International matchweek
A week in which a Netflix-esque storyline was spun around an assault on a female football player, Qatar is on the tapestry again and Conte bans foods at Spurs
It’s been another whirlwind of a week in football, as we headed into an international match break and the final qualifiers for the men’s World Cup next year. Both Sweden and Italy have been incredibly underwhelming with the likes of a 0-2 loss against Georgia and a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland respectively, whereas Scotland showed some serious intent with a 2-0 win against Denmark. Oh, how the tables have turned!
The reminder that this (heavily scrutinised) tournament is now only a year away has once again brought issues around the conditions in which this World Cup is being arranged, to the forefront. It’s not often that we get to hear from players themselves but this time it’s my fellow Swedish national, Magda Eriksson, who wrote a column on the importance of footballers speaking out on human rights issues from her perspective, being an openly gay female football player who would not even be able to go to the country (as homosexuality is illegal there). It is so refreshing to see an active, high-profile footballer use their platform to speak out about these blaringly obvious issues that are happening in football, whether it’s on a smaller scale or on the big stage like the 2022 World Cup. However, it could be argued that it’s easier for her to be outspoken about the issue, seeing as she’s not actually going to be playing in this tournament - she also mentions another recent article by Finland’s Tim Sparv, who’s one of the few male footballers I’ve come across anyways who actually speaks about the issues at hand.
This topic is a lot bigger and we need to keep talking about this - the (men’s) World Cup is the biggest footballing event in the world, engaging people from all , from the football fanatics to the super mega casual laid backs who would never bother to watch a match normally. We know that there’s something magic about these tournaments, something that draws you in and enchants you. But the cost (financial and human) cannot be allowed to fly under the radar, which is why we need to continue the conversations around this - inform everyone you know! Engage in discussing different solutions! Spread the word!
Another massive headline in football was the news of a female football player taken into custody last week. Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo was brought in for questioning following a violent assault on her PSG and France teammate Kheira Hamraoui. She was released the following day without any charges against her and is pleading her innocence. What I found alluring was the immediate jump to conclusion by media - as the news broke, it came with the motive that Diallo had allegedly hired two masked hitmen to attack Hamraoui with an ironbar, in order for Diallo to get her spot in the team back. It was served on a platter, made for the big screens - many people immediately started to draw comparisons to the case of Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan.
We still don’t know who was behind the attack, as the French police are looking into other leads. Although I was initially so shocked to learn about what was being reported and had the knee-jerk reaction of wanting to share my thoughts on it/discuss online, I actively tried not get swept away with the frenzy that so easily happens on social media, where motives and storylines are spun up with a flick of the wrist, cause these can be outright harmful, “good story” or not. Shireen Ahmed has a good take (as usual) on the event that is more critical than anything I’ve seen. Since you’re already heading over to her twitter I would encourage you to stop by the podcast that she has together with a few other brilliant people called Burn It All Down (it really is the feminist sports podcast that we all need).
On the topic of massive headlines … Antonio Conte has forbidden Tottenham players to eat ketchup and pizza in a bid to get the players more fit. Outrageous! Jokes aside, this will probably be good for a lot of our players, and hopefully it’s gone down okay in the dressing room.
This is your gentle reminder that all the women’s Champion’s League games are on DAZN’s youtube channel (with commentary in several different languages) to access for free. Seize the opportunity to tune in and enjoy, and I’ll catch yous next week.