Indifference to Ongoing Women World Cup In Beijing…

Another appropriate word is nonchalant.
As though it is not happening.
I always overhear women saying “I hate football”, “It is a men’s game!” or “I can’t stand those bands of blokes singing ugly songs, drinking beer, shouting and fighting.”
Fair enough. Football (soccer, in the USA), can be rough and recently some dreadful skirmishes were recorded at London’s King’s Cross station where 150 violent fans from the Arsenal –Tottenham match (the previous weekend) left a 38 year old man hospitalised. Daniel King, sports columnist with Mail on Sunday wrote “sorry to mention it but violence is back” in football. Such stories of course will continue to put women who dislike Pele’s beautiful game, off it.
This is, nevertheless, for me, the exception rather than the rule.

I have been to many football matches in various parts of the world (including Latin America and Europe) where soccer attendance consisted of many happy chanting families and children. It can be a special outing where you can really express yourself verbally. It is also a national cultural event whereby identity is the motive.
On Wednesday (tomorrow) the ongoing women’s world cup in Beijing China enters it’s semi-finals. I have been watching some of the matches and they have been excellent, magical. The standard of playing has been amazing, especially if you observe top class players from Norway, Germany, USA, Brazil and England. The model of playing contrary to those who think this is girlie football ( and I was one of them too) is as good as any man’s game. You cannot deny that Brazil’s mesmerising players Marta and Formiga and England’s Kelly Smith and captain Faye White are great entertainers and fantastic dribblers. The only thing that I found appalling was goalkeeping. So many goals conceded proved it to be the weakest link. Think of the Eleven goals netted against the Argentinean side by Germany during the early matches. Or Ghana being trounced by Australia, New Zealand by Brazil. Many goals, some of them pathetic at the keeper’s kitchen.
But that can be rectified as years go on. Otherwise, I thought the level of the game ( and I was watching one match with a lady who likes football, who agreed too) is really blossoming and the technique of goal control, team work, short and long passes, finishing touches, the goals; absolutely thrilling. Superb.
But what beats me, and this is the intention of this blog entry, is this. Why aren’t women bothered by the World Cup contest? Many times I have been puzzled by the lukewarm response, the surprise when I mentioned it.
“Did you see Marta last night?”
Who is Marta?
They don’t know Brazil’s top goal scorer (female FIFA's world best player)who has been dubbed Pele In A Skirt, or England’s Kelly Smith, the female Zinedine Zidane.
“You heard how Germany trounced Argentina eleven goals?”
What, where, which, when?
“You don’t know there is a Women’s World Cup going on in China?”
Shrug. Sigh. Pout. I don’t like football.
And then there is the media. Female columnists are not even mentioning the games. They are not commenting on the wonderful expertise and skills and beauty of their fellow female sports-ladies; they are not reacting. And the mainstream media itself is merely giving very little tiny brief reports of the matches. I am shocked by the lack of pictures, the absence of headlines. BBC television shows highlights of some of these matches in the dead of the night, usually midnight. Which is understandable because of the time zone difference ….(It was the same with the African Winners Cup in 2006)…However, if someone likes something they can video tape and watch it the next day.
Beats me.
And Then.
Why call football (soccer) a man’s game? Why football in particular? Why are all other sports (not excluding violent boxing), athletics, tennis and so on equally shared? What is the problem here? Yes. Many governments and countries have not put much in female soccer but that shouldn’t be the excuse if there are female football geniuses and stars and the games are entertaining and as good as any other championship ones. Kelly Smith herself said in an interview that when she was younger she used to be discouraged from playing by both females and males. Perhaps that is part of the answer.
And.
When we hear equal rights and emancipation what does it mean exactly?

Senegal Draw Ghana in London Friendly

Millwall Stadium, Tuesday 21 st August, 2007...
The African soccer friendly at the New Den, Millwall Stadium was an eye opener.

I have seen Ghana playing ( vs Nigeria last February where the Kwame Nkrumah grand-kids won 4-1). But Senegal was a different story. More than two thirds of the supporters were on Ghana's side so, green-red-yellow colours seemed to say "Black Stars rules." No wonder the first goal a minute before halftime was from the Black Stars, hosts of next year's Africa Cup. Everything was in Ghana's favour, the chants, the Kpanlogo drums, the fans, the aforesaid colours. A zealous supporter near me kept waving a huge flag, to the annoyance of a ten year old girl who complained but had to get used to football over-zealousness.

Stadiums are one of the few places where you can shout as loud as you can and express yourself.

"Our flags are almost similar. The only difference is the star in the middle for Ghana's," quipped another singing supporter.

By halftime it was drizzling...

No wonder players are paid large sums of money. We sat watching a wet El Hadji Diouf captaining his minority side (South London is second home to Ghanians and we all know the Senegalese are more at home in France); the Bolton Wanderers star's efforts were rewarded with a goal. It was around 72 minutes.

By that time Senegal was proving the tougher team not just by brilliant football, passing and tactical playing, by fouling, too. Michael Essien (Chelsea's top mifielder) was kicked in so many instances, he had to wobble out four minutes later. He was in my opinion, the man of the match, an intelligent player who like Diouf was both star and captain.

This was a beautiful and entertaining game and the Gods were on the side of it's theme which was friendship. Sometimes the goodnatured Ghanian fans cheered lovely playing of the Senegalese. No wonder it ended in a terse but deserved, 1-1 draw.

Walking home I reflected on the stakes. Senegal leading Group 7 of the Africa heats, followed by Tanzania, which they drew (1-1) last June and beat the East African Taifa Stars, 4-0, in March.

Taifa Stars are upcoming what with the positive guidance of Brazilian coach Marcio Maximo...but watching the Lions of Teranga giving Ghana a hard time ( a Ghana that saw the World Cup a year ago) made me think : Taifa Stars, look- out!

I meditated on the high fee of 28 pounds, plus two more pounds service charge, by Ticketmaster, the company that sells tickets. I dwelt on the fact that one could not buy these entrance papers in London's African shops, like during the Nigeria match in February. It is always about money...

I sipped beers with two German agents; they said they were from Hamburg, looking for new boys. African players are at the moment part of "a fair catch", both for rich clubs and their own destinies. Gone are the days when African football was something you equated with nonchalant animals at tourist game parks ...something in the bush... This is the era of millionaire Drogbas and Samuel Eto'os... globalisation global globalisation.
Was thirty pounds a head worth it?

It wasn't a bad night counting that we matched through the riveting, spooky, dark industrial Millwall streets thinking, this area has a history of racism and such stuff. The sight of police and security everywhere was assuring. People of all ages with families were here : old, young, male, female...

Of course the colurful spectacle wasn't shown on mainstream television. Not many people let alone Africans in London knew about it.

But for those present, one word, shone. Pleasure. Entertainment.

Fun and sports maketh the day...

African Soccer Magazine journalist, Ebenezer, who was at the match publicising the new paper which focuses solely on African soccer. Check out

http://www.africansoccer.co.uk/

With Senegalese fans. This was a few minutes before the friendly game. Culture and sports always brings people together.

Ghanian fans chant "Essien!" "Essien!" for TV pundits prior to the competition.

Publicist and photo-journalist, CNN (Charles Nimmo N-Mensah) of http://www.ghanaweb.com/. Was there too. A man proud and comfortable with his job.

Starting...

hi, my name is, freddy macha.

iam not that important. The things am going to try... to tell you.... are more significant. about finding out. recalling. refurbishing.
That is one way of approaching this. strolling back and forth.
So here we go.
i love history. But i also love Now. So we shall travel fowards and backwards, since life is up and down, left to right, swinging, standing.
Past events are like parents. Without history there is no herstory, and without herstory there is no history. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO SOMETHING ELSE.
So?

That recent snap was taken byJJ Otieno, a remarkable photographer and distinguished artist-musician. Anyway.

Today is 3oth July.
We are halfway thru 2007. Let us try and look at time. distance. Recall some few interesting things, so far.
On February 6th i went to check out a friendly party in west London. An amicable game. A football game. If you are in USA you are thinking soccer. If you are in the rest of the world you might have heard the friendly between Ghana and Nigeria. Amusement. Fun.

Check out these guys....





Football is not just about countries or muscular males running after a piece of rubber. Any sport brings people together and hints at all sorts of stuff. Communities. Culture. Money. Psychology. Dressing up. Style.

Nigeria versus Ghana reminded me of a match i saw in Rio De Janeiro, back in 1988. Maradona was playing. Bebeto was playing. Diego Maradona was the topical player then and i and a couple of fellas were screaming. It was also called a friendly. Eyes almost popping out of our sockets, as we witnessed the mesmerising skills of the maestro. Two years earlier Argentina had won the world cup in Mexico City. Now here we were at the most famous stadium (in the world) the Maracana. A few moments into the game we became aware of not so good looks of some Brazilian fans and quickly checked our tongues. Imagine watching the great Zinedine Zidane and keeping mum.
Maradona was pure magic.
Now that is history. Brazil versus Argentina. 1988...in Rio.
remember the theme of this piece.

History is like parents.

Rewind to Feb 6th, 2007...
There is so much apprehension; beautiful apprehension. Ghana has just been in the World Cup 2006. Nigeria are well... excellent....(1996 Winners of the World Olympics in Atlanta, for example) and players from both sides are well...legends and ... exciting. While buying the ticket, one Ghanian says Michael Essien was practising alone that morning..."a dedicated and disciplined guy, thats why he is so good."
Listen and learn.
Dedication and discipline.
Serious words.
And.
The match would be at Griffith Park, Brentford, and the duel is already been played on the net. Waw! Fan emails from both sides were as exciting as the match itself.
Listen to this:

"Nigeria should invade Ghana and build a stadium there.”

“Be sure that Nigeria will beat Ghana any day and any time, no matter where the match will be played. Even if you invite us to your bedroom, Nigeria will beat you there.”

Or:
"Nigeria fans should stop talking about old glory. Ghana is the best in Africa now. Believe it or not. Ghana will beat Nigeria."
Free T-shirts issued by Money Gram. take it, take it...
Wherever there is an African there is music, I heard someone saying that day. I do recall glorious faces of men, children, women, families , dancing. BBQ. Booze.
Long queque to the toilets, chants, chatting...
screaming, clapping...

No goals in the first half, though. Popular culture is not just about goals. It is about people!

People need People!


When Stephen Appiah (Ghana’s captain) and Shilla Illiasu ( no. 7) missed goals the angry taunts began. It got worse when Chelsea’s Michael Essien (most expen$ive player in African football history) was injured. Accusations of softness vibrated.
“CELEBRITY!”
“£90,000, A WEEK!”
In the second half Ghana netted four goals and the insults turned to celebration; but Nigeria’s brilliant skipper Nwankwo Kanu was not spared. As he warmed up to get in five minutes before the end, he was booed by Ghanaian fans. The verbal harassment reminded me of that Maradona incident I told you earlier. Here is the most highly decorated African player (ten awards minimum) and one of the top goal scorers in the English league, being belittled just for being on the Other Side.
Like said, this was a friendly.

There were many other friendlies that day. They were all in the media. Portugal versus Brazil at Arsenal's stadium. England versus...do you remember?Of course it was headline news. Spain.

And the most important thing? It happened. It was memorable, it was enjoyable.
In the beginning of 2008 we have Africa Cup Championships...

We will be back in July 2008 and ask the eyes. They are our police.