Off the Ball - the 2014 Highlights Package

My personal ‘best of the best’ Awards to mark the grand finale of the 2014 FIFA-Brazil football competition - and some of the best contributions to this blog:

The outstanding Fair Play Award goes to Caritas Australia for its campaign to get FIFA and the International Olympic Committee to promote justice in its host city selections. As well as its brilliant and comprehensive Sports for Justice report.

Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty

Most promising player: 13-year-old Jeguaká Mirim, the indigenous Guarani boy, who, after releasing one of three white doves in the official opening ceremony, held up – unofficially – a land rights banner as he walked off the field. 

Goal of the Tournament? The Homeless Workers' Movement’s victory in getting a low-cost housing scheme approved for the 'People's Cup’ site overlooking the Sao Paulo stadium.

The Golden Boot Award - to John Oliver, for ‘putting the boot in’ to FIFA, for its exploitative powers over host countries and poor people.

and finally – very finally – a special post-humous Award for Inspiring Britons - Rik Mayall for his ‘Noble England’ football anthem – even if it didn’t stir England past the group stage. I’ll let him have the last laugh – you can’t argue with the dead:

And remember - keep your eye on the ball. Though this is probably my last post in this series, keep an eye on my Facebook page for links to post-tournament football social analysis, debates,  discussion, dissection, soul-searching and questions to be asked of FIFA and the powers that be. There are many out there calling for change, and social justice in our sporting decisions.

Is FIFA really corrupt?

I've wanted to more objectively explore this question in a blog, looking at considered arguments for and against, but in doing a google search on that question, third one down was an interesting Guardian item on former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona's revealing doco on Brazilian football and politics (shown at at Amnesty International’s Sidelines film festival in June).

Cantona views Sepp Blatter’s “corrupt” governing body as “stronger than any country”. Here are some other excerpts from the article:

While 'he fears that globalised, commoditised football will be ultimately damaging to the sport,' he is equally convinced that the spotlight on Brazil for the World Cup will be a good thing

“It is why this World Cup is very important. Because the World Cup is there, now everybody can know a lot of things and they can speak and they can debate about things,” he said. “All the people, the journalists, TV [cameras], all the media from all around the world [will highlight the issues]. Unfortunately what’s happening is not very nice – it is horrible – but I think it is an opportunity for the country to take that in a positive way for the future.”

[Maybe the twin humbling defeats by the German and Dutch teams will send Brazil not only soul-searching about its football, but searching for its soul as a country.]

Around the world Cantona says he can see football becoming detached from its roots. Given the amount of money flowing into the game from broadcasting deals and ticket revenue, he suggests that a fifth of all tickets should be available at affordable prices. He laments the fact that footballers “from the street” will only be able to watch the sport on television.

“They just want to throw them away. But it is a shame because it’s these kind of fans who made football and it’s these kind of fans who have a child who will play football,” said Cantona. “Because most of the people, most of the players come from poor areas. To be a footballer you need to train every day when you are a kid, you need to go in the street and play in the street every day.”

He says “all the best players” grew up in poor areas, name-checking Maradona, Pelé, Messi, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. For him, football is 50% physical and 50% psychological. “You need to be angry, because it is not only about abilities. Abilities is 50% and 50% is mentally. And mentally is where you learn how to fight … it is in the street.”FIFA talks about fair play. But, where is the fair play if we take [their] example, where is the fair play?

“And in giving the World Cup to Qatar they show the world that they don’t really care about the sport,” he said. “In Qatar there is no hope, because people from Qatar they don’t play football. Eighty per cent of the people, they work for the other ones, sleeping in – you know – small areas, so many of them. Some of them died, they work for those other ones,” said Cantona.

Sao Paulo – city of contrasts

As the 2nd semi-final gets underway in Sao Paulo today, spare a thought and a small action for the 3.5 million people who live in poverty in this city of 11.4 million – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, and in the Americas.

Read the blog by actress Jo Joyner, where she says:

'São Paulo is a city of huge contrasts: home to 30,000 millionaires and 15,000 people living on the streets; the sky full of private helicopters, the roads full of over-crowded buses.
'And the biggest contrast of all: millions spent on a shiny new football stadium, while the poorest communities are told there is no money for essential services. During my visit, people kept saying: "With our hard-earned money, they are building FIFA-standard stadiums with FIFA-standard grass. We’d like FIFA-standard hospitals, schools and homes."'

Sign the petition, organised by CAFOD (UK) demanding justice, housing and basic public services for the poorest people in São Paulo and across Brazil. Let’s see ‘FIFA-standard’ hospitals, schools and homes – not just stadiums.

*

But I’ll leave the last word for today to Rio resident Antonio Hipolito, reported by the Daily Mail. He works at a bookstore in a rich part of the city, but lives in a distant, poor neighborhood. Speaking after Brazil’s humiliating defeat by Germany, and with 5 October elections in mind, Antonio said, 'I hope this can make people wake up and start thinking with their heads and not their emotions and that people translate the anger they are feeling at the ballot boxes. ... Soccer is just an illusion and we need to wake up to reality.’

Perhaps, like the prodigal son, some good can come from Brazil’s $11 billion profligacy over the World Cup and the selling of its soul to FIFA.

On worshipping false gods

With Sepp Blatter having said recently that 'football is more than a religion' in Brazil, will he - or the Brazilian elites - be judged by these words being spoken on the very day of Brazil's battle with Germany (Tuesday, local time), at daily Masses across the 65 percent Catholic country?

Photo: SportsPro

With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
...
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames—
such is the calf of Samaria!

(Hosea 8:4-7)

Ummm, seems to me the World Cup trophy is one of today's modern 'false gods', not that FIFA will let the winning team take away the genuine article - a US$10 million, 18-carat golden globe upheld by football players. The winners are placated with a gold-plated replica instead. As The Guardian says, 'The ever-parsimonious Fifa keeps the original, possibly because it doesn't trust anyone else to look after it.'

Even the artisan (not a worshipper himself) who designed the current World Cup trophy, Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, is aware of the religious overtones. He said, 'I would modestly suggest that this intense affection for the Trophy comes from the object itself, and what it stands for. It is a symbol of victory, and they're thrilled to have won it, which is why they kiss it as they would kiss a religious relic.'

Where are Brazil's indigenous? - they're not in the stands

Matis children. Photo: Urban Times

The plight of Brazil's indigenous peoples are among the concerns of those protesting against the abuses brought on by the World Cup being held in Brazil.

During the ceremonies at the opening game, a young indigenous Guarani boy unfurled a banner reading 'Demarcação' ('Demarcation Now!') -  used by Indigenous groups attempting to retain their land.

Read this Urban Times profile on six tribes struggling for survival in Brazil. Among them are the Matis, half of whom died from newly introduced diseases following their first contact with outside peoples; and the sole survivor of one tribe, whose companions were wiped out by invaders and cattle ranchers.

The World Coup - the full story

Well, with no games til Wednesday on the field, you'll have time to watch this 8-minute rap-up on the story behind the World Coup theme song 'We have won' (great catchy tune, btw), that I posted on my Facebook page a while back. The rap-id facts behind how team captains such as Tony Abbott (Aust), David Cameron (UK), John Kerry (USA) and Mariono Rajoy (Spain) have manipulated the global financial playing field so we - sorry - they, can all be winners!

Yayyyy - go world. Wave those slave flags!  (More flashy brilliance from the Aussies. Enjoy.)



And if you're wondering what the truth is behind rumours that unused football stadiums could be used as prisons - it was mooted by a local judge for the stadium built in the Amozonas capital Manaus - which has no major soccer team nor a tradition for the sport.

And don't forget to sign the petition for the favelas.

Women and football

Ever since Monday, I have been agonizing over whether to suspend my boycott, and watch tomorrow’s Netherlands v Costa Rica quarterfinal. I had all sorts of reasons and justifications for it. They are my favourite teams to win this world cup: Oranje because I’m Dutch, and its the best footballing country yet to win the World Cup; and Costa Rica because this small, humble country of less than 5 million people has proven to be giant killers against Uruguay and Italy (though only managing a draw against Noble England.) The country also has NO DEFENCE FORCE, and a strong commitment to social justice.
 

However, family circumstances at the present time demand that I can’t neglect my wife, which brings me to the subject of ‘football widows’: those women – because they usually are women – who are abandoned by their spouses for a month of football – or the weekly football game, or (more likely now), weekend of football, as well as Wednesday night, and a couple of other nights thrown in between ..... you get which way the ball is rolling?

There are loads of references and ‘advice’ for football widows on the net, but the best I’ve come across is from the BBC. Here are some highlights:

The term football widow doesn't involve anyone's actual death but it does involve the loss of a loved one to football. This entry will explore the problems of being a football widow and look at some options to minimise that loss. ...

Just be wary of the surprise honeymoon involving European Capital cities or unusual South American countries – this will be a ploy to tour the major football stadium and will be painful on the feet as well as the pocket. ... 

Don't panic if you see him slumped, tearful, head in hands and moaning things like 'Gutted', 'Devastated' or various abstract expletives. ... it's probably just that his team has lost a match, scored an own goal or were even beaten in a European Cup final. Just make tea and remember to use a plastic cup in case it has to be thrown at a wall or the television when the result is broadcast again ... and again ... and again.

On the subject of women and sport, of course, there is a FIFA Women’s World Cup. But do you know when and where the next (Senior) Women’s World Cup is?*

There’s also been a breakthrough at a recent ‘World Cup’ event organised for refugees in Sao Paolo – who came originally from places such as Congo, Haiti and Syria. During the competition (aimed mainly at men) the women refugees got together and organized their own competition. Some played for the first time, even while fasting for Ramadan.

Watch the BBC report: Refugee women in Brazil get into World Cup spirit.

* Canada, June-July 2015.

ConIFA and Darfur United - this is for real

Darfur United at home. Photo: Humanity United

Yes. there is life - and life-changing football - outside FIFA. The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA) is a global umbrella organization for all football teams outside FIFA (there's even an Oceania section). There are more than 5 500 etnicities around the world and hundreds of sportingly isolated regions that don't have an international arena to play international football. And ConFIFA recently had its World Championships in Sweden!

One of those competing this year was Darfur United - remember Darfur? Oh yeah, that place in western Sudan where millions were displaced and hundreds of thousands killed from 2004. Yeah well, the killing and oppression still goes on, but do we hear about it. Last year, there was more violence and more displaced. Chad, Sudan's neighbor to the west, is now home to over 300,000 Darfuri refugees, and more arrive every day. It's also taking in displaced from the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Darfur United is an all-refugee team made up of the best players from twelve camps that dot the Chad-Sudan border, and was created in 2012.

"Older" refugees from Darfur are being asked to tighten their belts and move towards self-reliance. Food rations have been cut by half. Officially, they now receive between 900 and 1,100 calories per person, down from the standard 2,100 the previous years. 

Amidst this context, Darfur United came together once more to play a game of soccer. At the World Champs in Sweden, they lost every game, badly. But to them, it's much more than a game. Mahamat, Darfur United's midfielder, says, "We have dreams, we have hope, we have passion, we have talent, but the world forgot us." He believes that his team and their participation in international tournaments gives his people moments of joy and some hope for the future.

Read more about the team - and the current situation in Darfur at: 

World Cup Soccer, In The Land Of The Hungry

Real soccer tacking real issues - support for refugees

“There is no passing. That’s not a pass,” says Coach Marwan Azar, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen such stubbornness,” he complains in mock seriousness, even as his face breaks into an even broader grin. “But can I blame them? No. Not after all they’ve been through.” The Jordanian coach is talking about the dozens of under-13-year-old Syrian boys, engaged in a day-long soccer tournament in the Zaatari refugee camp. But there is no annoyance in his voice. No frown on his face. On the contrary, he is smiling as he says this. And his smile reaches his eyes. His voice and tone convey a warmth and tenderness toward these refugee children that he coaches every day.

Read more at: The most important soccer is not being played in Brazil but in refugee camps in Jordan - part of a Washington Post series on politics, political science and the World Cup.

Brazilian police put on Watch

As protests continue in Brazil, Human Rights Watch is calling for 'a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation' into allegations that police planted evidence on two protesters who were arrested at largely peaceful protest in São Paulo on 23 June.

“Protesters who engage in vandalism and violence should be held accountable,” said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. “But so too should any police who plant evidence and deliberately accuse protesters of crimes they know that they didn’t commit.”

Father Julio Lancellotti, a well-known human rights advocate, is among those who said that no sinister items were with the protestors arrested. “I was entering the subway station when I saw two civil police officers approaching Harano and opening his backpack,” Father Lancellotti told Human Rights Watch. “They took out a gas mask and crackers, but no explosive devices.”

Read more here.

No, I'm not watching the World Cup - Brazil reports

I am SO sorry I've come late to this state of play - straight-talking from a Brazilian film-maker about why the World Cup should never have been held in Brazil - at least, not in the way in its been done.

She produced this excellent video below a year ago - and tho' it's received more than 4 million views, its a shame more of the right people didn't heed its message: 'I think the World Cup and Olympics are great events, but not what our country needs right now.' (See others in the same theme.)

Watch this video (or any of her others) - and will you really be able to watch comfortably another game? Features a VERY upset doctor at lack of health funding, and words of the Brazilian president Brazilian President Dilma praising up Brazil, over images of poor housing, poverty, oppression and police violence.

Today, according to AFP, that same President has said Brazil has scored a “goleada”, or large victory, over pessimists who warned the World Cup would be plagued by unrest, chaos or crime. “We beat the pessimists, the people who were predicting chaos, and the Cup is a success across Brazil,” she said as she inaugurated a hospital in Rio de Janeiro state.

Who do I believe - the President, or the people?

Sao Paulo realities - behind the World Cup

Watch this video from UK charity CAFOD on the realities of living in Sao Paulo. Actress Jo Joyner visited the city to find out how its people were preparing for the World Cup.

A resource prepared for youth leaders and teachers to help young people evaluate the positive and negative aspects of football. CAFOD is also calling for better housing for poor and vulnerable communities in São Paulo, Brazil. See also cafod.org.uk/worldcup.

No sport on Sundays? That's a bit old-fashioned.

Michael Jones

No games today in the Football World Cup (Friday, Brazil time) - a holy pause, a Sabbath rest in the global game. Time for reflection and consider this piece Never on Sunday, which looks at the issues around Christians playing sport on Sunday. It's a longish piece (a chapter from a book) - and offers no easy answers, but things to consider. Here are some highlights, featuring 1920s runner Eric Liddell, and New Zealand rugby player from the 1980s-90s: Michael Jones.
Eric Liddell chose not to run in the 1924 Olympic Games 100 metres, because the final would be held on a Sunday. Instead, he chose to run the 200 and 400 metre events - he gained bronze in the 200 and gold in the 400. The win was made the more poignant by a note handed to him before the race: 'He who honours me I will honour.'(1 Samuel 2:30.)

Later, he said, 'There are many people today who think of those who honour Sunday in an old-fashioned way as kill-joys. They feel that during the years of their youth they ought to have a chance to "have their fling". Give me the day of rest, when all the savours of organised games can be put on one side and all life's joys will be greater because of it.'

Michael Jones refused to play on Sundays. But in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, he was good enough to play in the quarter-final, opt out of the Sunday semi-final and still be chosen for the final. He missed out of more games in the 1991 World Cup in Europe.

'Opinions differed on Michael's decision to make himself unavailable for the Sunday games. Some saw it as the supreme example of a Christian sportsman putting his principles first and saying that his faith in God - and his view of Sunday - were more important than a game of rugby, even a World Cup semi-final. Others saw it as a waste of his talent, arguably denying his team the chance of winning the World Cup.'

Of his stand, Michael said: 'When you stop playing rugby people easily forget you; one thing for which I would like to be remembered is as a person who put God first, before rugby. If it's been worthwhile doing that then it is worthwhile, and I feel it's important that people who never would have heard about God have done so through my stand. If I've been able to show people that there is obviously a God who must exist or else someone wouldn't be prepared to do that, then I feel it's been worth it. If I can do that I'm happy.'

Doing without - young Brazilians counter money focus

While FIFA and World Cup sponsors are raking it in, two young Brazilians are showing the other side of the coin. They’ve been living, travelling and working their way across Australia and New Zealand for the last 13 months without forking out a cent (or a plastic card). Natale and Marielli shared their story and their vision last night at the Lower Hutt Transition Town Sustainability Centre, where I met them.

‘Money is not a really good story for the last few years,’ says Natale. ‘It’s time to do something different.’ He grew up in one of the major World Cup cities, Sao Paolo. Twenty million people, lots of traffic and huge inequality – as evidenced by the picture here.

Natale is the only child of a middle-class family. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, so followed his father into law – studying environmental law at University. Mahatma Gandhi became an inspiration to him – ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’, and he became a vegetarian. He ended up advising theme parks on sustainable and healthy food sources, and while doing so, read three books: The Man who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen, Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein and The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle.

They changed his life. He wanted to try this ‘living without money’.

It set him on a course to travel to Australia, for two reasons. One was that it was far away - his parents weren’t likely to come and drag him back. The second was that it was the home of permaculture – an approach to living on earth in a sustainable way – covering food, energy and how we organise ourselves among other things.

Meanwhile, Mariella had been enjoying lots of new, exciting experiences, culture and people in Europe. ‘Money was important to me,’ she says. But when she came back to Brazil, it seemed everything her family and friends were doing involved money. On her third day back in Brazil, she met Natale, who shared his dream of traveling to Australia and ‘living without money’. They spent about 10 days together in Brazil before Natale left to pursue his dream, and she followed him.

Natale spent the last of his money on a directory for Willing Workers on Organic Farms – one of many schemes whereby travelers can exchange their labour for accommodation and food. It has been the mainstay of their mission to do without money. They’ve hitched there way around, and offered their labour in exchange for goods, services and favours; or relied on the generosity of strangers-cum-friends. They’ll also go ‘dumpster diving’, rescuing perfectly edible food from waste thrown out by supermarkets and other shops.

They were wanting to get passage to New Zealand crewing on a yacht or boat, but when nothing turned up before Natale’s visa was due to expire,  a friend they’d made in Australia insisted on paying a low-cost airfare to New Zealand, where they have been the last few weeks.

The day after I met them, they were planning to hitch a ride on a yacht or boat to get to the South Island and continue their journey of love and goodwill. 

Why spend your money on what cannot fill the emptiness deep in your heart?

Marielli and Natale in Lower Hutt - Te Awa Kairangi.

The ordinary faces of Brazilian protest - teachers take the lead

State school teachers have been at the forefront of some of Brazil's ongoing protests. These aren't the violent 'Black Block' troublemakers. These are ordinary Brazilians, just seeking a pay increase and better, basic conditions in schools. They can't even get a meeting with their State governor, and now they've been sacked from their jobs - even though a court has declared their action legal. These teachers were due to be on the street again recently.

See ongoing coverage of Brazilian protest at Vice News - 2014 World Cup Live Blog

At home in the favelas

Hadley Freeman reports on how some favela residents are making the most of the world cup - with reservations - in The Guardian: Favela residents make World Cup work for them with home stays for fans.

Excerpts:

“If Fifa could, they’d take the stadiums with them when they leave, along with all the money. But when I saw big companies in Rio starting to make money from the World Cup I thought: ‘Why can’t I do that, too?’” says Maria Clara. …. “Many of my friends,” she says, not surprisingly, “are now taking in guests in the favela …”

“Favela” is generally translated as “slum”, but that isn’t quite right. It’s more like a community. Each one has its own character and Rocinha’s is bright, bustling and almost overwhelmingly friendly…..

Matthew Wilmington, 25 and from London, staying in the Babilonia favela in Rio says, "We feel safer in the favela than we do on Copacabana beach.”

Elliot Rosenberg set up Favela Experience, which arranges home stays for tourists in Rocinha and nearby Vidigal, as a way to help the favela residents. “We want to improve the esteem of the favela dwellers and break down stereotypes about favelas to outsiders,” he says. “Some guests expect things to work the way they do in the developed world. It is definitely a problem for them if they lose their internet connection.”

Wise words from Sócrates ring true today

Following on from yesterday's critique of the Brazilian and FIFA presidents, those two may be wise to heed some words from Sócrates. No, not the Greek philosopher - the Brazilian footballer. Yes - captain of Brazil’s 1982 World Cup squad (one of the best, and which beat New Zealand 4-0 in their World Cup debut), he was a champion on and off the field - promoting democracy and challenging the (then) Brazilian military dictatorship. Before his early death in 2011, he said this about the World Cup now here:

There will be lots of public money disappearing into people’s pockets. Stadiums will be built and they will stay there for the rest of their lives without anyone using them. It’s all about money. What we need to do is keep up public pressure for improvements in infrastructure, transport, sewerage, but I reckon it will be difficult… What needs to change here is the focus on development. We need to prioritise the human being. Sadly, in the globalised world, people don’t think about individuals as much as they think about money, the economy, etc.

Read more on Richard's blog: Sócrates: the Brazilian footballer who gave his goals to a better world.

Football, Brazil and the world deserve better

The future for the Presidents of both Brazil (Dilma Rousseff) and the FIFA empire (Sepp Blatter) may ride on how this World Cup competition pans out – both on and off the pitch.

Writes Misha Glenny in the Observer:

‘The progress of the Brazilian team has become the highest matter of state. There is more riding on the fragility of Neymar's metatarsal than there is on the monthly inflation figures (unpleasant reading though they may be).’

Read more at: Sepp Blatter: why football deserves better than Fifa's toxic president

Boycott 2014 World Cup in Brazil - on Facebook

Who wins in war? - arms manufacturers

Tim Jones blog on today's Argentina v Iran match-up just shows how only arms manufacturers seem to benefit from war, and switching sides in the field of international relations. Makes you wonder where many of the arms have come from that are currently being bandied about, captured, acquired or threatened in the present crisis engulfing Iraq and Syria.

Highlights from Tim Jones' take on matters:

'Back in the 1970s both countries were close friends of the UK. So close, that the British government lent the governments of Argentina and Iran money to purchase weapons.
'Argentina was the host for the last world cup in South America, in 1978. A military dictatorship had taken power in the country two years earlier. The regime ‘disappeared’ and murdered thousands of human rights activists and trade unionists. The World Cup Final was held just one mile away a concentration camp. ...
'At the time, the UK was signing a deal to lend the Argentine military junta the money to buy two warships and associated helicopters and missiles. Then Foreign Secretary David Owen wrote that the deal should probably not go ahead because of the dictatorship’s human rights abuses, and because the weapons could be used to invade the Falkland Islands. But he signed it off anyway, as it would benefit British arms manufacturers. Four years later, the first helicopter to land on the Falklands Islands was British made paid for with British government loans.'
About the same time, British loans were helping the former Shah of Iran (toppled in the Iranian revolution of 1978) buy tanks - tanks that probably later came to grief in the Iran-Iraq war, fighting against US and British weapons supplied to Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Yes, the same Saddam Hussein that became 'the enemy' in the 2003 Iraq war waged by the United States and Britain.

The minnow is ruling the pool - England sidelined

WELL - news today that Costa Rica are on track to take out the World Cup this year - having beaten two previous World Cup champions (England and Italy) in their first two games. Obviously, English fans were not taking up Rik Mayall's Noble England call loudly enough. 

But don't worry, Richard prophetically gave guidance for just this situation in a June 6 blog: Who Should I Support in the World Cup? (When England Get Knocked Out). Richard, based on his political beliefs comes up with Uruguay. Did you know its "world's 'poorest' president" (a former left wing guerrilla fighter) has an austere lifestyle and donates around 90 percent of his $12,000 (£7,500) monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs?

For myself, however, I'm still going for Costa Rica on and off the pitch - they top Who should I cheer for? table of countries based on social measures. Brilliant, Costa Rica, just brilliant - you did what New Zealand couldn't do.

Photo: from Richard's blog.

FIFA, football and the new world religion

I hadn't seen John Oliver before I came across this video - b@#$& brilliant - it's worth it if you can set aside 15 mins. A satirical and insightful look into FIFA, football and this new(ish) world religion. Did you know it compelled Brazil to backtrack on alcohol bans at football matches, to let a certain beer brand into the stands? And South Africa had special 'World Cup courts' in 2010. And yet he, like me, remains conflicted over watching the blessed game. Enjoy.

Aussies battle it out for justice off the pitch

Favela houses in Sao Paolo. Photo: Caritas Australia

Australia may have gone down to the Netherlands in today's football match, but the Aussies have come up with a winner in Caritas Australia's Sports for Justice report which outlines why and how major sporting events must do more to help vulnerable and marginalised communities in host countries.

I mentioned this in my first 'blog' on Facebook, but here are some highlights from the report:

the Brazilian people, particularly the humblest among you, can offer the world a valuable lesson in solidarity, a word that is too often forgotten or silenced because it is uncomfortable … I would like to make an appeal to those in possession of greater resources, to public authorities and to all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater solidarity.

–Pope Francis to Rio de Janeiro favela dwellers, July 2013 

Caritas Australia recommends that world sporting bodies, including FIFA and the IOC, to immediately put in place any measures deemed necessary to:

- protect human rights;

- ensure that sustainable development principles are integrated into all phases of the events;

- ensure that all people in host cities and countries, especially the most marginalised, can participate in decision making; and

- broaden current reporting to include contractually binding “minimum standards” which mitigate impacts on local communities.

… 

As part of a new FIFA initiative, host nations are required to develop a Sustainability Strategy Concept to “reduce the negative and increase the positive impact [of the games] on society and the environment”. Though the strategy includes a “comprehensive stakeholder analysis” it is important to note that NGOs and local communities are classed as “other stakeholders” rather than as “key stakeholders”.

... FIFA needs to ensure that local communities, especially the most marginalised, can participate in genuine consultation from the outset of the project, so that their voice is heard and their rights protected.

...

At the completion of the games, FIFA and the Brazil Local Organising Committee will publish a sustainability report. South Africa produced such a sustainability report after it hosted the last World Cup in 2010; however that report focused almost exclusively on environmental sustainability. Brazil will be the first World Cup to produce a comprehensive sustainability report that covers both social and environmental aspects of the event footprint. Brazil’s report will therefore be pivotal, and will set the benchmark for reporting by future hosts.

Case Study: Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents (MDF) and the World Cup

Caritas Australia has been partnering with the Movemento de Defensa do Los Favelados de São Paulo (Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents or MDF) in Brazil for 29 years to help communities in favelas – many of whom do not hold deeds for their homes or do not have any property rights – understand their rights and seek legal protection. In the lead up to the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, Brazilian authorities have deemed many favelas as “irregular communities” and have evicted hundreds of thousands of residents so that planned projects can go ahead.

MDF’s mission is to defend and promote the citizenship of the inhabitants of the favelas in the area of politics, pedagogy, art and religious freedom. MDF operates across 40 favelas in São Paulo, a city that has experienced evictions due to preparations for the World Cup.

MDF, with support from Caritas Australia, has provided activities such as leadership formation for children and adolescents through a cultural centre in the favela of Vila Prudente.

However, the Vila Prudente favela is located in a corridor between the city centre, the airport and the stadium where the opening of the World Cup will be held. With the recent arrival of the subway connecting this area to the city there has been a dramatic increase in real estate speculation. MDF has been working for many years with the community to secure a guarantee of tenure, but with pressure on prices in the housing market deeds of ownership are now even more important to the residents. The city council planned to remove the favela and all of its residents, however MDF worked hard to advocate alongside the residents committee to retain it.

Read full report here.

Sign the petition.

Protesting does pay - sometimes

Well, now that the Cup competition has got off to such a scintillating start, you don't hear too much about the protests or the 'downside' of the Cup on our media do you - or maybe I'm tuning into the wrong places?  Neither do you hear much of the upside either - at least in off-the-ball activity. Found this success story today: 'Group scores victory in land protest'.

An informal settlement dubbed the 'People's Cup', organised by Brazil's Homeless Workers' Movement on a hill overlooking Friday's opening match in Sao Paolo, has been agreed to be turned over to provide 2000 low-cost housing units. A victory for the people it seemed, yet not one I could find reported in local New Zealand media.

The closest reference I found was in the NZ Herald to a political scientist observing that 'federal officials recently convinced a large activist group of homeless workers to not demonstrate during Cup'.

(Photo: Protestors in Sao Paolo. Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images)

The Caritas Australia petition to support Brazil's favela residents now has 2140 signatures. Help them reach 10,000. Sign the petition.

This world we live in - who to cheer for?

The last time I saw Ghana take on the United States (no I'm not watching today's game), was in 2006 in an Irish pub in The Hague, Netherlands. It was the final round of pool play with Italy v Czech Republic playing in the other corner of the pub. It was a wide open pool - any of the four could have advanced to the next stage depending on the result. 

I remember the sole Italian in the pub (perhaps joined by 1 or 2 others later) was outnumbered and outflanked by the six-strong team of women who came in with bright red t-shirts emblazoned with 'Czech Republic'. But it was the Italians who pulled through and won - and went on to win the cup in that controversial competition.
In front of a strong and equal contingent of Ghanian and US supporters, Ghana 2-1 won in 2006. But there were good spirits all round in that small Irish pub in the Netherlands - the Americans shook hands with the Ghanians and all lived to play again.
Even though Ghana have consistently knocked the US out of the last two World Cup competitions, let's hope the grudges are still treated in good humour, and the fans and players will still shake hands at the end of the day.
The World Development Movement's excellent online blog/social justice comparison Who Should I Cheer For? looks at Ghana v USA through food issues. Last time (2010), Ghana topped the table based on how it ranked in social justice measures. This time, there's another winner - and, who knows, they could just turn the tables at the Football competition as well. Check it out.

Seriously boycotting

Excuse my lapse into cheering rampant nationalism yesterday – here are some serious links to Boycott calls and ongoing coverage of protests in Brazil:

https://www.facebook.com/Boycott2014WorldCup (2110 likes)

Brazil's dance with the devil - a book which 'should be required pre-reading for any high school student or adult planning to watch the 2014 World Cup games or the 2016 Olympics. Drawing on extensive interviews with Brazilians, Dave Zirin focuses on the history of soccer and the economic impact for the rich and the poor of both international competitions.'

http://www.dcmediagroup.us/2014/06/13/fifa-go-home-brazilians-protest-world-cup-2014/ - coverage of the 2014 protests in Brazil

https://www.facebook.com/events/672612186139617/?ref=22 - Call for a global World Cup boycott, where Benno Manzer writes:

Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against football, but it should not be done this way.
Nobody should suffer during the organisation of such an event. Each and every time you switch on the TV to watch the game, you are indirectly supporting those people's suffering. So i beg you to keep your telly switched off and buy no merchandise!
As consumers, let us do something about it. Let's give it a try, let's just try a little boycott. Let's see whether certain organisations, at least in the future, provide better conditions for the preparations unlike in Brazil or Qatar. We must, however, be strong enough.

And on Twitter, check out #BoycottWorldCup #Boycottbrazil2014 or follow journalists who are covering the protests: Tim Eastman, Matt Hopard and Shay Horse @TimBEastman @StopMotionSolo @HuntedHorse

Come on you England, you noble Englishmen ….

Okay. This is where the footy creeps in - along with the humour, and more than a bit of strident nationalism. British comedian Rik Mayall died this week, and in a timely resurrection, his fans are trying to get his 'Noble England' 2010 football anthem to the top of the UK charts.

Watch Rik Mayall as a fearsome, bloodied King Henry V firing up a 5-a-side bunch of wimps to take the field for 'noble England', in a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Once more unto the breach…': (and I'm not even a Rik Mayall fan!):

Once more onto the pitch, dear friends,
once more to raise up these walls with our English cheer ...
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, …
Those men of grosser blood - teach them how to play
you GOOD players whose limbs were made in England!
Show us here the mettle of your footwork
Let us swear that you are worth your breeding.

Of course - my prayer is that 'noble England' will show its 'goodness' and its mettle through fair, vigorous play, and not foul. Bravery is not just shown on the battlefield and through physical prowess.

This song is England's answer to the haka. If the All Whites had this in 2010 (remember Ryan Nelsen's: 'Skinny white boys doing the haka? Very intimidating.'), I'm sure it would have impelled them to victory, and not just mighty noble draws!

So come Sunday (NZT), 'Cry "God a win for England, and Saint George!"' - and for the Queen, bless her, 'cause it's her official birthday on the day this game (vs Italy) will be played in Brazil, and in dear England (14 June).

Come on you England, you noble Englishmen … .

Brazil red-carded

Even before Brazil 'own-goaled' in the first major on-field blunder of the on-the-pitch tournament, Brazil's Catholic bishops had already given a red card to the country's government for it's misguided spending priorities.
Bishop Erwin Kräutler of Xingu said, 'As long as patients in hospitals have to lie in the corridor, people waiting in the long queues at the local health facilities fall over dead, workers have to travel to work in buses that are crammed full like sardine tins, and there aren’t even proper desks for schoolchildren, it’s simply scandalous to waste billions on football stadiums.'
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/882/0/brazil-bishops-give-red-card-to-authorities-world-cup-spending

Kicking it off

I've chosen not to watch the football World Cup this year - not because I don't love the game, but because I couldn't stomach watching them knowing something of the cost - the construction worker deaths, the evictions of people from favela, and the prioritising of new stadia and visitor infrastructure above the needs of Brazil's poor. 

I'm not anti-football, not anti-the World Cup as a competition, not even anti-FIFA - I just wish it would clean up its act. Call me naive - but money doesn't need to rule the global game.

But I am for the favela dwellers, for fairness in football, sport and all of life. 

So, for the duration of the World Cup competition, I'll bring you daily 'off the ball' play highlighting social issues around the World Cup, alternative views and signs of hope - those working for good in all of this. It will be an eclectic mix. Like the football competion, they'll be high points and low points, inconsistent and rogue refereeing, poetry, music and prayer (yes, prayer - this is a very religious sport). There may even be a spot of real footy too.

Maristely above relates how her favela community in Sao Paolo asked the question 'The Cup for whom?' and organised petitions, protocols and took action. You can do the same - whether you watch the footy or not, make sure you sign Caritas Australia's petition calling for 'fair play' from FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.