Houston
Saturday 9/18
8pm

featuring Focus Group
new video work by Make Believe
As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill.
Helen Keller

Curated by
Keegan McHargue
as part of
Man Burning
September 11–24
Saturday, September 11: Glasser
Friday, September 17: Houston
Friday, September 24: Yemenwed

W/———
141 Division Street
New York NY 10002

withnyc.org

Before the start of their 2006 World Cup semi-final, players for Brazil and France stood together and held a banner declaring “Say no to racism”. The gesture was part of a Fifa campaign — each of the 64 matches included a visible statement against the racist abuse directed especially at black players in Europe. From the round banner marked with this slogan which covered the centre circle until the start of the match, to pre-game statements read by team captains before kick-off, during Fifa’s 2006 World Cup, players, fans and tournament organisers declared that racism has no place in football.

Imagine a similar intervention today. South Africa has the highest incidence of rape in the world. The statistics are chilling: one in two women are raped; women are more likely to be raped than to learn to read; and they have little reason to trust the law to defend their right to their own bodies.

One grisly dimension of this crisis is that black lesbians are singled out for homophobic rape and violent assault with particular frequency. In April 2008, Eudy Simelane, a former midfielder for South Africa’s women’s national team, was raped, beaten, stabbed and left to die in a creek 200m from her home. A shocking number of South African female athletes have been assaulted — women who dare to play a “man’s game” become visible targets.

continue reading…

eighteen touches, one strike.

The 2,225 nautical mile race from Los Angeles to Hawaii started today for the division 1 and 2 boats. My money is on Alfa Romeo II breaking the mono-hull record of 6 days 16 hours 4 minutes 11 seconds.

Photograph by Michael Wells

Municipal de Fútbol is distributed by D.A.P.

New league, new kit: black/white shirt, black/white shorts, black/white socks.

adidas is the official equipment sponsor of Parkside FC and the Union Football League.

German Latin Disco Soccer: the way to go.

“One of his (Günther Netzer) most fabled moments on the pitch arrived in the final for the 1973 German Cup. After a season of public power struggles with his manager, he announced a move to Real Madrid a week before this final game against Koln. The manager had him start the match on the bench. I am not sure I understand the details, but I think the manager tried to sub him in during the first half, and Netzer refused to go on the field. And then, during the second half, he shed his jacket, and said “I will go on now” and scored the winning goal. You can see that goal here, starting at about 2 minutes.”
— Jennifer

Registration for Union Football League begins Monday, December 29th, 2008!
$1600 for a roster of up to 20. $40 for each additional player (Maximum of 26 per roster). This includes all games, referee fees, registration, ID cards and more! Games are on Sundays at 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 7pm — all played at 7th and Union. If your team is interested, please contact the league Director for details:

Studio Sport are Ronnie Fueglister and Martin Stoecklin. Besides having real swiss last names, they design mostly printed matter, accurate signage systems, bottom-of-the-line typefaces and from time to time even websites.

Thanks Manystuff

by Dan Rosenheck

BUENOS AIRES — “Soccer has a god. That god is Argentine, and his name is Diego Armando Maradona,” proclaims the Web site of the Church of Maradona, an online fan club of Argentina’s unrivaled athletic icon that claims some 20,000 members.

But this month, Diego Maradona, the country’s 48-year-old sporting titan, will try his hand at an all-too-earthly task: coaching Argentina’s men’s national soccer team, which has failed to reach the semifinals of the World Cup since “El Diego” himself starred for it in 1986 and 1990.

After retiring 11 years ago, Maradona has remained in the spotlight primarily as the country’s leading real-life soap opera star, waging a series of well-publicized battles with drugs, obesity, the news media and past lovers. Now, the hopes and dreams of 40 million soccer-mad Argentines will rest on the shoulders — much-slimmed after a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 — of a man who, in the words of the local newspaper columnist Horacio Pagani, will be “the least prepared manager in the history of international soccer.”

Given Argentina’s string of disappointing World Cup performances, the country certainly seems as if it could use a supernatural savior. The team was sent home by Romania in the round of 16 in 1994, by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in 1998, and by Germany in the quarterfinals in 2006. In 2002, Argentina failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

But handing Maradona the reins represents a profound, if not reckless, leap of faith. His managing résumé is thin and checkered. In 1994 and 1995, he piloted two Argentine club teams to just three wins in 23 games, and he was once forced to call the shots from the stands because a suspension for ephedrine use prevented him from sitting on the bench. Moreover, his personal track record hardly suggests he is fit to keep a 23-man team playing in lockstep. As recently as March 2007, rumors of his death circulated wildly while he was hospitalized for alcohol-related hepatitis.

The controversial selection became official Tuesday, when the executive committee of Argentina’s national soccer federation met. But that group serves as little more than a rubber stamp for the decisions of the organization’s president, Julio Grondona, and his pick of Maradona is considered a fait accompli.

Grondona, who also serves as a vice president of FIFA, the game’s international governing body, is widely thought to run the national sport as a personal fief. During his 29 years in office, he has been accused of using his influence over referees, the news media, and the distribution of revenues to guarantee obedience from the club presidents who elect him — and to advance his business interests. The courts have ordered some 50 searches of his offices during his presidency, but few formal proceedings have ever been filed against him, and he has never been found guilty of a crime.

The leading candidate for the coaching job, which became available after Alfio Basile resigned in October, was Carlos Bianchi. As the manager of Boca Juniors — Argentina’s most popular club, for whom Maradona played from 1981 to 1982 and from 1995 to 1997 — Bianchi won four domestic titles, three continental titles and two intercontinental titles. But his poor relationship with Grondona appears to have disqualified him for the post.

Sergio Batista, who coached Argentina’s under-23 team to the Olympic gold medal in Beijing, was also passed over.

Maradona has, predictably, brushed off concerns about his readiness, noting that he spent two decades on the national team.

“Soccer hasn’t changed,” he told reporters in Argentina. “I don’t think anything will surprise me.”

The choice of Maradona is sure to increase the international profile of the Argentine team, which will probably increase its revenues. Tickets for his first match in charge, on Nov. 19 against Scotland in Glasgow, have sold briskly.

Public opinion, while divided, seems to lean against the choice: an Internet poll conducted by Clarín, Argentina’s largest newspaper, found that 74 percent of nearly 50,000 voters were opposed. Purists were particularly appalled, arguing that Maradona’s indubitable star power was no substitute for the years on the bench accumulated by other candidates, and that his postretirement antics put the country’s image at risk.

“He was a great player, but nothing more,” said Oscar Pereira, a union employee in the stands at a local league game on Friday night.

“We need someone more serious. You see him running around with Hugo Chávez talking about Che Guevara.”

Moreover, accusations of cronyism against Grondona are flying more freely than ever. “Whatever money they make off Maradona, Grondona and his friends will keep it for themselves,” said Raúl Gámez, a former president of the club Vélez Sársfield and one of Grondona’s most outspoken critics.

But Maradona’s stature among Argentines still leaves many believing he deserves a shot — or at the very least, that his all-too-public campaign for the position forced Grondona’s hand.

“We’ve had a lot of experienced managers, and they haven’t always done well,” said Alejandro Fabbri, a broadcaster for the TyC Sports network. “If Maradona wanted the job, he should get it.

“He’s the greatest Argentine player ever. At least they won’t be able to say he never got the chance.”

To compensate for Maradona’s lack of training, Grondona has also appointed a team of veteran tacticians to support Maradona, led by Carlos Bilardo, who managed Maradona on Argentina’s 1986 World Cup championship team. With capable assistants, Maradona’s devotees say, he will be able to focus on providing the players with his special brand of leadership and inspiration.

“He’s the biggest name there is,” said Pereira’s son, Nahuel, who accompanied him to the game. “He’ll pass on some of his magic to them.”

While Argentines disagree over the merits of the decision, they share a concern for Maradona’s well-being in his new role — perhaps a concern greater than their worries about the direction of the team as a whole. Will Maradona the deity survive Maradona the manager?

“I told him he was too big for this job,” Pagani said. “Right now, everyone loves him. Once he starts making decisions for the team, he’ll be held to account. He’s risking his legend. But he said that he wanted to do it.”

Thanks Ryan

From the then-exotic Tango to the lethal Mouldmaster and the pigs bladders of yore, a review of six essential makes of ball.

Thanks Jennifer

All time favorite movie Hoop Dreams is available to watch free here.

I want to join just to hang out in their clubhouse.

As previously discussed and linked on fromaleftwing, the ACL Prevention Program (PEP) outlines an excellent program for prevention of ACL tears in women — who are 8 times more likely than men to have this type injury. This is a necessary read for anyone playing soccer, basketball or football — man or woman.

Parkside FC has been invited to participate in the adiCup 3 Fútbol Tournament, Saturday July 12th, Noon till 8pm at Crossroads. We’ll be presenting our new Summer 2008 kit and representing Westlake/Lafayette Park. Free admission, food, drinks, prizes and music. See you there!

adiCup 3
Fútbol Tournament
July 12th, 2008
Saturday, Noon till 8pm

Crossroads
Soccer Field
1715 Olympic Blvd
Santa Monica

Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2006)

Fever Pitch, article on ‘art about football’ by Jennifer Doyle, published in Issue 116 June — August 2008 of Frieze. Brilliant.

My friend Richard was given 4 Laker tickets and invited me to join him, Wilson and Eric to last nights game. This is how close we were sitting, it was surreal to see the players that near to us. The last time I went and saw them was 1991 at the Forum vs the Bucks. They still had Magic, Worthy, Cooper, Scott and I believe Kareem — one of the best teams to play in the NBA ever. Kobe played well — what was really exciting to watch was them starting to gel as a team. Felt sorry for the Knicks fans in attendance, their fandom looks so desperate — face it, you’re living in Los Angeles and you’re probably as “LA” as it can get. What is a trip is how everyone is trying to somehow exude “success”, regardless of if they really are or not — loving the VIPs in the rows ahead of us, almost all were Hollywood Actors/Producers or Real Estate Developers/Entrepreneurs.

Thanks again Richard, that was a blast!