England through to finals
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - England captain David Beckham paid handsome tribute to his players after a battling 0-0 draw in Turkey earned them a place in the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.
“We said all week that we would stick together and that’s what we did. Our reward was (the result) tonight,” he told Sky TV on Saturday .
The England build-up could hardly have been worse after losing striker Michael Owen through injury and then defender Rio Ferdinand who was dropped from the squad for failing to attend a drugs test.
Ferdinand’s absence led to a threatened player strike but Beckham said there could be no questioning England’s determination to gain the draw in front a partisan Turkish crowd to finish top of Group Seven.
"A 0-0 draw showed our character more than maybe a 1-0 win would have done because that proved we stuck together, got everyone behind the ball and worked hard.
“Every one of our players was magnificent out there.”
Beckham missed a 37th-minute penalty which he skied over the bar after slipping just as he was about to strike the ball.
“The ground just gave way from behind me right under my foot,” he said.
He said a clash with Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan at halftime had been swiftly dealt with during the interval by Italian referee Pierluigi Collina.
“As we were walking off he went past me and clipped me around the ear,” he said. "He then said something about my mother but these things happen.
“Collina told us this game was too big and too important to be ruined by a bit of silliness.”
England had no fans at the match after a Football Association ruling, backed by European body UEFA, to ban them for fear of crowd trouble which has marred matches between the countries in the past.
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Comment:
The build up to the England-Turkey European Championship 2004 qualification match has once again seen abuse; slurs and insults traded between rival sets of fans and media commentators in the tabloid press. It has become customary before the start of every major European or International football match for the press to sensationalise the game and ignite feelings of hatred towards the oppositing team. The sports pages in recent days have been full of ‘fighting’ talk against the Turks, imploring the players to show courage and strength and a ‘British bulldog spirit’.
Sports writers also whip up resentment against foreign teams and players by regularly describing them as cunning, deceiving and cheats, whilst British players are always honest and fair-minded on the football pitch.
Amongst the general public it has become common to see patriotic and xenophobic feelings displayed with Union Jack flags in cars and shop windows, the wearing of England shirts and fans having their faces painted in red and white.
For the forthcoming match, such has been the level of animosity between the rival fans that, English fans have been banned from attending the game in Istanbul for fear of fighting and damage to property. Previous games between the national teams and English and Turkish club sides have witnessed racist abuse during the game, mass riots, fighting as well as some fatalities. In April, when Turkey played in England, racist chants were directed towards the Turkish fans and players such as ‘I’d rather be a Paki than a Turk’. Indeed, the British football fan has become notorious over the past few years and is often seen as synonymous with the yob and hooligan culture.
What has driven these attitudes and behaviour towards Turkey and other teams has been the idea of patriotism and nationalism that is so prevalent in western societies. Initially, patriotic feelings are demonstrated in supporting the national team and hoping that it does well. However, this quickly changes into hating and loathing the opposition team as well as their culture and values. The idea of nationalism emerges when people believe that ones own nation or people are better than everyone else. As a result of nationalism, wars and conflicts between countries have been fought. Inevitably, nationalism will always lead to conflict with others as it is constantly seeking someone else to be better or superior to. Demonising other football playing countries and cultures is just one manifestation of this.
Nationalism as a western concept has become a scourge in the Muslim world. This alien idea has sought to replace the bond of brotherhood between some Muslims, of different countries. Islam carries a unique bond, which can unite people of different colours, nations, and ethnicity’s. Muslims as a result must be wary of adopting western culture such as patriotism and nationalism.
