When Play is Delayed.

national | miscellaneous | news report

Tuesday February 11, 2003 13:08

by iosaf/ainriali/ipsiphi

barcelona new europe. just like ireland.

being a reflection on the Republic.

on the 5th of May 2002 Chirac was re-elected as President of France. The first football match he attended was the following Saturday in Paris´s Stade de France. Like the forthcoming Derry v. Barcelona match the match Chirac went to see was a between slightly mismatched sides.

They were Corsica´s Bastia and Brittany´s Lorient. But is was no friendly match it was the final of the French Cup.
When France and Algeria met in Stade de France under Jospin´s frowning eye in 2001 play had been called off after the pitch was invaded. French citizens of Algerian extraction were blamed for booing La Marseilles the anthem of France.

At Chirac´s final between Corsica and Britanny the Corsican fans booed La Marseilles. Chirac reacted very differently to how Jospin formerly had. He did not sit in stonyfaced silence. He did not cast a frowning eye. He threw a great wobbly instead.

He refused to go to the pitch to greet the players. He demanded and got an apology to the nation from the boss of French Soccer. He delayed the game by twenty minutes. During which he addressed a variety of French TV channels and the assembled world media.

I think I need only at this point qoute one line of Chirac´s mediabytes.

{in translation... "I won´t tolerate the undermining of the values of the Republic and those who express them."}

I watched Brazil play France for the World Cup whilst living in London. I travelled with French fans to Trafalgar Square from Liverpool Street station. I watched them enter that square as I ahve watched so many enter that square to form a colourful multitude at the base of Nelson´s column. There was one cheering Brazilian with a flag happily amongst them. I have in that square also seen Scottish and English fans do most grevious harm to each other. The same day someone blew up Manchester.

What are the values of the Republic?
And Which Republic do we speak of?
The Republic of Latin quotes? or America estabglished by the Treaty of Paris 1774?
or "La Republique de France"?
Ireland declared a Republic as well in those distant times. But I think the most important republic declared was the third. Tousaint and his republic of Haiti. Ah, but I bore you with memories of the "black napoleon".

After the Corsica v. Brittany game the leader of the French Green Party one of the left coalition groupings that tried to recover from the strengthening of the Right yet again in France spoke of Chirac´s delay of play...

i qoute in translation.
{"it was overplayed- but well played"}

The Green leader Dominique Voynet is a shrewd former environment minister and I give him more ideological credit than Fishcer. I saw him speak in BCN and though his jokes were felt to be alien he pleased us more than the German.

ah the German.
There are many Republics, and many styles of republican, there is Turkey there is Germany there are mythical republics and idealised ones.
But we all be us left or right know what Chirac found so unacceptable.

The last friendly match I saw Barca play was against Madrid the traditional enemy. Play was stopped because Barca players threw coins at a Madrid player who had defected from Barca whilst he attempted to take a corner. Everyone held na opinion. Many spoke to TV. But no-one invoked either the Kingdom of Real Madrid or any idealised Republic perhaps remembered by Barcelona.
Chirac is very different. He overplays but he plays well, and I am long accustomed to see him delay others play. I do not support his rightwing interests but I do think he has succesfully taken wind from the LePen threat. Something the left was not able to do. And he is presently supported by the French from all sections of the Republic in the current direction of his geo-political play. I shall write of the other republics in no particular order as indeed I have long been doing.

I am astounded feb 4. note opening 7lines.
http://ireland.indymedia.org/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=27926
tangent feb6
http://ireland.indymedia.org/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=27596
voices of the Dead feb4
http://ireland.indymedia.org/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=27190

what does your republic mean to you?
are these some who often wrote for it?
http://ireland.indymedia.org/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=16352