Saturday, June 14, 2008

Father of football

Maldivians, for a change, are dancing to dictator Gayoom's tune.  As the sun set today, the entire country, if "Golha TV" is to be belived, was wearing red in support of its national football team in the SAFF final in Colombo tonight.

It should be noted that never in Gayoom's three decades has the Maldives football team clinched a championship, despite disproportionate spending by his government in a region dominated by cricket.

Maldivian football players showed their gratitude at the start of the championship by presenting Gayoom with a red football shirt emblazoned "Maumoon Number 1". This extraordinary endorsement of the dictator is, by default, an endorsement of his government's appalling human rights record and disregard to justice. 

There are those who argue that sport is above politics. But this argument doesn't really apply to a country in which the government controls everything to do with sports, from who gets invited to sit on the stage in the national stadium to the hairlength of footballers.

When a TV Maldives announcer a few years ago expressed support for Gayoom, in a public broadcast, the public was quick to label her "Golha Waleed". 

But when national football players endorsed the dictator, nobody called them "Golha Team".

Maldivians, by supporting the national football team, are turning their backs on the cold-blooded murder of Hassan Eevan Naseem and other inmates in Maafushi jail in 2003 by the dictator's police.

As I write this post, Gayoom is likely to be wearing his football shirt and watching Maldives play mighty India, hoping for a chance to call himself the "father of football".

If he succeeds, most Maldivians will have no right to make fun of him.


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

football is definitely an over rated game. how many maldivians show their support to the chess players who win games abroad? nobody is ready to offer any prize money for these under funded talents. i cannot help but wonder if the swimmers in the maldives have a decent place to swim when there is so much area located for football. football is a very "golha" game since the maumoon family has a great interest in the game. maumoon deserves the title and the local footballers are not denying him.

Anonymous said...

I AGREE WITH THE FIRST COMMENT.PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE SICK-YOU JUST CANNOT BEAR TO SEE US STAND UNIFIED.YOU THRIVE ON SPREADING DISSENT.SHAME ON YOU!FOOTBALL HAS BEEN/IS/& WILL CONTINUE TO BE EMBEDDED IN OUR VERY HEARTBEATS.IT IS NOT A MATTER OF CHOICE-ITS SIMPLY INBORN.AND THERE IS NO OTHER EQUIVALENT!!!LUCKILY FOR OUR NATION THERE ARE SO FEW OF YOU AROUND.YOU ARE WELCOME TO YOUR PETTY MISERIES.WE ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE GOT BIGGER&BETTER THINGS TO DO-LIKE CELEBRATE THIS NATIONAL MOMENT OF GLORY IN STYLE.YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS....
-FROM A DAUGHTER OF THE MALDIVE ISLES-

Anonymous said...

should we not unite on issues of human rights rather? daughter of maldive isles has no clue of what sort of atrocities the maumoon regime has committed. i think your name should read daughter of golha maldives. golha boalha shaabaash! and none of those comments make any sound argument against the post. hahaha

Anonymous said...

the celebrations were worth recording dho? i saw a group on a pick screaming and waving their flags and spraying something at a feeble old man dragging his handcart for work. yes... IT IS NOT A MATTER OF CHOICE - ITS SIMPLY INBORN.

Anonymous said...

Oh please,cant you people sing a new song for once!Even at this time of unified joy,you wish to sow the seeds of dissent among us?Just what is it with people like you?FOOTBALL is NOT about politics.Patriotism is NOT about politics.Unlike it is for you apparently,politics does NOT dominate every aspect of ALL our lives!So what if Gayoom enjoys it?[Duh,isn't he Maldivian too!]Isn't he entitled to the right?Plus,despite what anyone might say&despite all his flaws,he has gone out of the way to support the almost-SACRED game in the Maldives throughout the years.Some of us even appreciate it.Plus,lets face it it-it is he who is still in a better position than you&I to help promote it's welfare too.If you expect people to stop watching football just because Gayoom does it,u are mistaken.Stop reading too much controversy theories-Not every move someone makes has a ulterior motive behind it.If you have an agenda of your own against the president,reschedule it&do it on your own time&on some other ocassion.Because this TIME&MOMENT belongs to ALL OF US.If you have a problem just simply sharing&being a part of it,fine,but stop whining&bitching(funny how so much better men are at the job!).Whether you like it or not,you simply cannot besmear our jubilation or stop the celebration!So deal with it or continue to be the miserable&miserly creature that you are!
-From a daughter of the Maldive Isles-

Anonymous said...

adhey thiyothee aa kukulhakah gaa biheh elhifaa aharun ge dharinge school bandhukoh mee dhen kihaa bodu balaaverikameh, varah foohivey.golaa ge berah enmen rai hedhun laigen einage berah nashaa the ajaibu veh jain,.
golage idhikolhu

Anonymous said...

"a daughter of the maldive isles" and "its not a matter of choice, its simply inborn"that kind of give it away!!! heheh

Anonymous said...

dear "daughter of the isles".
if i support the maldivian football team, IT IS MY CHOICE!not because i am programmed by golhaaboa or someone else!!!and there are more significant things to be proud of than 11 men running after a ball, such as our dolphin friendly method of fishing!!- a maldivian with the ability to think and make her own choice-

Anonymous said...

Football is inborn!! Patriotism has nothing to do with politics!! The SACRED GAME!! I had no idea Maldivians were that confused. what am i saying, should never doubt the idiocracy of the dhivehi masses.. Where were these idiots on 12th August just a few years ago. When it really mattered they sat at home watching Kasauti and Kum Kum waiting for the next football contest to distract them. If we are capable of coming together for something as mindless and meaningless as sports like football, surely we are capable of uniting for more worthwhile causes!!!?

Anonymous said...

precisely, there were hoardes of ladies, many of them buruga clad screaming the names of those players, but did we see anybody raise any concern about the gang rape of a 12 year old girl and the gazi proclaiming she was at fault? what about the girl being abused videoed and circulated? while its nice when someone wins a medal,this mass hysteria is bizzare

Anonymous said...

i saw some youngsters dancing on the streets, and obviously high on some substance. apparently the authorities were aware of this and just let it be.....that is what this society has become, we do not care about pain or hurt or the fact that this country is heading towards an economic crisis, shift focus on a weeklong party....

Anonymous said...

Well said.

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