Cut the chase, blame Blair!

Cut the chase, blame Blair!

HIGHLANDERS and Caps United's tour of the UK was an "international football scandal" and a "social gathering disguised as a unique international football friendly", readers of the state-run Herald newspaper were told last week after eight players from both teams remained in the UK while their team-mates went home.

FA spokesman Mark Hooper -- who could have done with some wise counsel from the British Embassy in Harare before answering to the Herald's questions -- assisted the paper's sick anti-Zifa campaign by saying the FA would "express its concerns" to Fifa.

In the same statement issued to the Herald, Hooper admitted that the teams which played at the Bradford Bulls rugby stadium "obviously do not come under our jurisdiction, so we cannot now take any disciplinary action."

So what was the hoolabaloo all about Mr Hooper?

"The FA has unwisely allowed itself to be sucked into a perverted plot by the Herald in its fight to get the Zifa board fired"

MDUDUZI MATHUTHU

The FA has unwisely allowed itself to be sucked into a perverted plot by the Herald in its fight to get the Zifa board fired. The paper has been relentless in its pursuit of that goal since Moses Chunga was unceremoniously dismissed as assistant coach to Charles Mhlauri in the national team coaching set-up.

On Sunday, a rather predictable character entered the fray. Sir Andrew Green -- that unrepentant enemy of migration representing some organisation called Migration Watch – suggested that the disappearance of the players was "yet another example of people running rings around the immigration system."

Predictably, the Home Office -- which has become such an attentive listener to the right wing anti-immigration brigade -- issued an ill-thought out statement saying "steps were being taken to identify, locate and remove" the players. Forget that their visas expire after six months!

One key issue that the coverage of this sad episode has omitted is what has caused eight footballers with promising careers ahead for them to desert their sunny country for some small island soon to enter its winter season.

A simple click of the magical mouse would have alerted Mr Hooper to the diversionary tactics of the Herald from the real issue. The Home Office, which should know better, must also have reserved its rhetoric which dwells on the pull factor and ignores the push factor that has caused these footballers to turn their backs on their country.

Is it not Robert Mugabe's ruinous policies that have driven these youngsters to resort to these desperate measures? Is it not Tony Blair and his Foreign Office wonks who have betrayed the Zimbabwean people by allowing themselves to be cowed into silence by Robert Mugabe because of post-colonial guilt?

The problem (if you want to call it that) of sportsmen and musicians obtaining visas to enter safe countries, and Britain in particular, is not limited to Zimbabwe. During the Cold War, hundreds of Soviet asylum seekers entered Britain on sporting reasons -- from gymnasts to tennis players -- never to return to their wretched country.

Then, Britain was one of the countries which were enthusiastically eating away into the Soviet Union's political influence until its collapse.

Zimbabwe may not have the same political relevance as the Soviet Union but it is undergoing a crisis that demands international intervention, and the world leaders have so far been found wanting.

Tony Blair, George Bush and friends have left a trail of unfulfilled promises to the people of Zimbabwe -- from the G8 Summit to the United Nations.

Every right thinking Zimbabwean condemns these footballers for having abused the system, betrayed their teams and fans and made life difficult for the British Embassy.

Zimbabweans are all too aware of the far-reaching implications of the players' actions on such noble future events. In fact, many Zimbabweans would rather these players had gone home and returned to Britain on their own account.

But to shift focus to Zifa, using hate speech disguised as editorial opinion, is self-serving nonsense driven by petty jealousies which is bound to fail. Zimbabweans are much wiser.

To condemn eight footballers, all of whom are still within the limits of their six-month visas, while ignoring Robert Mugabe's excesses is dangerous and cowardly hypocrisy. If anything, this sad episode is a wake-up call to Tony Blair and George Bush to contain Robert Mugabe -- for the sake of peace!
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mathuthu@newzimbabwe.com