As we know currently the World Cup of football (i.e. soccer, not footie) is under way in Russia. For its fans, this is a veritable feast with interesting matches, one after another.
A story coming out of Russia some time ago was about two Swiss players or Kosovan Albanian origin. These two scored a goal each against Serbia, and in their ensuing celebration made a hand gesture in the form of an eagle, which represents Albanian identity.
I think this depends upon the position one takes on the message being given.
Serbia and Kosovo have a bloodied history, especially after the Balkans war that led to the dismantling of the state of Yugoslavia, with one of the states emerging being Serbia containing the autonomous region of Kosovo whose population is predominantly Albanian. Kosovo declared itself independent in 2008, a declaration accepted by many countries, but not by Serbia and other countries, and in fact to this day Kosovo is not a member of the United Nations.
Coming back to this game of football, there were Serbian supporters in the ground wearing shirts with the image of Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian-Serb general, who was found guilty of genocide during the Balkans war by the International Criminal Tribunal that was set up to consider the matter. Did these supporters do the wrong thing?
Those sympathising with Serbs will probably say that the supporters did nothing wrong, and condemn Albanian players for provocation. Those sympathising with Albanians or Kosovans, will probably say the opposite. Anyone who is neutral or couldn’t give a damn from all this and only wants to watch a game of football, will probably say that these and similar political gestures have no place in football or in any other sport, and be better stamped out to avoid trouble.
Does the lack of war mean that peace prevails? Does silence imply there are no problems? For someone feeling, reasonably or otherwise, to be long suffering from some injustice, would you blame her for taking the occasion to ventilate her frustration?
The first example I remember reading about political messaging in sport happened many years ago. I refer to 1968, when the black Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos had raised a fist each with black gloves, as a symbol of Black Power, on the podium at the Olympic Games being held at the time in Mexico City, where they had won the gold and bronze medals respectively in the 200 metre sprint. Apart from that, they were barefoot to protest against poverty, and wore beads and a shawl to symbolise the lynching of blacks in the US.
The Australian Peter Norman, who took silver in the event, also took part, by wearing an emblem of the Olympic Project for Human Rights.
Do you also agree that political messages should not be made in sport, in order to avoid trouble?
Today, few people are heard saying that what Smith, Carlos and Norman did that day was wrong.
Think about it: if this incident was fine, and the others not, where do we draw the line? And who is going to draw it? I think that each case needs to be considered, and I’ll be the first to say that the process is subjective and controversial, and be sure that not everyone will decide the same way.
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Bħalissa bħal ma nafu għaddejja t-Tazza tad-Dinja tal-futbol (mhux footie) fir-Russja. Għal min hu dilettant tal-futbol, din hija festa sħiħa b’partiti interessanti, waħda wara l-oħra.
Storja li ħarġet mir-Russja ftit ilu kienet ta’ żewġ plejers ta’ oriġini Albaniżi tal-Kosovo, li jilagħbu għall-Isvizzera. Dawn it-tnejn skurjaw gowl kontra s-Serbja, u fiċ-ċelebrazzjoni għamlu ġest b’idejhom bil-forma tal-ajkla, li tirrappreżenta l-identità Albaniża.
Jien naħseb li dan jiddependi fuq x’pożizzjoni wieħed jieħu fuq il-messaġġ li qiegħed jingħata.
Is-Serbja u l-Kosovo għandhom storja mdemmija, speċjalment wara l-gwerra tal-Balkani li wasslet għat-tifrik tal-istat tal-Jugoslavja, b’waħda mill-istati li ħarġu minnha tkun is-Serbja li ġo fiha kien hemm ir-reġjun awtonomu tal-Kosovo li l-popolazzjoni tiegħu hija predominantement Albaniża. Il-Kosovo ddikjara lilu nnifsu indipendenti fl-2008, dikjarazzjoni aċċettata minn ħafna pajjiżi, imma mhux mis-Serbja u pajjiżi oħra, u fil-fatt il-Kosovo għadha mhix membru tan-Nazzjonijiet Uniti.
Nergħu niġu lura għal din il-logħba futbol, kien hemm partitarji Serbi fil-grawnd li libsu flokkijiet b’ritratt ta’ Ratko Mladic, ġeneral Serb tal-Bosnja, li kien misjub ħati ta’ ġeniċidju waqt il-gwerra tal-Balkani mit-Tribunal Kriminali Internazzjonali li twaqqaf apposta. Dawn il-partitarji għamlu ħażin?
Min jissimpatizza mas-Serbi, aktarx jgħid li l-partitarji m’għamlu xejn ħażin, u jikkundannaw lill-plejers Albaniżi bi provokazzjoni. Min jissimpatizza mal-Albaniżi jew il-Kosovani, aktarx jgħid il-kontra. Min huwa newtrali jew assolutament jiġi jitmellaħ minn dan kollu u jrid biss jara logħba futbol, aktarx jgħid li dawn il-ġesti u messaġġi simili politiċi m’hawnx posthom fil-futbol u lanqas fi sports oħra, u aħjar jinqatgħu kompletament ħalli ma jinqalax inkwiet.
In-nuqqas ta’ gwerra jfisser li hemm il-paċi? Il-kwiet ifisser li m’hemmx problemi? Min iħoss, b’raġun jew mingħajru, li qiegħed isofri xi inġustizzja fit-tul, int tlumu li jieħu l-okkażjoni biex jivventila l-frustrazzjoni tiegħu?
Jien l-ewwel eżempju li niftakar li qrajt dwar messaġġ politiku fl-isport seħħ ħafna snin ilu. Qiegħed nirreferi għall-1968, meta l-atleti Amerikani suwed Tommie Smith u John Carlos, kienu għollew idhom bil-ponn f’ingwanta sewda, bħala simbolu tal-qawwa sewda (Black Power), fuq il-podju tal-Logħob Olimpiċi li kienu qiegħdin isiru f’Mexico City, fejn kienu rebħu midalja tad-deheb u l-bronż rispettivament fil-ġirja tal-200 metru. Apparti hekk, kienu ħafjin biex jipprotestaw kontra fl-faqar, u libsu żibeġ u xalla madwar għonqhom biex jissimbolizzaw il-qtil, tas-suwed fl-Istati Uniti.
Kien ħa sehem ukoll l-Awstraljan Peter Norman, li kien rebaħ il-fidda, li kien libes emblema tal-Proġett Olimipiku tad-Drittijiet Umani.
Int ukoll taħseb li aħjar messaġġi politiċi ma jsirux fl-isport, biex ma jinqalax inkwiet?
Illum, ftit nisma’ ‘l min jgħid li l-atleti Smith, Carlos u Norman għamlu ħażin dakinhar.
Aħseb ftit, jekk dan l-inċident tajjeb, u l-ieħor ħażin, allura fejn se nħożżu l-linja? U min se jħożżha? Jien naħseb li kull każ irid ikun mixtarr, u nkun l-ewwel li ngħid li dan il-proċess huwa suġġettiv u kontroversjali, u żgur mhux kulħadd se jaqtagħha l-istess.
1https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/02/for-albanians-its-not-just-an-eagle-heres-the-deeper-story-those-world-cup-fines/?utm_term=.e41ce806776e, retrieved 2/7/2018
2http://theconversation.com/i-will-stand-with-you-finally-an-apology-to-peter-norman-10107, retrieved 3/7/2018
3https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/09/24/they-didnt-takeaknee-the-black-power-protest-salute-that-shook-the-world-in-1968/?utm_term=.d7a67bd1a900, retrieved 3/7/2018
1https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/02/for-albanians-its-not-just-an-eagle-heres-the-deeper-story-those-world-cup-fines/?utm_term=.e41ce806776e, retrieved 2/7/2018
2http://theconversation.com/i-will-stand-with-you-finally-an-apology-to-peter-norman-10107, retrieved 3/7/2018
3https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/09/24/they-didnt-takeaknee-the-black-power-protest-salute-that-shook-the-world-in-1968/?utm_term=.d7a67bd1a900, retrieved 3/7/2018
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