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About a week and a half to two weeks ago I read a Metro column by Swedish sports journalist Claes Runheim. With the recent incidents from the Champions League and the NHL in mind, I htought it might be interesting for you guys to read it too. So here is a quickly made translation of the column:

Everyone seems to accept the lack of morals

By Claes Runheim, journalist

Tonight I’m probably going to really act up. I’m going to get stinking drunk, snort ein bischen heroin and punch Nordahl in the face. Then I’ll pull a five iron out of my hat and smack Mjällby over the shins. To finish things off we’ll go to a whorehouse. It’s going to be great. In a few days we’ll meet again in the Champions League studio and we’re going to pull of a helluva good show. More tightly bonded than ever before. We’ll be in high sprit and all the craziness will be forgotten. The viewers are going to love us. “God damn they’re good” they’ll chant.

Just to be on the safe side I just want to point out that I am lying right now, but if I had been one of the sport stars of today all of it might as well have been true. It could’ve been any regular weekday before a game. Acting up-game-acting up-practice-acting up-game, being cheered on by fans and a huge amount of cash in the bank account. They’re stars and never have to face any real consequences. They’re immortal!

In the 21st century we’ve seen athletes take over the lives, behavior and status of rock’n’roll stars. Money talks and there’s nothing strange about that. What is strange is that everyone seems to accept the lack of morals. It makes no difference no matter how violent or how embarrassing their behavior is. A day or two later everything is back to normal. The show must go on and no one seems to think there’s anything weird about that. Isn’t that very strange? I’m not saying every athlete has to eat porridge for breakfast, have an A+ grade in conduct and go to church every Sunday, but somewhere there’s got to be a line for what is acceptable and what is definitely not acceptable.

What I want isn’t really harsher punishment and bigger fines. I think it’s more about the emotional feelings of the fans. A one-game suspension and a couple hundred thousands in fines will never be enough as long as the fans accept, laugh at and cheer along with their heroes and role models. The day when fans change their acceptance of bad behavior, that’s the day when the stars are going to be in trouble. Then they will realize that you can’t do whatever you want even if you’re a superstar.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that this behavior I most common among athletes in team sports and exclusive to sports where the big money is. Therefore, there is virtually no risk at all that Mustafa Mohammed is going to host a crazy keg-party that ends in the drunk tank a couple of days before the Swedish cross-country running championships in Halmstad, believe me.

The reckless behavior is because of money and as long as that is the way it is, a higher morality among fans, sponsors and the attending crowds is vital for the future and for the values and views of future generations.

NOTES ON THE COUMN: Thomas Nordahl and Johan Mjällby, refered to in the column, are both expert commentators on the studio show from the CL broadcasts, both are retired players. Nordahl is from an older generation, and he is the son of one of the first Swedish pro footballers who went to play in Italy in the post-WWII era; his late father was the famous Gunnar Nordahl. Thomas Nordahl has also played in Italy, and possibly also coached there. I know he's been coaching teams in Sweden anyway. At any rate, he is widely known for his knowledge of Italian soccer and Italy itself. An expert on Italy, if you will. He's a great personality, a great resource, so to speak. He was born in 1946 (I had to check up on that.)

Mjällby's playing days ended more recently, only a couple of seasons ago. During his career he was usually a midfielder or sometimes defender. He played a couple of years in Scottland, for Celtic, together with Henke Larsson. He was a pretty defensive minded player, relying more on toughness than techincal skills or speed to stop his opponents. I think he too is a great studio expert, much better than I had expected when I first saw him a couple years ago. Mjällby was born in 1971. Apparently he retired as late as 2006. Claes Runheim BYW was born in 1967. Thank you very much, Wikipedia.

Mustafa Mohammed is a foregin-born Swedish cross-country long distance runner. He was born in Mogadishu in Somalia in 1979. His family moved to Sweden in 1990 when he was 11 years old. His greatest accomplishment to date is his making it to the Olympic final in the 3000 metre hurdles event at the Olympics in Athens, Greece in 2004.

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i just played to Fifa 2006 on Xbox and FC Twente is rated 2 stars out of 5. Do they improved for 2007?

Probably, yes, because they are doing well in the Dutch League. If I may give you some good advice, try Standard de Liège from the Jupiler League. Now that's a good team!

^_^;)

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Haha, i will Nick. I play every weekend with friends on the Xbox, and we have a huge competition. Hard vs Hard, the only thing missing is a fight! So much fun :D

But yeah last season we didnt play that good, this season we have a kickass team(new coaching staff, and a couple of new good playes). Unfortunate we lost to ajax @home last weekend, so now our chances of being champ are gone. But we will finish in the top 5 so we play for championsleague tickets in the playoffs

No1=Champion and plays CHampionsleague

2-5=play for 1 champions league ticket. The losers play in Uefa cup for sure

6-9=play for 1 Uefa ticket.

Last year was the first time we had Playoffs!

RED IS THE COLOR!!

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Haha, i will Nick. I play every weekend with friends on the Xbox, and we have a huge competition. Hard vs Hard, the only thing missing is a fight! So much fun :D

But yeah last season we didnt play that good, this season we have a kickass team(new coaching staff, and a couple of new good playes). Unfortunate we lost to ajax @home last weekend, so now our chances of being champ are gone. But we will finish in the top 5 so we play for championsleague tickets in the playoffs

No1=Champion and plays CHampionsleague

2-5=play for 1 champions league ticket. The losers play in Uefa cup for sure

6-9=play for 1 Uefa ticket.

Last year was the first time we had Playoffs!

RED IS THE COLOR!!

yup... red...

red for portugal!!!!

GO :hlogo: GO!

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OK, that's something you certainly don't see every day. When Tottenham beat Watford 3-1, GK Paul Robinson scored the second goal for Spurs, a goal that later turned out to ge the GWG. :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

NIIIIIICE

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...070402-1833.htm

http://www.rds.ca/soccer/chroniques/226622.html

For those who don't speak french, in the 2nd article, they say Hicks and Gillett will give Rafa 60 millions Euros to spend during offseason. Eto'o and Villa's names are mentionned.

DAMN!!! LIIIIIVEEERPOOOOL LIIIIIIIIVEEEEERRRPOOOOOOOL

Edited by JoeLassister
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Typical North American coverage, no Liverpool, but somehow we get Munich and Milan (who just scored not 10 seconds ago after I started this).

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Typical North American coverage, no Liverpool, but somehow we get Munich and Milan (who just scored not 10 seconds ago after I started this).

Liverpool is on in the States. ESPN2 is showing them live, then the other game on ESPN Classic immediately after it is over. Guessing next leg it will be the other way around.

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Yeah was a horrible game, but it was to be expected on forehand. PSV sucks since winterbreak, they play really poor in the dutch national league, and now they miss Alex/Kone and Afellay to much. PSV isnt a big club international that has so many players that can take it over. Their group isnt so big, Loss was calculated.

But yeah, the game was horrible to watch.

My team plays PSV within 2 weeks, even we can beat them 3-0 like this!

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DAMN Crazy !! 7 goals for Man U and they pass through the quarter final so easily... Tommorow, the Reds will also advance and there will be 3 english teams still alive with Chelsea and United.

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Yeah, United virtually gang-raped Roma. I haven't seen carnage like that since we Vikings sacked Lindisfarne in the 8th century. ;)

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