Monday, June 9, 2008

Beyond origins.

These days are the championships of soccer for the national teams of Europe.
It is being played in Switzerland and Austria and happening only every four years.

Anybody interested in soccer will watch the matches because it is so unique.
Soccer over the years has changed very much.
It has commercialised in a most excessive way.
Soccer clubs, like FC Barcelona and FC Manchester United, have become companies.
They can buy and sell players and this makes any connection to the country and the city where a team comes from irrelevant.
A team for a soccer club these days is a mixture of players from all around the world.
For example, it is very possible that in the team of FC Barcelona not one player is actually from Barcelona.
The bare reality is that the club in Europe that becomes champion is the club with the best management and the most money.
The club that managed to get the most money out of the sponsor market to buy the best players wherever they are.

It is not so with the national teams.
Players in the national team must have the nationality of the country they are representing.
The men playing for their national team are not doing this primarily for the money.
Nationalistic feelings, honour, pride and privilege are the motivating forces.
A player has the potential to become a national hero never to be forgotten.
That’s something money cannot buy.

Hence, the European championship for national teams is an occasion to see soccer not influenced by money.

In the Fuso Szulc is no TV.
This is on purpose.
However, on certain websites TV can be seen but because of the relative low transmission speeds of the Datastorm satellite system the image is of post stamp size and often disappearing.

Fortunately the Gonzales have a TV and a satellite disk paying Sky for programs.
Powered by solar energy.
The National Mexican Television transmits the European championships of soccer live.
Hurray for that.
There is a match in the morning and one in the early afternoon Mexican time.
This because of the time difference with Europe.

Today at 12.45 am the national team of Italy is playing the Netherlands.
Being Dutch for 25 % it is a match to see.
Besides the fact that they both have excellent players.

Another 25 % is Belgium but that country has not qualified for this competition.
The remaining 50 % are Polish and one would assume that therefore most nationalistic feelings go that way.
This is not the case though.
The Polish team is not so good and the fear is that to be nationalistic for the Poles will lead to tears and tragedy because most likely they will be eliminated in the first round.

This is the advantage of a person with a multi-ethnic background.
The option to switch to a team that potentially can be a winner.
To act like an opportunist without being one.

Cousin Jerzek from Nowy Sacz made a banner available that many Poles put from their bedroom window these days.
As a sign of support for their team although for sure they will not be successful.
Heroes in loosing.
So, the 50 % part of the blood forced to put the banner on the Fuso Szulc.


A demonstration of identification.
While the preferred and the only true identification is with oneself.
Beyond the origins.





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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

what's that red paint on the right corner ??? vandals ???

Steve