The more travelling I do, the wiser I become ([info]gerbie) wrote,
  • Mood: calm
  • Music: Van Morrison

Hard Gras 26 - Ajax in Afrika (02-004)

6 stories this time, some good, some interesting. The title story about Ajax Capetown is nearly an article for a newspaper, only that it hasn't got a news value, it is more of an impression. Why does Ajax want a team in a poor city, with a badly organised competition? In the end both ends can profit from the deal. Today that fact was proven right, when Pienaar, a young South African scored in only his second game of the big Ajax.

The story about the heydays of Colombian football was better, not many fans do know this, but in the early fifties, the best footballers in the world all played in the country that is nowadays mainly famous for violence and cocaine. Simon Kuper writes an interesting piece on Salman Rushdie, who apparently claims to be a Tottenham fan in several interviews. Background information therefore. Hugo Borst has an interesting story about decay of Spangen, Moroccan youth criminals, discrimination and Sparta, the only team outside the big 3 in the Netherlands that never got relegated, though these days they have come close several times.

The real highlight is not about football, but was written by a football player. Steve Mokone, a black South African who played in the Netherlands in the fifties (a movie was made recently about him), later became an American citizen, though he got treated very badly while in the US. He got convicted for a crime he didn't do and spent nine years in jail. This story is a chapter from his forthcoming autobiography: Kalamazoo! The life and times of a soccer player. Judging by this story, I might need to have a look around for that book.

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  • 4 comments

[info]littlegreenfrog

March 10 2002, 15:18:24 UTC 10 years ago

~{{HUGS!}}~

~lgf

[info]gerbie

March 11 2002, 07:37:00 UTC 10 years ago

Re:

What have I done to deserve these?

[info]littlegreenfrog

March 11 2002, 12:55:51 UTC 10 years ago

Re:

It's a huggathon weekend, didn't you click on the hugs?? hehe

*more hugs* just for :)

~lgf

[info]gerbie

March 12 2002, 15:15:37 UTC 10 years ago

Re:

I'm afraid by the time I found out, the weekend was over... (not that I dislike being hugged by you!)
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