No, not the egg-chasers World Cup.
Not the Women's World Cup.
Not the 'homeless' World Cup either.
(Which is a total swizz, because of course all the people playing in it have a roof over their heads. It should be called the 'Formerly Homeless' World Cup. But if they called it that, then I could enter. After all, I spent a night in a skip once. But that's another story.)
This is the World Cup for countries that FIFA refuse to recognise.
Now, let's be honest here. FIFA's concept of what constitutes a sovereign nation is odd enough to begin with. According to FIFA, Northern Ireland is a nation. According to FIFA, Kazakhstan is a European country. According to FIFA, so is Israel, although they used to be an Australasian country.
The 22 nations that take part in the Non-Fifa World Cup include some places whose secessions and right to autonomy have been denied by ongoing colonial powers, such as Chechnya, West Papua, Somaliland and Tibet.
It also includes less morally justifiable concepts of nations like Padania (North Italy), Monaco and North Cyprus. And some long lost national entities like Wallonia, Occitania and Zanzibar. And a completely cerebral idea of a diaspora nation - the Roma peoples of Europe.
Anyhow, the game was between Tibet and Padania, and Tibet lost 14-2 to the quasi-Italians, who won the Trophy for the Freedom of the Peoples.
I'm sure it was a good day out for all concerned. I hope all of the peoples win their freedoms soon.
P.S. Good luck to Trap and his team in their first game against Serbia tonight. I'll be there. Don't let me down, now.
4 comments:
Never heard of that. Would love to go. When I was workin in Kosova I stumbled over a small group of people who live in the bit that dips down between Macedonia and Albania called the Gorani who want independence. When I went back to Pristina none of the fellow expats had ever heard of them and only a handful of locals. They had opted out of the main political row in the province for so long that they were just totally forgotten.
Interesting about the other world cup. I can t say I expected such a competition to exist. interesting spot.
I'm going to put a team together, a team of Gingers! We're a people too, and we deserve a homeland-we'll call it Gingtopia! or Gingalingaville! or the Federal Peoples Republic of People Who Are Easily Burnt By Sunshine(FPRPWAEBBS)!!!
I've been to Gingertopia. I thought it was called Roscommon, though.
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