Let this general give us a break! He is yet to realize that part of the beauty of the game is that there must be a victor and a vanquished. And that the vanquished have to accept defeat honourably. The players from San Marino, Luxumbourg or The Pharaoh Islands should thank God they are`nt from the Ivory Coast. So please Mr General chill, and give the brothers the respect they deserve. Regards, Omar. -----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: Madiba Saidy <[log in to unmask]> Til: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Dato: 4. februar 2000 20:54 Emne: Win, Otherwise, You Will Serve In The Military? >Heh! Heh! Heh!... Oh Geez! > > Friday, 4 February, 2000, 14:58 GMT > Ivorian players threatened with military service > >The "Elephants" were eliminated after three matches > > >Ivory Coast's military leader has denounced the national soccer team >for playing badly and threatened them with military service if they >play badly again. > >The Ivorian national team were held for three days in a military camp >after being eliminated in the first round of the African Cup of Nations, >before being taken to Abidjan on Thursday night for a dressing down >from General Robert Guei. > >"I asked that you be taken there so you could reflect a while. You >behaved unworthily. You should have avoided us such shame," General >Guei was quoted as saying by the Fraternite Matin newspaper. > >The players, many on lucrative contracts with European clubs, were >shown on state-controlled Ivorian television being forced to conduct >military marches and receive lectures on discipline during their >detention. > >"Next time you will stay there for military service. You will be sent >to the barracks until a sense of civic pride gets into your heads," >the general said.. > >General Guei, who came to power in a coup on Christmas Eve, said the >country's sacrifice in giving the Elephants, as the team is called, >thousands of dollars had been wasted. > > > Expatriate players > >The BBC correspondent in Abidjan says the bizarre case of an incarcerated >national football team reveals how seriously the sport is sometimes taken >in Africa. > >The Ivory Coast squad is made up mainly of players based in Europe who >return home to represent their country during international fixtures. > >These expatriate Ivorians, like many other African football stars who >have sought to earn a good living abroad, are treated at home with a >mixture of hero-worship and jealousy. > >Our correspondent says some of the players looked tired and angry when >they were released from the military camp. > >They are now expected to return to their various European clubs in the >next few days but after their experience, many of them may now think >twice before returning home to play for their country. > >A player for the French club, Marseille, said he could not wait to >return to France. > > > Damage to African football > >Football clubs in Europe have expressed concern over the fate of >their players and the President of the International Football >Federation (Fifa), Sepp Blatter, contacted Ivory Coast's military >authorities to try to find out about the players. > >"Detaining a team because it failed to qualify for the next round >of a football competition is a blatant violation of the autonomy >of the football association as well as the fair play principle," Mr >Blatter said in a statement. > >Ivory Coast were eliminated from the tournament after three first >round matches. > >They beat Ghana by a respectable 2-0, but only managed a draw against >the much smaller state of Togo and were then thrashed 3-0 by Cameroon, >one of the best teams on the continent. > > > -- THE BBC ONLINE NEWS -- > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------