MOST Nigerians, who are interested in such things, no longer have local football heroes. The stars that shine for them are all Europeans and South Americans. Some parents name their children after foreign football stars. Even a military head of state was nicknamed ‘Maradona’ while in power — there is a silly argument about who first called him ‘Maradona’ in print— and this, from all indications, greatly pleased him. And he knew that Maradona, though he was a great footballer, was not a model of sober behaviour.
IT is not only young people who support European football teams, especially English ones, with a passion verging on desperation. Some top politicians and businessmen openly identify with English clubs. One foreign footballer was bemused and a little amused at his investiture as a chief. An English newspaper wrote about the event in a mocking manner.
THE worship of European football clubs and some of their players is mostly a southern phenomenon, like murderous gangs on campuses. They still loyally support their football clubs in the North, though they sometimes do this in a condemnable way. The fans, like most fans all over the world, believe they know the rules of the game better than the match officials and sometimes violently disagree with their decisions.
FANS sometimes still react furiously to a referee’s decision in the South, but much of the violence now takes place at centres where some people gather to watch English league matches on television, usually on Saturdays. The owners of the centres charge a fee, but it is not much, and even the unemployed can afford to pay it.
THE centres are, therefore, usually crowded, especially when top clubs are involved in a match. Nigerians support only the top European teams. It is not known if alcohol is drunk at all the centres though some bear notices which stipulate that you must buy drinks to be granted access to the viewing center. But there is usually a flow of talk, and because opposing fans are not separated, as happens in stadia, the talk sometimes loses its amiability and becomes menacing.
THERE are fights and there have been fatalities. One Arsenal supporter was lucky to be alive and not to lose his sight. A supporter of another English club drove a knife into his skull. Doctors were able to remove the knife, the edge of which was separated from his retina by a razor-thin space, after a delicate operation. The last time the young man was interviewed, he said he still suffered from headaches.
WHAT did Arsenal club do for their diehard supporter who was almost done in? They sent him a letter, thanking him for his support for the club and wishing him quick recovery! None of the footballers, multimillionaires, all of them, sent him even one miserable pound.
THE English supporters of Manchester United travelled back home without incident after their team was beaten by Barcelona in the final of the 2009 UEFA Champions League. But in Nigeria, a man deliberately drove a vehicle into a group of celebrating Barcelona fans. Six young people, including girls, were killed instantly.
HIS action was cruelling, outlandish and inexcusable; there were no externuating circumstances. He had driven past the jubilating group and had time to think. He reversed the truck, faced the group and sped into it. He meant to kill as many people as possible.
THERE is some dispute about the casualty figure in the clash between two communities in Rivers State on October 19 after a UEFA Champions League match. The police said one person was killed, but another source stated that three people died. Some houses were also burnt, according to the police.
The B-Dere and K-Dere communities in the Gokana Local Government Area of Rives State have had uneasy relations over a piece of land. But it was the UEFA Champions League match between Chelsea and Spartak Moscow that reportedly sparked off the latest clash between the two communities.
THERE was no method in the youth’s madness. The madness of violence over football results in Europe may need to be cured in a radical fashion. The solution may not lie in closing the viewing centres. But they may have to be monitored. Alcohol should not be allowed in them and betting, which is said to go on at some of the centres, should be banned.
THE local football league is virtually dead. Its honest revival may encourage some members of the cable-TV generation to go to the stadiums.
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