Friday 30 January 2009

Sean St. Ledger confirmed guest appearance!

Preston North End defender Sean St. Ledger is a confirmed guest on Wednesday 4th February Midweek Sports Show with Brett Cullen & Jonny Adamson LIVE in Frequency Radio.

Tune in from 2pm by visiting www.uclansu.co.uk and clicking the black "listen live" button.

Don't miss it!

Brett

Thursday 29 January 2009

Download Midweeks Sports Show with Brett Cullen & Jonny Adamson NOW!

Frequency Radio Midweek Sports Show with Brett Cullen & Jonny Adamson (Show One).

Available for download from http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VT4M38L5 now!


Listen live every Wednesday afternoon from 2pm to Brett Cullen and Jonny Adamson on Frequency Radio. Visit http://www.uclansu.co.uk/ and click on the black "listen live" button or type mms://dolphins.uclan.ac.uk:8080/wmtencoder/radio.wmv into your address bar!




January 28th: First Show.

Sunday 11 January 2009

Should Kanoute's Palestine T-Shirt Support Be Punished?

It should be common knowledge by now of the conflict in Gaza, where since it began on 27th December it is estimated 770 Palestinians and 14 Israeli’s have lost their lives. This is not an article to raise awareness or show any of my political views on the matter, but to look at an incident which occurred in Sevilla's 2-1 Copa Del Rey victory over Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday evening, brought to my attention on www.kickitout.org.

Sevilla striker, Freddie Kanoute celebrated scoring a goal by lifting his shirt over his head revealing a T-shirt bearing the word 'Palestine' is several languages - a sign of support for the Palestinian people who have perished. Kanoute was booked for the action by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz who in his post-match conference explained the caution was in accordance with Spanish rules, aswell as noting the message Kanoute displayed.

Kanoute has received support from Palestine embassy official Mahmoud Aluanen who told Spanish radio station Radio Marca "[Kanoute] has shown himself to be a very brave person to support our people at a public event."
"Sportsmen are human beings and cannot contain their feelings. They have all the right in the world to express their opinion about matters which contravene human rights. I'm sure that all Palestinian children, those who love football, will be happy about this gesture."


The Malian, who is a practicing Muslim, could face further disciplinary action from the Spanish FA, despite Israel's Madrid Ambassador, Raphael Schultz telling Radio Marca, "I saw the match and the T-shirt bore nothing more than the name of Palestine. It was not an incitement against Israel. I don't think it extolled violence,".

Personally, I think the referee was right to yellow card Kanoute so long as it is in accordance with any rule stating you must not remove your shirt during a goal celebration. If it was for the message on the T-shirt, which the referee did mention, then that is unfair. It is a message of support for Palestinians who are suffering; it does not have any negative slant towards Israel. For me, the T-shirt is doing the same job the Kick It Out T-shirts do which is backed by the Premier League in England amongst other governing bodies. If Kanoute is not allowed to wear and display the T-Shirt, does it not go against what Aluanen is quoted as saying footballers have a right to express their opinions? If this kind of support cannot be shown then should support against anti-racism, anti-homophobia and other issues be shown either before, during or after a match?

A few years ago, Arsenal versus Manchester United at Highbury was a game which was centred around Nike's anti-racism campaign 'Stand Up, Speak Up' with the banners posted all around the stadium, both team kits emblazoned with the logo and players wearing the black and white bands. Apart from the specific message being relayed and being officially supported by the federation, what is the difference between this and Kanoute's actions? As far as I'm concerned, as long as Kanoute had no intent to spark any violence, which I don't think he did, then we should applaud somebody who is in the public eye, somebody who can influence many people, who raises awareness on an issue which undoubtedly has an affect on millions. If Kanoute, a footballer who is an icon to many, can inspire the Palestinian people to be strong through what is a tough time for them, then bravo to him. If he can inspire the many thousands who attended and watched on TV to at least take an interest in the conflict and have an opinion themselves and fight for it, putting himself on the line in the process, than that makes a bigger difference to the world than kicking a ball about the football pitch and nobody can criticise him for that.

I hope there is no further action against Freddie Kanoute because I do not believe he was trying to incite any violence. I think people should be aware of what is really going on in this world, yet some people rarely look outside their own back garden. Kanoute grasped at an opportunity to raise awareness, there is nothing wrong with that.