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MY FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR IS ECUADORIAN 21-2-07
Peter Holmes
At times our sport, the ancient art of Association Football, appears to lurch from one crisis to another, but when it has transcended beyond a mere game and effectively become a cornerstone of modern civilisation it is, I suppose, to be expected.
With its colourful rich tapestry of battles of attrition steeped in history, a glorious past, present and future beyond any other single sport, The only truly "World game" is now so interwoven into the daily machinations of modern society and contemporary life it has become an industry sector, a quotable quantity on various stock markets around the globe and the saleable stock is those very clubs initiated into life by working class stalwarts in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
To say the game has changed is a classically clichéd understatement of Churchillian proportion.
Has it changed for the better?
Your answer to that question would be dependant on your age or standpoint in society, but the game still belongs to us, the people, the folk of football. For now.
Enmeshed in politics and shady deals, plots and sub-plots abound over business dealings and attempts at power-broking but the common denominator, as with most things in life, is money and the sport is awash with it. The capitalists and venture vultures are circling the game with ever lucrative take-over deals and you can wonder where it will all end - when the all powerful own so much of the game that they decide to take their ball and play in a different stratosphere.
Like you I love our game. Love it so much it takes up a lot of my thought process during every waking day. As a true fanatic, it has been an integral part of my life for longer than any other facet of my existence, apart from my family. It's intrinsically important to my daily functioning and thus my daily well-being because when Boro win my mood and demeanour lift and I operate on an elevated plane.
I'm a football junkie and could not go cold turkey and give it up if I tried. And I don't want to try because pure and simple it enriches my life and my relationships, some of which started because of a camaraderie, a passion, a need for football. It probably brings a few health benefits to me too and maybe a few not so healthy aspects, like stress and depression when we lose.
The game has an indelible link to communities and clans the world over. Football has a massively beneficial effect on the identity of a community, the perceptions of that clan by outsiders and in a sense that it gives a shared medium which forges relationships and bonds that lead to lasting friendships and on the odd occasion marriage.
A well run local club will always put back more into the community than it takes and can be rightly proud of pin-holing itself with a bit of spin as a "Family club". Unsung heroes among the management and staff of various clubs tirelessly work to liaise and help lesser lights and local charity organisations. The players give up their time, effort, and quite a few a fair bit of their hard earned in acts of unselfish charitable philanthropy. Occasionally some do acts of such benevolence that deserve to be recognised.
A good example was documented in a BBC World report I viewed recently which highlighted the plight of some of the less fortunate poor folk of Ecuador. The focus of that doco was the outstanding work being carried out by a charity set up and wholly funded by Ulysses De La Cruz, Reading's Ecuadorian player, who comes from an extremely poor area of his native land, Chota valley.
Set high in the rarefied atmosphere and seclusion of the unforgiving Andes - Chota Valley is asset poor and decidedly unworkable as arable land - the area was settled by impoverished Afro-Ecuadorians. Proud peaceful people who descended from African slaves, the clan's consequently mired in a cycle of disease and self-perpetuating poverty. Not helped by their government, they are marginalised and living a subsistence day to day lifestyle, their outlook is grim but perversely these people have a ready smile and an open friendliness.
As is the usual case with areas of extreme poverty they have produced five present day international footballers for their nation. One of these stars, the admirable De La Cruz, sends money back religiously to his people every week to pay for clean water, a medical centre and his latest act of philanthropy, a structured school education with meals provided for the children of the valley.
He is determined to see his people rise and become educated and healthy. To be given a chance at a life free from extreme poverty, a life which gives them hope and a future.
It's quite amazing how many of the games great world-class stars have risen from the depths of extreme poverty and the spirit required to rise from the streets, from the favelas and the African dirt must be immense.
The fact that De La Cruz hasn't forgotten his people or his culture speaks volumes for the man and his single handed crusade attempting to shame the Ecuadorian Government into also helping his folk to transcend from the depths of poverty is admirable.
How nice it would be to see those rich playboys and business behemoths who find the money and power side of the game so appealing to take a leaf out of Ulysses De La Cruz's book. To turn their bullish tendencies to true philanthropy with a quantum leap in attention to the world's poor and develop a social conscience for reality and real people for once.
How nice it would be for football in general to be associated with helping alleviate hunger and world poverty instead of helping to propagate the superannuation funds of the ultra rich.
Dreaming I know, but one thing is for sure - some people never forget their roots and my 'Footballer of the Year' Ulysses de La Cruz, is one of those people.
Enough said,
ErimusRed
BACK TO PETER HOLMES' LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA INDEX
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