Hyperborea
10-11-2004, 10:14 PM
A MINUTE'S SILENCE THEY COULDN'T REFUSE
Two teams in southern Italy and their fans embarrassed the football authorities at the weekend after holding a silent tribute to a suspected mafia boss.
Isola Capo Rizzuto and Strongoli showed absolutely no disrespect to carmine Arena, reputedly the head of the local 'Ndrangheta Mafia family, who was gunned down in an ambush on the Saturday evening.
An Italian newspaper reported that the chairman of the home team was Arena's cousin, and went on to say that 18-year-old referee Paolo Zimmaro granted his request of a minute's rememberance, unaware of any mob ties.
"The minute's silence ... shows the power of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and how it succeeds in dominating entire communities even to the extent of invading the sports field," said Angela Napoli, vice-chairman of parliament's anti-Mafia committee.
The referee has since been suspended for a breach of league rules (you have to request a minutes silence through the Italian FA Apparently).
SOOTH-SAY IT AIN'T SO
A South African traditional healer says she and her dead ancestors played a key role in winning South Africa the 2010 World Cup bid, but organisers short-changed her, a Reuters are reporting.
Anna Nxumalo, a traditional healer who lives near Johannesburg, told the Star newspaper that officials from the South African Football Association visited her a few days before the results of the 2010 World Cup bid were announced.
"They asked me to predict if South Africa would win the bid," she said. "I threw the bones and spoke to my ancestors. They told me we would win."
Traditional healers say that asking for a prediction is much the same as asking for something to happen, the paper reports.
SAFA President Molefi Oliphant said he was surprised and shocked by the suggestion. As far as he knew, no one at SAFA had consulted a healer about the bid, he said.
SAFA has offered 7.5 million rand (£645,000) bonuses to the three South African soccer officials who helped secure the bid. Traditional healing organisations say Nxumalo deserves more than the 50 rand (£4.30) she says received for her services.
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/wacky/
Two teams in southern Italy and their fans embarrassed the football authorities at the weekend after holding a silent tribute to a suspected mafia boss.
Isola Capo Rizzuto and Strongoli showed absolutely no disrespect to carmine Arena, reputedly the head of the local 'Ndrangheta Mafia family, who was gunned down in an ambush on the Saturday evening.
An Italian newspaper reported that the chairman of the home team was Arena's cousin, and went on to say that 18-year-old referee Paolo Zimmaro granted his request of a minute's rememberance, unaware of any mob ties.
"The minute's silence ... shows the power of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and how it succeeds in dominating entire communities even to the extent of invading the sports field," said Angela Napoli, vice-chairman of parliament's anti-Mafia committee.
The referee has since been suspended for a breach of league rules (you have to request a minutes silence through the Italian FA Apparently).
SOOTH-SAY IT AIN'T SO
A South African traditional healer says she and her dead ancestors played a key role in winning South Africa the 2010 World Cup bid, but organisers short-changed her, a Reuters are reporting.
Anna Nxumalo, a traditional healer who lives near Johannesburg, told the Star newspaper that officials from the South African Football Association visited her a few days before the results of the 2010 World Cup bid were announced.
"They asked me to predict if South Africa would win the bid," she said. "I threw the bones and spoke to my ancestors. They told me we would win."
Traditional healers say that asking for a prediction is much the same as asking for something to happen, the paper reports.
SAFA President Molefi Oliphant said he was surprised and shocked by the suggestion. As far as he knew, no one at SAFA had consulted a healer about the bid, he said.
SAFA has offered 7.5 million rand (£645,000) bonuses to the three South African soccer officials who helped secure the bid. Traditional healing organisations say Nxumalo deserves more than the 50 rand (£4.30) she says received for her services.
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/wacky/