated Diego can do.

Your first campaign as a World Cup Manager has ended prematurely, but I do believe that once you've had a chance to reflect, you will realise how much better you can make the likes of Leo, Carlitos, Gonzalo, Javier M, Javier P, Otamendi, Sergio with 4 years to prepare - the thought of winning the Jules Rimet trophy on enemy territory should provide you and your players with all the necessary motivation.

Whatever you decide do after discussions with your family, thank you once again for providing us with more unforgettable memories and quotes!

Maradona, Zidane - I THINK NOT!!

Luis Suárez has evoked the "Hand of God" and Sebastian Abreu has compared his chipped penalty that "won" the match for La Celeste with that of Zidane's in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany. Firstly, Luis Suárez, you have just gone to no 1 in the World Cup 2010 Hall of Shame, secondly until you single-handedly win a World Cup then you have no right to compare yourself to Maradona - your actions if anything prove the absence of God. However, as Daniele de Rossi, Luis Fabiano have found, cheating does not pay in this World Cup so you have just ensured that La Celeste will be summarily dispatched by the Oranje on Tuesday.

As for Sebastian Abreu, please come down from the clouds because until you orchestrate your team's progress to the final à la Zidane in 2006, win World Player of the year 3 times, score the winning goal in the Champion's League final with a volley that showcases your superb technique, score 2 goals in a World Cup final and inspire your team to win a continental championships, you really have no right to compare yourself to Zizou.

See you in 4 years time

Your tournament has come to an end a lot quicker than you perhaps thought it would and I hope after some reflection you won't be too disappointed. You were at the heart of a lot of good play and you created chances for your team mates - I find it quite hard to comprehend how you didn't manage to score. I look forward to seeing you complete the set of footballing accolades in Brazil 2014.

Never has SO much been done with SO little

According to this, La Albiçeleste had most of the possession, more shots on goal and more corners, yet they were on the wrong end of a rout - football is indeed baffling.

There's a tennis tournament going on too

I really thought V would earn her sixth Venus Rosewater dish because she's been in good form this year and was seeded 2 at this year's championships. However she crashed out and now it's down to her younger sister to defend the family's honor. While her opponent in today's final should not be underestimated given that she's one half of the doubles team that put the Sister Act out and will also be in the women's double final - the younger sister to win in 3 sets, if necessary.

In the run-up to this semi-final match up, the Scot had talked up his chances against the Spaniard - if ever proof was needed about the gulf between the two when it really matters, yesterday's match provided it.

Pyrrhic victory

By any means necessary, win at all costs - the so called beautiful game or jogo bonito became jogo feio after a premeditated decision deprived the boy wonder of what should have been his 1st World Cup goal. Moral bankruptcy was on display tonight and as the events of earlier on have shown, cheating does not pay in this most historic of World Cups.

Getting their excuses in early

If you are facing a competitor who has beaten you 8 out of 13 times, do you:

1. complain about the opposition being poor losers thus giving said opposition extra motivation?
2. focus on your game and do your talking on the pitch?

In the run up to the women's 400m Olympic final in Beijing, the fastest runner in the world's preparation consisted of focusing on one of her competitors - needless to say, she did not win the Olympic gold as was expected.

La Albiçeleste, de Mannschaft are running scared.

Come down from the clouds

Dear FIFA

Even though you have more members than the UN (205 vs 192), at the end of the day you administrate a game which at it's most basic is 20 players chasing after a pig's bladder (the goalkeepers are for the most part spectators) that they kick away. So I don't know what gives FIFA the right to dictate to sovereign countries how they should run their respective football associations/federations. FIFA is not the byword for good governance and it is to all intents and purposes a cabal. If FIFA imposes sanctions against either France or Nigeria, then FIFA will have an insurrection on its hands.

World Cup 2010 allegiance

, just in case there was any doubt!!

Vamos La Albiçeleste!!

World Cup 2010 Hall of Shame

Despite this entreaty, old habits die hard so I feel compelled to name and shame.

1. Luis Suárez - Public Enemy No 1
2. Rafik Saïfi (there's a reason you're languishing in Ligue 2!!) - I don't think any other player will stoop this low. It's an outrage and FIFA, the Algerian FA and the South African police should throw the book at this guy - sticks and stones will break your bones, words will never hurt - obviously Asma Halimi's pen is mightier than Rafik Saïfi's sword and she's got a mean jab too
3. Daniele de Rossi - the aristocracy were being well and truly shepherded, something had to give - his flippin' legs!!
4. Luis Fabiano - you don't need to tell us!! We saw it on our tv screens, why didn't you vehemently protest to the ref that you had use illegal means to control Jabulani?!
5. Patrice Evra - tais-toi!!
6. England - for flattering to deceive and for being a Hapless, Abject and Clueless (HAC) collective!!

The man IS for turning

Margaret Thatcher once said, "....you can turn if you want to, but this lady is not for turning"

After a contentious 24 hours on the pitch, with the HACs having a legitmate goal disallowed (as if it would have made a difference!!) and La Albiçeleste having an illegitimate goal allowed, FIFA's head honcho not only, shock, horror apologised to the English and Mexican FAs respectively, but he also announced that FIFA would have goalline technology on the agenda at next month's meeting.

More fool you!!

The prevailing misconception among the media (listen here) is that Diego Maradona can't really be coaching La Albiçeleste - this is doing a great disservice to the great man!! After all, how is it possible to have played the game the way he played without having a fundamental understanding of what football is about?!

Maradona's genius lay in his ability to elevate his teammates, at Argentina and Napoli, to his level for the time it took to convert a typically astute pass to a goal. Though his talent is innate, he was a very industrious player - he was the first one to training and the last one to leave. Now as manager, he conveys his reading of the game to his players, La Albiçeleste play in his image and on the pitch, Maradona's genius is equalled by Messi.

4 down, 3 to go

So even if Messi doesn't play, La Albiçeleste are still formidable. Let's be perfectly honest, Messi is yet to fully ignite, despite his armful of MoM awards. The inevitable is bound to happen and methinks de mannschaft will be on the end of a virtuoso Messi display as he continues to mirror Maradona.

They can't play in red either!!

So much for the flippin' shirt change. The Three Lion Kings have been forensically julienned by De Mannschaft with Teutonic efficiency - As for the disallowed goal, it's called karma. Theo, you should be pleased you were not party to such shambles.

To James, Terry, Upson, Johnson, A Cole, Lampard, Barry, Milner, Gerrard, Rooney, Defoe - you have been found badly wanting. 

The Holy Trinity

If you're expecting a biblical reference, then you've come to the wrong place.

La Albiçeleste have the best player in the world in the shape of Messi, the most inspiring manager in Maradona and now they have the master tactitian in Mourinho. This unlikely alliance (one likes to play football, the other likes to stop football being played) displays Maradona's willingness to do whatever is necessary to ensure he fulfils his promise to streak in Buenos Aires should his team hoist the Jules Rimet trophy on 11th July.

Hunger trumps mental strength

The thing about mental strength is that it can go AWOL when one is tired - hunger on the other hand is  relentless in its persistence.

Well done to the Black Stars, Uruguay await and Africa will once again expect - 1 billion vs 2.5 million are extremely favorable odds.

It's not enough to criticise

So the G8 have issued a statement criticising the Gaza blockade, whoopee!! The blockade has only been in place for all of three years, a form of collective punishment reminiscent of what European Jewry were subject to during World War II and illegal under international law - those who were oppressed have become the oppressors and then some!!

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

Congratulations Dwain

Your time may not have been as impressive as your sub-10 second run in Bergen last week, but it's a W, a national title and it means you are Barcelona bound.

Good luck and watch out for the young Frenchman.

True Grit!!

He has heart!! He may have injured his left elbow and his right knee started acting up, but his desire to win through to the next round meant he was able to push the injuries to one side and focus on winning his match. He next plays on Monday so here's to hoping he'll have recovered sufficiently to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu as he continues his quest for a 2nd Wimbledon title.

Vamos Rafa!

Not quite total

While the Oranje topped Group E, they are yet to play the total football for which they are so renowned. That can only be a good thing as in Euro 2008, they total footballed Italy only to surrender meekly to Russia in the following game.

I fancy the Oranje against Slovakia because their injury prone talisman will be back and as he proved with his cameo against Cameroon, he gives them another dimension.

Sticking to their principles

Spain sent a clear message to the rest of the teams that they believe in their own ability and will not compromise their style of football a la Mourinho - thank goodness for small mercies.

Vamos Espagña!!

A continent vs a country

1 billion Africans vs 300 million Americans

Black Stars vs Stars n Stripes

Hunger vs Mental Strength

Prediction - hunger to win.

Afghanistan withdrawal

In Aravind Adiga's, The White Tiger, the protagonist writes a series of letters to a Chinese leader. In one of these letters, he mentions 3 countries that have never been conquered; China, Afghanistan and Abyssinia aka Ethiopia. An Afghani I spoke to was of the opninion Afghanistan would be fine if all the foreign armies left.

Azzuri, arrivederci!!

Justice has been served - let this be a lesson to Daniele de Rossi. Cheating doesn't pay, especially not in this World Cup.

bollocks

bollocks (also ballocks)   • plural noun Brit. vulgar slang 1 the testicles. 2 treated as sing. nonsense; rubbish.   — ORIGIN related to BALL1. To the clerk at Heathrow Underground,  my usage referred to definition number 2.

They don't know when to quit

The mental strength of the USA allows them to compete against more technically accomplished teams - their next opponents should bear this in mind.

I did say it was the shirt!!

They say clothes maketh the man, well it's certainly true of the men in red as opposed to their doppelgängers in white.

Black Stars, Africa expects

Dear Black Stars

As you know, Ghana was the first African country to shake off the yoke of colonialism when she gained independence in 1957. Kwame Nkrumah espoused pan-Africanism so I'm sure that 1 billion Africans will be rooting for you tonight. 1 billion vs 80 million is no contest - Africa expects, failure is not an option.

**Black Stars successfully fail and will meet the USA in the second round**

We remember your role in the struggle

Dear Winnie Madizikela-Mandela

As I feel the role you played in the struggle against apartheid has been downplayed (in the eyes of the western media), I've decided to redress the balance.

What is not widely known is how you kept Madiba's name alive throughout his imprisonment, at an enormous personal cost to yourself and your daughters. I'm not sure what you thought of Sophie Okonedo's depiction of you in Mrs. Mandela - I thought she did a remarkable job of conveying the harassment you were subjected to. I read your biography and I was struck by what your dedication to the struggle meant in sacrificial terms. I know you survived solitary confinement interspersed with interrogation sessions and a banning order, which undoubtedly left its mark - there's a scene in Mrs Mandela where Sophie Okonedo accurately portrays the inevitable transformation that took place.

Your courage, dedication, determination and sacrifice makes you a heroine in anyone's language. I do hope you've found the happiness you deserve and that you are at peace with yourself.

Yours in admiration.

Amandhla!

There's a tennis tournament going on

My predictions are as follows:

Winner of the appropriately named Venus Rosewater Dish - Venus Ebony Starr Williams aka V aka the Queen of Centre Court

Winner of the men's single's title: Rafael Nadal aka G.O.A.T

Place your bets!!

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

would sum up the Super Eagles' World Cup 2010 tournament. As usual, the lead up to the tournament was chaotic, a recurring theme as far as Nigeria's preparation for major tournaments goes. Their current coach rued the fact that he didn't have enough time with his players - I wonder why the NFF continues to undermine the not inconsiderable talent at their disposal by shambolic management. Despite all this, Nigeria's destiny was in their own hands, but with the finishing line in sight, they fell agonisingly short.

It's time to fetch the steaks - 3 down 4 to go

Leo oversaw the Albiçeleste's serene progress to the second round and in so doing he became the youngest captain at the tournament. The extra responsibility was handled with his customary aplomb and did not stop him from earning yet another MOM award.

Diego's plan for the second round - it's time to fetch the steaks.

So near and yet so far

So they won, but in the end it wasn't enough. However they acquitted themselves a lot better than anybody thought they would before the tournament started - Bafana Bafana,

well done!!

I see your abject and I'll raise you

is what Les Bleus said to England. So this was ignored and this too execept for Hugo Lloris so all that remains is for me to say,

je m'en balance aussi!!

Rage against the dying of the light

Titi, I wrote this about you and I believe you owe us one last reminder of what you can do before you retire to NYC. So tonight, play as if it's your last ever game - jeux pour les tricolors.

Jouer ou ne pas jouer, c'est la question

C'est incroyable!! Les bleus sont sur la grève. Qui jouera ce soir, on ne sais jamais!!

Allez les bleus, allez!!

THAT'S how you respond!!

If you arrive at a football tournament as favourites and somehow end up losing your first game despite dominating possession, do you:

1. put on an abject display in the second game?
2. decide not to play for your admittedly wacky, astrology-consulting coach?
3. stick to the principles that brought your first major football tournament?

Fortunately, this was heeded and Spain are now up and running - they can only get better.

Vamos Espagña!!

20 years ago, the defending champions lost their opening fixture to an unheralded side, but the genius of Diego, once again inspired the Albiçeleste (who can forget that 2nd round match against the Seleçao  where they were effectively outplayed for 89 minutes, but Diego unlocks the Brazilian defence as only he can, fashions a pass to Caniggia who dispatches the ball with aplomb) to the final where De Mannschaft fashioned a win.

So to Ilker, Piqué, Puyol, Busquets, Xabi, Xavi, David Villa, David Silva, Cesc (if you play), Nando et al, please don't despair - just play the beautiful game that so enchanted us in Euro 2008.

Vamos Espagña!!

What's eating Kaká?!

The Seleçao are through to the next round after what was ultimately a straightforward 3-1 win over the Elephants, but in the light of Kaká's dismissal after the game had already been won, it does make one wonder about Kaká's frame of mind after what by his very high standards has been a largely disappointing and injury plagued first season with Real Madrid. He spoke about being content with his performance in the game against Korea DPR and he had a hand in 2 of tonight's goals. However, given the inevitable suspension that will follow his sending off, the jury is still out on whether he can inspire the Seleçao to a sixth World Cup trophy - he's feeling the pressure.

Yet ANOTHER team in white who can PLAY!!

The appropriately named All Whites in their first World Cup since 1982 summoned the spirit of the haka to hold the soon-to-be ex World Champions to a very creditable 1-1 draw - this result serves to illustrate just how much of a leveller sport can be.

Like a fine wine, he's getting better with age

So a former world junior record holder for the 100m has finally lived up to his potential by becoming the fastest European this year with this run in Norway yesterday. What's more he's done it in the face of enormous adversity. If the men in white on Friday had a quarter of Dwain's mental strength, then England would probably have 6 points instead of 2.

Dwain, I certainly hope you get to run in 2012 because without question, if you run the qualifying time, then you sure as hell will deserve to don the British vest and represent.

He blazed a trail in the NBA

With the untimely demise of Manute Bol, his family have lost a father, a brother, a son, the NBA has lost a trailblazer, Sudan has lost an ambassador and peacemaker, and the world has lost a humanitarian. He had a dream to build 41 schools across Southern Sudan and through Sudan Sunrise, he had started to see his dream come to fruition - it would be a fitting legacy for his dream to be realised.

RIP

Jeux pour les tricolors

 Chers les bleus

Je vous supplie de jouer pour la fierté, pour le drapeau et pour vous.

Titi, cela peut-être votre dernier jeu, nous donne ainsi quelque chose de spécial pour se souvenir de vous par.

Allez les bleus, allez!!

What an abject display!!

A defense attorney will his instruct his client to wear white, why? Because white has a way of making even the most vicious, cold blooded, murderous thug look as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth - convincing the jury of their client's innocence is then easier to do.

Last night, the men in white played as if they were raising a proverbial white flag. Not a single player emerged with any credit and it remains to be seen if they will even qualify from their group. Between now and Wednesday, Don Fabio needs to let the players summon their inner Bulldog - he could start by letting them play in red.

They decided to stretch it out

Instead of sweeping Boston as I had predicted, LAL decided it would be more fun to play all seven games of the series.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers on validating your 2009 triumph!!

Ambivalent at best

For the first time in a long while, there's an occupant in the Oval Office who thinks the US-UK Special Relationship isn't all that and here's why;

• his grandfather was a cook in the KAR and there's no doubt he was subject to the indignities that were the order of day for African men in the British army.
• the British sowed the seeds of the tribalism that is prevalent in modern day Kenya by playing off one tribe against the other during their colonial rule - BO's grandfather was a member of the Luo tribe
• when Barack Obama Snr returned to a newly independent Kenya in 1965, his desire to function solely as a technocrat was thwarted by the politicians of the day - there is no doubt that tribalism played a part in this

They are starting to purr

The Albiçeleste have prepped the barbecue, laid out the condiments and stoked the coals - 2 down, 5 to go.

Je m'en balance

est ce qui Monsieur Domenech pensé avec zut alors et merde!!

A bad workman quarrels with his tools

which makes all those players complaining about Jabulani bad workmen. After all, if Leo can run with the ball like it's glued to his feet, I don't see why the rest can't do the same and if Vincent Enyeama can catch the ball like a human Venus fly-trap, I really don't see what the likes of Ilker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, David James, Mark Schwarzer etc are on about.

Depsite Jabulani having been made available by Adidas since last December, the English only got round to using it in May whereas the likes of Leo have been using since February - apparently Don Fabio made the decision not to practise with it.

Is this some kind of joke?!

75, 86 and 93 are the ages of the three wise men that Israel has appointed to probe their wanton act of piracy in international waters. To mollify the US, two relatively youthful international observers of 65 and 55 have been appointed to observe the farce, but as Bibi points out, they may as well not be there at all given they would not be able "to vote in relation to the proceedings and conclusions of the commission".  What's more when you read this, it does make you wonder why the international observers should even bother to show up.

Turkey should lobby the UN Security council to hold an inquiry that coincides with the Israeli one, especially since the Israeli one will whitewash the criminal acts of the members of the Israeli navy into the usual national security bullshit they peddle out all the flippin' time!!

The idea of cultural, economic and sporting boycott gains credence with each passing day after all if they don't want to engage with the international community, why should the international community engage with them?!

New kid on the block

With this leap, TT (or should that be T2?!) has announced himself to the world, in the same stadium where Usain Bolt first broke the 100m world record in May 2008. It remains a very real possibility that the world record of 18.43m won't be around for that much longer if T2 (way cooler than TT), Christian Olsson and Phillips Idowu continue to push one another.

1 Win, 2 Losses, 1 Draw

Bafana Bafana did the continent proud with their draw in the opening game, the Super Eagles acquitted themselves well, despite their chaotic preparation (plus ça change!!), against the tournament's likely winners, the Desert Foxes narrowly lost after another goalkeeping howler, but it's the Black Stars who have taken the continent's pride to stratospheric levels with their win - this was a nice touch.

Sanctions for Iran, what about Israel?

The IAEA is aware of Iran's nuclear ambitions because Iran has talked about them and she's a signatory to the NPT. This honesty has got Iran nowhere and the UN Security Council recently voted to impose crippling sanctions against the country. Their president has said that Iran will take its nuclear programme underground and who can blame him?

Perversely, Israel's nuclear weapons capability is an open secret, but because Israel hasn't come out officially about its nuclear programme, the IAEA's hands are tied. The man who shone the spotlight on Israel's illegal nuclear programme is under virtual house arrest in Israel - he sought refuge in a church on his release from jail, after converting from Judaism to Christianity.

When it comes to Israel, the following applies

all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others

Why?

Oops, ITV did it again!!

So ITV, pray do tell us why your HD viewers were left in the proverbial dark as Captain Marvel scored his goal. As I like my football advert free, I for one, won't be watching the final on your channel especially since you have form for this type of gaffe.

1 down, 6 to go

And so the little magician who captivated most of the world 24 years ago has let his little flea orchestrate the play, to the glorious benefit of the Albiçeleste - he and they can only get better.

The levels of condescension

In the lead up to the World Cup the press over here were full of negative stories about South Africa's preparations, the strikes, the level of crime, stadiums not being ready on time, ticketing problems, inadequate public transport, park and ride scheme not working properly.

So when South Africa staged a spectacular opening ceremony yesterday, in the calabash that is Soccer City Stadium in Jo'burg you could almost hear the incredulity in the broadcasters' voices. Lest the western world forget, South Africa staged an unforgettable Rugby World Cup in 1995, the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and they've taken on board the elements that made the 2006 World Cup in Germany such a success and added a uniquely South African flavour.

Bafana Bafana have surpassed people's expectations and the despondency of the players at the end of the game against Mexico told its own story.

Comme d'habitude

Les Bleus 0 Uruguay 0 n'est pas un mauvais résultat. C'est la même résultat que les Bleus obtenu en 2006 où ils sont allés entièrement à la finale. À Raymond Domenech, le début Titi pour le jeu suivant.

What we REALLY think of you

The Pentagon is getting its knickers in a twist because their full and frank assessments of Middle Eastern government's and their leaders may yet see the light of day. Well, it serves them right - if only there were more such soldiers who did not slavishly follow questionable orders. The Pentagon has lobbed the old national security chestnut to try and get Wikileaks not to publish the documents, embarrassment is the real reason - their founder is between countries as he tries to stay out of the Pentagon's reach.

Don't dishonour the integrity of the man who made it happen

Players, officials and fans,

If any of you are tempted to cheat, feign injury, get another player sent off, award dubious penalties, fix a result or riot, DON'T!!

Remember the extraodinary sacrifice Madiba made for South Africa along with Steve Biko, Ruth First, Chris Hani, Chief Albert Luthuli, Govan Mbeki, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Cyril Ramaphosa, Albertina Sisulu, Walter Sisulu, Jo Slovo, Oliver Tambo, Desmond Tutu, Donald Woods and countless others and, what that sacrifice cost him and his family.

Once the tournament is over, converge on the Waterfront in Cape Town and catch a ferry to Robben Island where Madiba spent eighteen of the twenty seven years that he was imprisoned. Once there, you'll be shown his cell and the narrowness of its confines will make you wonder how it was possible to retain one's sanity let alone one's humanity. You will also be shown the quarry where Madiba and others spent many hours chipping the limestone. You will be driven there in a bus with tinted windows, but even that won't stop the sun's glare from penetrating the air-conditioned interior and then you will understand why Madiba's eyesight is ruined. And after the tour is over, you will marvel at how one can experience all this and still retain one's humanity without bitterness or rancour.

So don't do anything to dishonour the sacrifice Madiba made, especially during this very tragic time - we all owe him that much.

Triumph marred by Tragedy

And so on a day that should have been about the world coming together to revel in the triumph of South Africa's big coming out party, tragedy has once again stalked the person most responsible for the World Cup being held in South Africa.

Today the sun will burn a little less brightly as we mark the passing of someone who died far too young.

However the show, as they say, must go on and I'm sure all South Africans will take pride in what their country has achieved. Likewise, I'm sure the rest of the African continent will bask in the glow of this real life feel good story. Not forgetting the rest of the world, but today belongs to the people of Africa.

Barack and/or Hillary

There are obvious parallels to be drawn between this and the duking that occurred as Barack and Hillary went toe-to-toe as they vied to win the Democratic Presidential nomination.

She is the first, black woman to contest the Labour party leadership and in recognition of this singularly groundbreaking achievement, I've coined the phrases, BamaTon and TonBama

Can't play, Won't play

So the Can't play, Won't play World Cup XI is made up of:

Andrea Pirlo

Arjen Robben

David Beckham
*David James
Didier Drogba
John Obi Mikel
José Bosingwa
Lassana Diarra
Michael Ballack
Michael Essien
Nani - was it worth it?

I would opt for a 4-5-1 formation, but given there's no recognised striker, it hard to see how this hypothetical team would progress - it has just occurred to me that Didier the Diver Drogba is a striker when he's in the mood to be.

*David James is carrying a knee injury, but because of his erudition and articulation, the senior England players have lobbied for him to start Saturday's opener against the USofA

Computer says....NO

There's a sketch in Little Britain which always ends with the character robotically saying, "computer says....no'. I had my own real life "computer says....no" moment in the offices of a well known high street bank on Friday afternoon.

I was applying for a credit facility and as my income over the past year had been fitful, I thought it would be better if I made my case in person. So I went along to the branch of my bank in central London, where I had opened the account, armed with documentary evidence to support my changed circumstances and someone who could vouch for the veracity of some of my narrative a phone call away. Despite all this, the computer said no to my application so I asked for human intercession. The human involvement took all of 10 seconds to reach the same conclusion as the computer.

With such pliancy, who will stand up to the computers when they eventually take over?!!

Land of the free?!!

As this so clearly demonstrates, criticism of Israel trumps the distinguished Helen Thomas' first amendment right to free speech. Given that Americans get hot under the collar when they believe their right to bear arms, as defined in the second amendment, is in jeopardy from forces imagined or real (normally the former!!), the fact that Ms Thomas felt she had to apologise first and resign second is indicative of just how much of a sacred cow Israel is.

The US kowtows to Israel in a manner that is sooooooooooooo obsequious one would think Israel was the superpower in question. The one sided nature of the US relationship with Israel is strikingly reminiscent of the the one-sided nature of the US relationship with the UK - the UK is the tail being wagged by the dog. The US should grow a pair of cojones and tell Israel where to go then we'll see just how brave Israel actually is without the back-up of the 1000 pound gorilla (no offence to gorillas is intended by this comparison).

And why is that the Israeli government spokesman, the current Israeli PM and ultra-Orthodox settlers on the remotest kibbutz have such apple-pie American accents?!

If Puerto Rico is considered to be the 51st State of the USofA, then surely Israel's got to be the 14th!!