A footballer with a conscience is a rare thing, so let's not gag them all

Football Food For Thought / Feizal Rahman / 01 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

Salomon Kalou says he was pretending to be a wrestler rather than showing solidarity for an Ivorian political activist with his 'handcuffs' celebration in midweek. Shame on you says Feizal Rahman, and shame on the authorities for continually clamping down on footballers who see a world beyond the game.

With England boss Fabio Capello being treated to a lapdance live on national TV back home in Italy, the busybodies at the FA will no doubt have been feeling a little left out this week. So, with nothing else better to do, they have decided to investigate Salomon Kalou's 'handcuffs' goal celebration during Chelsea's win over Middlesbrough ([3.15] to be relegated) on Wednesday night.

Initially believed to be a sign of support to a recently emancipated Ivorian political activist, Kalou has since stated that it was merely an homage to a WWE wrestler. As amusing is the thought of the suits at Soho Square trawling through footage of piledrivers and bodyslams to corroborate this, it nevertheless raises the question as to why they are looking into it at all.

Football's governing bodies are disapproving of any overt political activity on the pitch and previous incidents similar to this one have also been subject to investigation. Identical gestures by Everton's Tim Cahill and Ipswich Town's David Norris - in support of an incarcerated brother and friend, respectively - were examined by the FA, with Norris handed a fine.

More recently, Liverpool were questioned over their squad wearing t-shirts during a pre-match warm-up that declared support for Michael Shields, the Reds fan imprisoned in Bulgaria for murder. Back in 1997, Robbie Fowler also unveiled a t-shirt after scoring in a Uefa Cup tie at Anfield (pictured), in a show of solidarity with sacked Liverpool dockers.

Elsewhere in Europe, there has been a history of politically motivated expressions. Earlier this month - again using the popular t-shirt approach - Sevilla's Frederic Kanoute ([9.2] to be top La Liga goalscorer) sought to highlight the matter of Palestine. For this he received a fine from the Spanish FA, incidentally, for the same amount that Real Madrid, as a club, was charged for their fans using 'fascist' gestures and slogans.

The Catalan-born defender, Oleguer Presas - formally of Barcelona - has written books on the anti-fascist struggle in Spain and as a staunch nationalist has caused controversy in Spain. Meanwhile, over in Italy, former West Ham striker, Paolo Di Canio, made no secret of his far-right leanings with a fascist salute in front of the Stadio Olimpico's Curva Nord whilst playing for Lazio.

Yet, from whichever angle a politically-motivated gesture may derive, unless it breaks the law, why should football's governing elite seek to silence it?

Religious posturings are highly prominent, with numerous Christian players making a point of crossing themselves at every opportunity and several players - including AC Milan's Kaka - proclaiming their love of Jesus on their undershirts. Why should this be any less offensive to people of other faiths or non-believers? At a time when Sundays are now evidently more associated with football than the Sabbath, is it not ironic that religion can be tolerated in the game but not politics?

Able to act as role models and use their public profile as a platform, footballers should have as equal a right as Hollywood stars, TV personalities and rock musicians to stand behind a cause they believe in. While some would argue that showbiz celebrities too have no place imposing their views on the paying public, the ghastly alternative is that we simply leave politics to the politicians - and what a fine job they are doing.

The politicisation of sportsmen, as well as celebrities, should indeed be advocated as a way to engage those who would otherwise not be aware of certain issues. It smacks of patronisation that certain bodies seem to hold the belief that because footballers merely kick a bag of air around for 90 minutes they surely will not have the mental aptitude for complex social or economic matters.

With multi-million pound sponsorship deals potentially at risk though, it's no surprise that players are overwhelmingly reluctant to speak up over certain issues such as, for example, the alleged use of child labour in the production of the football equipment they wear and promote. When their lives are so materially fulfilled, what incentive is there for footballers to rock the boat? But for those who dare to, let us encourage rather than mute them.

Ultimately, if a player speaks out over something in his arena of work then it is down to the fans to judge. If they don't agree with a statement or find a gesture inappropriate, they will let the player know vociferously enough. It was famously proposed by Karl Marx that religion is the opiate of the people. Were he around today, would he instead suggest that it is football that is being used as the means to dull our sensibilities? Football has a unique ability to be far more than just a game, so let us use its power to reach further than its rulers would currently prefer it.