One of the journalists on the South Wales Evening Post has decided to go to the trouble of telling us why he will be supporting England in tonight's match against Italy.
Here is a good reason to support Italy.
A few days before the competition kicked off, the Italian team, which like its English rivals is based in Krakow, paid a visit to the former extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, just a short drive away. Like all other visitors, they were given a tour and paid their respects.
A couple of days later it was England's turn. Unlike the Italians, England could only spare its coach and six of its players. And unlike the Italians, it was decided that the English team could not possibly just turn up as ordinary visitors and mingle with the public, so the camp was closed and they were given a private tour.
Quite possibly this was done for the usual British "security reasons", although in truth most of the other major European teams have rather more star quality and famous names. And anyway, who was going to attack or otherwise pester a small group of relatively obscure, overpaid and overrated footballers on a visit to Auschwitz?
The incident tells us something about John Bull in this year of the Jubilympics, and it explains why we shall be eating pasta tonight in Casa Cneifiwr.
Pob lwc i'r Eidal!
That's a reason for giving your support in a football match?
ReplyDelete"I was born in Wales, educated in Wales, live in Wales and work in Wales (writes Rob Goodman).
ReplyDeleteMost of my friends are Welsh. My mother, born in rural Powys, has never so much stepped foot outside of Wales due to fear of what lurks on the other side of the Severn."
Significantly, perhaps, he can't bring himself to make the simple statement, 'I'm Welsh'. Says it all.
I'm a Scotsman but I have lived in Wales for 40 years, almost 2/3 of my life and I'm a neutral for this football match.
ReplyDeleteMay the best team win
Da iawn. Dwi'n byw yn Adpar. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe English/Brits visited en masse in 1945 i think. Probably this was the first Italian visit
ReplyDeleteSorry Anon, it was the Russians.
ReplyDeleteSorry Cneifiwr. I meant Belsen.
ReplyDelete