Refugee scores top soccer honour

By Loukas Founten

Updated October 09, 2012 08:58:16

Two years after fleeing oppression and poverty in his homeland, an Eritrean refugee has shared the top individual prize in South Australia's premier domestic soccer competition.

Alemayo Kebede was awarded the Sergio Melta Medal for best player in the state's Super League, alongside Raiders midfielder Nicholas Orr at a ceremony at the weekend.

Kebede and Orr each received 20 votes, one clear of Campbelltown City captain Vas Parhas.

It is the second time Orr has won the award in a tie, after claiming the honour in 2007 when he played for Para Hills.

For Eritrean international Kebede, the achievement completes an amazing journey after he and his national squad team-mates vanished from a tournament in Kenya, in December 2009.

The squad sought refuge in a Kenyan refugee camp, then relocated to Australia in late 2010.

After months without kicking a ball, the group arrived in Adelaide and dispersed among the local clubs.

Kebede's Croydon Kings finished top of the table this season, but bowed out in the finals series when it lost to grand finalists Adelaide City and eventual premier MetroStars.

Kebede, 25, said winning the award was a surprise.

"I've been in Australia for two years and for the first time being the best player. It was a good season for me and for my team to be champion and yeah I was really happy, even though I didn't expect it," he said.

"I was nervous, even I couldn't walk straight. It's my life, I love soccer and I played for the Eritrean national team under 17s and senior for many years. Yeah, I don't want to stop soccer, I love soccer and I would like to thank everyone, my team-mates who cared for me and encouraged me. I've been here for two years and everyone's friendly and I really enjoy it, I like this team."

The softly-spoken attacker said he had spoken with his family in Eritrea and they were extremely proud of him.

"I called them last night and they were very happy," he said.

Croydon's Mark Brazzale collected the Martyn Crook award for best coach and said Kebede had repaid the club for the work it had done to help him settle into Australian life.

"We've got him a job and we've helped him out in that way and he feels very much at home here ... and that's what we're trying to do. We're a club that's got a bit of multiculture in our club so we're trying to get everybody and have one happy family," he said.

"He's going to be here again next year so we want to build something here. We've got a lot of young guys coming through so we want to have a good side for the next two or three years and he's definitely part of our plans."

Last season two of Kebede's compatriots scored A-League contracts with the now-defunct Gold Coast United club.

Tags: refugees, human-interest, community-and-society, soccer, sa, adelaide-5000, australia, eritrea

First posted October 09, 2012 08:55:56

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Boy hit by rock in Sydney soccer brawl

Updated August 15, 2012 11:02:17

The chief executive of A-League club Sydney FC has pushed for an immediate end to violence at football games after a child and man were injured during a brawl at a preseason match last night.

Tony Pignata's comments came after a friendly between Sydney FC and NSW State League club Macarthur Rams at Campbelltown Stadium turned sour when a fight reportedly erupted between 20 people.

Police are investigating the incident, said to have been sparked when fans of the new Western Sydney Wanderers side, know as the Red and Black Bloc (RBB), threw a flare at Sydney FC supporters.

The boy suffered bruising to his head from a rock that was thrown during the melee.

The man was taken to hospital after being kicked in the head.

"Very disappointed in what happened tonight. Not needed and a few spoil it for everyone. Needs to be stopped now," Pignata tweeted on Tuesday night.

The incident is a worrisome start for the A-League's newest local rivalry.

Western Sydney will face Sydney FC three times this coming season, with the first game on October 20 at Parramatta Stadium.

Wanderers chief executive Lyall Gorman and Pignata will hold a press conference at 12.00pm today.

Tags: assault, law-crime-and-justice, a-league, sport, campbelltown-2560

First posted August 15, 2012 08:26:34

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Riot sparks carnage at Egyptian soccer match

Updated February 02, 2012 20:51:27

At least 74 people died and around 1,000 were injured during a riot in a soccer stadium in the Egyptian city of Port Said this morning, officials said.

Fans throwing stones, fireworks and bottles invaded the pitch after the home team al-Masry scored a 3-1 win over Al Ahly, one of Egypt's biggest clubs.

The dead and injured included security officers and some players.

The military has deployed troops in Port Said to prevent further clashes, state television reported, adding that the road out of the city had been secured.

Witnesses said fighting began after Al Ahly fans unfurled banners insulting Port Said and one ran on to the pitch carrying an iron bar at the end of the match.

Al-Masry fans reacted by pouring onto the pitch and attacking Ahly players before turning to the terraces to attack rival supporters, including "ultra" Al Ahly fans who played a leading role in Egypt's revolution last year.

Most of the deaths were among people who were trampled in the crush of the panicking crowd or who fell from terraces, witnesses and health workers said.

Many fans died in a subsequent stampede, while some were flung off their seats onto the pitch and were killed by the fall. Meanwhile, rioting fans fired flares straight into the stands.

The country's deputy health minister Hesham Sheiha described the carnage as the "biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history."

Al Ahly player Mohamed Abo Treika described the violence as war.

"This is not football," Treika said. "This is a war and people are dying in front of us.

"There is no movement and no security and no ambulances. I call for the premier league to be cancelled. This is horrible situation and today can never be forgotten."

Egypt's top Muslim cleric called the events a "massacre" that violated the words and teachings of Islam.

The head of Egypt's ruling military council, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, said two helicopters were being sent to Port Said to fly out Al Ahly players and fans and transfer the injured to military hospitals.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood accused supporters of ousted president Hosni Mubarak of instigating the violence.

"The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime," Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Essam al-Erian said.

"There are those who deliberately want to sow chaos in the country and place obstacles in front of the peaceful transfer of power."

Albadry Farghali, a member of parliament for Port Said, accused officials and security forces of allowing the disaster, saying they still had ties to the former Mubarak regime.

"The security forces did this or allowed it to happen. The men of Mubarak are still ruling. The head of the regime has fallen but all his men are still in their positions," he screamed in a telephone call to live television.

"Where is the security? Where is the government?"

Hospitals throughout the Suez Canal zone were put on a state of emergency, and dozens of ambulances rushed to Port Said from the Canal cities of Ismailia and Suez, said an official in the zone's local ambulance service.

Another match in Cairo was halted by the referee after receiving news of the violence in Port Said, prompting fans to set parts of the stadium on fire, television footage showed.

All Egyptian league games have been suspended in the wake of the violence and Egypt's parliament was holding an emergency session.

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter described the riot as a "black day for football."

"I am very shocked and saddened to learn this evening that a large number of football supporters have died or been injured," Mr Blatter said in a statement.

"Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen. My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives this evening."

Violence at football matches across north Africa has increased significantly since political unrest swept across the region in last year's Arab uprising.

ABC/wires

Tags: accidents, disasters-and-accidents, soccer, sport, egypt

First posted February 02, 2012 06:13:44

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Heads roll over Egypt soccer carnage

By foreign affairs editor Peter Cave, wires

Updated February 03, 2012 06:19:51

Egypt's prime minister has announced the entire leadership of the country's football association, including its director and management board, has been sacked.

It comes after at least 74 people were killed and hundreds injured in violent clashes following a soccer game in the northern city of Port Said.

Prime minister Kamal al-Ganzuri told an extraordinary session of parliament in Cairo that the governor of Port Said had also resigned his post.

Earlier it was announced the government had sacked its head of security in the city for failing to effectively deal with the riot.

Interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the city's security chief Essam Samak had been removed, as the Egyptian parliament held an emergency session to consider what to do about the incident.

A member of parliament for Port Said, Albadry Farghali, blamed security forces for the violence, saying they "did this or allowed it to happen".

Meanwhile, protesters closed off Cairo's Tahrir Square and state TV headquarters ahead of a demonstration against police handling of the clashes.

Three days of mourning have been declared for the victims of the violence, and the emergency session of parliament has opened with a minute's silence.

Its speaker says the riots - one of the deadliest incidents in football history - are the "work of the devil" and Egypt's revolution is "in danger".

Fans throwing stones, fireworks and bottles invaded the pitch after the home team al-Masry scored a 3-1 win over Al Ahly, one of Egypt's biggest clubs.

State television showed footage of riot police standing rigidly in rows as the riot erupted around them.

Mr Ibrahim said most of the deaths were caused by the crush but medics said some people were also stabbed or clubbed to death.

Hundreds were treated for injuries. Forty-seven people had been arrested.

The dead and injured included security officers and some players.

The military has deployed troops in Port Said to prevent further clashes, state television reported, adding that the road out of the city had been secured.

Witnesses said fighting began after Al Ahly fans unfurled banners insulting Port Said and one ran on to the pitch carrying an iron bar at the end of the match.

Al-Masry fans reacted by pouring onto the pitch and attacking Ahly players before turning to the terraces to attack rival supporters, including "ultra" Al Ahly fans who played a leading role in Egypt's revolution last year.

The Muslim Brotherhood blamed the clashes on supporters of fallen president Hosni Mubarak, and came as the country struggles with a wave of incidents linked to poor security.

State television said Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, sent two military planes to fly out the players and the injured from Port Said late on Wednesday.

He stressed that the country's security was "fine" as he waited at a Cairo airport to meet the players and wounded fans.

ABC/wires

Tags: disasters-and-accidents, unrest-conflict-and-war, soccer, sport, egypt

First posted February 02, 2012 22:23:58

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Brazilian soccer star Socrates in 'critical' condition

Updated December 03, 2011 23:47:53

Former Brazilian soccer star Socrates was in "critical condition" in an intensive care unit on Saturday after suffering intestinal infection.

Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital announced in a statement that the 57-year-old Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira, who was commonly referred to as Socrates, "was in critical condition due to a septic shock of intestinal origin".

The statement added that he was breathing with a ventilator and using a dialysis machine.

He was taken to the hospital late Friday (local time) after reportedly suffering food poisoning.

Socrates was hospitalised twice in August and September this year with bleeding in his digestive tract.

He played for the Brazilian national team in 1982 and 1986 during the World Cup tournaments in Spain and Mexico.

AFP

Tags: soccer, sport, brazil

First posted December 03, 2011 23:47:53

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Police sorry after soccer eviction tweets

Updated July 14, 2011 23:12:06

Victoria Police has apologised for giving a running online commentary about evictions from a soccer game played in Melbourne last night.

Police used Twitter to update followers on how many people were being kicked out of the game between Melbourne Victory and Glasgow Celtic at AAMI Park.

One tweet read: 'Game over, Celtic 1, Police 14.'

Football Federation Australia (FFA) spokesman Kyle Patterson says the tweets were inappropriate.

"This is the era of social media where we all need to come to grips with the new norms, the new standards, the new nuances, but I suggest last night the nuances weren't right," he said.

Mr Patterson says the FFA has asked for an explanation.

"It has been received as provocative among football fans - both at the event and those following it," he said.

Inspector Mick Beattie, who directed police operations at the game, says had he known what was happening he would have stopped it.

"If any of this stuff had been run past me it would not have gone out," he said.

"I was advised that it was an attempt to be light and slightly humorous, obviously that has failed."

Fourteen people were ejected from the game out of a crowd of 20,000.

Melbourne Victory has established a working group with Victoria Police to foster a better relationship between soccer fans and police.

Victoria Police has also released a statement about the incident.

"Victoria Police regularly sends tweets in relation to major events including sporting events and significant police operations. Given the significance of last night's soccer match the Media Unit made the decision to send out specific tweets in relation the event," the statement read.

"A number of the tweets included information on the evictions from the ground.

"This is no different from information provided at other sporting events including the Ashes, where we gave information on the number of people who were removed from the MCG.

"At the time we received no feedback that people were unhappy with information being provided about evictions or other crowd behaviour."

The statement said the tweets were not meant to antagonise football fans.

"If people misunderstood our intent then that is regrettable. We certainly did not want to antagonise soccer fans who were generally well-behaved at last night's game," it said.

"This was never about soccer and again, we tweet from any number of high profile events and operations. It's about getting a safety message out."

Tags: social-media, sport, soccer, police, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted July 14, 2011 19:24:18

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Critics question soccer reforms

ELEANOR HALL: Despite weeks of infighting and persistent corruption allegations soccer's world governing body last night opted to keep its controversial leader.

Sepp Blatter is promising to reform FIFA but his many critics say it's time for action and not just more talk.

Simon Santow has our report.

SIMON SANTOW: Before the vote Sepp Blatter may have questioned whether FIFA was an organisation in crisis.

But after triumphing in a one horse race he was doing his best to hold out an olive branch to his critics inside and outside FIFA.

SEPP BLATTER: There is no bad feeling of any of the associations that were not voting for me because I'm the president of FIFA and with 186 votes I'm proud, I am proud. And then those that were against they are also the members of FIFA and we take them all together.

SIMON SANTOW: Seventeen nations abstained from the vote but the impact of their campaign for reform was felt by the self proclaimed patriarch of the FIFA family.

Sepp Blatter has promised to make future contests to host the World Cup a vote of all members rather than restricting them to the now tainted 24 member executive committee.

He's also vowed to undertake "radical and necessary" reform rather than cosmetic changes.

Australia's Sports Minister Mark Arbib has put the FIFA boss on notice.

MARK ARBIB: He has said that he will take on reform in the organisation and he now must do that. President Blatter has a great deal of work to do. He and his organisation have to get on with it.

SIMON SANTOW: Mr Arbib has likened the task ahead of football to the job in reforming the International Olympic Committee a decade ago.

Ben Buckley is the chief executive of the Football Federation Australia. He pledged support for Sepp Blatter

BEN BUCKLEY: The language coming from the president and the rest of the FIFA executive today was positive in that it would look to reform the decision making process, particularly around the World Cup. And we've been on the record before as saying that that process is somewhat flawed and needs to be looked at. In that context we're very pleased.

SIMON SANTOW: But his caution and diplomacy has angered many soccer supporters and former officials. They worry that the old regime is incapable of meaningful change.

The Australian Government was embarrassed when $45 million of taxpayer money produced a single vote for the nation's bid to host the World Cup in 2022.

BEN BUCKLEY: What is important is in any future bidding process that technical capability and logistical and operational capability is very much at the forefront of the way the decision is made.

SIMON SANTOW: Allegations have been flying in recent weeks that Qatar's win was sealed by corrupt payments to key FIFA officials.

Australian football commentator Les Murray sits on the 13 member Ethics Committee charged with getting to the bottom of it all.

LES MURRAY: There's never any, even the slightest sign of an attempt to interfere with or to influence the committee in any shape or form.

SIMON SANTOW: Now there's been insults flying every which way, including ones involving the newly re-elected president Sepp Blatter.

Did you have enough time to investigate the various allegations that have been made?

LES MURRAY: Well we did yes. I mean I was there for two days and we finished on the first day although it was an all day meeting.

But the function of this particular meeting was to, was not to find the accused innocent or guilty but to establish or otherwise if there was a prima facie case to warrant further investigation.

SIMON SANTOW: What do you say to critics who say, look Sepp Blatter has had more than a decade in charge there, that he is not the right person to be leading reform at the organisation?

LES MURRAY: Well I mean what I say to that is that he is the one that's there. I mean I don't want to be seen to be a defender of Sepp Blatter here but he is there because nobody else has run against him.

This will be I gather Blatter's last presidency and therefore this is a great opportunity for him now without needing any further political support for any future election he might have to take a leadership role on cleaning up the organisation.

SIMON SANTOW: And you have confidence that he will do that or is this more part motivation that you're trying to get him to do that?

LES MURRAY: I honestly don't know whether he will do it. He's made noises certainly at the congress in his introductory remarks and also in his speech, in his acceptance speech that steps have to be taken to clean up the organisation.

You know he said the other day that there was no, at a press conference, that there was no crisis. But I honestly don't think he believes that. I think he knows there is a crisis and he's got to fix it and fix it real quick.

ELEANOR HALL: That's SBS commentator and member of the FIFA Ethics Committee Les Murray ending Simon Santow's report.

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Leading soccer manager sacked for coming second

ELEANOR HALL: Second isn't good enough. It's a mantra professional coaches understand and it's just been enforced in a ruthless way by the Chelsea Football Club.

The club sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti overnight, despite winning two titles with him a year ago.

As Michael Atkin reports it highlights the highly competitive nature of European football, where wealthy private owners demand instant results.

MICHAEL ATKIN: Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti took the football team to unprecedented heights last season - winning both the English Premier League and the FA Cup.

SOCCER COMMENTATOR: There is the final whistle. Chelsea do the double for the first time in their history.

MICHAEL ATKIN: But just one year later, the team is in disarray after Ancelotti lost his job. Speaking after Chelsea's loss to Everton to end the season, it was clear he had no idea he was about to be sacked.

CARLO ANCELOTTI: I said I would like to stay but I have to accept the decision of the club. Now they have time to judge my job, if they decided that I have to stay, I will stay.

MICHAEL ATKIN: But shortly after the Italian was told finishing second to rivals Manchester United wasn't good enough. Chelsea released this statement to justify the sacking.

EXTRACT FROM STATEMENT FROM CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB: This season's performances have fallen short of expectations and the club feels the time is right to make this change ahead of next season's preparations.

MICHAEL ATKIN: It's sparked a furious debate in football circles about whether he deserved to go. It's been described as damaging to the game by the Managers Association and former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux said it was bad for the players.

Damien Lovelock is a football commentator with Sky News. He says while the sacking is harsh by Australian standards, European football is a tough business where they expect results.

DAMIEN LOVELOCK: AFL, NRL even the A-League, oh yes, terribly, terribly poorly treated. By European standards especially in the elite competitions, not at all. It is worth the most money therefore it has the least margin for error. If you look at their season, I mean last year he comes in and they win two trophies so that is great.

This year that doesn't matter. Unless he had the most incredible bad luck with injuries or something, last year's great now do it again. You know, do better.

MICHAEL ATKIN: Chelsea is one of a growing number of European football teams with wealthy foreign owners. Ambitious Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is desperate for Chelsea to succeed in the European Champions League and when it didn't happen this year - he intervened.

Damien Lovelock says the owner's impatience destabilised the team.

DAMIEN LOVELOCK: Abramovich sacks the assistant coach, Ray Wilkins who is probably the most popular guy at the club, doesn't give a reason, didn't even tell Ancelotti he was going to do it. Ancelotti reads about it in the paper. It was extremely unpopular with the players and guess what - that is when the slump started.

He then signs Fernando Torres who has been out of form for nearly two years, signing a guy like that when you have still got Didier Drogba in your team and Nicolas Anelka who were getting the job done for you, doesn't exactly promote team harmony.

I think that's the biggest problem at Chelsea.

SOCCER COMMENTATOR: What a season for Chelsea and Carlo Ancelotti.

ELEANOR HALL: Not any more, Michael Atkin reporting there.

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Soccer group seeks central home for game

Posted May 15, 2011 07:22:00

A case is being built for a home of soccer in southern Tasmania.

Football Federation Tasmania wants a soccer centre to be built which would include several grounds for school teams to play and train on.

The Federation has commissioned Deloitte to investigate a suitable place around Hobart for a centre.

Sean Collins from Football Federation Tasmania says southern Tasmania lacks the infrastructure needed for the popular sport.

"We've got 14-thousand players in Tasmania, we're the fastest growing participant sport and the problem particularly with the juniors is we're running out of grounds."

"And also the grounds that we do have in the winter often get closed, they're not up to par," Mr Collins said.

Tags: sports-organisations, football, tas, hobart-7000

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An African soccer team in Cairns

Growing up in Sudan, Yor Asheen would play soccer with a sock full of rubbish, kicking to his mates on quiet back streets.

"We'd just kick around and have fun, you know. Forget what you're seeing [around you]," he says.

When he migrated in 2006, the first question he asked on Australian soil was where the nearest soccer club was.

"I asked the lady that was helping us and I said football. She said they call it soccer over here," he says smiling.

Now Yor hopes the game will bring Africans in his new home of Cairns closer together.

Last year, Yor tried to put together a team made up exclusively of African players to play in Division Two of the Cairns District and Soccer Association's competition.

"It just came to my mind, 'Why don't we make a team?' because we all played in different teams and we'd play against each other," he says.

After a promising start though the team fell over just before the start of the season.

But this year, with greater numbers and support from the Redlynch Soccer Club, the team has entered the competition as Redlynch Gold and currently has one win and one loss for the season.

Some of the players don't speak English but Yor says there is a common bond between the players who come from Sudan, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"When we first started the team and said it was going to be African, everyone [in the African community] was interested ... we're there as African people together and that's what we wanted."

Kelly Wetzel, who is helping the team says the relationships formed off the pitch are more important than wins and losses.

"What we're trying to do is bring the whole African community together, get closer with each other because we're all from different parts and we all speak different languages, but when we come together, it's a really exciting thing," she says.

"People from different countries tell us stories and that's a really good part of it."

Redlynch Gold are currently looking for sponsors to help them in their inaugural season. If you'd like to become a sponsor, please contact ABC Far North on 1300 801 222 and we'll pass on contact details.

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