Fidel Castro's Relevance in International Affairs

(Written in 2018 and left in the draft form. Reposting)

After quite a long time, I am visiting my Blog space. 

As an academic, an International Relations student, and an area specialist in Latin American Studies, I must address the most important news that appears from the hemisphere. Fidel Castro is no more. Long live the Cuban Revolution...

Fidel, the ruler of Cuba for half a century, passed away on 26th November 2016. He was 90 years old. He led the revolutionary forces against the Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship, captured the power and changed the political map of Cuba forever. The global media covered the news and extended it with supporting articles that included praise and criticism about the person and his regime. 

A few things will keep his memory alive forever:

Without his presence, it is difficult to learn, teach and discuss the international politics of the 20th century and maybe a bit of the present century. No one in the world expected that the small island country, located just 90 miles close to the mighty United States, could make so much of an impact in the Cold War period.

International Relations is a discipline developed in the West, especially in the US to provide an academic structure to international political developments. It was defined and refined by academicians, policymakers and the political leadership of the 20th century. Personalities such as Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt (FDR), Kennedy, and Reagan handled crucial movements in history and contributed to the development of International Relations (IR) as a discipline.

Without the presence of a counter-power, it is impossible to create an impact on the International System and that vacuum was filled by different characters such as Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Min, and Fidel Castro. When these powers get in conflict or in a friendship, it matters to the world a lot. US-USSR rivalry, US-China friendship, and the US-Vietnam war were not local issues limited to the concerned countries. It had a ripple effect across the globe in the form of alignment as well as protest. Castro emerges from nowhere into the middle of global politics. He stayed for another half century to show his presence and influence in global events. He never wrote a book on international politics or relations but became an instrument to interpret the relations between the countries.

US-Latin American relations are older than Castro's intervention. The concept of US hegemony over Latin America was interpreted from the days of the Monroe Doctrine which completed two centuries by 2022. Castro played his role in a crucial time and tried to test the impact of the doctrine in modern times. In short, Castro's presence in Cuba was the time to re-interpret and redefine the relationship of the United States with Latin American countries. The verbal response of former President Donald Trump marks the bitterness of the relationship between the two countries. With a dash of grace, President Obama decided to leave the right, to assess the merit and demerits of the contributions of Fidel Castro, to history. This decision matters more to the students of IR than to the students of History.

History will tell us how much impact Castro created in the 1960s and 1970s in Latin America. Indirectly, he was responsible for many military interventions and toppling of elected rulers in Latin American countries. The success of the Cuban revolution and the capabilities of Fidel and his close friend Ernesto Che Guevara triggered a xenophobic approach by US authorities and foreign policy experts against the spread of Communism, the largest sin in the universe, Any symptom of political change whether it carries the elements of socialism or nationalism with egalitarianism were clubbed with Communism and acted with zero tolerance.

Those who study International Relations will definitely come across the application of the Rational Actors Model (RAM), and invariably the example will be from the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. One of the most important events took the bipolar world to an extreme level of confrontation that put the world on the verge of a third world war. All this happened because of one person, the thorn in the flesh of the United States for five decades, Fidel Castro. He broke a deal with the Soviet Union and allowed them to install missiles which could carry nuclear weapons. For the first time after the Pearl Harbour attack, the United States felt the direct presence of its enemy. Until 1962, the theatre of the Cold War was either in Europe or elsewhere, not in the United States.

Those who try to understand about the purpose and success of confidence-building measures will certainly learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the contribution (in absence) of Fidel and his little Cuba. The students of Human Rights will definitely come across the cases of Cuban Americans who were expelled or forced to migrate to the United States after the revolution.

Economic embargo is a very much discussed issue in International Relations. The international embargo on Iran against its nuclear programmes gathered the attention of the world in the recent past. But, it is the embargo against Cuba, the longest serving, that first comes to the mind of any disciple of IR. Obama marked his name with Castro in history through his Cuba visit and attempt to relax the embargo, though he was resisted by US Congress. Maybe, one embargo imposed by one country to another surpassed its original objective and turned into an international law to control the attempts of other countries who tried to deal with Cuba. Helms-Burton Act added the biting power of the Cuban policy of the US with legal authority and was successful in containing the activities of companies from other countries doing trade with Cuba. An example of an internal law creating an impact on international matters.

Embargo also provides another angle for the IR students to understand how Cuba survived for so long through adversary circumstances. Whether it shows the iron will of the Cuban people or the fighting spirit of Castro for his personal interests. Cuba has gone through a different political environment during this period. They lost their foremost friend in the Soviet Union, and the post-Cold War environment allowed the US to tighten the screw against Cuba to bring them on prescribed terms. Whether it shows the failure of the strategic superiority of the US in the fields including military, economic and diplomacy. It is really interesting to understand how the United States overcame the opposition of International community on its action against Cuba. United Nations denounced, on several occasions (straight 22 years), the US embargo against Cuba and in 2013 the voting on this issue produced a result of 188/2 (US and Israel).

When 'terrorism' started playing a key role in International Relations, the United States tried to use it as a tool to fix Cuba. Under the pressure from Cuban exile community, President Ronald Reagan added Cuba to the 'State Sponsors of Terrorism List' in 1982. Cuba anticipated that the 9/11 incident would provide more opportunities to use 'terrorism' as a card against the country and acted very fast to avoid such a label. Immediately after 9/11, Castro expressed the solidarity of the Cuban people with the US and also offered medical support. By the end of 2001, Cuba ratified 12 international treaties against terrorism. Still, during the regime of George W. Bush, there were some attempts to tie Cuba with countries threatening others with biological weapons. Castros' again provided an opportunity for Obama to become part of US-Cuba history on a positive note, by removing the name of Cuba from the State Sponsored Terrorism List, in May 2015.

It shows that it is not just the state power but the influence of the personality that also holds the capacity to determine the course of international relations. Fidel Castro lived for 90 years and was in power for more than 50 years. If one goes through the history of the world over the last 60 years, it is difficult to ignore, the negative and positive, contributions of Fidel Castro and it shows that his presence had a tremendous influence on the course of International Relations. It is possible to oppose his positions, ideology, and contributions, but it is impossible to negate his presence from history. 

(Written in 2018. Left it in the draft form. Found it in the drafts and posted today [13/06/2024]

Memory of Football in Childhood

കളിയോർമകൾ

നാരായണീയം എങ്ങിനെ തുടങ്ങണം എന്ന് മേല്പത്തൂരിന് ശങ്ക....മൽത്സ്യം തൊട്ടുകൂടിയാവട്ടെ എന്ന് എഴുത്തച്ഛനും. അതുപോലെ വരുന്ന ലോകകപ്പിനെ എങ്ങിനെ തുടങ്ങണം എന്ന ശങ്കയിൽ ഞാൻ ...ബോൾ തൊട്ടു തുടങ്ങൂ  എന്ന് വികടന്മാർ. എന്നാൽ അങ്ങിനെ എന്ന് ഞാനും. ഒരു കാലത്തു കളിക്കാൻ പന്ത് കിട്ടുക എന്നതാണ് ഏറ്റവും വലിയ ഭാഗ്യം. തോറ്റപറമ്പു  മൈതാനത്തു പന്ത് കളിക്കുമ്പോൾ എല്ലാവരും നേരിട്ടിരുന്ന ഏറ്റവും വലിയ ശങ്ക നാളെ കളിയ്ക്കാൻ ഫുടബോൾ എങ്ങിനെ സംഘടിപ്പിക്കും എന്നതായിരുന്നു.

സ്കൂൾ പൂട്ടി വേനൽ അവധി കേമമാക്കാൻ ഫുടബോൾ കളിയും ഫുടബോൾ മത്സരവും നിർബന്ധമായിരുന്നു. പക്ഷെ, അടുത്ത ദിവസം കളിക്കാൻ പന്ത് വേണമെങ്കിൽ അത് തുന്നാൻ അറിയുന്ന ആരുടെയെങ്കിലും സഹായവും ആവശ്യമായിരുന്നു. പറ്റുമെങ്കിൽ ഈ ആശ്രയത്വം അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുവാൻ തുന്നുന്ന ജോലി സ്വയം ഏറ്റെടുക്കണം.

കൊച്ചിയിൽ നെഹ്‌റു കപ്പു വന്നപ്പോൾ മുതിർന്ന ആളുകളും ചേട്ടന്മാരും കഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് കളി കണ്ട കാര്യം വർണിക്കുന്നതിന് ഞങ്ങൾ ചെറിയ കുട്ടികൾ കാതോർത്തിരിക്കും. ടി വി ഇല്ലാത്ത കാലത്തു, കളി കാണാൻ കാശും അനുവാദവും ഇല്ലാത്ത കാലത്തു ഞങ്ങളുടെ സായൂജ്യം ഇവരുടെ കളി വർണനയിലാണ്. അവർ പറയുമ്പോൾ, മൈതാനങ്ങൾ പച്ചപ്പുല്ലിന്റെ മെത്തയാവും, പന്ത് ആ പുൽത്തകിടിയിൽ പറന്നു നടക്കുന്ന ചിത്രശലഭം ആവും. കേട്ടുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന ഞങ്ങൾ ലോകകപ്പ് നടക്കുന്ന മൈതാനത്തു എത്തിയ ഭാവം പകരും.

നാളത്തെ കളി എന്നും ഒരു വിഷയമായിരുന്നു. പന്തില്ലാതെ എന്ത് കളി. വിഷു കൈനീട്ടം കിട്ടിയ കാശും, കശുവണ്ടി വിറ്റുകിട്ടിയ കാശും പിന്നെ പലരീതിയിൽ സംഘിടിപ്പിച്ച സ്വകാര്യ സമ്പാദ്യങ്ങളും ഞങ്ങളുടെ ക്ലബിന്റെ പന്തായി മാറും. വേനലവധി തീരാൻ കാത്തുനിൽക്കാതെ വരുന്ന മഴ എന്നും ഞങ്ങളുടെ പ്രധാന പ്രതിയോഗി ആയിരുന്നു. വെള്ളക്കെട്ടിന് പേരുകേട്ട, മഴക്കാലാരംഭത്തിൽ തന്നെ വെള്ളം നിറയുന്ന ഞങ്ങളുടെ 'ല മാസിയയിൽ' മഴ വളരെ വലിയ വില്ലൻ ആയി അവതരിച്ചിരുന്നു. മഴ എന്നാൽ, സമയ നഷ്ടം മാത്രമല്ല, അവൻ ഞങ്ങളുടെ പന്തിനെ ആയുസ്സു തീർക്കുന്ന കാലം കൂടി ആയിരുന്നു. കഷ്ട്ടപെട്ടു പിരിച്ചെടുത്ത, കിട്ടിയ തുകയിൽ ഒതുങ്ങുന്ന നമ്പർ 3 തുകൽ ബോളിന്‌ മഴയോടേറ്റുമുട്ടി വിങ്ങി വീർത്തു മരിക്കാനായിരുന്നു വിധി. വലിയ ചേട്ടന്മാർ അന്ന് ആറാം നമ്പർ ലതർ ബോൾ ആണ് ഉപയോഗിച്ചിരുന്നത്. മഴവെള്ളത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി വീർത്ത പന്തിനു അതിന്റെ സാധാരണ ഭാരത്തിന്റെ പതിന്മടങ്ങു തൂക്കം ഉണ്ടാവും. അതുംകൊണ്ട് വെറും കാലിൽ, കുഴിയും, വേരുകളും, തെങ്ങിൻ കുറ്റികളും, ഞങ്ങൾക്കൊപ്പം കളിക്കാൻ എന്നും കൂടുന്ന ചെറിയ തെങ്ങുകൾ നിൽക്കുന്ന മൈതാനത്തു കളിക്കുമ്പോൾ മഴ ഒരിക്കലും ഒരു പ്രതിയോഗി ആയിരുന്നില്ല.

അന്നത്തെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ പന്തുകളി ഇന്ന് നാം ടി വി യിലും നെറ്റിലും കാണുന്ന അവസ്ഥയിൽ ആയിരുന്നില്ല. അന്നത്തെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഭാവനയിൽ ഏറ്റവും നല്ല കളിക്കാരൻ എന്നാൽ ഏതിർഭാഗത്തെ  എല്ലാവരെയും സ്വന്തം വേഗതയിലും മെയ്‌വഴക്കത്തിലും കറക്കിയെടുത്തു എതിരാളിയുടെ ഗോൾവലയം കുലുക്കുന്ന കളിക്കാരൻ. നാട്ടിലെ എല്ലാ ക്ലബ്ബ്കൾക്കും ഇത്തരത്തിൽ കളിക്കുന്ന ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ പ്രധാന കളിക്കാർ കാണും. പന്തുകളി സീസൺ മുഴുവൻ അവർക്കു നല്ല തിരക്കാണ്. അവരുടെ സേവനം വാടകക്ക് എടുക്കാൻ പരിസരത്തെ മറ്റു ക്ലബ്ബ്കൾ മത്സരിക്കും. അവരോടു കിടപിടിക്കാൻ ഇന്ന് വളരെ കുറച്ചു കളിക്കാർ മാത്രമേയുള്ളു. ലയണൽ മെസ്സി അതിൽ ഒരാളാണ്.

പന്ത് ഇടതും വലതു കളിക്കുന്ന കളിക്കാർക്ക് പാസുകൾ വഴി കൈമാറി മുന്നോട്ട് നീങ്ങുക എന്നത് അംഗീകരിക്കാൻ ആവാത്ത അപരാധമാണ്. പെപ്പ് ഗ്വാർഡിയോളയും, ആർസെൻ വെങ്കറും അന്ന് കളി പഠിപ്പിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കാതിരുന്നത് അവരുടെ ഭാഗ്യം. പന്ത് കയ്യടക്കി, ഒപ്പം കളിക്കുന്നവർക് പാസ് കൊടുക്കുന്ന കളിക്കാരൻ ഏറ്റവും വെറുക്കപെട്ടവൻ ആവാൻ അധികം നേരം വേണ്ട. പാസ് കൊടുക്കുക എന്നാൽ ആത്‌മവിശ്വാസം ഇല്ലായ്മയുടെ പ്രതിഫലനം ആണ്. ബാക് പാസ് എന്നാൽ കളി അറിയായ്കയുടെ ലക്ഷണവും. പന്ത് എന്നും മുന്നോട്ട് മാത്രം നീങ്ങാൻ ഉള്ള വസ്തുവാണ്. ഗോൾ കീപ്പർ എന്നാൽ കളി കളത്തിൽ മാറ്റി നിർത്താൻ കഴിയാത്ത ഒരാളെ ഒതുക്കാൻ ഉള്ള സ്ഥാനവും. അവൻ ആയിരിക്കും കളിക്കുന്ന പന്തിനു കൂടുതൽ ഷെയർ കൊടുത്ത ആൾ.

കഥകൾ പറഞ്ഞു നമ്മൾ പന്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരുപാട് ദൂരെ പോയി. ആറു കോണും അഞ്ചുകോണും ഉള്ള കുറെ തുകൽ കഷണങ്ങൾ തുന്നിക്കൂട്ടിയ തുകൽ സഞ്ചി സംഘടിപ്പിക്കാൻ നടത്തിയ ശ്രമങ്ങൾ ലോകം ജയിക്കാൻ പോയ അലക്‌സാണ്ടർ ചക്രവർത്തിയുടെ ശ്രമങ്ങൾക്ക് തുല്യമാണ്. തന്റെ ചെറുപ്പത്തിൽ പന്തുകളിക്കാൻ അവസരം കിട്ടിയ മുത്തശ്ശൻ പറഞ്ഞത് പന്ത് പല നീളത്തിൽ ക്രമമായി തുന്നി ചേർത്ത തുകൽ സഞ്ചിയാണെന്നാണ്, അതിലെ ബ്ലാഡർ വായു നിറച്ചു ചരട് കൊണ്ട് കെട്ടി, പന്തിന്റെ അകത്തു കുത്തി കയറ്റുമായിരുന്നു എന്നാണ്. ഞങ്ങളുടെ പന്തിന് ബ്ലാഡർ കെട്ടി വയ്‌ക്കേണ്ടിയിരുന്നില്ല, പക്ഷെ ചിലപ്പോൾ കാറ്റ് പോകാതിരിക്കാൻ അത് നിറക്കുന്ന ദ്വാരം അടക്കാൻ കോട്ടക്ക മുതൽ ബോൾ ബെയറിങ് വരെ കരുത്തണമായിരുന്നു.

1982 -ലെ നെഹ്‌റു കപ്പ് സമയത്താണ് ഞങ്ങൾ സിന്തറ്റിക് ഫുട്ബോൾ പരിചയപ്പെടുന്നത്. ഒരു ദിവസം വൈകുന്നേരം ഞങ്ങൾ സ്വന്തമായി പന്തില്ലാതെ എങ്ങിനെ കളിക്കും എന്ന് വിഷമിച്ചു ഇരിക്കുമ്പോൾ അതാ വരുന്നു ദൈവദൂതനെപോലെ ഒരാൾ, കയ്യിൽ ഒരു പന്തുമേന്തി.. അത് വേറെ ആരുമല്ല, എപ്പോ ചേട്ടൻ, (ശരിയായ പേര് ഇപ്പോഴും അറിയില്ല), ചേട്ടന്മാരുടെ ടീമിൽ കളിക്കുന്ന ബാബുട്ടന്റെ അച്ഛൻ. ബാബുട്ടന്റെ ചേട്ടൻ വറുഗീസ് ചേട്ടൻ അന്ന് കൊച്ചിൻ പോർട്ട് ട്രസ്റ്റ് ടീമിൽ കളിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെ നിന്ന് എത്തിയ പുതിയ പന്താണ് എപ്പോച്ചേട്ടൻ ഞങ്ങൾക്കായി തരുന്നത്. കളി കഴിയുമ്പോൾ പന്ത് അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ വീട്ടിൽ എത്തിക്കണം. അങ്ങിനെ ആദ്യമായി ഒരു ലോക ഫുട്ബോളിൽ കളിച്ചു. തുകൽ പന്തിനെ അപേക്ഷിച്ചു ഇത് ഭാരം ഏറിയതാണ്, കാലിൽ ബൂട്ട് ഇട്ടു കളിയ്ക്കാൻ തയ്യാറാക്കിയ ഇവനെ വെറും കാലിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ നേരിട്ടു. ഏതോ യൂറോപ്യൻ രാജ്യത്തുനിന്ന് വന്ന ഈ പുതിയ പന്ത് മഴയത്തും കളിക്കാം. അങ്ങിനെ ഞങ്ങൾ പന്തുകളുടെ പുതിയ തലമുറയെ പരിചയപെട്ടു.

എപ്പോച്ചേട്ടൻ ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് ദൈവാവതാരം ആയിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ ആ പറമ്പിന്റെ ബാക്കി ഭാഗത്തു താമസിച്ചിരുന്നവർക്കു പന്തുകളി ചതുർത്ഥിയും കളിക്കുന്ന ഞങ്ങൾ സാത്താന്റെ അവതാരങ്ങളും ആയിരുന്നു. അവരുടെ വീടിന്റെ ഭാഗത്തേക്ക് പന്ത് അബദ്ധത്തിൽ പോലും പോകാതെ നോക്കുക എന്നതായിരുന്നു ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് ഗോളടിക്കുന്നതിനേക്കാൾ വലിയ പ്രശ്നം. ചില വീടുകളിൽ പന്ത് പോയാൽ അവർ അതെടുത്തു അകത്തു വയ്ക്കും, ചോദിയ്ക്കാൻ ചെല്ലുന്ന കുട്ടികളെ വഴക്കു പറയും, കഴിയുമെങ്കിൽ ആ ദിവസം പന്ത് താരത്തെ നോക്കും.

തോറ്റപറമ്പു ഇന്നില്ല, ഒരിക്കലും താമസയോഗ്യം ആവില്ല എന്ന് ഞങ്ങൾ കരുതിയ ആ സ്ഥലം ഇന്ന് ഒരു കോളനി ആയി മാറി. അടുത്ത തലമുറയോട് ഇവിടെ ഞങ്ങൾ ഫുട്ബോൾ കളിച്ചിരുന്നു എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞാൽ ആരും വിശ്വസിക്കില്ല. ഞങ്ങൾക്കൊപ്പം കളിക്കാരനായ തെങ്ങുകൾ വീടുകൾക്കായി വഴിമാറി. ഒരിക്കൽ തായാട്ട് ശങ്കരൻ ഫുട്ബോൾ ടുർണമെന്റ് നടന്ന മൈതാനമായിരുന്നു. അതിൽ പങ്കെടുക്കുവാൻ സമീപ സ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് നല്ല ടീമുകൾ എത്തിയിരുന്നു. ഒരേ വർണ്ണത്തിലുള്ള ജേഴ്‌സി ഇട്ട ടീമുകളുടെ മത്സരങ്ങൾ ഞങ്ങൾ കുട്ടികൾ വളരെ അടുത്തുനിന്നു നോക്കി കണ്ടു. ടുർണമെന്റിനായി സംഘാടകർ ഒരുക്കിയ പന്തും പുതിയ തലമുറയിൽ പെട്ട സിന്തറ്റിക് ബോൾ ആയിരുന്നു. അങ്ങിനെ ക്രമേണ തുകൽ ഫുടബോൾ കാലയവനികക്കുള്ളിൽ മറഞ്ഞു.

മുത്തശ്ശൻ പറഞ്ഞ ടി ഷെയ്പ്പിൽ വെട്ടിയ തുകൽ കഷണങ്ങൾ തുന്നിച്ചേർത്തു കഴുത്തു നീണ്ട ബ്ലാഡർ കാറ്റ് നിറച്ചു കഴുത്തുഭാഗം കെട്ടി സുരക്ഷിതമാക്കി പന്തിലെ വാഭാഗത്തുള്ള സുഷിരത്തിലൂടെ പന്തിനുള്ളിൽ ആക്കി കളിക്കുന്ന രീതിയിൽ നിന്ന്, ആറു കോണും, അഞ്ചുകോണും ഉള്ള കഷണങ്ങൾ തുന്നിച്ചേർത്തു നിർമിച്ച ബോളിൽ എത്തി ഞങ്ങളുടെ തലമുറ. അവർക്കായി കഴുത്തു നീണ്ട ബ്ലാഡർ വഴിമാറി. പകരം, കാറ്റടിച്ചാൽ അത് പുറത്തു പോകാത്ത തരത്തിലുള്ള ബ്ലാഡർ തുകൽ പന്തിൽ തുന്നി ചേർത്ത പന്ത് എത്തി. ഞങ്ങൾ വളർന്നപ്പോൾ ഒപ്പം പന്തും വളർന്നു. എപ്പോച്ചേട്ടൻ ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് തന്ന ബ്ലാഡർ ഇല്ലാത്ത സിന്തറ്റിക് ബോൾ ഞങ്ങളെ പന്തുകളിയുടെ അന്തർദേശിയ തലത്തിലെ ഒരംശത്തിൽ എങ്കിലും എത്താൻ സഹായിച്ചു.

കാലം വളരെ വേഗത്തിൽ കടന്നു പോയി. എൺപതുകളുടെ മധ്യത്തിൽ എത്തിയ ടെലിവിഷൻ ഞങ്ങളെ ലോക ഫുടബോൾ എങ്ങിനെ എന്ന് നേരിൽ കാണിച്ചു. മെക്സിക്കോയിൽ നടന്ന ലോകകപ്പിൽ അർജന്റീനയുടെ മറഡോണ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്ന മാസ്മരികത കാണാൻ ടെലിവിഷൻ ഉള്ള വീടുകൾ തേടി കിലോ മീറ്റർ താണ്ടിയവർ ഞങ്ങളുടെ കൂട്ടത്തിൽ ഉണ്ട്. ഇറ്റലിയിൽ ലോകകപ്പ് എത്തിയപ്പോൾ ടെലിവിഷൻ മിക്കവരുടെയും വീട്ടിൽ കളർ സഹിതം എത്തിയിരുന്നു. പന്തുകളി എന്നാൽ പങ്കാളികളെ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തി ഒരുമിച്ചു മുന്നേറുന്ന കളിയാണെന്നു ഞങ്ങൾ തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞു. പാസിംഗ് എന്നാൽ പന്തുകളിയുടെ സിരകളാണെന്നും പലതരത്തിലുള്ള പാസുകളിലൂടെ ഒന്നിച്ചു മുന്നേറുമ്പോഴാണ്‌ കളി ആസ്വദിക്കാൻ കഴിയുക എന്ന സത്യം വൈകിയാണെങ്കിലും മനസ്സിലാക്കി.

വീണ്ടും കാലം നീങ്ങി, ലോകകപ്പ് അമേരിക്ക വഴി ഫ്രാൻ‌സിൽ എത്തി, സിനഡിൻ സിദാൻ ഫൈനലിൽ പ്രകടിപ്പിച്ച മാസ്മരികതയിൽ ഫ്രാൻസ് ജയിച്ച കപ്പ്. പിന്നെ ആദ്യമായി ഏഷ്യയിൽ എത്തി. പടിഞ്ഞാറൻ യൂറോപ്പിന്റെയും ലാറ്റിൻ അമേരിക്കയുടെയും കുത്തകയിൽ നിന്ന് മാറി, ജപ്പാനും ദക്ഷിണ കൊറിയയും സംയുകതമായി ആതിഥേയത്വം വഹിച്ച ലോകകപ്പ്. റൊണാൾഡോ - റൊണാൾഡീഞ്ഞോ ആധിപത്യം നേടിയ കപ്പ്. രണ്ടായിരത്തി ആറിൽ ലോകകപ്പ് വീണ്ടും പടിഞ്ഞാറൻ യൂറോപ്പിൽ എത്തിയ ഇറ്റലി നേടിയ ലോകകപ്പ്. പിന്നീട് കപ്പ് ആദ്യമായി ആഫ്രിക്കയിൽ എത്തി. ദക്ഷിണാഫ്രിക്കയിൽ എത്തിയ ലോകകപ്പ് ചരിത്രത്തിൽ ആദ്യമായി സ്പെയിൻ വിജയിയാവുന്നതു കണ്ടു. അറുപതു വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം ബ്രസീൽ ആതിഥേയത്വം വഹിച്ച ലോകകപ്പിൽ ജർമ്മനി വിജയിക്കുന്നത് കണ്ടു. ഇനി, റഷ്യയിൽ കാണാം. 

Italia 1990 in Memories

Cloudy days, waterlogged playing grounds, and the magical music background of pouring rain at night, a normal natural environment of an average Keralite during the World Cup season. In 1986, we were about to reach the Television age. Very few households had the magic box, though in black and white format. By 1990, we all joined with the colour generation, and no need to depend on one place, sometimes far off, to watch matches, we had enough options to watch. Monsoon is a privilege of Kerala but not supportive of sports events. Whether you are a believer or not, you have to pray for an uninterrupted power supply during rainy nights. If it goes, we could expect it back only by the next day.

We all joined together in one house and depending on each match, we changed our viewing places. It is the responsibility of the house owner to offer black tea, black coffee or lemon tea to the viewers, along with some snacks. The World Cup was in Italy and none of us was exposed much to the European League at that time. Yes, we were aware of teams like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool etc., but not very familiar with the players like present day. We gathered information on players and their specialities from the newspapers, Sports Star, Sports World and regional publications that come up with special issues during the World Cup.

Maradona was a household name. The Dutch trio – Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard were familiar because of the 1988 Euro. The inaugural function of Italia was superb and still remains in our minds as colourful as those days. The tournament started with disappointments. The defending champion Argentina was bullied down by the African power of Cameroon.  In that match, we found our hero of the tournament in Roger Milla, the eternal dancer and excellent finisher. The performers of the 1986 World Cup were disappointers. Russia was really poor, Argentina though reached the final, did not deserve to be there, Belgium completely forgot their football of 1986, and Brazil was nowhere near a team of contenders. Some relief was there from unexpected sources such as Cameroon, Costa Rica, and Colombia, especially with the presence of golden-haired Valderrama and eccentric Higuita, some magical spells of emerging English youngster Paul Gascoigne, and the goal poaching abilities of Voeller and Klinsmann along with their mid-field general Lothar Matthaus. 

Italy had a wonderful team. They played like a well-oiled machine with effortless but well-knitted passing. The voices of commentators are still ringing in my ears with many Azzurri names ending with ‘ni’ sound –starting from Maldini to Agostini to De Napoli to Giannini to Dona Doni to one name in the forward line not ending with ‘ni’. Interestingly, their fluent passing football struggled to produce goals, especially when they're forward, Gian Luca Viali, ended up as a misfiring cannon. It forced the team to find alternatives in Salvatore Schillachi and later Roberto Baggio.

Italy’s flowing football was well supported by their traditional defence which was advanced with modern tactics. It was because of their rich options in the defence, they were enabled to go for attacking football. In defence, they had young Paulo Maldini, matured Franco Baresi, experienced Guiseppe Bergomi and adventurous Ricardo Ferri. It worked very well until they met the real threat in the Semi-Finals.

If Italy was known for its passing game, the Republic of Ireland was more versatile in its defence lineup. Still remember the display of Paul McGrath, the giant player who literally followed the instructions of Jack Charlton, the manager.

Cameroon made their debut by defeating the holding champions, Argentina. Their rugged display was very new and effective against the experienced teams who followed a particular pattern with prescribed tactics. Cameroon lost its sheen when they badly lost to the USSR for a 4-0 scoreline in the last match at the group level but moved to the second round as the winners of the group. They defeated Colombia in the second round and reached the quarterfinals to play against England. In the knockout rounds, they produced classy football with a high verve of speed and skills in attack and forced the world to accept the emergence of football from Africa. But, Cameroon of 1990 will be known for a different reason rather than their performance.

In football, everyone starts to consider the striker who passes the age of 30 as an old player and waits to listen to his retirement by the age of 34 to 36. In the World Cup team, the Cameroon team included a 38-year-old striker, much above the expected age limit. He played against Romania and scored 2 goals to rewrite the imagination of the world on age limits. But, Albert Roger Mooh Miller aka Roger Milla will be remembered for a different reason than his goal-scoring abilities. He will ever be remembered for his ‘post-goal celebrations’ in the corner point of the pitch. Then he will be remembered for punishing the adventures of the maverick goalkeeper of Colombia, Rene Higuita. Milla played a vital role in the quarterfinals by setting up goals for his team but did not score. He re-written his record by appearing in the 1994 World Cup in the United States and scored one goal at the age of 42.

The holding champion, Argentina, was just a mere shadow of its 1986 team but they had the god of football still with them. The inaugural match was not showing the right omen for them which they lost to Cameroon and lost their first-choice goalkeeper due to injury. In fact, the change of goalkeeper becomes a boon in disguise, Sergio Goycochea becomes the saviour of the struggling Argentinian team. His body saved more shots than his planned attempts to save, and Argentina surpassed the below-par Brazil in the second round, and killed (erstwhile) Yugoslavia, before they disintegrated, in the penalty shootout in the quarter-final. By that time, the god of football, Diago Maradona started pulling the strings in the midfield to push his team to a further level.

When Italy played against Argentina in the semi-final, the expectation of the host nation reached its zenith. They played a dominating football against Uruguay in the second round and the Republic of Ireland in the quarterfinals and defeated them with ease. On the other hand, Argentina struggled in all phases to reach the semi-finals. Until reaching semi, Diago Maradona was more than a god to Italians. Not because of his magical performance in the 1986 World Cup, it was because of his familiarity with the Italians, especially with the natives of Naples. He was a legend of Napoli, the underrated club of Sere A, which was lifted up to the top performers, by Maradona. He made them contenders and champions and transformed the football of Naples to a remarkable level. So, Italians knew that the presence of Maradona would make a difference in the contest and he was capable of producing some magic when it was required. Their apprehensions become true when he made a pinpointed pass to the striker Claudio Caniggia to head it over the goalkeeper Walter Zenga.

The goal was not enough to win the match but was more than enough to destroy many things in one go. Caniggia’s goal was the first one to reach into the net of Italy. It is the first goal and the only goal conceded by Walter Zenga in the entire tournament. He remained unbeatable in front of the post for more than 500 minutes and all were shattered by that one strike. It was just an equaliser but was enough to kill the self-belief of Azzurri. The goal also ended the fruitful relationship between Italians and Maradona. Overnight he came down from the status of Messiah to Judas and the media started witch-hunting on him. Italy could not turn the match around in the extra time and the game provided another opportunity for the Saviour of Argentina ‘Sergio Goycochea’ to become the hero of the World Cup by stopping Roberto Donadoni’s tie-breaker kick. Still, we remember the tears of Donadoni in the field.

In the second semi-final, England played against West Germany. England was a reasonably good, balanced team. They had Peter Shilton, the senior most player in this world cup, in the goal, Stuart Pearce, Neil Webb, Terry Butcher in the defence, Bryan Robson, Chris Waddle, John Barns in the midfield, Gary Lineker in the forward line and young dynamic Paul Gascoigne everywhere. Under the direction of manager Bobby Robson, they came out as the group winners from one of the most boring groups which included the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Egypt. Among all the four teams, only England managed one win to become the group winner.

In the second round, they defeated Belgium and continued the voyage by defeating Cameroon in a very hard game which extended to extra time. This brought them to a semi-final against Germany, a match which we remember for its toughness and defensive display. England succeeded in keeping the attacking duo, Voeller and Klinsmann, at bay. The speciality of the match was the dominant display produced by young Paul Gascoigne. He was everywhere in the field, marked the German attackers, produced pinpointed cross and intervened whenever the defence required support. The game ended in deadlock at the normal time with one goal each by Andreas Brehme and Gary Lineker respectively. Extra time failed to produce any goal and the game eventually moved towards a tie-breaker. This was supposed to be the greatest performance from the England team since the 1966 World Cup finals.

Germany won the cup by defeating Maradona’s Argentina with a solitary goal scored by Andreas Brehme. Germany was mechanical in their approach. They had the right players in the right places and had a fantastic tactician and manager in Franz Beckenbauer. He had Lother Matthaeus in the midfield, Andreas Brehme in centre defence and Klinsmann in the attack who all play together in Inter Milan. Rudi Voeller who was playing for another Italian club (AS Roma) added more firepower in the front. Apart from winning the cup, there is nothing much to keep in memory from the performance of Germany. They played with real sense and managed all games with confidence and desire. Only one incident will remain in the memory of the public which is not a pleasant one and will remain as a scar on the entire tournament. This happened in the pre-quarter match between Germany and Netherlands. The rivalry was there between the main players who were carried from their Italian league as well as spurred up by the defeat of West Germany in the semi-finals of  Euro 1988. During the match, German striker Rudi Voeller and Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard locked horns and ended up in racial abuse and saw red cards.

1990 World Cup become more significant after the tournament. Nobody expected that it would be the last World Cup in the Cold War period. Before the World Cup, there were strong signals on the changes about to happen in the geopolitical scenario. After the World Cup, just after a few months, the integration of Germany happened. The Berlin Wall collapsed and East and West Germany joined. The tragic exit of the USSR in the group stages of the tournament was an unknown signal for the demise of the Soviet Empire. At the end of Glasnost and Perestroika, the Soviet system was dissolved and the Soviets became independent republics. Before the next World Cup, the Eastern European region, which was under the influence of the Soviet Empire, started changing its appearance. The 1990 World Cup was the last one for Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia who appeared again in the 1998 World Cup in France as different nationalities. Russia made a weak entry in the 1994 World Cup but returned after the group stage. While watching the football World Cup, ideological leanings, especially in the region we belong, were visible.

  

The Special One and the Specialist in Failure Struggles for Survival

08 December 2015

UEFA Champions League (CL) is the jackpot in the European Football. Though the Europe is going through different crisis such as issues of migrants and terrorism, the game football remains untouched. Paris attack was very next to the venue of one of the most important team of France, the Paris Saint. Germain. Still, the sheen of the game is not lost and the entire world is waiting for the final 16. In the league round of CL, English teams are struggling to reach the knockout round.

Football is a colonial game and still carrying the hangover of it in several occasions. It will be interesting to watch from the colonial history point of view. Predominant English teams, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal were facing the forces from other colonial powers such as Portugal, Spain, Dutch and Germans and one among them faces challenge from an ancient imperial power Greece. The winner will lift the Holy Grail at San Siro, Milan.

The clubs from colonial industrial power house Manchester will face challenges from German industrial hub Wolfsburg and Dutch electrical city Eindhoven on one side and from German Gladbach and Spanish Andalusian capital. Today and tomorrow nights will clear 16 teams for this year’s Champions League knockout rounds. Both Manchester teams are playing today and to London teams are trying their fortunes tomorrow. The clubs from London, the imperial capital of yesterday will be facing the task from Portuguese power house Porto and Greek champions Olympiakos FC.

ManU is struggling in EPL for goals but has enough experience and quality in the team and will manage it. They have to travel to Wolfsburg and defeat the club from the automobile City of Germany. If it ends in draw they have to depend on CSKA Moscow's victory. Manager Luis van Gal is not a new person to the CL. He won it with kids of Ajax in 1995 and did pretty well with football giants like Bayern Munich and Barcelona and managed ManU to reach in the Champions League in the post Ferguson period.  

ManCity need to win the match against Borussia ....(Something could not pronounce properly), but they have home advantage. Because of the Saturday result, City will definitely get their best team to face the Germans and prepare the best game plan. They are struggling with injury crisis and the best attacking player Sergio Aguero and Captain and key defender Vincent Kompany are yet to be back. They have enough depth in the team with experience and talent, so better to hope that they will manage it.

Now the question of two London teams, one managed by Best Manager in the World and the other by “Specialist in Failure” (S-i-F), comes into picture. One is the holding champion and other one lost its memory on success long ago but always manages the fourth place to reach in the Champions League. Chelsea has a manager who won Champions League twice with different clubs with limited budgets and forgot to repeat it with clubs with lavish spending capacity. Jose Mourinho is facing his former club Porto at home and needs nothing less than 3 points. Porto also needs the same result to move into next round. Home advantage and his Champions League winning experience will definitely help Chelsea to move further. Though the Blues are not doing well in Premier League due to some unknown reasons, but their team depth and experience matters a lot.

Specialist in Failure this time draws the funniest picture of failure. When they had the best available team, they forgot to defeat their opponents and now they are depleted in strength and numbers. Specialist in Failure was successful in taking his unsuccessful team to the Champions League every year and most occasions they managed to get into the knock out round and made enough money. They have experience to squeeze in to the next 16 and proved it several times but this time it is too difficult. They are in the third position in the group and needs a win with minimum 3 goal difference from the away match. It is quiet impossible, especially when they are playing without their key players.

Crucial factor is the loss of major income avenue. Champions League is the financial foundation of many major clubs. Arsenal is the biggest beneficiary of this system by reaching regularly in the last 16. If they won’t make it this time, Arsene Wenger will have a tough time from the management. They accommodate him because his managerial skills brings money, though they fail to win titles.

Week of the Manchester Un-united

A weekend with proper results shows that the ill effects of internationals are over and clubs are stretching their resources to gain maximum points. After five weeks, the EPL point table talks a lot about the way it is scaling up. The worst losers of the first week positioned in the top of the table and the present champion is struggling to cope up with the pressure. The week produced maximum number of goals in a week in this season -29 goals. Five week is not enough to judge the season and predict how the point table will look at mid May 2014.

Surprising result of the week was Southampton’s away victory over Liverpool, and it was unexpected too. The ‘Reds” were enjoying a high-flying start until the game that includes defeating Manchester United at home. All these success stories were without their main striker Luis Suarez who is serving his ten match ban. Southampton had different plan and they properly curtailed the flowing attack of Liverpool and made their winning goal just after the half-time break, through defender D. Lovren.

Fascinating results were the fight backs of Everton and Hull City in their away matches against West Ham United and New Castle United respectively. Both teams won with a margin of 2-3. Steve Bruce played for Manchester United and managed Wigan, Birmingham, Sunderland etc., lead Hull, the newly joined EPL team to new heights. When David Moyes left Everton to Manchester United, the pundits had written off Everton even from the first half list in the result table. Shrewd management of resources is the key element of the success of Everton. Roberto Martinez learned and tried it at Wigan and made it marvellous.

Disastrous result was the defeat of Sunderland (3-0) margin by West Bromwich Albion. The result angered the visiting fans they turned against the Sunderland manager Paulo Di Canio. His throat cutting gesture towards the supporters made the situation worse and it ended up in sacking of the manager eventually. He becomes the first manager to resign in this season.

Challenging return towards victory was the performance of Aston Villa. They defeated Norwich at Carrow Road with a solitary goal. It was not the attack of Villa created the result and it was the contribution of their defence. The defenders and midfield hung on the thing margin made by their striker L. Kozak. After defeating Arsenal in the beginning day, Villa forgot their way to victory. The result against Norwich will be enough to regain their confidence.

Saddest on one hand and brightest on the other, was the outcome of the Manchester Derby. Those who supports the champions, it was a sad result and for those who supports Manchester City it was a very bright result. City routed the United for 4-1 and produced a successful attacking football against the champions. Credit should go to Manchester cities game plan, coherence in their attack and team work, and lethal finishing. Though out the game, Manchester United was shadow of its self. They failed to do justice to their talent, depth and the name they are carrying with. Instead of giving a proper fight, they meekly surrendered from the beginning onwards. Only positive point in the match was the performance of Rooney. He tried to inspire his team and fight back at least in the last quarter. I don’t want to take credit from Manchester City for their best performance so far. When they are in flow, it is difficult to stop them and they proved it.

Everyone will blame Moyes for the defeat but it is wrong. Manchester United is in a transition stage. They have to change the structure of the team into the new manager’s mould. It will take little bit time. Sir Alex faced this in his beginning years but he successfully developed a team in his way and succeeded in all competitions for many years. Moyes has that element in him but require little more time.

NB: After five matches, most successful team is not Manchester City or Chelsea or Arsenal or Tottenham or Liverpool. It is Everton. They faced big teams but not defeated by anyone.

EPL Week IV: International Qualifiers took out the Steam

Internationals, whether it is qualifying rounds for World Cup or Euro or even the friendly match between two nations are enough to disrupt the rhythm of league matches. International is a big commitment and a big gamble for clubs and most of them are reluctant to send their best players for such matches. Most of the front-line clubs suffers setbacks due to the international matches and it will reflect in the forthcoming league matches. Internationals are demanding and every player wants to show up their best for the country they represent. The performance in the internationals will be the passage for them towards their participation in the World Cup.

For clubs, internationals are nightmares. In most occasions the best players who represent the national team will return with injuries or will be burn out due to exertion. The club has to bare the expense of any injury occurs to their player and in most cases, the absence of the key player matters a lot in their league results. The league match followed by internationals will generally be sluggish and the best teams will struggle to cope up.

On the other hand, the mid-level teams in the league table will wait for such breaks. They won’t lose many players like the top clubs and will get additional days during the break for rest and preparation for the next match. Sam Allardyce, the manager of West Ham, publically accepted it long back when he was managing Bolton that they use to wait for the international break to face the top clubs because the internationals will break the coherence and passing rhythm of those teams and in most occasions they won’t be fit enough cope up with the team who enjoyed the break with rest and training.

The results of top four clubs on the last week prove that the internationals will certainly damage their playing rhythm. Manchester United who played against Crystal Palace really struggled to churn out a 2-0 victory and the first goal was controversial due to ‘dive’ allegations. Manchester City faced Stoke City, one of the toughest team in the EPL, and compromised with a goal less draw. Performances of the renowned internationals were below par and the normal cohesion of the Manchester City was nowhere near.

The major sufferer of the international week was Chelsea who enjoys a star studded team of internationally acclaimed players. They played against Everton who enjoyed the international break for preparing strategy to face Chelsea. Everton was prepared and played very well against the London club and clinched a 1-0 victory. Chelsea was struggling to cope up with the physicality of Everton and lost their passing rhythm completely against the quick counter attack tactics of the Toffees.

The fourth placed team of the last season, Arsenal played against struggling Sunderland managed 3-1 victory. The joy of the result was marred with the allegation on the disallowed goal when match was 2-1 up for Arsenal.

Interesting feature of the fourth week was on the point table. One match between Swansea and Liverpool was featured on Monday and until that time Arsenal, the struggler of the first week, was positioned in the top. The 2-2 draw with Swansea took Liverpool to the top on Monday and Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs followed them. The week saw five draws some shared with goals and some without.

Total number of goals reached 20 this week, comparatively better proportion than second and third weeks. Thanks to Jonjo Shelvey who scored one for his team Swansea and allowed the opponents, his former club Liverpool, to score twice and then helped his team mate Michu to equalise the match at 2-2. 

World Cup 2014: The Final Picture is Appearing

It was like a long gap, and there was no league matches in the week between September 2^nd and 13^th.  But we had internationals for qualifying into the finals of the World Cup in 2014. During these twelve days, most of the football loving nations were struggling hard to book their place in Brazil. Some of them succeeded and few were reached closer but many of them still far yet in reachable position.

A world cup fixture can accommodate only 32 teams and almost all countries around the world will try to get into the magic thirty two. FIFA, the international governing body of the game football (soccer) restricted entry of countries on the basis of region they represent. According to FIFA, Europe (UEFA), the smallest land mass, is still the home land of football and will have maximum number of (13) berths. South America (CONMEBOL) will have 4 direct berths and another one in playoff against Asia. The CONCACAF, the region includes Central America and North America will have three direct berths and one playoff against Oceania football. The biggest region, Asia (AFC) has 4 berths direct and one playoff against South America and Africa will have direct five berths.

It will take little more time to get the final picture but the matches during this international break provide some clarity about who will reach in the 32. European powerhouses Italy and Germany along with Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland qualified for the finals. England, France, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Bosnia, Croatia, Portugal and Sweden are struggling to find their space in the 32 and present Champion has two matches in hand and staying in the first place in their group which shares with France. By the middle of next month, the picture of Europe will be clear.

Brazil, as the host nation is already qualified and the picture of remaining 4 +1 berths are clearing up. Argentina found their feet in the finals with 8 wins, 5 draws, one defeat and 29 points from 14 matches. Behind Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador are lined up and Uruguay is struggling for the fifth place through play off. CONCACAF, the region which includes North and Central America has identified their first three berths in USA, Costa Rica and Honduras. Mexico, the Olympic champions are in the fifth position and have equal points with fourth placed Panama. They will fight for the playoff place and will meet on 11^th October at Azteca stadium in Mexico. If they won’t win the match, it will be the biggest disappointment of the 2014 World Cup because Mexico represented almost all World Cups so far.

Africa had their group stage and the second round produced 10 group winners. Now the group winners will be placed in two groups and will have five playoff games in October and November. As per the draw on 16^th September, Ivory Coast will face Senegal, Tunisia is paired with Cameroon, Egypt will meet Ghana, Algeria faces Burkina Faso and Ethiopia has found their opponent in Nigeria.

After viewing all these results and draws, the biggest possible disappointment will be the absence of Mexico. Most interesting result so far is the qualification of Belgium. They played 8 matches and won 7, one draw and no loss. They defeated Croatia, Serbia, Scotland, Macedonia and Wales in the group stage. Belgium had a golden generation in 1980s and performed very well in 1986 world cup and gave a strong fight to the champion Argentina in the Semi finals. In 1990s they managed to reach in the group stage but in 2006 and 2010 they failed to qualify for the finals. Now, they are coming up with a new generation young players.

I am counting Belgium for next world cup, not for this one. This time, they will definitely give a fight for all their opponents and will gain experience. The new generation will be matured for 2018 World Cup in Russia. Their current squad is playing for the best teams in Europe at present. They have best two goal keepers in Simon Mignolet and Thibaut Courtois, in defence they have Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermalen, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, in mid-field they plays some of the best talents such as Eden Hazard, Marouane Fellaini, Mousa Dembele, Kevin de Bruyne, and in the attack they holds Christine Bentike, Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lakuku. They have talent, depth and needs experience.