Mid May Issue

by Derek Miller

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Hello again,

We have an important selection of new articles for this issue. In The African Football Revolutionaries Satish continues our series on the impact of Ghanaian great Nana Kumi Gyamfi I, when he was still known as Charles Kumi, or CK, Gyamfi. This article details Gyamfi's impact on the game in Germany and Ghana and how he was a crucial part of President Kwame Nkrumah's plan to unite Africa through football beginning by first uniting the country behind the national team led by Gyamfi in order to use them as ambassadors for African unity. It also details how the late Ohene Djan played an important role in Nkrumah's vision and was a football revolutionary in his own right. It is followed by John Little's Hypocrisy - Human Rights and the Modern Olympics. He continues our series on human rights abuses and Olympic hosts, featuring the Berlin Olympics of 1936 especially. Following our preview of the efforts of Malian international footballer Frédéric Kanouté to combat poverty through football with his charity match on May 13th we are delighted to highlight the humanitarian contribution of Egypt's Cup of Nations winning hero Mohamed Aboutreika. In The Humanitarian Ambassador Satish details that there is far more to Aboutreika than just talent on the football pitch. He is a WDP ambassador and active campaigner for humanitarian causes, including the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. And he is a Muslim role model.

The racist abuse of Aboutreika's Egyptian team-mate Mido - Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid -earlier this season resulted in a new initiative to combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in football. A ground-breaking seminar took place last month to put these issues on football's agenda in England. It was organised by the English FA. Satish secured interviews with the key participants. In Targeting Islamophobia he details why the initiative was launched and what they hope to achieve. It also reveals that the importance of Muslim role-models Hassan Shehata and Hosny Abd-Rabou of Egypt to the campaign. In Tackling Age Old and New Racism Satish details events affecting Jewish supporters and why it was necessary to confront that as well. He also points out an area of anti-Semitism that was not considered in the seminar - the treatment of Palestinians. He highlights this with the story of the Palestinian Under-19 tour that was cancelled last year – a story Empower-Sport Magazine covered in great detail. Sandwiched between those articles is John Little's article Mosley's Last Race? on the trials and tribulations of motor racing boss Max Mosley. Little reveals that Mosley's past casts his much-publicised indiscretions in a different light and suggest that his days at the top of the glamorous world of motor racing are numbered. We hope that you enjoy this issue.

Derek Miller
Editor

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The African Football Revolutionaries

by Satish Sekar

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The playing career of one of Ghana’s greatest players, Charles Kumi Gyamfi, was over. In the third part of our series on the impact of Nana Kumi Gyamfi I, as he is now known, we examine the revolutionary contribution he made to both African and German football and the role that the late football pioneer and revolutionary Ohene Djan had on his life as part of the plan of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah to unite Africa through football. Gyamfi would become an essential component of the Ghanaian football revolution - one that would have a great impact on both the political and football development of the whole continent. Sadly the revolutionary experiment would end too soon with the overthrow of Nkrumah by the Ghanaian military in February 1966. Ironically it would be a counter-revolution that benefited first from Nkrumah’s fall, as the Ghanaian football revolution was halted in its tracks by a reactionary military government that cared little for football and even less for African unity. The revolution was over and it would spell dark times for Gyamfi as he found himself marginalised. He found himself relegated to being on the Ghanaian bench as assistant to Carlos Alberto Parreira in 1968 - denied the opportunity to coach the Black Stars to an unprecedented third consecutive triumph as coach, but before the tribulations there were the triumphs. Read More...

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Hypocrisy - Human Rights & the Modern Olympics

by John Little

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The ancient Greek hero Heracles is credited by many as the fouder of the first Olympic Games. For over a thousand years the Olympics were held every four years until finally, in 393 AD, the Christian Roman Emperor, Theodosius I, banned them because they were pagan. For the next fifteen centuries the games lay dormant, a mere footnote in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. The romanticised view that we have of the Olympic Games is however, far from the reality of sporting life in ancient Greek times. Baron Pierre de Coubertin is credited as being the father of the modern Olympic Games, yet a similar event took place in England decades before the Frenchman saw his dream come to life just as the nineteenth century was approaching its climax. His motto for the games was: 'winning is not as important as taking part.' It is not a concept that the ancient Greeks adhered to. For them anything but wining meant disgrace and any means, fair or foul were tried to obtain the victor's laurel - the passport to fame and riches. The price of cheating was high. If caught, the offender would be beaten by his outraged competitors. False starts were not tolerated, but performance-enhancing substances were freely taken. There were no prizes for coming second in ancient Greece. Read More...

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The Humanitarian Ambassador

by Satish Sekar

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One of many Egyptian players to impress in Ghana was Al-Ahly's talented play-maker and attacking midfielder, Mohamed Aboutreika. He is a footballer who possesses a social conscience as well - a true humanitarian who uses his skill as a sportsman to gain platforms for worthy causes. His club has just proved itself to be the class of Egypt too. Al-Ahly clinched the Egyptian league for the thirty-third time on April 21st with an uncharacteristic 0-0 draw against Baladeit el-Mahala. It was their fourth consecutive title. That draw gave them a twenty-two point cushion over then closest rivals Al-Zamalek. However, they surprisingly crashed out of the Egyptian Cup against minnows Asyut Petroleum in an early round. South African champions, Platinum Stars, stunned the five-times African title-holders 2-1 in the first leg of their last sixteen clash. The second leg is due to take place this weekend. Read More...

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Targeting Islamophobia

by Satish Sekar

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When Middlesboro entertained Newcastle on August 27^th 2007 the Egyptian striker was subjected to chants of “He’s got a bomb,” by Newcastle supporters who believe that Mido - Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelamid - resembles the shoe-bomber Richard Reid. It clearly offended Mido - no stranger to controversy himself. He responded by scoring and celebrated his goal in his home début at Middlesboro’s Riverside Stadium in the 2-2 draw by making a shushing gesture at the Newcastle fans who had been abusing him. Mido thought the chants ridiculous. “I heard it,” he said at the time. “It was clear and I understood what they were saying. I am used to it from opposition fans. I just think it was ridiculous.” The referee Mike Dean booked him, apparently for security reasons. All he did was put his finger to his mouth to tell his detractors to shut up. Read More...

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Tackling Age-old and New Racism

by Satish Sekar

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Last month the first attempt to develop a multi-agency approach to combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in English football took place in London. The FA: Kick It Out, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the National Association of Muslim Police were present at the seminar. “One of our concerns is ensuring that people are made aware of what constitutes anti-Semitic and Islamophobic abuse and how we can encourage people to report incidents,” said event facilitator Lucy Faulkner. “However, our overall concern is to tackle this abuse and ensure that anyone can participate in and enjoy football whatever their background. We believe we have a collective responsibility to tackle anti-Semitism and Islamophobia as no one organisation can do this. We know there is still more to be done to be done to achieve race equality and we are not complacent. We are committed to eliminating anti-Semitism and Islamophobia from football and are seeking a co-ordinated, all agency approach.”

Read More...

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Mosley's Last Race?

by John Little

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Max Mosley - the sixty-seven-year-old son of British Nazis Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford - faces a tough fight to hold onto power in the glamorous world of Formula One motor racing. An exposé of his tawdry sexual peccadilloes by the British Sunday tabloid, the News of the World, showed that Mosley had a preference for concentration-camp fantasies. Given his past and the recent furore over racist abuse of Lewis Hamilton - one of the first and so far most promising black driver in the sport - it shocked and appalled his colleagues. Many called for his immediate resignation as President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) which runs the sport. Mosley faces a meeting of its governing body in early June to decide his future. Motor racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart recently added his voice to the growing clamour for Mosley to step down. It is far from certain that Mosley can hold onto power until then, so how did it come to this? Read More...

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Frederic Kanoute

by John Little

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Current African Footballer of the Year, Frédéric Kanouté, will put aside the disappointment of Mali's African Cup of Nations campaign and the indifferent performances of his Spanish club Sevilla to use his celebrity to campaign for those less fortunate than himself. Like his predecessor as African Footballer of the Year, la Côte d'Ivoire's Didier Drogba, Kanouté wants to use his fame and skill as a footballer as a platform to improve the lives of others, especially the poor and destitute in Africa and Asia. “My humanitarian projects go back about five years,” says Kanouté, “but it has been an idea of mine that has been growing for a very long time. I see it more like a vocation for me. I founded the Kanouté Association which is dedicated to helping the less fortunate in Africa and Asia with a special focus on children around the world

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May Day Issue

by Derek Miller

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We are delighted to present a varied selection of insightful articles for you in this issue. In  The Transition  we continue our series on the impact of Nana Kuni Gyamfi I on African and European football. Satish looks at the close of Gyamfi's playing career and his move into coaching. Gyamfi details his philosophy and explains how he avoided disciplinary problems. We foolow this up with a look at human rights in the run up to the Beinjing Olympic Games. In Human Rights in China - What Price This Olympics? John Little examines China's promises regarding human rights set against the furore over the crackdown in Tibet and the Olympic torch relay. Next we continue our occasional series on racism in Scandinavian football. In  It Isn't Just Cartoons  Satish examines incidents of racism and the refusal of the authorities to accept that there was a problem. Last year Lyngby became the first Danish club punished for the racist conduct of its fans. Satish obtained interviews with Lyngby capatain Morten Petersen and much travelled and ever controversial OB striker David Nielsen.

We also take a look at the consequences of fan power. The sometimes racist supporters club of Valencia Yomus wielded its power to undermine former coach Quique Sànchez Flores. Set against the derby of Valencia last season Satish examines that match and its aftermath. In  Turmoil – Valencia in Crisis  Satish traces the beginning of the end for Flores to that match. Despite being in contention on all fronts Flores was sacked and replac ed by Ronald Koeman. The results didn't come. Valencia is teetering on the brink of relegation. Despite winning the Copa del Rey, Koeman was fired. Boebie Williams completes his analysis of Soth Africa's preparations in  Failing to Prepare - South Africa's Race to Catch Up. His analysis shows that racism still flourishes in South Africa, but under a different guise. Williams outlines his recommendations to succeed on the pitch and buld a legacy from Africa's World Cup. We finish this issue with Much in Common. It marks a welcome return from our Germany correspondent Wiebke Marschalk. Together with Satish they examine the career paths of Anton Ferdinand and Aaron Hunt, discovering that they have more in common than either would like to admit. Their paths crossed in Leverkusen and exposed the limitations of UEFA's disciplinary proceedings. Since then both have had a hard path to success. We hope that you enjoy this issue

Derek Miller
Editor

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The Transition

by Satish Sekar

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This is the second part of our series on the impact of Nana Kumi Gyamfi I on African and European football. The worst of friends and best of enemies have a rivalry on the pitch that predates even Ghana’s independence, let alone Nigeria’s. During his illustrious playing career Nana Kumi Gyamfi I was caught up in it. The Jalco Cup had been shared fairly equally between the West African rivals, but controversy wasn’t far away. It wasn’t until 1957 that the nation hosting it failed to win it and that was a 3-3 draw in Ghana. The Black Stars recovered from a two goal deficit to grab a draw. In 1955 Ghana recorded a 7-0 victory, even though the return fixture ended in a 3-0 defeat. The draw allowed Nigeria to retain the cup, but it set the tone for the most controversial match in the history of the Jalco Cup and the rivalry for years to come. Read More...

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What Cost This Olympics?

by John Little

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Human Rights in China

The decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing was controversial from the beginning as it would inevitably expose China's human rights record to worldwide scrutiny. The crackdown in Tibet could not have been timed much worse. While the Chinese authorities thought the world would be treated to images of the most dynamic torch relay in history, human rights activists had other ideas. Throughout the world, protesters of China's record on human rights converged on the relay of the torch to highlight these abuses as well as China's control of Tibet.  As the torch wound its way from Greece to China many people assembled along the predetermined route to show their opposition. A torchbearer was attacked in Paris, France, where the torch had to be put out several times and some protesters even tried to grab it.

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It Isn't Just Cartoons

by Satish Sekar

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Long before the row over the publication of controversial cartoons erupted in Denmark, racism had surfaced in its top flight football. Pa Dembo Touray - Helsingborg’s Gambian international goalkeeper was pelted with bananas at a Royal League match in November 2005.  The perpetrators were supporters of the Danish club AaB of Aalborg. It is far from the only manifestation of racist abuse in Danish football and Touray is not the only player to suffer racist abuse at the hands of AaB fans. Just over ten years earlier they targeted Brøndy IF’s Uche Okechukwu. Brøndy has had its problems too, but the most serious incident occurred nearly eight years ago. AGF Aarhus has a faction of hardcore racist support. In May 2000 some of their supporters, who belonged to the neo-Nazi group - White Pride - attacked the team bus of Silkeborg and assaulted their Ghanaian player Godwin Attram. Astonishingly AGF Aarhus faced no sanction for this criminal action. Danish football was still in denial that it had any kind of racism problem at the time.

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Turmoil - Valencia in Crisis

by Satish Sekar

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Many Valencia supporters - Yomus in particular - never warmed to former coach Quique Sánchez Flores and the white handkerchief brigades were out in force this season, finally getting the reward of his sacking after the defeat to Sevilla in October. Despite being summoned to Mestalla at a very unsociable hour, he conducted himself with graciousness, wishing Valencia well and saying that he left the club in a better position than it had been in when he arrived. He was right. He didn’t deliver the free-flowing attacking football that some fans wanted, but nor did the most successful coach in the club’s recent history Rafael Benítez. Valencia was in all competitions and still very much in contention despite not playing well. His sacking has not proved to be the tonic that Yomus and Valencia’s hierarchy must have hoped for.

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Failing to Prepare

by Aboobaker "Boebie" Williams

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South Africa's Race to Catch-up

There are clearly problems to be addressed in preparing talented youngsters to make the most of their talent in Africa. Feyenoord’s model seems better in terms of producing rounded human beings, which is essential to prepare them for the challenges of life, but Ajax have stronger links in South Africa than their rivals in Rotterdam.  In football terms there are three stages of development: basic, intermediate and advanced. During these stages, high levels of didactic skills are required from the young players to produce top-level competitors who can compete against the best in the world. Age-oriented training methods must be applied during them to create more powerful players who can hold their own with ease in the international arena in the future. Sadly this important teaching skill is absent among the youth coaches in South Africa. This needs to be recognised and corrected immediately in order to lift the standard of play before it is too late. A Youth Coaching Course has been designed and approved by FIFA and is currently in its final stage. Read More...

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Much in Common

by Satish Sekar and Wiebke Marschalk

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They will almost certainly never exchange Christmas cards or even have a relationship that eventually develops into friendship, but West Ham United’s Anton Ferdinand and Werder Bremen’s Aaron Hunt have a lot more in common than either would care to admit. Both played in the infamous Under-21 international against Germany in Leverkusen on October 10 ^th 2006. Ferdinand and Manchester City’s defender, Micah Richards, insist that they were racially abused by German players. Although they did not name the players involved Hunt was seen in a heated exchange with Ferdinand. Consequently, he was identified as a perpetrator of the abuse, but Hunt vehemently denied that racist abuse was involved. Nevertheless, he was charged and originally found guilty by UEFA’s Disciplinary Panel, but subsequently won an appeal. Empower-Sport Magazine wanted an interview with Hunt last December. His club backed him all the way, insisting that he was not a racist and that it was wrong to try to pen him into a corner. His condemnation of racism in football and opinions on the recent change to Article 55 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code could have been an important contribution in the fight against racism in the sport, but Werder Bremen did not think there was any point to such an interview. “Aaron is not a racist,” said a Werder Bremen official. “He has already denied it and shouldn’t have to keep denying it.” This was the only comment they would give. Read More...

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