Muamba: from sponging black immigrant to footballing hero
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Dave Stamp posted in ASIRT.
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So apparently there *is* such a thing as a good asylum seeker. Shame not everyone can be a Premiership footballer, I suppose. (And get well soon, Fabrice).
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representingthemambo said,
March 19, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Hi Jim
We got your email about doing something on Muamba, who beyond football is definitely an interesting, intelligent guy with a hinterland beyond the game.
The two of us who contribute the football articles were waiting to see if he was ok as we could have been writing his obituary instead, which wouldn’t have been fun.
It seems like he is slowly getting better which is fantastic news.
representingthemambo said,
March 19, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Done!
http://representingthemambo.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/fabrice-muamba/
Pinkie said,
March 19, 2012 at 11:01 pm
A fine piece, Representing, covers all the points, I think.
skidmarx said,
March 20, 2012 at 9:53 am
Good as far as it goes. More could be said about his time at Arsenal (which is where he would have been one of a number of players with the ‘next Vieira’ tag), how Arsenal (along with Man Utd.) have been just about the only club in the country not to have a derisory number of black supporters, how contradictory consciousness affects football fans, how much open racism there still is in European football (see Chris Samba), how in Greece fans on Sunday “easily found a new enemy in the local police”, how the involvement of politicians with ultra groups has led to violence from Argentina to Egypt…
and how a a far-right group is planning to march in Bolton on Saturday.
representingthemambo said,
March 20, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Skidmarx:
His time at Arsenal? He made two first team appearances in Carling Cup games. He played more often for England under 16s. A bit of big-club myopia there, maybe?
Arsenal certainly do have lots of black supporters. But so do other clubs. That is a wild generalization.
As for your other things, well most of them are interesting but hardly relevant to the post in the question.
Many thanks for your constructive criticisms though.
skidmarx said,
March 20, 2012 at 10:21 pm
His time at Arsenal?
Yes:
“Ever since Vieira left Arsenal in 2005, they have lacked a convincing, muscular presence in the heart of their midfield. Mathieu Flamini gave it a stab for a season before doing one to Italy, but dogged and tough as he was, he was nowhere near as commanding as Vieira. Abou Diaby and even Fabrice Muamba were touted as ‘the next Vieira’ but that could only be down to the physical similarities.”
Arsenal certainly do have lots of black supporters. But so do other clubs. That is a wild generalization.
Not that wild. I’ve seen figures before that no other club has more than 1% black support while Arsenal’s is about 6%. Here’s someone from the SP backing up the general point:
” Ian Wright became an icon to Black fans: he refused to take any racist nonsense from either players, managers or fans, and that is probably why Arsenal have the biggest percentage of Black supporters.”
Having many other black players under Wenger (I think there was a point where only the goalkeeper was white), plus the abuse he received for being foreign, plus the exciting football all helped, and there was a virtuous circle in which support grew across Africa and was reflected back here. Still doesn’t match the percentage of black people in London, IIRC, but noticeably better than other clubs.
most of them are interesting but hardly relevant to the post in the question.
I thought they were all relevant to racism and contemporary football, but at least you found them interesting. It was a fairly off-the-cuff list.
Jimmy said,
March 20, 2012 at 1:38 am
I hope the guy pulls through. But I did not know him. I wonder how many of those fans! would make such a fuss over a relative.
representingthemambo said,
March 20, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Fair point, and some people have joined the bandwagon, clearly.
But plenty have been genuinely moved and shocked by what happened and we shouldn’t idly dismiss that.
damon said,
March 20, 2012 at 2:57 pm
”I wonder how many of those fans! would make such a fuss over a relative.”
Fair point Jimmy.
I wondered how this might be covered. There was surely a race angle in there somewhere. With all these ”racist” football fans bending over backwards to say nice things about him.
It’s all a bit OTT though I think.
Even the ”Millwall Online” website was hoping for the player to pull through.
That’s the site Rod Liddle writes on – and was exposed as being ”old school” racist, violent and traditional … compared to the ”new improved” version of football fans we have more of today.
http://www.millwall.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=94431&start=1
But that was on saturday. They’ve since started another thread which has been suggesting that the Muamba story has echoes of Princess Diana about it.
Jimmy said,
March 21, 2012 at 1:03 am
A local petty drug dealer was shot dead next to my local train station a few years back. Did not know at the time it was a drug dealer. So for a month the flowers and fitba taps piled up on the railings outside the station. I appreciate this is a bit off subject but this crap has caught on AND THE MEDIA ARE INTO IT BIG STYLE.
Faster Pussycat Miaow! Miaow! Miaow! said,
March 21, 2012 at 7:36 am
@ jism glezga
I see the Scottish Govt designed a poster just for you:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/395000/images/_398998_racismposter300.jpg
Monsuer Jelly est Formidable said,
March 21, 2012 at 8:29 am
Jism Glezga. wott a weirdo and thICK repulsive cunt
Jimmy said,
March 21, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Pussycat. You seem obcessed with race.
Faster Pussycat Miaow Miaow Miaow! said,
March 22, 2012 at 1:30 am
@Jism Glezga
Race does not exist. It is a pseudoscientific concept invented to justify imperialism, theft, torture, murder, rape, exploitation and exclusion by dividing human beings into arbitrary categories.
Racism, on the other hand, is the use of the same pseudoscientific bullshit to justify imperialism, theft, torture, murder, rape, exploitation and exclusion. It is the ideological underpinning of genocide.
I have an obsessive hatred of racists.
Jimmy Glesga
on September 9th, 2011 at 20:27
“What has a Glesga drunk and a tank in Tiananmen Square got in common. Both could murder a Chinky.
In any case Jism Glezga, you have exceeded your allotted life expectancy – why don’t you do one? Won’t take you long to save up save up enough paracetamols and Bucky.
Jimmy said,
March 25, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Pussycat. You are a blawhard that likes to hear its own voice. And a skulkin coward that lacks humour and uses the internet to insult. Not that your shite bothers me you excuse for your fathers premature ejaculation.
Thank fuck I was never locked in a cell with you I think the lavvie chain would have done for me long before the bucky.
Jimmy said,
March 25, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Pussycat. You must have been acquainted with the WRP to get all that shit in your head. Get a life or take it. Either way would be helpful to all.
Faster Pussycat Miaow Miaow Miaow! said,
March 26, 2012 at 2:30 am
@Jism
Humour?
Ha ha ha ha – look at all the Chinkies getting squashed with a tank!
Hilarious.
Never locked in a cell with me? Spend a lot of time in women’s prison do you?
Jimmy said,
March 26, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Yes it is called marriage! You must keep all those old comments for future indulgence. Actually I thought the Chinkies and Glesga drunk joke was hilarious as did all the other racists at the meeting!