Something To Hang His Hat On

While it looks like the British Asian Sports Awards are a legit organization, they don't do themselves any favors by handing out a Lifetime Achievement award to our favorite malcontent/filmmaker, Vikash Dhorasoo. That's no typo my friends, it really says lifetime achievement next to Vik's name.

I love how the write up for the awards event included this little nugget: "The Ex French mid-fielder, who is the only Asian to have played in a football World Cup final."

Surely they mean a World Cup Final, and not the tournament finals as a whole. Plenty of Asians have played in the finals, but while he was on the French squad who made it to the 2006 final against Italy, he never made it off the bench against Marcelo Lippi's men. Does warming up before the game and kicking balls around at halftime now count as having played in a World Cup Final?

Either way, you've got to give Dhorasoo credit for his off-the-field efforts, but for playing soccer, I don't think so. But hey, it's not everyday that you get to share the stage with top-notch entertainers like Sisqó.

British Asian Sports Awards winners [Asian Image]
Dhorasoo tackles great taboo [UEFA.com]

-ac

Iraqi Soccer Team Proves Us to be Pansies

I rarely kick the ball around because 1) I have no children to kick around with and 2) I have a suspicion that my wife commands better ball control and technique than I ever would, even if I had played since I could walk (I am, indeed, the least-blessed in terms of any type of coordination; seriously, not walking into inanimate objects is a minor victory for me).

Occasionally AC and I will kick it around my place in front of the TV whenever he's in town, but then we get tired after a few minutes and go back to our beers. Which leads me to this piece about Iraq's deaf-mute soccer team and their resolve to compete in the Asia Pacific Deaf Games, despite living in such a fractured, let's face it, fucked up situation.

Iraq's deaf soccer team braves violence to play [Reuters]

-bl

What Not To Say To A Chinese Soldier

No matter how tempted you might be, don't ask a Chinese military officer if he's called a miss to serve him. It seems that in China, "miss" is often used as a euphemism for prostitutes. Talk like that will get you thrown off of China's Olympic team.

China suspends two soccer players for lewd question [Guardian]

-ac

Citizens Keeping Their Fingers Crossed

With Thai prosecutors feeling out the extradition waters in London, Manchester City owner and ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is digging in his heels. And from the look of it, holding firm seems like the right move for Shinawatra and Thailand. Just yesterday, the country's National Security Council decided to lift martial law in 11 provinces and reimpose it in three other provinces, in a move that will take effect after it receives cabinet approval on Tuesday. As the AP reports, the military government:

rarely if ever exercised its powers under martial law, instead using the measure as a threat against possible opponents, such as supporters of Thaksin [Shinawatra], who was ousted in the bloodless Sept. 19 coup. The measure mainly empowered the military to be in charge of security and make arrests without warrants in the name of maintaining order.

How that squares with today's other big news remains to be seen. The opposition, the People Power party, drew around 25,000 people for its first major rally in Bangkok where the party promised to continue the legacy of ousted prime minister Shinawatra. It's a good bet that the fortunes of City's wealthy benefactor are intrinsically tied to the survival of democracy in Thailand. If the military and it's puppets win the proposed elections in December, Shinawatra's only hope could very well be the British government.

More importantly, if convicted of any crime, Shinawatra could be barred from owning a Premiership football club. And that would kind of put a damper on City's season, wouldn't it?

Thai prosecutors in London to press for Shinawatra extradition [Guardian]
Martial law ends in 11 provinces, returns in 3 [Bangkok Post]
Thai government to partially lift martial law imposed after 2006 coup [International Herald Tribune]

-ac

Just What Germany Needs...

A controversy involving the Jews. Not of the World War II variety mind you, but of the sporting kind, as in a U-21 German international (of Iranian descent) refusing to play for his country against Israel. While I can understand that he feels a certain sense of loyalty to his Iranian parents, Ashkan Dejagah's decision not to travel with his teammates won't look very good on his c.v. when Joachim Low comes looking for a new forward.

If Andranik Teymourian (Iran) and Tal Ben-Haim (Israel) could get along and play together at Bolton last season without killing each other, maybe there is hope for all us after all.

Iranian-Born German Soccer Star Boycotts Israel Game [Deutsche Welle]

-ac

Winning Hearts And Minds

U.S. forces in Afghanistan intended to give the children of Khost province a gift they could enjoy. Instead, they ended up giving them a gift, soccer balls, that some residents in the region found blasphemous.

The soccer balls roughly resembled the photo at left, but had flags of the world printed on them, including Saudi Arabia's flag. The Saudi flag bears the shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith whose recitation is one of the five pillars of Islam. One Afghan MP explained the offense by saying, "To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world." In the past, Saudi Arabia has complained to World Cup officials about the use of soccer balls bearing its flag.

Around 100 people in Khost, a province of about 300,000 people, chose to express their anger by holding a demonstration. The U.S. military said it simply didn't realize that some would find the soccer balls offensive. A spokeswoman said that U.S. forces work with local leaders to ensure they respect local culture. Perhaps, though, they also need a cultural "copy editor," a native of the region who reviews such actions for possible offense before giving the green light to go ahead with them.

Anger over 'blasphemous' balls [BBC]
Shahada: Confession of Faith [Religion Facts]

-ac

Quote Of The Day

"I'm a soccer fan first, a person second."

- John Oliver, Senior "Football" correspondent for The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart weighs in on Iraq’s Asian Cup Championship [World Cup Blog]

-ac

I See A Faucet, But Where's The Soap Dispenser?

If you have any plans of trying to catch next summer's Olympic U-23 soccer tournament live and in person, set aside a travel day for the city of Chongqing. The southern city, with a population of 31 million, has finally gotten it's public restroom situation in order.

First, the city installed open air urinals on the city's infamous Foreigners Street featuring tiny waist screens that left little to the imaginations of passers-by. Then came news of outdoor sinks, pictured above, that make the hand-washing experience, um, awkward for 13-year-old boys. Now comes news that the city has opened the world's largest restroom. The four-story, 1,000-stall facility features TVs, a soothing soundtrack piped throughout, crocodile- and Virgin Mary-themed urinals, and stalls with no roofs for those who prefer to relieve themselves under the light of the moon.

An interesting story all around, it almost makes you forget about what else is going on in China.

Outdoor toilets an unused curiosity [China Daily]
Chongqing's doggie-style public sinks [Shanghaiist]
China city debuts opulent public toilet [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
China Shuts Down Western-Run Newsletter [New York Times]
750,000 a year killed by Chinese pollution [Financial Times]
Child labour caution for China Olympics [Financial Times]

-ac

Nutjob, Or Crazy Like A Fox?

I know there's no crying in baseball, but we've all seen plenty of crying in soccer. But it's mostly on the field, after a tough loss, where every ounce of energy and spirit has been exhausted. How about reducing your interpreter to tears as you unload on your team for dropping points to the 85th ranked team in the world? Money quote:

The breaking point came when [Ivica] Osim tore a strip off his players after Japan blew a chance to take all three points from Qatar on Monday. The rant was all too much for [Zen] Chida, who, according to midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, broke down in tears while attempting to relay the vitriol.

"He reduced Chida to tears," Nakamura told reporters after the match. "He could only translate half of what Osim said because the coach was so angry. Chida later told me the coach had said he thought Japan was like a heavyweight fighting against a lightweight. He felt we should have won by five goals."

Whether this spurs Japan on, or ruins them, will be revealed soon enough. Next up for the two-time defending Asian Cup champs is the United Arab Emirates on Friday, who lost 2-0 to co-host Vietnam in the Group B opener on Sunday.

There's no crying in soccer ... or is there? [Asahi Shimbun]
Japan foiled in final minutes [Daily Yomiuri]

-ac

Scratch & Sniff

This is a followup to the post I wrote a week ago about pollution in Beijing, where I imagined soccer players at next summer's Olympic tournament wheezing through 90 minutes in delicious mix of oxygen and coal smoke. Well, maybe not that much oxygen.

The new part of this story involves the Chinese government leaning on the World Bank concerning findings alleging that pollution causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually in China.

This means that when the World Bank isn't busy shaking down a used car salesman, it doctors a report that casts a light on one of the China's most well-kept secrets. Lest we forget, on days when there is no rain or wind, ozone and fine dust are often two to three times the maximum levels suggested by the World Health Organization, making the Chinese capital one of the world's dirtiest cities.

Of course, this isn't the first time a major weeks-long sporting event was held in a smoggy city. Who can forget the 1994 World Cup Final, or the '84 Olympics:

In Los Angeles, British runner Steve Ovett collapsed with respiratory problems after the 800-meter race. Ovett is convinced that pollution was the culprit. "Many suffered from the bad air, but hardly anyone said anything," Ovett complained in an article in the scientific journal Nature.

Whether China can get any kind of handle on it's pollution remains to be seen. Either way, it doesn't seem to be hurting the country's tourism numbers.

China 'Forced World Bank' to Doctor Pollution Report [Der Spiegel]
Wolfowitz Walks [Forbes]
Pollution Dangers Cast Shadow over 2008 Olympics [Der Spiegel]
China heads for top spot in tourism rankings [Sydney Morning Herald]

-ac

Representing A Broken Country

Iraq's Brazilian coach gives the Guardian's Matthew Hall a little taste of what it's like to lead a team through the chaos that is present-day Iraq:

"You cannot imagine it. I am in a real Arabic souk. Every day, I don't know where we will go for training. Every day, people want to meet with me for two or three hours a day to discuss the players. Today, I kicked a chair. I kicked everything."

As Jorvan Vieira readies his team for the upcoming Asian Cup, he has the Iraqi national team training in Amman, Jordan. Though safer than Baghdad, because of a mounting Iraqi refugee problem, things can be a little taxing in Jordan:

"When some players arrived here in Amman they had to wait six or seven hours at the airport," Vieira explained. "The Jordanian police would not allow them to come into the country. Nobody did anything, nobody moved, nobody wrote a list of players to tell the government that this is the Iraq national team. The players suffered only because they had Iraqi passports."

Iraq has been grouped with Thailand, Australia, and Oman at the Asian Cup with hopes that some of the success the Olympic team had in Athens, rubs off on them. They kick off the tournament against co-host Thailand on Saturday.

'If some of these players go home they will be killed' [Guardian]

-ac

2008 Olympics

It looked like the U.S. wilted in the Maracaibo heat last night, unable to last the full 90 minutes against a strong Argentina side. Add coal smoke, ozone, and particulate matter to the mix, and you'll have soccer players wheezing their way to the final whistle (if they even make it that far). Unfortunately, that's exactly the type of air that will clog the lungs of more than 10,000 athletes next year at the Olympics in Beijing.

On days when there is no rain or wind, ozone and fine dust are often two to three times the maximum levels suggested by the World Health Organization, making the Chinese capital one of the world's dirtiest cities. Endurance athletes such as marathoners and cyclists will have the toughest time—they inhale up to 150 liters of air per minute, more than 10 times what an office worker does. Spectators who are elderly, very young, or chronically ill may also encounter problems, including asthma, sore throats, and allergic reactions, all of which occur even among healthy visitors.

"I wouldn't expect a world record in the marathon in Beijing," says a physician who advises the British Olympic Committee.

The Beijing Olympics won't be the first time athletes will have to contend with poor air quality. More than 20 percent of U.S. athletes had breathing problems due to smog in Athens in 2004, says a manager of the U.S. Olympic team. British runner Steve Ovett said air pollution made him collapse at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Beijing is committed to making its Olympics the "Green Games," and is investing more than $3B to clean the air, but it's unclear if it can succeed. Areas outside the city are responsible for a substantial amount of the pollution, and over 1,000 new cars hit the streets each day.

In the end, maybe China has bigger fish to fry (see here and here) a little over a year out from the summer games.

Pollution Dangers Cast Shadow over 2008 Olympics [Der Spiegel]
UNEP and Beijing Sign Green Games Agreement [United Nations Environment Programme]
Air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games [ScienceDirect]
IOC asked to prevent evictions and protect Olympic workers [Play The Game]
Olympic firm admits child labour [BBC]

-ac

The Next Hot Destination For Indians

Earlier this month, it was reported that Eastern European countries are facing a labor crunch that threatens to impede their rapid economic expansion. Companies in Poland, for instance, have been forced to look outside the country for skilled workers—even though Poland's unemployment rate is 13%. Hosting the 2012 Euros is proving to be more of a burden than a blessing as the country struggles to find enough construction workers.

Well, Poland may just have found a solution: importing labor from India. Poland already hosts around 3,000 Indian workers, but could welcome hundreds of thousands more as a result of a recent agreement between the two countries to make Poland the "next hot destination for Indians."

It's a supply that's much needed. Between 800,000 and 2 million Poles have left the country since it joined the European Union three years ago. India, for its part, will no doubt benefit as well through remittances sent back from workers in Poland, especially as demand for workers from countries in the Middle East starts to dry up. And as India's IT competitiveness declines slightly, it can still take advantage of its main competitive advantage: abundant labor.

Eastern Europe hit by shortage of workers [Financial Times]
With its workers over here, Poland turns east to get the country rebuilt [Guardian]
India, Poland to resolve migration issues [Headlines India]
Poland next hot destination for Indians [Hindustan Times]

-ac

The Friendly Skies Over Indonesia

Planning a trip to watch the Asian Cup? Well, if you're looking for an airline, you might want to avoid Indonesian airlines. Why you should look elsewhere: spotty radar coverage, aging planes, broken-down runways, and an accident rate 15 times greater than the world average. If that's not enough for you, air traffic is growing faster than the country's infrastructure can handle.

But if Indonesian officials are to be believed, everything is just fine.

Plane Crashes Force Indonesia to Boost Safety as Airlines Boom [Bloomberg]
Record growth in Indonesia air traffic [AsiaNews]
Indonesian airlines 'safe to fly' [BBC]

-ac

Where Can A Shiite And A Sunni Sit In Peace?

It sure as hell isn't Iraq. But at a soccer stadium in Jordan, not only does it not matter what sect you belong to, they're even letting teenage girls in to watch from the stands. All of this is currently taking place at the West Asian Football Federation Championships.

According to Wikipedia, the tournament is made up of "mainly West Asian countries and territories, that are not invited to the Persian Gulf Cup of Nations." It is usually held every two years, but for some reason, last year's edition in Lebanon fell through. This year's participants include: Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Iraqis find common ground – on a soccer field [Christian Science Monitor]

-ac

Outsourcing Our Blog

BL and I are looking to get out of the office a little more often, and thus, have decided to take in some cheap labor from India. If the city of Pasadena and Reuters can do it, why can't we?

Local Pasadena news written by ... journalists in India [Passport]

-ac

Something Doesn't Smell Right

Again, if this guy is going to actually shell out $259M for Man City, where is the money going to come from? The money quote from this Forbes article:

Thai newspapers speculated as to how Thaksin had managed to gather sufficient overseas financial resources to finance the purchase while his assets at home are endangered due to charges of tax evasion and money laundering. His wife was recently seeking official approval to send 400 million Thai baht [$12.3M] to finance the purchase of a property in England.

Thaksin’s plan to buy Liverpool depended on heavy financing from the Thai government, which would certainly be unavailable under the current circumstances. Financial terms of his bid for Manchester City are sure to be scrutinized closely back at home.

What Game Is Thaksin Playing? [Forbes]

-ac

FIFA Turns It's (One Good) Eye Towards India

Soccer in India is quite the conundrum. You've got a billion people, many excited to sit down and watch the EPL or La Liga on TV, but not too many excited about the local game. While Sepp Blatter jets around the country looking to pump up soccer's image, he knows that he's got an uphill battle in front of him:

Blatter said soccer's future was in Asia since Europe was "saturated for foreign players and coaches." But before that, the situation on the ground needs to change. "Good coaches will come to India if a good technical and administrative infrastructure is in place," he said.

Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammed bin Hammam, who is traveling with Blatter, was slightly more pointed in his criticism of the Indian scene. "With the existing structure, don't think of progress even in the next 100 years," Hammam was quoted as saying.

100 years? Just award India the World Cup, it worked for the United States.

Selling Soccer In India [Forbes]

-ac

Money, Money, And More Money, Pt. 2

An interesting theory as to why soccer clubs are being snapped up at the moment can be found in the latest issue of Forbes. Many think (and how could one argue otherwise) that the main reason that teams in England are seen as wise investments is because of their earning potential in China. Money quote:

"A big reason why these teams are attracting suitors is their growth potential in all of Asia, but China is the key." says Salvatore Galatioto, president of the sports banking firm Galatioto Sports Partners. "You have great brands with these soccer teams that have not been fully exploited."

Two recent pre-season tours by Spanish giants Real Madrid seem to underline Galatioto's claim. The two trips, in 2003 and 2005, netted Real "$10 million from sales of replica shirts and tickets to watch its star players go up against local talent."

Some more numbers concerning soccer in China:

• The country's fans make up roughly 20% of soccer's worldwide audience.
• More than 100 million viewers tuned in to watch Chinese players Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi play for Crystal Place in the first live broadcast of English soccer on national television in China.
• 360 million viewers watched as Everton, with Li Weifeng, faced off against Manchester City, with newly acquired Sun Jihai.
• 260 million viewers watched the entire World Cup played in Japan and South Korea.
• The English Premier League's latest rights deal with Guangdong Provincial Television's Wintv covers three years for $50 million, 40% more than the bid put in by incumbent carrier, ESPN Star Sports.
• Broadband TV, owned by Hong Kong telecommunications firm PCCW, earlier this year paid $200 million in a three-year exclusive rights agreement to stream English matches (as well as the 2008 European Championship) over broadband internet connections in Asia, an increase of 122% over the previous deal.
  
• The country's soccer gambling market reached $33 billion in 2006, tripling in two years and surpassing U.K.'s $30 billion industry. (Yes, the article points out that it comes out to only $25 per person in China, compared with $488 in the U.K.)

Cracking Soccer's Great Wall (sub. req'd) [Forbes]

-ac

South Korean Author Meets Mel Gibson For Lunch

Don't expect Israel to schedule a friendly with South Korea anytime soon. It seems that a popular Korean comic book series is teaching impressionable youth that that the Jews control American media and politics.

The book's publisher, Gimm-Young, likes to claim that at least one volume is in every South Korean home. Money quote:

[The author, Rhie Won-bok,] said the September 11 attacks occurred because of Arab terrorists' hatred for the U.S. he blamed on Jews who "move the U.S. in the way they want using money and the media as their weapon." The book also says Korean-Americans are diligent and successful in the U.S. "but in the end, always run into the wall called the Jews." The accompanying picture shows an exasperated man walking up a hill only to be blocked by a brick wall with a Star of David and the word "STOP" in English.

I wonder if Rhie will be off to rehab now, followed by a TV appearance asking for forgiveness.

Anti-Semites gone wild in ... South Korea? [Passport]

-ac