Quote from: Yorkykopite on Yesterday at 03:46:07 PM
That is a seriously weird piece of writing. In fact it's just a whine isn't it? That it's indicative of what many Uruguayans feel about the Suarez bite I have no doubt. In fact it explains why Suarez is now being badly advised by his own FA and why that organisation's self-pitying stance can do nothing except worsen the player's punishment.
Clearly the writer has a major beef with the British. In fact one would imagine from reading the article that FIFA's headquarters are in London and that everyone on the FIFA committee is English. One would imagine too that Suarez was hated in Britain for his skill as well as his gamesmanship since there's absolutely no recognition that the despised football journalists of England gave the player their highest honour last season.
If there's any coherent argument in there at all it seems to be that football in its pure sense (as played in Italy and the River Plate region) has been corrupted by a set of codes or laws. These laws were invented by the English in order to stifle the creativity and discipline the people who played a purer and more joyful game. The purpose of doing this - of course - was to make these same people more subordinate off the field as well as on. After accomplishing this task at home, the British then sent their coercive, kill-joy football laws and codes abroad - arm in arm with imperialism - in order to subjugate the happy footballers of South America. Suarez, in this argument, is a reversion to a purer, uncontaminated type of football - free of the imperialistic codes and laws that the British imposed on the game and the world. In fact when he bit Chiellini (what a pity he couldn't have been English!) he could be said to have been engaged in a great anti-colonial struggle! Therefore to punish Suarez is to turn a bit of fun-loving free expression into a 'crime' and to submit once again to unjust British dominion.
It's bollocks of course. It's terrible history and terrible politics.
The codes and laws of football are one of the glories of the game. In fact without them there is no game. They apply equally too - which, if we want to get all historical about it (since two can play this game of overblown historical analogy), is an odd and destabilising notion in a continent where military dictatorship has been the common form of government. And we know what those South America juntas thought of equality before the law, or even 'law' itself.
I wouldn't normally bother writing about such a stupid piece, but unfortunately it seems to contain an argument that is prevalent in Uruguay and which is doing Suarez no favours at all. It's a child's argument, ultimately, because it refuses to take any responsibility for an action that others (not just 'the English') find strange and wrong.
Some other nutcase
I loved it.
I can see why you might term it a whine and it's certainly clear he has a problem with us. But I can also see very much within it a passionate polemic of the pride he feels for his country and its people about which I guess as one of its more erudite representatives he feels compelled to espouse through the conduit of the Luis fiasco. Regrettably in the current shitstorm that is bound to encompass some mighty broadsides against the nation with a media so vicious and pernicious as ours.
I admired the precision of the writing. To think the guy is Uruguyan yet is able to write English of that quality. Amazing. As for the content I loved especially its anti-English establishment tirades and notwithstanding all its eccentricities and Italian playground hyperboles I loved his mischeivous and perverse take on the latin origins of the game, the purity of their joy in playing it and our dour obsession with merely ensuring there's a [Poor language removed] huge book of rules.
Of course, some of the generalisations are [Poor language removed]. I mean down the years prior to middle class aspirations producing a black hole dearth of footballing finesse, many of our players were comfortably of a skill equal to latin players. I include our Celtic cousins in that comparison of course.
So it struck many nice chords with me Yorky. I guess on reflection a lot of that could well be a scouse thing. The guy is from a nation of scant wealth and power with an intrinsic footballing passion whose people seem to feel a degree of oppression and victimisation. Substitute tiny region for country and hey presto.
A lovely exchange from Red And Weird Kingdom.