Everyone, listen……Last week, Jonathan Tehau scored a goal for Tahiti.
It does not matter how many goals Tahiti conceded, it only matters that they appeared and scored.
As we enter the second week of the 2013 Confederations Cup, the civil unrest in Brazil has surpassed the events on the pitch. The people of Brazil are disgusted with the disparity between the classes, and have literally filled the streets and town squares to illustrate their justified frustration. The protests have been peaceful, and the protests have been violent. We have heard stories of the Police joining the protesters in their movement, and there is no denying the use of rubber bullets and tear gas by the Police in their mission to relocate and remove the protesters. Brazil is a powderkeg.
I recently learned about FIFA Exclusion Zones. These are 2-3km diameter areas around the stadia in which FIFA can essentially create a Police State where they decide who can enter and who cannot. Furthermore, the Exclusion is levied against unlicensed, local vendors that sell wares, as well as restaurants and cafes that try to display FIFA Logos that were not purchased from FIFA directly. These are just a couple of the rules and regulations that FIFA instills upon itʼs Hosts. Strangeness of Power.
Is this real? What is really going on? Does FIFA control Governments to benefit themselves and #TheUglyGame? It certainly seems so. There might be some truth to the notion that FIFA is the most powerful governing organization on Earth.
We could discuss the corruption of the World Cup Bidding Process and all of the FIFA resignations past, present, and forthcoming – but I digress. The People Of Brazil have Risen and we need to witness these events with great inspection and absorption. Could you imagine the American people disgusted enough to protest outside hundreds of different Sports Stadiums, in 45 States to vocalize their displeasure with the way things are being handled home or abroad? I cannot. It would be a revelation of American Humanity. Something far larger than this is happening in Brazil right now.
Futbol is Brazilʼs Game, and they define every aspect of what makes it The Beautiful Game. Please do not misunderstand me, there are many, many, many footballing Nations; but there are none like Brazil. Brazilian Football is what other Nations aspire to be. Brazil ARE #TheBeautifulGame. Futbol is one of the binding and unifying Cultural Identities of the People of Earth, and Brazil is what represents all of us.
So if the Worldʼs Greatest Footballing People, Culture, and Nation do not want the World Cup Tournament in their own country, we need to examine this sentiment deeply. The People in Brazil are outraged with a system that has been like a vampire for far too long. Their voices are being heard, by the World. I want to absorb more information and history. The following two articles explain, in brief, what is happening in Brazil right now.
BBC: http://goo.gl/eHYAe
The Nation: http://goo.gl/Exdth
This situation in Brazil will not simply disappear, and it will take long term solutions and compromise from every side involved to find resolution. The issue now, is that even if the World Cup 2014 relocates elsewhere : How can the money in Brazil be reallocated to the People and proper Infrastructure of Brazil?
Hasnʼt the majority of the money been spent on World Cup Projects? Thousands of families have already been bought out cheaply and relocated from their homes; or without proof of ownership, simply displaced from the Favelas and relocated nowhere. How can The People, The Families be reinserted into what was their former neighborhood, their former homes? What are the resolutions? There are no simple answers. Some actions cannot be undone. Some actions take generations to undo.
For me, it is difficult to preview the two Confederations Cup semi-finals, without first discussing how the peopleʼs game is being stolen from the Brazilians. We, the people of the World cannot let this happen. If football is stolen from the Brazilians, What is left?
The People and the Protests are not stopping, and will not stop – and will continue to roll in waves. Participating Confederation Cup players are confined to their hotels, and experience little freedom. In one case, six Spanish players say their hotel roomsʼ were robbed during the Tahiti Match.
If the protests simmer down on Monday and Tuesday, they will certainly rise up again on Wednesday and Thursday when the semi-finals happen in Belo Horizonte and Forteleza.
On Wednesday, Hostsʼ Brazil and South American counterpart Uruguay play in a very relevant football contest; a re-match of the 1950 World Cup Final, in which Uruguay won 2 – 1 at the Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro. This match will be something far greater than a Game. The match will represent the People of Brazil and Uruguay, plus the World of Sport, Humanity, Justice, and Injustice. This match will be called the Battle Of Belo.
For Ninety Minutes, the world will examine the sporting event that represents everything that is right with the world, and everything that is wrong. The Human Microcosm: The Beautiful Game.
Thursdayʼs Semi-Final features two Global Football Powerhouses : Spain and Italy. One Team; a recent addition to the status of Elite, and another Team that has been King of The Mountain many times. This is a fascinating encounter between the previous two World Cup winners. This match will not disappoint.
Two Nations. Two Champions. If anyone can defeat Spainʼs superior possession and attack, it is Italyʼs adhesive defense, and the wild card known as Mario Balotelli.
update : Mario Balotelli has been sent home from the Confederations Cup with injury. His tournament is complete.
This will make for huge changes to the Italian Front, and hopefully he will be replaced with Egyptian/Italian Stephan El Shaarawy. The twenty-year-old plays the game with serious speed, flair, and skill – and would provide some dramatic moments for the Semi-Final.
The Semi-Finals of the Confederations Cup 2013.
Four Teams, Four Matches remain. The Third Place and Final Matches are scheduled for Sunday, June 30, 2013. Sunday has the potential to be the most eventful day of the tournament. The World is Watching beyond the Stadium.
MUSIC
This week, for Inspirational Roots and Rebel Music, I look to the beloved Rockers Soundtrack. There are several songs of outcry on this compilation, all of which represent the uprising and rebellion of any movement of equity. Rockers is an intoxicatingly wonderful film, and always brings me forward into positive spirits. The music, the long camera takes, the authentic environments, and the fairy tale story are all Beautifully Crafted. The movie has strong themes of Justice and Teamwork – and that if one is Righteous, lives life with kindness, charity, love and compassion – Righteousness will Prevail. This resonates through everything, and this music will unify and inform people, while opening oneʼs third eye.
Junior Bylesʼ “Fade Away” lyrically exemplifies all the superlatives:
The rich are getting richer every day, And the little that the poor man got, It shall betaken away. Do you hear what I say? Yeah, hear what I say. The man who worships silver and gold, Shall surely, surely, surely lose his own soul, Then fade away. (Earl “Chinna” Smith)
The soundtrack is a tome of empowerment, truth, rebellion, and joy. All of which have deep relevance to Jamaica and the artists that perform them. Inner Circle, The Maytones, Junior Murvin, The Heptones, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Bunny Wailer, Junior Byles, Gregory Isaacs, Kiddus I, Burning Spear, Third World, and Justin Hines and The Dominoes all contribute anthems to this classic soundtrack.
Next installment, I will discuss my proposal for the World Cup 2014 to be relocated to Australia and New Zealand for an Oceania co-host.
Eight Stadia. Eight Groups of Four. No Travel. Simplify Everything.
I wish the greatest Safety, Resolution, and Justice to Brazil, Turkey, Syria, and the Earth.
Evil Vince
http://evilvince.com | @evilvincephoto
Thank You to Dean Lothian, and his love for The Beautiful Game and Reggae.
Love, Strength, Support, and Safety to my dear friends who live in Brazil : Karina and Demian.
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