"The Game, Not The Looks Please"
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 28 Mar 2011
The smashing victory of the Azkals ? the emerging darlings of Philippine sports ? made us all happy and proud that at long last we are carving some sort of a name in the most popular sport in the world and one which we have neglected for decades.
But even as our players, many of them Fil-Europeans return home to what is certainly going to be a rousing reception, perhaps it would be best for those of us who savor the victories and hype the performances to pull back a little and take a good, hard look at the realities.
What we need to do is to see where we are as a team in the competitive arenas of Asia first of all, and what needs to be done to fulfill the promise of being taken to the stadiums of the world where football is played with so much more finesse.
Let us revel in the achievement of qualifying for the next stage of the Asian Football Federation Challenge Cup competition but let us keep our feet planted firmly on the ground. While it is commendable to dream we must realize that dreams will only come true if we work harder than ever, stay disciplined and focused and draw on our inherent qualities of courage and commitment.
This is how pound-for-pound Manny Pacquiao broke away from the shackles of his childhood poverty to reach the pinnacle of unmatched success in what is clearly a brutally demanding sport. If our Azkals are to show they have the capacity to bite, they must initially bite the hardships and the burdens that must be overcome in aiming to be the best they can be.
This is where we may run into differences of opinion with some of our friends in sports and in television. We believe, very firmly, that while many of the Azkals are good looking and with attractive personalities, they must never be exploited to further any efforts at adding showbiz to their curriculum.
They are ? and must essentially remain footballers and athletes. Their primary if not overriding focus should be centered on improving their strength, stamina, skills and appreciation of each others qualities in building the teamwork so essential to success on the football field.
Football may have its individual stars and superstars in the mould of a Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Ronaldo et al but its ultimately teamwork that prevails. For sure we have discovered a star in Angel Guirado y Aldeguer and it is indeed a plus that the women in particular find him handsome. But we should concentrate first and foremost on the handsomeness of his game rather than on his looks. Same with Phil and James Younghusband.
Emelio ?Chieffy? Calindong is no Antonio Banderas for sure but he?s a shifty little footballer who must be given credit for his skills and his passion for the game as well as his ability to inspire.
While we appreciate the reality that in order to promote football the media have a right to use all that is available to them, we urge our friends especially in television to rein in the propensity to allow the showbiz dimension to smother the more important aspect of the game itself and how they play it and must play it if we are to make any real progress in Asia.
Remember that countries such as Japan, South and North Korea and the Middle East countries of Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others have turned football into an art form on the pitch and not in television studios.
In short, the players can and must be featured on TV just as other outstanding athletes have been both on shows and in television commercials. However, there must be a realization that the immediate responsibility of the players and those who manage their affairs is to the game itself and how to reach new heights, which is what we all fervently hope for.
The fans, especially the women, also have a responsibility to give coach Michael Weiss and the players a chance to practice unhampered and to stop the distractions of playing the dating game on the social networks and sparking intrigues. They don?t help in reaching our goals in football?it will only lead to conceding goals which means we?ll be losers.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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