10th March 2009
Ninety-minute nationalist
From promoting Welsh independence in the political arena yesterday, I spent this morning arguing the case for that little bit of independence we already enjoy: the Welsh national soccer team. The British Government have indicated their determination to see a so-called Team GB competing in the London 2012 Olympics despite the protests by the Football Association of Wales together with the Scottish and the Northern Irish FAs that this could risk the future independence of the ‘home nations’. There have been two votes in the past on this in FIFA and an integrated British team is likely to be used by African and Caribbean nations, jealous of the special status of the four UK national sides, as a pretext for a further vote.
There was a time when FIFA was more relaxed on the question of membership. There are some twenty three FIFA members that aren’t full members of the UN. However, all this has changed in recent years as members eye jealously the money distributed to FIFA members and the increasing competition for qualification places. Gibraltar was turned down for membership twice for UEFA – and after Spain threatened to pull out completely of international football, football’s European body created a new rule which said that new members must be full members of the United Nations. This has effectively blocked applications for membership by Catalonia ad Greenland both of whom have applied in recent years. In Africa, the island of Zanzibar (which is part of Tanzania after the merger with Tanganyika) has been refused entry into World Cup competition even though its association is eighty years old and it is already a member of the African association.
Gerry Sutcliffe did recognise this morning that there “will continue to be a threat to… (the) individuality” of the Celtic national squads. But he then went on to accuse the three Football Associations of ‘intransigence’ in seeking to defend their position. If only they would just give in to what the English FA wants…..The same FA that took its ball away and stopped the Home Championships because the three other nations had the temerity to beat them.
Labour’s Albert Owen said that we were just being ‘narrow nationalists”. Isn’t it amusing that if you support Wales you’re a narrow nationalist, but if you wrap yourself in the Union Jack you’re an enlightened, progressive internationalist. As long as you don’t suggest replacing the British Lions with a European team in which case (Albert argued) apparently you’re a narrow nationalist again. You just can’t win with some people.
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leighrichards says:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
To their enormous credit the FAW – along with their compatriots in scotland – have been absolutely resolute on this matter. Despite abuse from gordon brown and his governemnt they will NOT give their backing to welsh players participating in the 2012 olympics as part of a soc alled ‘GB team’.
So we will be able to miss more penaltys , concede even more dubious ones and nearly qualify for major football tournamnets for a few years yet!!!
Interesting to see however that a petition recently sumbitted to the national assembly ’supporting’ welsh participation in a so called GB team has been signed by one Rachel Banner of gwent
http://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions-old/eform-sign-petition-old/p-03-174.htm
I wonder is this the same rachel banner of pontypool, gwent who has been fronting the True Wales anti-Assembly campaign?
If so it would then seem that not only are true wales opposed to the people of wales making any of their own laws but that their chief spokesperson doesnt even care if wales’s participation in the world’s number one sport is put under serious danger!!!
Do these people even believe wales exists at all????