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> The row started when Vazquez Montalban attacked Suker in his weekly
> column in El Pais. Vazquez Montalban, frustrated by Croatia finishing
> third in the World Cup when Spain went out in the group stages,
> criticised Suker for attributing his team's sucess to devine
> intervention.

> > The row started when Vazquez Montalban attacked Suker in his weekly
> > column in El Pais. Vazquez Montalban, frustrated by Croatia finishing
> > third in the World Cup when Spain went out in the group stages,
> > criticised Suker for attributing his team's sucess to devine
> > intervention.

> Well, duh. Davor is spot on. The Good Lord blessed him and his team-mates
> with a sketchy ref in the round of six***, as well as injuries to the
two
> best players on the opposing team. What more could you ask for? ;-)

> "Probably another helpful ref and a geriatric, overrated team in the next
> round....."

> "and a depressed, listless, indifferent team in the next game"

> "because let's face it, one ass-kicking player does not alone a
third-place
> win maketh."

> Or something.
> Zlata

> -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
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> Giles Tremlett
> Madrid
> .........................................................................
> High-brow, literary and intelectually ***y: the new breed of
> footballer
> .........................................................................

> FOOTBALLERS are easy targets for embittered intellectuals who might once
> have dreamt of scoring goals for their national teams but grew up
> instead to become writers, philosophers or artists. With football
> suddenly becoming an egghead's game, the players, more used to thinking
> with their feet than their heads, are coming in for a lot of stick.

> Now one has struck back. Davor Suker, Croatia's World Cup hero and an
> increasingly erratic striker for Real Madrid, has taken on Manuel
> Vazquez Montalban, a writer, esseyist and political commentator, at his
> own game.

> Suker has engaged in a written battle with Vazquez Montalban, a former
> communist thinker and winner of some of Spain's most prestigious
> literary prizes.

> In this new competition Suker has hung up his boots and turned to his
> books. The nature of God, the works of Thomas Mann and the politics of
> former Yugoslavia now concern a player previously only known for his
> powerful left foot, his devotion to Madrid's nightlife and his romance
> with one of Spain's best-known television presenters.

> The row started when Vazquez Montalban attacked Suker in his weekly
> column in El Pais. Vazquez Montalban, frustrated by Croatia finishing
> third in the World Cup when Spain went out in the group stages,
> criticised Suker for attributing his team's sucess to devine
> intervention.

> "Suker involves the name of God even though his team plays a rat-like,
> carrion-picking and messy game," Vazquez Montalban complained. "The
> conversion of football into religion is producing conceptual and
> linguistic contamination. Why should God back Croatia and not Spain? Why
> does He favour the trucculent president of Croatia and not the charming
> king of Spain? Believers who happen not to be Croats should complain
> about the impious and all-exclusive relation that Croatia has
> established with divinity. I would take away Croatia's third place and
> Suker's goals because neither can claim any of the merit for their good
> results," Vazquez Montalban said.

> It took Suker nearly three months to reply but, when he did, he was
> determined to show that he could be as literary, high-brow and
> intellectually ***y as Vazquez Montalban could be knowledgeable about
> football. Suker used El Pais's letters page to defend Croatia's
> president, Franjo Tudjman. "I am surprised that you should describe
> Croatia's president as 'trucculent' while forgetting to mention his Serb
> counterpart. Perhaps, like all communists, you feel a need to follow the
> old party line that insists you back Serbia," wrote Suker.

> "There are times when one must thank God for even the smallest things.
> As Thomas Mann said, a faith in absolute values, however illusory they
> may be, is one of man's vital needs."

> Vazquez Montalban has not responded but, with a weekly column, he has
> the perfect forum. A nation awaits.

> .........................................................................
> Not one to dodge a challenge: Croatia's Davor Suker of Real Madrid, the
> winner of the Golden Boot Award as the best scorer at the World Cup '98
> in France.
> .........................................................................

>"There are times when one must thank God for even the smallest things.
>As Thomas Mann said, a faith in absolute values, however illusory they
>may be, is one of man's vital needs."

>Cna't you get it through the thick head of yours that Romania played crappy
>in that game.

>Don't you think France was lucky to pass Praguay on the Golden Goal and
>Italy on penalties.  Or that Brazil beat Netherlands, or that Netherlands
>passed Yugo by a final minute strike (and a missed penalty by Yugo), or
>that Argentina beat England, or ........

>So yes every team needs luck to pass to the next round (including Croatia
>and Romania).

>> > The row started when Vazquez Montalban attacked Suker in his weekly
>> > column in El Pais. Vazquez Montalban, frustrated by Croatia finishing
>> > third in the World Cup when Spain went out in the group stages,
>> > criticised Suker for attributing his team's sucess to devine
>> > intervention.

>> Well, duh. Davor is spot on. The Good Lord blessed him and his team-mates
>> with a sketchy ref in the round of six***, as well as injuries to the
>two
>> best players on the opposing team. What more could you ask for? ;-)

>> "Probably another helpful ref and a geriatric, overrated team in the next
>> round....."

>> "and a depressed, listless, indifferent team in the next game"

>> "because let's face it, one ass-kicking player does not alone a
>third-place
>> win maketh."

>> Or something.
>> Zlata

>> -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
>> http://SportToday.org/;     Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own  

> >Zlata,

> >Cna't you get it through the thick head of yours that Romania played
crappy
> >in that game.

> Maybe they didnt play a good match, but Romania was a much more
> interesting, and attractive team than Croatia. Illie was pure magic.

> >Can't you get it through your head that every team needs luck to get to
the
> >top.

> >Don't you think France was lucky to pass Praguay on the Golden Goal and
> >Italy on penalties.  Or that Brazil beat Netherlands, or that
Netherlands
> >passed Yugo by a final minute strike (and a missed penalty by Yugo), or
> >that Argentina beat England, or ........

> >So yes every team needs luck to pass to the next round (including
Croatia
> >and Romania).

> >> > The row started when Vazquez Montalban attacked Suker in his weekly
> >> > column in El Pais. Vazquez Montalban, frustrated by Croatia
finishing
> >> > third in the World Cup when Spain went out in the group stages,
> >> > criticised Suker for attributing his team's sucess to devine
> >> > intervention.

> >> Well, duh. Davor is spot on. The Good Lord blessed him and his
team-mates
> >> with a sketchy ref in the round of six***, as well as injuries to the
> >two
> >> best players on the opposing team. What more could you ask for? ;-)

> >> "Probably another helpful ref and a geriatric, overrated team in the
next
> >> round....."

> >> "and a depressed, listless, indifferent team in the next game"

> >> "because let's face it, one ass-kicking player does not alone a
> >third-place
> >> win maketh."

> >> Or something.
> >> Zlata

> >> -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network
==----------
> >> http://SportToday.org/;     Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your
Own  

> >Zlata,

> >Cna't you get it through the thick head of yours that Romania played crappy
> >in that game.

> Maybe they didnt play a good match, but Romania was a much more
> interesting, and attractive team than Croatia. Illie was pure magic.

> This comment merits no response whatsoever.  People who tend to use
> profanity are usually the ones who are not literate enough to find other
> words.

>> >Zlata,

>> >Cna't you get it through the thick head of yours that Romania played crappy
>> >in that game.

>> Maybe they didnt play a good match, but Romania was a much more
>> interesting, and attractive team than Croatia. Illie was pure magic.

>I hope you're not talking about the match against Croatia, because Illie
>didn't do anything particularly special to distinguish himself in that
>match. Croatia created more and better opportunities, and was never
>seriously challenged by the Romanian offence. We deserved the victory.

>And I really don't understand how you can say that Romania was a more
>attractive team. Did you see the two goals that we scored against Holland?
>If I recall correctly, both of them involved eight consecutive touches on
>two brilliant counter-attacks resulting in goals for Croatia. They
>couldn't have been prettier.