Celtic VS Rangers: Rooted in Sectarianism

                         I've written something similar to this a few months ago when I highlighted perhaps one of the fiercest rivalries in world football, which is the Argentinian superclassico derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate, both hailing from the capital city of Buenos Aires. Both fanbases represent two different population segments, with Boca fans are mostly working class who are proud of their Italian ancestry, whilst River Plate pride themselves as the club for the upper class. This, added with the undying Argentinian passion for football, makes this rivalry as one of the most exciting football games ever played. It shows that some clubs within a city are closely associated with one segment of the population, and some of them are proud of it.

 

                  From Buenos Aires, let's hop on the British Isles, more specifically to Glasgow, Scotland. From this city. two teams call this place home, which is Celtics and Rangers. Looking at these two teams, we instantly get the differing vibes. Hell, we can even trace one club's roots as far as when the Irish had to flee the potato famine. Glasgow Celtics, in this case is the club in question, proudly traced their roots to the Irish immigrants settling in Scotland. The club was founded in 1887 by an Irish Marist known as Brother Walfrid, with a purpose of alleviating poverty on the East End of Glasgow by doing a fundraiser for his charity, The Poor Children's Dining Table. The club was named "Celtics", but pronounced with an "S", nicknamed as "The Bhoys" using the Irish spelling and was intended to reflect the club's Irish and Scottish roots. Their club colors are green and white, their home shirt features the two colors in horizontal hoops and plays their home games at Celtic Park.

 

                  The Glasgow Rangers, meanwhile, are the original Scottish-based club formed much earlier than their Irish-clad counterparts, being founded in 1872 by four founders, brothers Moses and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell and William McBeath, all four of them were students at the West End Academy as a means to keep themselves fit during the winter months. Being the older club of the two, the Rangers played Celtics for the first time just barely a year after the latter's formation. They are known for their popularity amongst the working class of Scotland and was nicknamed "The People's Club". Rangers wears blue, white and red as their club colors, with their home kit features the combination of blue shirt, white shorts and red socks. They were stadium-hopping during 1872 to 1897, but since then, settled in Ibrox Stadium as their home base. 

 

                  Collectively, the two Glasgow clubs are referred as the Old Firm after a satirical comic strip that described them as "two old, firm friends", and whenever the two teams play each other during the Scottish Premiership or other competitions, the game is usually dubbed as either The Old Firm Derby or the Glasgow Derby. To date, in 443 games played in all domestic competitions, Celtics hold a slim advantage over Rangers with 170 wins to 169, with 104 draws between them. Celtic also had 1 more domestic trophy than Rangers, with 118 to 117, but Rangers have more Scottish Premiership titles (55 to 54), and Scottish League Cup titles (28 to 22). But Celtic has more Scottish Cup titles (42 to 34). Both teams also won one European Title, with the Rangers won the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners' cup in 1972, whereas Celtic secured their first and so far, the only UEFA Champions League title way earlier in 1967. While River Plate being the only club in the Buenos Aires rivalry who were relegated, Rangers suffered a more brutal fate, by being dumped to the Fourth Division (Scottish League Two) after the club went to administration and almost went bankrupt in 2012. Since then, they won one Scottish League Two title in 2012-2013 Season, one Scottish League One title in 2013-2014 season, and the Scottish Championship in 2015-2016 Season. During that time, Celtics steamrolled the Scottish Premiership 9 times, only to be stopped by Rangers in the 2020-21 season.

 

                  Here is why the rivalry is not only intense, but also dangerous: Sectarianism. It is well known in the Glasgow area that the city itself is practically divided between two sets of fans. Celtics fans mostly come from Ireland and have some form of Irish descent. The Celtics fans are mostly identified as someone with Irish ties and a proud Catholic, owing to the fact that Catholicism is the main religion of Ireland, whereas Rangers drew most of their roots in Britain Scotland, and often adhere to the Protestant branch of Christianity. There was an unwritten rule which is since debunked, that Rangers won't sign a player if they somehow found out that the player is a Catholic. This practiced ended when then-Rangers manager Graeme Souness signed a protestant player, provoking the ire of the fans.  In contrast, while most employees have more Catholic-oriented mindset, Celtics never impose similar restriction, actually signed more Protestant players. 

 

                  Sometimes, it goes way deeper than that. Rangers fans are known to be right-leaning conservatives with a more Loyalist ideology, favoring the administration of Northen Ireland to the United Kingdom and a staunch supporter of the royal family, while Celtics fans are mostly left-wing socialist with a Republican ideology, favoring a unification of the entire Ireland under the Irish Republic. Historically, the two clubs came from a drastically different areas, with the Rangers fans are historically native Scots and Ulster Scots from the historic Ulster Province (Now Northern Ireland), and Celtics fans who are obviously Irish Scots by virtue of the Irish immigration. This is shown whenever the old Firm is scheduled to be played, with Rangers fans tend to wave the Union Jack flag, and the Celtics who responded with the Irish tricolour. One section of the Celtic fanbase, dubbed "The Green Army" are often seen waving Palestinian flags and openly express their support for Palestine, especially during the genocide. The reason for the support is that they can relate to the struggles of the Palestinian people to the time of the British Occupation of Ireland and the Irish war. The Rangers, meanwhile, showed support to the zionists instead.

 

                  And what's a rivalry without a share of riots every now and then? There are some cases of stadium riots in the history of Old Firm, but one in particular stood out as the "most infamous case of disorder" as described by BBC news in 2011. The site was Hampden Park, it was the Scottish Cup final on 10 May 1980. At the time, more than 70.000 fans from both teams attended the match, which ended 1-0 in favor of the Celtics after a lone extra time goal by George McCluskey. After the match, while the Celtics celebrated the victory, one Celtic fan ran to the Ranger side, and kicked the ball to their direction, triggering a massive brawl involving few objects like bricks, bottles and cans. It is also important to note that at this point, both sets of fans were extremely intoxicated due to alcohol consumption. The police were unable to contain the situation. Hell, even football commentator Archie MacPherson described the riot as something straight out of Apocalypse Now. He even compared the fights to the battle of Passchendaele from World War 1. As a result, both clubs were slapped with 20.000 Pound fines and 200 arrests. This too was the trigger for the passing of a measure that bans the sale of alcoholic beverages inside Scottish sports grounds. It was partially lifted to allow sales within rugby union matches. Nowadays, the alcohol sales and consumption are restricted to the hospitality area with no direct sight of the pitch. 

 

                  The Old Firm Derby isn't just one of the oldest football rivalries ever existed, but also one of the messiest due to the fact that Scottish sectarianism is pretty visible during its lifetime. From ties to the Irish resistance to religious ties, Celtics VS Rangers always lived up to the hype, often times to the limits of human decency and often pushing it to the maximum. Nowadays, both the Rangers and the Celtics are launching joint initiatives to combat sectarianism, but the legacy of the Old Firm will still remain as one of the most hostile derbies in world football.

From Rehabilitation to The Biggest Multi Sport Event Ever: The Story of the Paralympic Games

                  If you were asked, "what is the biggest multi-sport event in the world?", most of you would straight-up answer what we've all been thinking: The Olympic Games, the biggest athletic spectacle featuring the best athletes in each corresponding sports, from aquatics, track and field, football, basketball, cycling, combat sports like boxing, wrestling and judo, these athletes dreamt of representing their respective countries at this event. Held every two years alternating between the summer and winter games (between every summer and winter games, each event is held four years apart), the Olympics is considered as the creme de la creme of the sporting world. The downside is, there are not many disabled athletes competing at these events, that's because they already have their own games, the Paralympic Games. Supposedly a portmanteau of the word "paraplegic" and "Olympics", the Paralympic Games celebrates the pinnacle of sports for athletes with varying degrees of disabilities. This year, the Summer Paralympic Games open its doors in Paris 2024, three years after the last games in Tokyo, which was suspended 1 year due to the pandemic, and as per the tradition, is held mere weeks after The Olympic Games closed.  

                  The history of the Paralympic Games itself can be traced back to the Games of the XIV Olympiad in London, 1948. At the time, there are some athletic events organized specifically for those with spinal cord injuries at the very day of the opening of the games, hosted at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and organized by Ludwig Guttmann, a German-Jewish doctor who worked at the hospital as a means of rehabilitation for the soldiers being treated at the facility. Although it's the first international games with disabled athletes ever organized, it wasn't the first Paralympic Games. That distinction instead went to Rome, Italy, coincided with the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. The next events after Rome 1960 until 1984, save from Tokyo 1964 were held in a different location from their Olympic counterparts. The same also occurred with the winter Paralympic Games from their inception in 1976 and continued until 1988. The first times these games were held in the same exact location as the Olympic games were in Seoul 1988 and Tignes-Albertville 1992. And since then, thanks to the joint cooperation between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Olympic and Paralympic Games, both summer and winter are held in the same location with a time window of usually two weeks between each event. The first games were intended only for wheelchair user and those with spinal cord injuries. Nowadays, any disabilities, ranging from physical, visual or intellectual disability are eligible to enter the games.

 

                  Speaking of disabled athletes, the Paralympic Games have a certain system imposed in each sport depending on the athlete's degree of impairment and limitation of competing in their corresponding sports. There are several types of impairment, like loss of limb due to amputation or birth defects, loss of muscle power in the lower limbs that necessitate the use of wheelchairs, visual impairments, intellectual disabilities, coordination impairments as a result of several neurological condition and short-statured athletes (dwarfism). Some sports were adapted using these classification systems. For example, in athletics, a Paralympic sprinter competing in the T11 and T12 classes are athletes with severe and moderate-to-severe visual impairments and required to compete with a sighted guide while wearing a blindfold mask, while T13 sprinters are the least-impaired athletes visually, usually with partial blindness. Other classes include T51 to T54 for wheelchair racing and T61 to T64 for athletes with lower limb prosthetics. Using this classification, higher number indicates less severe impairment. 

 

                  Other sports are also adapted for wheelchair users, like badminton, tennis, basketball, and rugby. Other sports can be performed in a sitting position, like volleyball. Cycling events are adapted to athletes with either physical, visual or coordination impairments, with hand bikes, specifically modified bicycles and tandem bikes with sighted pilot (for visual impairments) commonly used to compete. Some sports are adapted for visual impairments only. Blind football, judo and goalball (a Paralympics-exclusive sport) are the only sports with this distinction. Specifically for blind football, there are 5 players, four visually impaired outfield players and one sighted goalkeeper that would double as a guide in the defensive area, along with the coach in the midfield and an offensive guide stationed in the back of the opponent's goal. Goalball almost took the same principles, but with only three players, all with visual impairments, goals with the size of the field of play and no guides. Both sports use a special ball with bells placed inside it, so the players could locate the ball using their ears. Others are adapted to suit those who has lower limb impairments. If the Olympics have weightlifting, the Paralympic Games has Powerlifting, which is adapted by requiring the athletes to perform a single lift of the weight in a chest bench press position. Physical and visual impairments in swimming events are also allowed, but with an exception for prosthetic users, that being prosthesis is outlawed inside the pool itself.

 

                  As a result, there are some sports that would be exclusive to either the Olympic or the Paralympic Games. We are usually tuning in to the Olympic Gymnastics and the wrestling event, but somehow, these sports are not at the Paralympic games. Same as the aforementioned goalball and boccia, both are paralympic-exclusive sports. Unlike gymnastics that's not included in the paralympic program in the first place, wrestling was included during 1980 until 1984 summer games, all for visually impaired athletes. Since then, wrestling was never included in the program, including the Paris 2024 games. Some disciplines inside the program are omitted from the Paralympic games. In the aquatics discipline, there are no diving, synchronized swimming, water polo or marathon swimming. As for the paralympic games that has no Olympic counterpart, boccia is the most interesting one. Take it like curling, but replace the slippery ice with hardwood floors, curling stones with tiny balls, and are exclusive for athletes with wheelchairs with coordination and neurological impairments. The classifications are divided from BC1 to BC4. Again, higher numbers indicate the less severity of their impairments. And depending on their disability, boccia players may call for an assistant to adjust their chairs and/or the throwing position. Guides and assistants are also eligible for medal.

 

                  This could also extend to the winter sports program. Adapted sports included alpine skiing, biathlon and cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling, ice hockey using ice sledges and bisected hockey sticks instead of a wheelchair, and para snowboarding. Most of these events are timed events, with all events are mostly for physical impairments. There are no paralympic-exclusive sports in this program, while the Olympics have more sports in their program like bobsleigh, luge and skeleton racing, artistic events like figure skating and even some speed-based events like speed skating. 

 

                  But hear me out, whether if it's the Olympic or the Paralympic Games, there are no shortages of controversy and tragedies plaguing the games itself. With the classification system, there have been calls of inclusion involving athletes with Down syndrome. This is because most classification used in the games are for single impairment only, either physical or intellectual disability, whereas Down syndrome possesses both characteristics. This means that although some athletes can participate in the intellectual impairment class, they would be severely benefitted with their physical advantages. Doping is also a major problem at the games. Everybody reading this must be remembering the Russian doping scandal first revealed after the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. It turns out, not only the Olympians that were juiced up for the games, but the Paralympians as well. Those were huge, but the biggest controversy of them all occurred in Sydney 2000, where the Spanish men's Intellectual Disability Basketball team snatched the gold medal by the largest margins, prompting suspicions that not all members of the winning roster were intellectually disabled. The smoking gun emerged by the form of an investigative journalist Carlos Ribagolda, who went undercover to expose the cheating by revealing that most of his teammates were not medically tested for intellectual disabilities whatsoever, revealing all but two athletes of the winning squad who are actually able-bodied. For reference, in order for someone to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability, a person must have the IQ score of no more than 75. In the aftermath, Spain was stripped of the gold medals, and is still in the possession of the IPC to this day. All intellectual disability events were discontinued until 2008 games in Beijing, after a massive reform of the testing procedures.

 

                  The Paralympic Games is said to be that one exciting multi-sport event that often overshadowed by its Olympic counterpart, but still exciting nonetheless, as well as a medium to celebrating the determination and hardworking athletes to perform at their peak despite their disabilities. This year's Paralympic Games in Paris is set to be the first games back with spectators in the premises after the Tokyo 2020 games that somehow manage to be staged in the midst of the pandemic. To close this piece, Bienvenue aux jeux Paralympiques de Paris 2024, and may the best athlete win.

The Dark Side of Professional Wrestling: The Tragedy of Chris Benoit

 (Warning: Reference of suicide ahead)

 

                  As I have iterated in the past piece related to the sport of Professional Wrestling, that this sport, in reality is part soap opera and part combat sports, although those who held wrestling championship titles treated as equally legitimate as other branches of combat sport like boxing and mixed martial arts. Although mostly scripted, pro wrestling can (and sometimes inevitably) cross over to the real life, even though in the old days the lines between kayfabe and real life is often enforced. It could also lead so some real consequences as a result of constantly putting bodies (and sometimes even lives) on the line for the sake of entertaining the fans (that's why former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) chairman Vince McMahon coined the term "sports entertainment" to emphasize this element). Some names suffered this after constantly performing high-risk moves and taking brutal bumps, especially if the wrestler in question is known for their hardcore antics, like a Mick Foley or New Jack type of guy.

 

                  But this one is probably the most tragic and controversial case that's ever come out from this world of highfliers and brutal bruisers. There are many true crime cases that involved one or multiple professional wrestlers, each with their own story to tell. But this one is so controversial in light of the circumstances, one wrestling promotion subsequently omitted and erased his name and accomplishments from the history books. Of course, I'm talking about the tragic life and death of one Chris Benoit. The Montreal, Quebec, Canada native was born Christopher Michael Benoit on the 21st of May 1967, but mostly spent his childhood in Edmonton, Alberta. His fascination with the world of wrestling was evident from the early age, as he already idolized Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington and wrestling hall of famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart. At the tender age of 12, he began his wrestling training under the tutelage of Bret's father Stu Hart in his famous Hart family Dungeon in Calgary, often hailed as one of the best wrestling schools in the world, as it's run by the Hart Dynasty. As a result, Benoit's style has the reference of both Billington and Hart, he even used the latter's submission move "The Sharpshooter" as one of his finishing maneuvers.

 

                  After his stint at the Dungeon, Benoit wrestled in Stu's promotion, Stampede Wrestling. His wrestling style at the time was similar with The Dynamite Kid, as he adopted several moves like the diving headbutt (a move that would cost him later down the road) and the snap suplex. He debuted in a tag team match on the 22nd of November 1985 teaming up with "The Remarkable" Rick Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer. He later won the Stampede Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship in 1988, and also held 4 International Tag Team and three British Commonwealth titles. After Stampede closed its doors, Benoit went to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and subsequently trained in the "New Japan Dojo" with the young guns to further polished his abilities. In this promotion, he was one of the wrestlers who feuded with another wrestling legend, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He also won Best of the Super Juniors tournament twice, as well as the Inaugural Super J-Cup tournament in 1994. Bear in mind, while being contracted with New Japan, he also wrestled in places like Mexico and Europe, he even won the UWA Light Heavyweight Championship.

 

                  Sometime during his stint at New Japan, Benoit was also working with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and worked in several matches, one in particular was a tag team match that put himself and fellow Canadian Biff Wellington against Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger, their first meeting outside of New Japan. It was in this promotion, where he returned in 1995, where he was approached by "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair to be a part of the New Four Horsemen stable alongside himself, Pillman and Arn Anderson. It was also here where Chris met his future wife Nancy, at the time married to WCW booker Kevin Sullivan, which whom he was feuding with. At first, the "affair" started as an on-screen angle involving all three parties, but then evolved into a real-life affair between Nancy and Chris. This angered Sullivan, and this affair was used to leverage their on-screen feud. Aside from Sullivan, he also feuded with several wrestlers like Booker T, and won several titles, including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

 

                  He also worked for Paul Heyman (then known as Paul E. Dangerously) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) where he was the main booker, at the time the only promotion in America who allowed weapons and foreign objects in matches, where he received the moniker "The Crippler" from Heyman after putting Rocco Rock out. But this nickname is further solidified after a freak botch involving Sabu where he accidentally broke the hardcore legend's neck during the opening seconds of the match. Sadly, the only title he won was the ECW World Tag Team Championship with Dean Malenko and was forced out of the company when his work visa expired and failed to be renewed in time by Heyman. He returned to ECW in 2007, now part of WWE after being drafted to the brand. He was supposed to compete for the ECW Championship but didn't show up because of a "family emergency" (this will be relevant later), and he was replaced by John Hennigan (At this point known as Johnny Nitro) who won instead.

 

                  Benoit's exit from WCW became WWE (then World Wrestling Federation/WWF) gain, as he joined the promotion during the end of the Attitude Era. along with his friends Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Malenko, also WCW alumni, he formed and debuted the heel stable known as The Radicalz. Benoit's first championship was the Intercontinental Championship which he won in a two-fall triple threat match at Wrestlemania 2000 pitted him against Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle, with both the latter's Intercontinental and European titles at stake. In this two-fall event, Benoit and Jericho pinned each other, the first one with Benoit winning, and the second one where Jericho won. This is a rare occurrence where a defending champion lost their championship twice in a multi-man match without conceding a single pinfall. Honestly, I hate being Kurt Angle at that time. But this is not the only Wrestlemania he participated and won a championship. At Wrestlemania XX in Madison Square Garden, New York, he won big by securing the World Heavyweight Championship (Former WCW World Heavyweight Championship) by submitting Triple H with his patented submission move the Crippler Crossface. Other titles he won was the WWE Tag Team Title (4 times total) with Angle, Jericho and Egde, and the WWE United States Championship (3 times).

 

                  Back to the ECW incident, Benoit was supposed to work in a match where he would have been won the ECW Championship by defeating CM Punk as indicated by WWE executive Stephanie McMahon but was a no-show due to a "family emergency".  Chavo Guerrerro, the Late Eddie Guerrero's nephew tried to call Benoit through his phone and his American residence in Fayetteville, Georgia, but didn't respond. At this point, Chris already in deep sadness after losing Eddie, who was his best friend in 2005 due to a cardiac arrest that cut his wrestling career agonizingly short. Due to this no-show, WWE requested a welfare check on Benoit and his family, where on the 25th of June 2007, Chris, along with Nancy and his 7-year-old son Daniel was found dead in his own home. The day after the deaths, WWE put together a tribute show on one episode of Monday Night Raw focusing on Benoit's accomplishments, and doing so, also overshadows another angle involving Vince himself under the character of Mr. McMahon, who in kayfabe died in a limousine explosion. But after the circumstances became clear, WWE swiftly disavowed him by deleting all of his archived matches, refused to acknowledge his name and title reigns, and censored any references about Benoit. To this day, the name Chris Benoit became some sort of a taboo, and he is also denied a spot at the WWE Hall of Famer.

 

                  During the three-day period, it was revealed that Nancy and Daniel were killed on the first two days, with Chris took his own on the third day. Toxicology report indicated that Nancy had xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone which were found at the therapeutic levels, Daniel's results had xanax, which indicated a sedation attempt before the killing by suffocation, and Chris was found to have xanax, hydrocodone, and elevated testosterone levels, indicating an extensive steroid use. But further investigations found no connection between Benoit's body and the double murder-suicide. There are some theories on why Benoit did it in the first place, it might be because of his grief of losing Eddie Guerrero that led into a long depression, or some "roid rage" claims, but the most plausible theory was when Chris' brain was examined by neurosurgeon at West Virginia University with the blessings of Chris' father Michael Benoit, who found an extensive brain damage resembling an 85-year-old Alzheimer patient. He was also reported to have an advance form of dementia, but most importantly, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a neurodegenerative disease linked to multiple traumas to the head. This theory is supported by the fact that Benoit himself primarily used the diving headbutt, which is a move involving him jumping off the top rope using his head to finish off opponents,  and also many bumps he took during his career, often involving chairshots to the head, which has been banned since. 

 

                  Chris Benoit was a pro wrestler who has achieved everything imaginable in the wrestling industry. His work as an in-ring performer regarded as one if not the best the world has ever seen. Hell, some wrestling legends regarded him as one of the best that ever laced a pair of boots, but what he did during the last moments of his life that destroyed everything for him. In another life, he might have been a member of the WWE Hall of Famer and regarded as one of the legends of the Squared Circle, but after this tragic murder-suicide, his name is erased forever, buried deep inside the pro wrestling lore, never to be discovered again. The tragic occurrence of the Benoit family serves as a harrowing reminder that professional wrestling, no matter how heavily scripted they are, still presents a real physical and mental consequences bore by the wrestlers we come to know and love. There is a reason the phrase "don't try this at home" was put up during any wrestling program, is to prevent any occurrences like this from happening again.

The Superclasico: How a Football Rivalry Divided a city

            Ah, Argentina. The birthplace of tango, Argentinian barbeque, and two footballing geniuses of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. It is no secret that when it comes to football in South America, this country, along with neighbor Brazil manage to establish themselves as giants of the world game. In fact, Argentina is the current world champion, having snatched the cup away from France last year in Doha, Qatar. You could say that football is engrained in every Argentinian, so much so, that even a simple football match can pretty much divide a nation.

 

            You might wonder, "how the hell does a football match do that?" The answer lies on the two teams whom we will discuss in this piece. I've told a bit about football rivalries when discussing the Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster in the back of Indonesia's East Java Super Derby, but this rivalry would make the previous one seems a lot tamer; hell, even the famous El Clasico is no match for a football fixture of this magnitude. 

 

            Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the superclásico de futbol Argentino. or the superclásico as it's known to the world. This football fixture involves two teams hailing from the same side of the capital Buenos Aires, in specific, a barrio (neighborhood) called La Boca, which is known as the working-class people of the docklands of southern Buenos Aires. A little history lesson from yours truly: if you take a little peek at most of Argentina's population, you will find most of them had roots from Italy, specifically the Italian immigrants who settled in Argentina, and La Boca happens to be that one area with the most Italian diaspora. 

 

            Back to the topic at hand, two teams hailed from this part of the city, which is Club Atletico River Plate (River Plate) founded in 1901, taking their name from Rio de la Plata, and Club Atletico Boca Juniors (Boca Juniors), founded in 1905, and bearing the barrio's name. Both teams were formed in La Boca, but then, River Plate move to the more northern part of Buenos Aires, to a more upper-class neighborhood of Nuñez in 1925. Since then, Boca is known as the working-class club for the people, and adding to their Italian roots, they earned the nickname Xeneize (Genoese), reffering to their roots as Italian immigrants from Genoa. Whilst River Plate is known for their more upper-class fanbase, since they resided in Nuñez, and have a spending habit on signing players, they are known as Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). Despite this, nowadays you can find supporters of both teams on every societal level. Boca Juniors play their home games at the Alberto Jose Armando Stadium or known most commonly as La Bombonera (Spanish for the chocolate box due to the unusual shape), while River Plate call the Monumental Stadium (El Monumental) home. Boca's club colors are blue and yellow, while River Plate sports white and red.

 

            Both teams are known as two of the biggest teams in Argentinian football, sharing over 144 championships both in domestic and continental levels. Among those championships, River currently has more league titles (38 to 35 of Boca's), but Boca collected more Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League) trophies (Boca's six to River's four) and more national cups. But beyond the prestige, there is one distinction that River holds but Boca has not: River Plate is currently the only club from the two to ever be relegated to the second division. River suffered this crushing defeat and relegation in 2011, by suffering a 3-1 defeat over two legs against Belgrano, which placed 4th in the National B Division (Belgrano defeated River 2-0 and drew 1-1 at El Monumental). Since then, River promoted themselves back to the Premier Division in 2012 and claimed multiple honors on the span of 7 years. Along the way, they collected two Copa Libertadores titles, 1 Copa Sudamericana title, and one Argentinian Super Cup. When it comes to overall head-to-heads, in 260 official matches across many competitions, both in domestic and continental level, Boca Juniors currently holds the advantage over River Plate, with 91 wins over 86 of River's, with 83 of those occasions where they share the spoils. Boca also lead in total goals scored, 334 to 317.

 

            Then what makes this rivalry so famous then? The answer is passion. Argentinians have an undying passion for football, especially when it comes to two of the biggest teams in the country. At the very least, many supporters of both sides have come up with various (and mostly degrading) nicknames for each other, as well as showing their supports to their own teams. When it comes to supporters of their own sides, they claim to represent not just the entire Buenos Aires, but also all of Argentina, with Boca fans calling themselves La Mitad Más Uno (Half Plus One), and River fans call themselves El País Menos Algunos (A Country Minus a Few). It is another story when it comes to the opposing sides, with Boca fans called River Plate las gallinas (chicken) due to the perception that River players lacked guts, supposedly given after River Plate's 1966 Copa Libertadores finals series loss to Uruguayan side Peñarol, and River fans called Boca Juniors either los chanchitos (little pigs) or bosteros (manure collectors) due to the claim that the area near La Bombonera always smells of bodily waste, and also the existence of a polluted river in La Boca. In every season, a fixture where River Plate is due to play Boca Juniors, there is a sense of anticipation and an air of tense glaring both neighborhoods; and every match is guaranteed a classic, from goals to growing tensions both on and off the pitch. Hell, even their playing philosophies are drastically different. River Plate tend to stick to the fundamentals, bringing the beautiful game for the spectacle. For them, a victory is only a victory if earned with honor, whilst Boca tend to have this "anything goes" mentality when playing their football. For Boca, the end result matters, no matter how clean or how dirty they have to play to achieve those results.And when the match took place, expect passion, drama, and outright hostility from both sets of fans. Hell, some of them can be described as utter chaos, like the Gate 12 Tragedy (Puerta 12 in Spanish) in 1968, where 71 lives were claimed and left 150 more injured, as a result of a stampede at gate 12 of El Monumental. There are many versions of the recounts as told by many eyewitnesses, and all involving several fans of either side acting aggressively to their opposing counterparts. 

 

            I've mention that the superclasico is the most famous football derby in the world, but what would happen if they threw a trophy into the mix? That was the case of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final. Both Boca and River reach the final stage, which was contested over two-legged matches at the time, with the side with the most combined goals over two legs get their hands on the Libertadores title. The first leg, played at La Bombonera ended in a 2-2 draw, which means the title contention is still pretty much anyone's game. But by the time the second leg rolled around, slated to be played at El Monumental, chaos broke, as River fans bombarded Boca's player bus with various projectiles, even at one point broke some of the glass to allow pepper spray to enter the cabin. After much consideration from CONMEBOL, the second leg venue was moved to Madrid, more specifically the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of 14-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, much to both River and Boca's chagrins. Despite all the setbacks, it was inside this hallow Madrid ground where River Plate prevailed with a 3-1 win after extra time (5-3 on aggregate). River would enter another Copa Libertadores final the next year, now played as a single game in neutral ground in a losing effort against Flamengo of Brazil, played in Lima, Peru. Boca Juniors would enter another final in 2023, and again losing to a Brazilian team, in this case Fluminense at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. 

 

            The selection of Madrid as the second leg final venue sparks an irony of its own, which deserves a piece of its own. But in a nutshell, "Copa Libertadores" literally translates to "The Liberator's Cup", owning its name to the leaders of the Latin American Wars of Independence who fought to liberate the region from Spain. It's important to note that both River Plate and Boca Juniors appealed this decision, along with Boca's another appeal to have River disqualified, which went bust.

 

            So, what do I think about this legendary rivalry? Consider that this is happening in Argentina, I have to say that the passion of the fans is unlike anything I've seen since I decided to follow football full time. From the north to the south, Buenos Aires have an undying football scene, and all thanks to both River Plate and Boca Juniors. I've watched some Copa Libertadores on my spare time, and I would love to watch some again to experience the atmosphere of South American football.

Your Mother, Your Savior: The Insane Story of Achraf Hakimi

 Well, what do we have here? I know I'm writing about someone's getting divorced, but this is juicy, considering the economical implication that emerged from this divorce proceedings. As we all know, the family court system, at least in the Western hemisphere, heavily favors women when it comes to divorce, custody disputes, even alimonies. Men are left with almost little to nothing, even if the other side is deemed incapable of sustaining themselves should the court ruled in the women's favor. And this has happened too many times than I can remember.

 

            But over in France, some news about a Moroccan footballer being divorced by his Spanish wife has made the headlines of every social media site and any news sites in that regard, and the news can only be as juicy as it gets. Before diving into the news, let's get to know both parties. The man in this story is Achraf Hakimi, a Moroccan footballer who currently plays his football at Paris Saint Germain of France, and a member of the famous 2022 Morocco squad who secured 4th place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was the one who scored the winning penalty to send Spain packing from the tournament, ensuring his team's spot at the quarterfinals. What makes his case unique is he might have Moroccan citizenship, but he was actually born in Madrid, Spain, and spent majority of his youth career inside the Real Madrid Academy. Despite this, he qualified for Morocco due to his parental heritage, both parents are Moroccan. 

 

            And on the opposite side we have Hiba Abouk, full name Hiba Aboukhris Benslimane (this is a Spanish naming custom, the paternal name is listed first, followed by the maternal name). She is 12 years senior of Hakimi and is known in her homeland as an actress. She is a Spanish citizen of Libyan and Tunisian descent. It also important to highlight that due to the age discrepancies, Hakimi was 18 years of age when he married Abouk. Despite the fact, the couple welcomed two sons. 

 

            And now, let's get to the context of this story. It all started when Hakimi was accused of attempted sexual harassment of a 24-year-old woman, an accusation that is serious, yet still not been proven. Knowing the news, Abouk filed for divorce and demanded half of Hakimi's fortunes, since he has a net worth of about US$ 24 Million. Remember, the family court system heavily favors women over men, and with sexual harassment allegation at play, Abouk would surely be granted most if not half of her husband's fortunes, as well as full custody over their sons. But Hakimi on the other hand, had other ideas. Yes, he is paid a hefty sum of money playing for PSG, one of the biggest football clubs in France, but 80% of his wages, as well as his other assets are registered UNDER HIS MOTHER'S NAME. And this is done way before the scandal broke out. What initially thought would be an easy trial then went south for Abouk, as Hakimi is deemed "broke" according to the law. Hell, if the laws are similar, Hakimi should be the one who benefited from this, as she is now richer than him in light of this revelation. As it turns out Hakimi and his mother have a close relationship, as evidenced by their interaction back in Qatar, as well as other Moroccan players. 

 

            And from this fact, Hakimi's case went viral in a short time. Most men on various social media apps praised the move, claiming that Hakimi had "broke the matrix" and he "rewrite the playbook" when it comes to divorce proceedings. But all he did was something a loving son would do to his mother: make her happy and proud. On the other hand, the radical feminists were seething mad, calling him "mommy's boy" as if it was a bad thing. In the Arab World, as well as in the Islamic culture, it is seen as a good sign if someone is having a close, loving relationship with their mother. As one of the sayings said, "The paradise is located beneath a mother's foot". even the Prophet Muhammad PBUH stressed the importance of a mother's unconditional love. As it would be a savior of someone during the Judgement Day. 

            

            And in the end, not even the most beautiful women or the most notorious gold diggers can persuade a man to abandon his mother. Just because the man is already married, his mother can be neglected all at once. From Achraf Hakimi we learn that no matter how old we are and how successful we are, our mother would still view us as "her baby child". To all the mothers out there reading this, know that this story would serve as a wholesome reminder that in this hectic world, a mother's love remains unconditional.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar: The Most Politically Charged World Cup in History

(Warning: Strong languages ahead)

 

            As I'm writing this, we are only 5 days away from arguably the biggest sporting event in the entire world, the FIFA World Cup. For this year's edition, we will travel to the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, the third ever country from the Continental Asia to host the tournament (the 2002 edition featured Japan and South Korea as co-hosts), and the first host hailing from the Arab nations. I'm all for football and party, but this year, we're not even kicking off yet, there are already concerns about the host nation in particular, on how some of their stances left a sour taste for other countries.

 

            The World Cup is the highest international tournament sanctioned by FIFA (Federation of International Football Association) first held in 1930 with Uruguay acting as the host country, with qualification phases typically began roughly two years after the final match of the previous edition. Since 2002, Each edition features 32 nations competing for football supremacy, although the number are set to increase to 48 when the tournament reopens in 2026, which for the first time ever, hosted together by three countries, being the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Statistically, this world cup is the first for the host nation of Qatar, becoming the first team to host the final tournament without participating in previous edition. This is also the first world cup ever to be hosted by a member country of the Arab League. The last time a world cup was hosted in countries other than Europe, or the Americas was in 2010 by South Africa, the first and only African nation to host the tournament so far. Defending champions, on the other hand, are not exempted from the qualification process. Case in point, the 2018 defending title holders France had to fight their way to a spot in Qatar by placing 1st in their UEFA zone qualification group. There are teams that finally broke their world cup drought, notably Canada and Wales, last qualified in 1986 and 1958 respectively. Italy became the rare case where multiple time winners missed out on two successive tournaments, previously crashed out from Russia 2018. This year, Russia was barred from participating as a result of the ongoing invasion to Ukraine. Prior to this ruling, Russian athletes were banned to enter any competition as Russian representative; they must compete as a neutral athlete or representing their confederations as a sanction for violating the World Anti-Doping Policy. And due to the geographical size of the country, this edition become one such instance in recent history where the venues hosting the matches are less than 10 sites, where there are only 8 stadiums across 5 host cities of Doha, Al Khor, Lusail, Al Rayyan, and Al Wakrah. The first ever tournament in 1930 hosted by Uruguay only featured 3 stadiums in Montevideo, while the most venues across the tournament so far held by Korea-Japan edition in 2002, featuring the massive 20 stadiums across 20 cities between two countries. For the record, 32 teams from across the world are throwing their hats to the ring to become the single best football team in the world, a bragging right everyone is dreaming of. 

 

            But the 2022 world cup is not without its fair share of controversy. First off, the schedule. Since its inception in 1930, the biggest international football tournament always takes place in the middle of the year, following the conclusion of the European football season. That was the case back in 2010 in South Africa, 2014 in Brazil, and the recent one in Russia just over 4 years ago. But since Qatar is basically a desert country, with soaring heat that could reach as high as 40-50°C, the tournament was pushed towards the end of the year, with opening night on 20 November 2022 between Qatar VS Ecuador in Al Khor, and the final on 18 December 2022 in Lusail. This created a hell of a nightmare scenario for European based players and teams, as this tournament fells exactly during the middle of the season and pushing almost towards Christmas. As a result, the tournament was crammed from 30 days to just 28. This tournament then is in jeopardy of being overshadowed due to the nature of the tight schedule, as well as balancing world cup football with the ongoing season of club football, with majority of the leagues are only halfway into their respective seasons.

 

            The second, and probably most prevalent, is the Qatari government's stance on LGBT issues. As like many other countries in the Arab world, Qatari laws are heavily based on the Islamic sharia law, which means, any forms of homosexuality or any other alternate sexualities are heavily frowned upon at the very least. It's pretty obvious that homosexuality is considered haram not just in Qatar, but in every country in the Arab world, or even countries which have a substantial Muslim population. Hell, it is actually illegal to exhibit LGBT behavior in Qatari public space, and if Muslims are convicted of homosexuality in Qatar, then death penalty awaits. As a fellow Muslim, I have to say that the decision regarding the laws is up to the government of the host nation, but I guess what the Qatari ambassador for the world cup, Khalid Salman said about respecting the country's laws are spot on. The West are notorious for forcing their rhetoric on other countries, even if same discourse is not in line with the country's way of life. Hell, some teams are planning to wear a rainbow armband for "solidarity" to the community. Hell, there are news that The USA has revealed an alternate version of the team crest, which replaces the red stripes for the rainbow ones, depicting the LGBT Progressive movement. Other grievances are the limitations of alcohol consumptions in public spaces. It has been quite a staple of every world cup that every supporter of every team drinks quite large amount of booze. Countries like Germany and The Netherlands are known as the haven of alcoholic beverages, most notably beer. France is also in the liquor market, although there is a law that prohibits the advertisement of other liquor products like beers. As like many other Muslim countries, alcohol is also practically prohibited per the sharia law. When it comes to the backlash surrounding the gay issues, I say fuck this shit, and just play some soccer, you brain-dead fucks.

 

            The last thing is the working environment en route to the tournament. For the last three years, Qatar has come under fire for alleged slavery, especially during stadium constructions. Allegations included unpaid work, forced labors, unsafe work environment, even withholding their legal documents such as passports and other legal papers. As a result, backlash ensued in light of this revelation. Many of those workers as it turned out, are foreign workers from places like India and Nepal. 

 

            But on the bright side, this world cup features extensive technologies, either for the stadium or devices designed to help the match officials in the event of a foul or an incident. The 2022 edition will be only the second edition to feature the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), having been used in the 2018 edition, which produces iconic moments like the one at the 2018 final, when Antoine Griezmann of France scored a tide-shifting penalty in the wake of Croatian Ivan Perisic's handball which was reviewed by VAR. This extra set of match officials are used to review certain scenarios that otherwise would be missed by the on-pitch officials, like offside lines, fouls, mistaken identity, and other fouls that could potentially disallows a goal being scored. During its first introduction, football was the latest sport to utilize video referee of some sort in international tournaments. Other sporting events like the Rugby World Cup has used this system (dubbed the Television Match Official, or TMO) since 2011. Previous technologies used are the goal-line technology, first utilized in Brazil 2014 in the back of the controversy surrounding Frank Lampard's ghost goal against Germany in 2010, which ended up being disallowed. This edition will mark the first usage of the Semi-Automatic Offside Technology (SAOT) designed to assist assistant referees to judge whether a player is caught offside. Both of these technologies involving several cameras placed in strategic locations and several sensors planted inside the match ball. Speaking of the ball, Adidas' new match ball, named Al Rihla (which means "The Journey") has several new technologies like the Speedshell panels designed to improve accuracy by enhancing aerodynamics of the ball itself. The other is what is dubbed as CRT-CORE, which provides speed, accuracy and consistency with fast-paced action and precision.

 

            But the most notable ones being the stadiums themselves. As we all know, Qatar's desert climate means high air temperatures. This is mitigated by installing cooling vents inside every stadium used for the matches. Some stadiums even have retractable roofs to control the climate inside the stadium, reducing the excessive usage of coolant and water used for the cooling system. Other means of technological advancements is the usage of sustainable energy to power the stadiums, this being solar energy. Hell, one stadium in particular, Stadium 974 in Ras Abu Daoud, Doha is the first and so far, the only temporary venue used in FIFA World Cup history, being made from various shipping containers. It was first used at the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and would be dismantled after the tournament closed its curtains. 

 

            The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar then, is the world cup edition like no other. From the tournament schedule, and all the politics involved behind the scene, this edition of the biggest international football tournament is shaping up to be the most memorable edition in history, all for the reasons people least expected. With all that being said, when Qatar 2022 opens its doors, we will be treated with spectacular football, nonstop action, and memorable scenes from the football pitch. Regardless of what the media said, this world cup is going to be the epitome of world football. Let's enjoy the world cup, and let the good times roll.

Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster: When Sports Fanatism Turned Deadly

 Indonesians, like me love their sports. It means that I have no shame whatsoever to admit that I've been a sport fan for the entirety of my life. We love our football teams, our athletes, our badminton athletes, and whenever our national team in any sport play a game, all Indonesians come together for their support. But just yesterday, we witness probably one if not the biggest sports tragedy ever witnessed in history. As I said earlier, we Indonesians are quite fanatic when it comes to football (or soccer). And sometimes, the fanatism of said football teams could turn deadly in an instant.

 

            The site is Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java. It was an ordinary Liga 1 regular season between Arema FC VS Persebaya Surabaya. In hindsight, it would appear that these two clubs are only playing regular season football as part of the 2022/2023 season. But for the rest of us, it goes way more than that. These two clubs in fact, are somewhat of a bitter rival, fighting for football supremacy in the eastern part of the Java Island. The rivalry can be traced as far as the two competitions they were initially part of. Arema, formed in 1987, played in Liga Sepakbola Utama (Galatama), Persebaya on the other hand, are much older being first established in 1927, and was part of the amateur-oriented Perserikatan. As a result, Persebaya was pitted against Persema Malang in Perserikatan, and Arema had feuds with Mitra Surabaya in Galatama. When the two competitions merged, many supporters aligned themselves with either Persebaya or Arema. Since then, Persema's form dropped, and Mitra Surabaya was disbanded.

 

            The main cause of this bitter rivalry, however, was not the antics of the players on the pitch, but by the supporter base of each side. There are 4 teams inside the Indonesian league system that have the most devoted fans. each 2 teams represent the west and east region of the Java Island. On the west side are Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung. Two teams from two different provinces, one from the Jakarta SCR and the other represents the capital of West Java with equally hostile environment. Their fanbase, Jakmania (Persija) and Bobotoh (Persib) each have their own ways to intimidate each other, and whenever these two teams play each other, extra security measures are often enforced to reduce the chance of a riot between the fanbases. This is known as the Indonesian equivalent of the El Classico Derby. And there is the Super East Java Derby, guaranteeing hard matches and equally hostile fanbase. The relationship between Aremania (for Arema) and Bonek (for Persebaya) is so dangerous, each supporter base decided to form an agreement in 1988 to not visit each other whether the two teams play each other in any circumstances.

 

            I have seen many instances of stadium riots throughout my lifetime, and each of them is heavily covered. But on this instance, it might be the most devastating. As mentioned earlier, Persebaya supporters were nowhere to be seen when the match kicked-off on Saturday, 1st of October at 08.30 PM Western Indonesia Time. The match itself was intense, with the visitors taking an early two-goal lead, before the hosts equalized towards the end of the first half. Then heartbreak for the hosts happened inside the second 45 minutes, as Persebaya pulled an extra goal, snapping their 23-year home match unbeaten streak. The game finishes 3-2 for the visitors, and the upset Aremania then flooded the pitch while others threw objects in disappointment, demanding explanation from the players and officials for their horrid performance. Riot then ensued when the police, employed by the match organizers threw tear gasses hoping to contain the chaos, but that would only triggered mass panics, as fans rushed towards the only exit gate available. With the combination of mass panic and unbottled anger, several stadium facilities were damaged, and two police vehicles were vandalized. There was also mass stampede as the spectators rushed for their lives. Children got separated from their parents, others trampled by those who had no concern other than their own well-being, and some of them even suffocate due to the tear gas. As the time of writing, they were approximately 448 casualties, including at least 130 deaths from the riot, two of them were police officers.

 

            While I can safely rule out supporter-on-supporter violence, there are some problems that indirectly played their part during the riot. The first was the venue. Kanjuruhan Stadium used for Arema's home games has a 42.000-seat capacity, all of them were sold out. The organizers suggested before the game to only provide 38.000 spectator tickets for this game, with Persebaya fans banned from the premises. The police had also advised, per security concerns, to move the kick-off time ahead from its original timeslot, at 15.30 Western Indonesian Time (03.00 PM). But the match still went ahead on primetime slot due to agreements with the match broadcasters. The other problem being the use of tear gas to disperse crowds. FIFA strongly discourages the use of this contraption but has no say whatsoever for its usage by local match organizers.

 

            The stampede is now recorded as the second-deadliest sports disaster behind the Lima football disaster in Peru which left 328 people dead and ahead of the Accra Sports Stadium disaster in Ghana which killed 126 people. Liga 1 competition is temporarily suspended by the Indonesian FA and President Joko Widodo, until proper evaluation to every security concern is carried out. Arema are also banned from organizing home matches for the rest of the season. It means that by the time the competition is reinstated, Arema FC games are to be played in neutral territory. I might be a proud sports fan, but there is no way that this is something to be proud of. This deadly fanatism within Indonesian football has taken too many lives but with too little mitigation from the Indonesian FA. I wish I could say "let this be the last incident", but with our history of hooliganism, I highly doubt that. For all lives lost during the riot, rest in peace. For those who are injured. I wish you all a speedy recovery. 

Beitar Jerusalem: The Story of the Most Racist Football Team in the World

 (Warning: Strong language ahead)

 

            Forgive my next few words as I open up this piece, but this story is set on a country torn apart by war, racial and religious tensions, and also unwanted interference by the western world. I know where I stand on this subject, and as with many other Indonesians, my stance is that piece of land on the Middle East, where Jerusalem is located, where the Mosque Al-Aqsa is standing, is rightfully belong to Palestine and to Palestinians. I hold nothing against Israeli citizens and the Judaism faith, but it's your government and their allies that is the source of all the fiasco over the last few years. With that being said, I can only say this: Those settlements that you call "Israel" is actually stolen from the rightful owners, the Palestinians. Therefore, you are basically squatters. You literally live on a stolen land, you pompous fucks.

 

            With that out of the way, let's turn to the world of sports, where somehow, football and politics could mix (yeah, nice one right there, FIFA, I thought your stance is to keep football and politics separated, you hypocritical fuckwits). Football clubs are long associated as the identity of one city, or even a country or certain ideology. Like for example the Glasgow Celtics, known to be one of those left-leaning clubs, all because if its history of its formation by Scotland's exiled-Irish community, or even the subject of this story's bitter rival, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, tracing their roots back to the trade union movement. But this one is not only heavily right-wing, but also quite unapologetic about it. Hell, they even pride themselves as "the most racist football club in the world."

 

            May I introduce to you Beitar Jerusalem Football Club, based in (you guessed it) Jerusalem. This is one of a kind for reasons that even Hitler would be blushing in his shit-ridden grave. This club is the only club in the Israeli football league system to never signed a player of Arabic ancestry to this day. The reason being their fanbase (or at least the most fanatic section of it) holds an extreme anti-Arab and anti-Muslim stance, to the extent of hurling abuse at their own players if they are happened to be either or both.  The club itself first founded in 1936, as a youth team by Shmuel Kirschstein and David Horn. Throughout its long history, dating back to the 1940s, this club has been tightly connected with various political entities, like the paramilitary organization called Igrun, to the right-wing Israeli political party named Likud, also known as the National Liberal Movement. Hell, one of the most prolific fans of this club is former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the leader of the Likud party. Several players also unofficially aligned with the Revisionist Zionist Movement. This club was dismantled once in 1939 and had several of its players among the 251 deportees to Eritrea, Kenya, and Sudan by the British Mandate Authorities. Despite the turbulent history, Beitar managed to win several accolades within the league system, such as 6 Israeli Premier League titles, 7 State Cups, 3 Top division Toto Cups, 2 Israeli Super Cups, and 1 League Cup title. Beitar plays their home games at Teddy Stadium, with the capacity of 34.000 seats. Their crest features the menorah, and the club colors are yellow and black, with the home kit usually features yellow base with black sleeves, or even yellow-black stripes. 

 

            But what made Beitar famous is not their playing style or their accolades inside the football pitch. It's the hostile nature of its fanbase. There is one section of fans called "La Familia" who usually occupies the eastern stand of the stadium. They are notoriously anti-Arab and anti-Muslim, displaying their proud connection to their Jewish heritage. In line with their fanbase' sentiments, even some of the players admitted that they have problems with Muslims, while stating in the same breath that they have no quarrels against the Christians. Their player demographics are mostly and exclusively Israeli Jews, partly because of their pride, and partly because of the Israeli foreign players regulation, which only allows up to 6 non-Israeli players in one squad. Although, during the club's tenure, there are 5 Muslim players that once played for the club. The first was a Tajik named Goram Ajoyev. during 1989-90 season, his religious status went unnoticed by the fans, and was well-liked by the Beitar fans. Albanian Viktor Paço was the second Muslim signed by the club, scoring 21 goals in 67 games and at least 2 State Cup goals in two separate seasons. Then came Ndala Ibrahim. The Nigerian was on the team briefly in 2005 on loan from Maccabi Tel-Aviv, played 4 games but left after being mobbed by Beitar fans. The real shitstorm started in 2013 when the club decided to sign Zaur Sadayev and Dzhabrail Kadiyev, both are Muslims from Chechnya. When the fans caught wind of this, they revolted against their own club in disapproval of the two new signings. Two fans even set the administrative office on fire in response to the news. Hell, some even chanted "death to Arabs" despite the fact that they are actually Chechens from Russia. During one game against Maccabi Netanya, Beitar fans put up a banner in Hebrew bearing the words "Beitar-forever pure", and when Sadayev scored his first goal for the club, instead of celebrating, fans walked away from the stadium, allegedly in disgust. In 2019, Ali Mohamed from Niger signed for the club. Despite his name, he is actually a Christian. But the fans are not pleased and demanded him to change his name as the name "Mohamed" was deemed 'too Muslim'. To this day, no players of Arabic heritage ever laced up their boots to play for Beitar Jerusalem, all because of the facts above. Ironically, in 2020, 50% of the club's stakes was acquired by an Arab Muslim from the United Arab Emirates, and not just some Arab Muslim. That man is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, who is the cousin of the crown prince of UAE, Muhammad bin Zayed. I guess God really has a twisted sense of irony. Even I can't believe it at first, that the most openly Islamophobic football club is co-owned by a member of an Emirati Arab royalty. 

 

            Beitar Jerusalem is truly a one-of-a-kind football team. Other teams are known for their flair attacking football, some are known for their tight defense, some teams are known to be the richest clubs in the world, buying quality players from around the world, but none of them are as famous for the hostility of their fans, particularly towards certain race or religious beliefs. I only hope that this particular club sees the error of their ways and move towards a more inclusive direction. But then again, this is Israel. There will still be conflict of all sides, and tensions between Jews and Arabs could re-escalate at any time. With this new co-ownership, who knows what the future holds for the most racist football club in the world. All I can say in closing is let there be peace in the world, and again, let Palestine be free.

Rugby Union VS Rugby League: A Detailed Explanation

If I'm not mistaken, I did something similar to this piece, but the one before is more like an introduction to the sport of rugby football, from its rather accidental conception to perhaps one of the most popular sports in the world. However, for those who only know rugby on the surface, there are actually two versions of this game. Two versions born out of both rebellious attitude and necessity, despite derived from the same Rugby School kid named William Webb Ellis, who ran with the ball in hand, instead of kicking it. 

            In the previous piece, I wrote perhaps a detailed description on how rugby football first codified, up until some clubs, mostly Northern England-based, left the Rugby Football Union, formed Rugby Football League, and codified the laws of rugby league as a more professional-oriented game opposite to a more amateur-based rugby union, until both sports became professional only after World Rugby (International Rugby Football Board at the time) declared rugby union open for professionalism in the wake of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted and won by South Africa. And with that in mind, there are some changes that needed to be made to ensure that the fans are treated with an amazing spectacle of hard-hitting rugby, with of course, emphasizing sportsmanship.

 

            Despite the differences, which will be elaborated later on, there are still some similarities between the two codes. They are played using an oval-shaped ball, with a game of both rugby union and league lasts for 80 minutes. The goal is to score more points than the opposite team through four scoring methods. Those methods are a try, which is the act of grounding the ball inside the opponent's in-goal area, resulting in a conversion kick to convert the try, the penalty goal which came from an infringement, and a drop goal, which is the method of kicking immediately after the ball has touched the ground. The ball itself can be advanced by the means of kicking, running, set pieces, and passing. What makes rugby unique from other sport is that the ball can be kicked forwards but must be passed sideways or backwards. The players may tackle one another, but only towards the player who has possession of the ball. 

 

            The first major difference between rugby union and rugby league is the number of players in the team. As we all know, rugby union team fields 15 players, while rugby league allows 13 men, which is two less players. The positions are more or less the same, with forwards and backs. But here is the main difference: they use different numbering scheme, and one position in rugby union is non-existent in rugby league. Let's start with the forwards, which are the group of players forming the pack for the scrum, and generally doing most of the dirty work on the field. In union, there are 8 players, while league only has 6. The front rows are more or less the same, consisting of two props (loosehead and tight head) and a hooker in the middle. In union, these three are typically the strongest and the heaviest players in the field, acting as the battering ram of the scrum but with limited ball handling skills. In league, these three instead have bigger physique, with more emphasis on ball control and straight running ability. In union, the props wear the numbers 1 for loosehead and 3 for tight head, with the hooker taking the number 2 shirt. In league, those three wears the number 8, 10 and 9 respectively. Second Row forwards, often called locks, forms the scrum behind the front rows. In rugby union, these two are typically the tallest players in the team, as they might be the prime target for line outs. In rugby league however, since there are no line outs, locks are often a lot mobile with speed and offloading abilities. The locks wear the number 4 and 5 in union, and 11 and 12 in league. The back row forwards are the main reason why there are fewer players in rugby league. In union, the back row consists of two flankers (blindside and openside) and a special position called the number 8. The flankers are positioned right beside the second rows on either side, depending on which side of the field the scrum is at a given time. The blindside flanker is positioned near the touchline, while the openside generally occupies the position with the most space on the field. The number 8 is positioned at the very back of the scrum, acted as an extra power and the source of ball control during scrums. The back row in rugby league only contains one player, dubbed the "loose forward". This one could act as an extra out-half similar to a normal fly half and wears the number 13 on his back. The loose forward trio in union wears 6 for blindside flanker, 7 for openside flanker and number 8 for the eponymous position. The backs are generally the same, except for the naming of some positions. The scrum half in union wears the number 9, while the number 7 jersey is reserved in league. fly half occupies the number 10, while the same position can also be called the stand-off and owns the number 6 shirt. centers in union are split to inside center wearing the number 12 and outside center wearing 13, while in league the same position is dubbed the left center (number 4) and right center (number 3). The back three are still occupied by two wingers (11 and 14 in union, 5 and 2 in league) and a full back (15 in union, 1 in league). The substitutes then were given the numbers 16 to 23 in union, and 14 to 23 in league. Sometimes, shirt numbers don't really matter in rugby league, as showed by the English Super League, where players are given shirt numbers between 1 to 30, and to be used for the entire season, while also allowing the surnames of the players to be used in conjunction with the numbers. In their union counterpart, the Premiership Rugby, this practice is also used, although they keep the 1 to 15 numbering scheme, only changing the names of the players wearing it. Outside of England and during international test matches (world cup included), only numbers are used for identification. 

 

            During the gameplay itself, there are many elements from rugby union that was removed during the formation of the rugby league code. The first being rucks and mauls. As we all know, rugby union laws allow the possession of the ball to be contested every time after the tackle has completed, which involves the tackler must release the tackled player, which in turn must release the ball immediately. The forwards of both teams then bind together to push each other in order for either scrum half to safely access the ball. This is known as a ruck. A maul happens when the player in possession of the ball is bounded by teammates and opponents while still standing on their feet. This is typically happened after a line-out. In rugby league however, the tackled player is allowed to keep the possession after the tackle has completed, and the defending team must retreat 10 meters. The player then plays the ball to their scrum half by heeling the ball back to them. The main reason to this is to create a faster, free-flowing game, while at the same time deeming the existence of rucks and mauls would only slow the game down. Union fans argue that the removal of these two key elements means dumbing down the rules for the sake of creating a spectator-friendly game. League fans argue that the union code is slow in nature, and many players simply don't have the physical capabilities to play it. 

 

            The second is the number of attack phases. In rugby union teams can have as many or as little phases of play as they desire in order to score points. This means teams have the freedom to move the ball down the field with various strategies. from line breakers to box kicking, teams have variations of tactics as they own possession of the ball. The most prime example of this is when Ireland took on France during the first matchday of the 2018 Six Nations. During the dying stages of the game, after the French utility back Anthony Belleau missed a kicking opportunity, with less than two minutes to go and the score was 13-12 in favor of the French, Ireland went through 41 phases of play ending with Jonathan Sexton's game winning drop goal at injury time, bringing the score to 13-15. The Irish then went on to win the tournament. In rugby league, there are limitations to the gameplay, namely the "six-tackle law". This specific rule mandates the teams to have equal amounts of tackles in order to advance the ball. when the tackle has completed, and the ball has been played, it counts as one tackle. Teams have six tackles at their disposal, and after those six has been exhausted, a change-over occurs, meaning the attacking team must turn to defense, and the defending team may attack. 

 

            Other changes made is the scrum law. In rugby union, scrums are used as a set-piece to restart the game after a foul, usually a knock-on. The forward pack lines up with the referee's discretion, and after the position has been set, the referee will initiate the engagement with the commands "crouch" to prepare the pack by crouching, "bind" to prepare the props by binding into each other, and "set" to engage. In older days, the commands were "crouch" to prepare the pack, "touch" for the two props to touch each other in the shoulder, "pause" for a slight break, and "engage" for the pack to fully charge and engage into each other, like a literal battering ram. The scrum half then must feed the pack right down the middle, giving the opportunity for both hookers to hook the ball to their teammates behind. In rugby league, scrums are used for restart after a foul and after the ball went outside the playing area, since league doesn't have line outs. The scrum itself is not contested. The forwards would simply bind with no commands from the referee, and the ball is feed through the non-offending team's second row. Line out is the feature exclusively for rugby union. It occurs after the ball has left the field of play (dubbed "into touch") and involves both teams' forwards to line up across each other like that of a tunnel, while the hooker throws the ball in line with the tunnel for teams to contest possession. Most of the time, the opposite of the team who got the ball out of play gets the line out throw, however if it came as the result of a penalty and the non-offending team elected to kick into touch, that team is awarded the line out.

 

            Both rugby codes use the same scoring methods, with the main difference being the number of points awarded. In union, a try is worth 5 points, with the resulting conversion adds another 2 points if successfully executed, bringing the total to 7 points for a converted try. In rugby league, a try is worth 4 points, with the converted try worth 6, one less than union, with conversion points remain the same. The referee also has the power to award a penalty try when there is an infraction occurred, in which if that foul never happened, the try would certainly be scored. Penalty try in union is awarded an automatic 7 points, with no conversion required, while in league, the penalty try procedure is a bit complicated, despite offering the highest number of points possible, being 8. When a penalty try occurs, it automatically awards 4 points while still requiring a conversion kick in normal manner. Then a penalty kick is taken on the place in front of the goal posts, regardless of the place of the foul. Best case scenario being both kicks were successful, and 8 points are awarded in total, while the worst case one is the team could only manage 6 or 4 from the penalty try itself, should either or both kicks missed the target. Penalties and drop goals in union carry 3 points each if the kick went between the posts and over the crossbar, while in league, penalties offer 2 points, and drop goal resulting in just 1 point. This, in turn forces the rugby league teams to rely more on tries since other scoring methods offer less points. But in the event of a close scoring game with one or two points difference, penalties and drop goals might be that one time that would make the difference between winning and losing a game. 

 

            The other difference between the two codes came down to the demographics. During the early inception of the rugby code, the rules at the time restricts the players to be amateurs, with no payments allowed for players after the game. This in turn forces the working-class players to choose to miss matches to focus on their day jobs, or to risk being fired just to play rugby. The Rugby Football League was formed with the working class in mind, and clubs are usually found in the suburbs. While rugby union has always viewed as the upper-class game, mostly found in big cities, and taught in the school systems. It is actually the de factomost popular code of rugby in the world, with 108 unions being official members, and 24 other unions being associate members of World Rugby. Rugby league on the other hand, is governed by International Rugby League (IRL), and only has 35 countries as official members, with 19 of them being full members and 16 affiliates. In addition, 24 other countries acted as observer members. This translates to many fans and players who talked about rugby would refer it as rugby union for most of the time. The game is widely played around the world. Heck, even my country of Indonesia has its own union, called Indonesian Rugby Football Union or INARFU (Persatuan Rugby Union Indonesia in Indonesian), although we still probably miles away from playing our first World Cup. In some places, like Australia and Papua New Guinea, rugby league is actually the most popular sport over rugby union. The Australian national rugby league team, dubbed The Kangaroos are consistently among the best rugby league sides in the world, with the same feat in rugby union is usually debated between New Zealand and South Africa, dubbed the All Blacks and the Springboks respectively. 

 

            Then, it comes down to the physicality of the game itself. Rugby union, with all of its elements, whether it's the ruck, maul, scrum, and line out, is perhaps the most physical game you've ever see. It's not uncommon to see big, bulky props shoving those tiny, twinkle-toed wingers while breaking the defense line, or even towering second rows dominating the line outs, or scrum halves running like their backside is on fire while scoring a try. The forwards must be prepared to handle the dirty work on the field like making tackles, break the line, form a ruck, bang each other's heads in the scrum, and formulate strategies during line outs. The backs are expected to be elusive, fast, and agile, as most of the tries scored came from them. Rugby league, however, are more into the stamina and explosive bursts of powerful tackles, since there is almost no physical element to the game itself, apart from the tackles themselves. In short, union players are mostly specialized in one area of the game, whether it's the strongest, tallest, or fastest. League players tend to have more stamina, as most of the time on the field are spent running around like a stabbed rat. And if you look at both teams' postures, union player are more diverse, some of them are bulked up, some are taller, and some can be considered as short-statured. League players are more uniformed in terms of height and body dimension.

 

            In a nutshell, despite derived from practically the same code, rugby union and rugby league in reality, is two different sports, each with its own laws, fouls, and regulations. From number of players allowed in the team, attacking phases, to the removal of some elements, both codes offer different experiences to different types of fans. If you like a fast-paced game with even amounts of possession and higher scoring chances, rugby league might be suitable for you. If you like a more technical aspect of the game, with various strategies and tactics at your disposal while maximizing the breakdown, then rugby union might be your neck of the woods. Stay safe, and let there be peace in the world.