DonaldT
01-19-2010, 10:02 AM
I'm in two minds about supporting soccer in Australia.
I like soccer and I really want my country Australia to succeed in this sport, however, soccer in this country is being pushed as a vehicle for 'anti-racism,' 'acceptance' and 'multiculturalism.'
This 'anti-racism' and support for mass-immigration by Australian soccer officials is demonstrated in the following articles (By Australia's most prominent soccer media personality, Les Murray):
A New Year's wish: no racism (http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/lesmurray/a-new-years-wish-no-racism--161059)
By Les Murray | 29 December 2008 | 12:34
Following my last column, in which I made reference to Manchester United’s cultural, even racial arrogance during their Brazilian sojourn for the inaugural Club World Cup in 2000, some respondents accused me of taking pot shots again at the English.
Actually, no. Quite the opposite.
The point I was making is that the CWC has come a long way since then, even by the yardstick of how powerful European clubs like Manchester United treat it and the respect they give it. What happened in Rio eight years ago would not happen today, is I believe what I was articulating.
...
Indeed, for those who suggest that I was implying arrogance or even bigotry on the part of today’s Manchester United (as opposed to the one of eight years ago), let me say that it would be foolhardy and profoundly unjust for me to have done so.
United is an English club and England is actually where the eradication of football racism has made the most headway. England is indeed quite the country that is providing international leadership in ridding football of this obscene disease.
The legacies of ‘White Australia’ (http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/lesmurray/the-legacies-of-white-australia-280012)
By Les Murray | 19 January 2010 | 11:27
Gold Coast United’s headline churning chairman, Clive Palmer, has gone on the front foot over the refusal of a visa to an aspiring African trialist, saying the Australian government’s immigration policies were racist.
A GCU press release quotes Palmer saying: ‘The Australian government issues visas, without the same requirements, to players coming from Europe and other white countries.’
Apart from the fact that Europe is not a country but a continent, white or otherwise, the other curiosity here is that Clive is an active backer of the Liberal Party whose government, as recently as 2007, suggested, via its boofheaded immigration minister Kevin Andrews, that immigration from Africa should be stopped because they, the Africans, cannot assimilate, or some drivel to that effect.
Still, the accusation is worrying. We await eagerly the response of the government to this scurrilous claim which if true is, as Clive suggests, tantamount to a return to the dreaded ‘white Australia policy’.
In my opinion, this is one of the major reasons soccer is failing to gain popularity among mainstream fans in Australia.
Organisors and promoters seem to think promoting soccer as 'anti-racist' and 'anti-nationalist' is good thing. Whenever they can, they mention the fact that the Australian National Soccer team is chock full of ethnics and soccer has mainly large immigrant communities to thank for the success of soccer in this country. Ie. Basically they are delivering the middle finger to white Australia.
So I ask soccer, why are they currently using this strategy? Clearly you're alienating/distancing potential fans by stating that the success of soccer Australia has been entirely due to immigrants. There can't be a more self-destructive/insulting thing to say to Australians.
People in the Australian soccer community often wonder why Australians of Anglo descent (Ie. 80% of the population) can't get into soccer, well in my opinion it's because of this 'immigrant identity' soccer has labelled itself with.
Anti-racism is the single biggest reason soccer in this country isn't moving forward and the fact they don't address in the media (Because it's politically incorrect) is criminal.
You'd think soccer Australia would learn from its mistakes (Particular it's main broadcaster, the SBS). After all, it was largely this 'ethnic thing' that caused serious alienation among the now defunct National Soccer League (NSL). But no, they are still pushing anti-racism and 'acceptance' in soccer more than ever.
In a nutshell, I don't want to support Australia in the World Cup because of the praise anti-racism will get if it succeeds, on the other hand, I like the sport itself and I genuinely like the Australian team (Except Tim Cahill. He's a jerk).
I like soccer and I really want my country Australia to succeed in this sport, however, soccer in this country is being pushed as a vehicle for 'anti-racism,' 'acceptance' and 'multiculturalism.'
This 'anti-racism' and support for mass-immigration by Australian soccer officials is demonstrated in the following articles (By Australia's most prominent soccer media personality, Les Murray):
A New Year's wish: no racism (http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/lesmurray/a-new-years-wish-no-racism--161059)
By Les Murray | 29 December 2008 | 12:34
Following my last column, in which I made reference to Manchester United’s cultural, even racial arrogance during their Brazilian sojourn for the inaugural Club World Cup in 2000, some respondents accused me of taking pot shots again at the English.
Actually, no. Quite the opposite.
The point I was making is that the CWC has come a long way since then, even by the yardstick of how powerful European clubs like Manchester United treat it and the respect they give it. What happened in Rio eight years ago would not happen today, is I believe what I was articulating.
...
Indeed, for those who suggest that I was implying arrogance or even bigotry on the part of today’s Manchester United (as opposed to the one of eight years ago), let me say that it would be foolhardy and profoundly unjust for me to have done so.
United is an English club and England is actually where the eradication of football racism has made the most headway. England is indeed quite the country that is providing international leadership in ridding football of this obscene disease.
The legacies of ‘White Australia’ (http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/lesmurray/the-legacies-of-white-australia-280012)
By Les Murray | 19 January 2010 | 11:27
Gold Coast United’s headline churning chairman, Clive Palmer, has gone on the front foot over the refusal of a visa to an aspiring African trialist, saying the Australian government’s immigration policies were racist.
A GCU press release quotes Palmer saying: ‘The Australian government issues visas, without the same requirements, to players coming from Europe and other white countries.’
Apart from the fact that Europe is not a country but a continent, white or otherwise, the other curiosity here is that Clive is an active backer of the Liberal Party whose government, as recently as 2007, suggested, via its boofheaded immigration minister Kevin Andrews, that immigration from Africa should be stopped because they, the Africans, cannot assimilate, or some drivel to that effect.
Still, the accusation is worrying. We await eagerly the response of the government to this scurrilous claim which if true is, as Clive suggests, tantamount to a return to the dreaded ‘white Australia policy’.
In my opinion, this is one of the major reasons soccer is failing to gain popularity among mainstream fans in Australia.
Organisors and promoters seem to think promoting soccer as 'anti-racist' and 'anti-nationalist' is good thing. Whenever they can, they mention the fact that the Australian National Soccer team is chock full of ethnics and soccer has mainly large immigrant communities to thank for the success of soccer in this country. Ie. Basically they are delivering the middle finger to white Australia.
So I ask soccer, why are they currently using this strategy? Clearly you're alienating/distancing potential fans by stating that the success of soccer Australia has been entirely due to immigrants. There can't be a more self-destructive/insulting thing to say to Australians.
People in the Australian soccer community often wonder why Australians of Anglo descent (Ie. 80% of the population) can't get into soccer, well in my opinion it's because of this 'immigrant identity' soccer has labelled itself with.
Anti-racism is the single biggest reason soccer in this country isn't moving forward and the fact they don't address in the media (Because it's politically incorrect) is criminal.
You'd think soccer Australia would learn from its mistakes (Particular it's main broadcaster, the SBS). After all, it was largely this 'ethnic thing' that caused serious alienation among the now defunct National Soccer League (NSL). But no, they are still pushing anti-racism and 'acceptance' in soccer more than ever.
In a nutshell, I don't want to support Australia in the World Cup because of the praise anti-racism will get if it succeeds, on the other hand, I like the sport itself and I genuinely like the Australian team (Except Tim Cahill. He's a jerk).