Happy Birthday Captain!

Today is a great day not just for the city of Milan, but also for the world of football. Forty years ago Javier Zanetti was born, the man whose name became the synonym of loyalty, humility and faith. During his long football career, he managed to reach the highest levels by conquering five trophies of the Italian Seria A, one Champions League Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup just to mention the most important ones. Javier is almost the last player who remained from the CL winner, superb team of Internazionale in 2009 and 2010, which is one of the many reasons why he represents a great asset for the black and blue fans. Thanks to his incredible devotion towards his club (he has been playing for Inter since he arrived to the old continent) he already wrote his name into the football legend’s history book. With all the shining victories and unforgettable battles behind his back he never forgot about his modesty and respectful behavior while earring himself the title of „Captain”. Undoubtedly, without his lead, Inter could have hardly reached those excellent results in the second half of the recent millennium’s first decade. 

However, there is one thing which should be underlined when we are talking about the legend’s career. Zanetti is not just an ever shining star of his profession but also the champion of life. His commitment to help the poor and disadvantaged children is a great example to follow. Almost twelve years ago Javier and his wife Paula gave rise to the P.U.P.I.  Foundation (which is the acronym for Por Un Piberió Integrado, but also his nickname) in order to help the children in one of the most deprived urban areas of Buenos Aires, called Lanús. With the set up of their social enterprise, the Zanettis created a unique space where socially disadvantaged kids receive care and education without which they might find themselves in an even more difficult situation. Following many years of efforts in the social field, he was also nominated as FIFA’s ambassador for the S.O.S Children’s Villages project in Argentina. A few years ago, for his moral behavior on and off the pitch, the captain received the Altropallone award from my receiving foundation. It’s a pity that I could not see him at that time.

To sum up, I am convinced that today’s doping fuelled and market interests governed shiny football world needs more people like Javier. Instead of praising extrovert, luxury addicted football clowns, we should better learn from his example to get close to the true values of sport and life.

Captain, happy birthday and good luck on and off the pitch! 

 

10.08.2013, Milan

About the changelessness in this country

Almost three years ago when I arrived to Italy as an incoming Erasmus student I was astonished by Verona’s charming beauty and the multiculturalism of its certain districts. I never expected that those five months would become such a decisive period of my life and honestly, I never thought that I would learn that much from people from other cultural backgrounds. Sharing a flat with some Arabian students at the university residence was a turning point which opened my eyes for a diverse understanding of the world. Driven by the experience gained in Verona, I wrote my thesis on Italy’s Muslim community and their struggle for recognition. In that paper I strived to depict the new Italian reality, the recent changes of its society but also the difficulties of the so called new Italians, their social exclusion and the discriminatory acts against them. 

As I ever wanted to return to Italy I capitalized on the chance given by the European Voluntary Sevice (EVS) and two years later I re-entered to the Italian soil. This time I found myself in the financial and industrial capital of Lombardy, the rainy-greyish, multicultural Milan where I am assisting the work of a sport-related association primarily dealing with immigrants. Nevertheless, two years passed since my first Italian experience, many of the things did not change in this country and there are even some which seemingly worsened. The manifestations of racism and excluding attitudes did not vanish from the political/public discourse and after the first black Italian minister, Cècile Kyenge, stepped into the scene these seem to became even more explicit and common.

These days the case of Calderoli and Kyenge gets the main attention in the Italian media, as the vice-president of the Italian Senate, the Lega Nord member Roberto Calderoli  paralleled Mrs. Kyenge to an orang-utan. According to the vice-president his statement was only a little joke and it does not have to do anything with racism. Though many public figures called him to step back from his position, sticking to his opinion he did not even thought of resigning. In relation to this case, up to this date nothing happened apart from a dishonest apologise. No resignation, no sanctions from the Senate, no real consequences. And this is what represents the best the changelessness of the things in this country. Despite of the slow progress in the field of social inclusion the general attitudes towards the new Italians continue to be based on the same old prejudices. In this changelessness the role of leading politicians is unquestionable: it would be a mistake to think that they are not in position to shape the general attitudes towards ethnic/religious minorities. Unfortunately, it’s always those with less intellectual capacity and sense of responsibility whose words can attract bigger public attention.

Looking at the happenings from a broader prospect, there’s one thing that every European has to keep in his/her mind. This is the fact that the world around us is changing way too fast and it’s never enough to emphasize that this century will pose some serious challenges for the old continent and those ones who are unable to adopt will face serious difficulties. While some European countries with opened societies of an inclusive attitude (some say they are even too opened) are on the way to easily adopt to these new challenges, others unfortunately are lagging behind. In this regard the Southern and Eastern part of the continent can be paralleled where many of the citizens are still inclined to prejudices or even racially discriminatory attitudes. In the dawn of the 21th century, neglecting the progress of a rapdily changing world, not being able to accept the new realties and sticking to eroded, conservative attitudes are just as backward as completely forgetting about the tradition and the roots of a culture. And in the roots of the European tradition the concept of 'Libertè, Egalitè, Fraternitè' prevails, just in the contrary to the recent manifestations of racism and exclusion. 

Summer memories: Antiracist World Cup - XVII Edition

Have you ever had the feeling of an overwhelming desire to return to a festival just after you have left the scene? Well, if your answer is not, it probably means that you haven’t found your ideal festival yet. Now, after the Antiracist World Cup /Mondiali Antirazzisti/ which took place in the vicinity of Castelfranco Emilia in Emilia Romagna region, I can definitely say I have already found mine, even if its musical profile does not entirely match with my taste.

 

For the first sight, the Antiracist World Cup might seem to be an international sport event, however it’s much more than it, as it also includes a free music festival.  For a few amazing days, sport lovers -players and fans all together- from all over the world gather in the name of antiracism, antifascism and antisexism in order to share this unique experience. While some kind of weird mixed smell of football fan’s pyrotechnics and weed spreads all over the camp’s area, people of diverse origin interact in different ways. They play numerous kinds of games, they sing, they drink, they dance and...you know the rest. From time to time the ultras start chanting the well-known rhythms of „Siamo tutti antifascisti” /We are all antifascists/ after what, some volunteer DJ’s at the bar put on the anthem of Italian partisans, the famous „Bella Ciao”. And in fact, at the Mondiali Antirazzisti, you have a feeling that you are surrounded by a huge group of partisans who did not put down their weapons to continue fighting for a world without fascism and racial hatred. Not surprisingly, leftist ideas shape the attitude of this event where the principle of equality prevails. Thanks to all of its characteristics, the Antiracist World Cup does not align with other regular sport events.  As a matter of fact, it’s a monumental protest against all form of social discrimination, could it be on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender.

As the profile of our foundation in Milan and the message of the Antiracist World Cup have many things in common, we decided to offer our volunteer work at the event. Sadly, the organizers (Unione Italiana Sport per Tutti and Progetto Ultra with the support of FARE network) have to cope with financial difficulties to realize this wonder, therefore they highly rely on volunteers in some fields of the organization and realization. Although not having much experience in the kitchen work, we contributed to the daily tasks of the main restaurant’s staff. As a great pleasure, we could work with four amazing girls, Giulia, Maisha, Sharon and Nicole who were always ready to smile, even during the hardest periods. Feeding more thousand participants was not an easy task, but at least I will always remember the Italian name of the tray: vassoio.

And what did we do apart from assisting the kitchen staff in their work?  Not surprisingly football, football and football (in case I did not oversleep) and all the other stuff what a fellow would do who goes to festivals. Beside the triangle of work, football and joy I also had the chance to listen to the words of Cécile Kyenge Kashetu, the first black minister of the Italian Republic who contributed to the debate in the topic of sport and citizenship. In this way, I not just gained memorable moments, but also extra knowledge on the field of the social aspects of sport that for some time past constitutes the centre of my interest.

Speaking for myself, this event turned out to be one of my greatest experiences so far. Hopefully this nice memory will provide me energy for the remaining days of the summer. If I have the chance, I will definitely return, no matter if I will work as a volunteer or participate as the leader of a future champion team. Thank you for all!

TR4ST kick-off meeting in Cremona

Last weekend we arrived to the next stop of our EVS experience. We participated in the kick-off meeting of the so called “TR4ST: The Rules for Sport Talents” project which aims to diffuse the real values of sport and to promote the principles of fair play and ethical behaviour among young Europeans. The meeting took place in the city of Cremona (the leading project partner) which was previously nominated as the “2013 European City of Sport”. During the three-day long event, it was my pleasure to represent the Hungarian Polgàr Foundation for Opportunities, while Paulo incorporated our hosting organization, the Altropallone Asd Onlus. Beside these entities, a Turkish NGO, the Barrier Free and Happy Life Association”, was also present with a delegation of three members from Ankara.

On the first day, by joining the participants of another European sport-related project, we had the chance to get known with diverse sport associations and its facilities located along the river Po. During one of the briefings we could also listen to the words of Cremona’s Paralympics champion, Daniele Signore. After all, in the end of this long day, we witnessed the official opening of the European Pepo Cup (a football tournament for disabled young people from all over Europe) which took place in the fabulous main square of the city. We were not just amazed by the scene and the greatness of the event, but also by some of the hostesses accompanying the teams.

On the second day the practical work began. After presenting our organizations and discussing the main elements of the project we summarized the initiative in front of the delegates of other European Cities of Sport and the mayor of the Cremona who spent his precious time with us during the lunch as well. Afterwards, we went on a short guided tour and popped in one of the famous violin-making workshops of the town (Cremona is also known for its traditional hand-made violins).

On Sunday we continued the work with the discussion of the topics regarding the project implementation. After the hopes and fears related to TR4ST were described by the participants, a schedule of almost two years was drafted. As the next major event in October, Polgàr Foundation will organize a seven-day long youth exchange in Budapest. In the frameworks of this event, an Education Lab and a football tournament (5 vs 5) will be organized. In order to make the whole TR4ST project more visible, we agreed on the ways of communication and promotion.

As a great closure of this kick-off meeting, we went to have lunch in one of the few kebab bars in Cremona where with the contribution of our beloved Turkish participants we consumed the biggest Kebab dish of our lives without even paying for it.

Not forgetting about my studies, now it’s time to return to Hungary. Hopefully, in a few days time, I will be one step closer to my MA degree. Laters ! 

French riviera for the weekend

The summer has just started. In the weekend me and the future president of the European Central Bank, "kedvesem" Antonio Bianchini, visited the most luckiest heartbreaker, "taureau français" László Feledi, who is on a mission in a youth camp just minutes away from Monaco. Hereby, I would like to thank him and his Turkish pal, Umut Incesu, for the amazing time. Now instead of unneccesary words let the pictures tell the story: